Volume 30, Number 1
Center for Teaching Initiatives | Information Technology Services | John M. Lilley Library
Center For Teaching Initiatives
Welcome, Hudson Tran
Hudson Tran is a multimedia specialist for the Center for eLearning Initiatives at Penn State Behrend. He supports the development and delivery of courses for Behrend's online and residential programs by working closely with faculty and instructional designers to produce video, photo, audio, animations, graphics, and other media. Hudson has a B.A. in Communication from Behrend and industry experience as a business owner/photographer, creative director at an advertising agency, and PR campaign researcher. When he's not working, he enjoys spending time in nature or with friends and family. Hudson is also active in the creative community and often collaborates on films and video production.
Upcoming Programming
CEI has launched a new course review program
A Course Rapid Review (CRR) is that proverbial "second set of eyes" for course development. It is a narrow, structured quality review of course content based on the Quality Matters (QM) standards commonly "not met" from Penn State internal QM reviews. Faculty can request a CRR for any course they have developed and are teaching or plan to teach, and the confidential review is completed by instructional designers in the Center for eLearning Initiatives. Whereas a complete QM review can take up to four weeks, a CRR can typically provide course design feedback within three to five business days. For more information and to sign up for a review, visit the Center for eLearning Initiatives website.
Grading Differently: A Structured Work Session
May 8, 2023 | Federal House 101 | RSVP by the end of May 1 if you request lunch. You may have heard about the ungrading movement, which seeks to re-center student learning in the assessment process. Perhaps you've even been thinking of trying a new practice but don't know where to start. In this work session, you will be given the time, space, resources, and coaching needed to develop an un-graded assignment (or similar component) for one or more of your upcoming classes.
Information Technology Services
Renovations Completed
Throughout the course of the year, BITS has been in the center of the renovations happening around the campus. From classrooms to buildings, BITS has been assisting in the design, recommendations, installation, troubleshooting, and maintenance of technology.
Erie Hall: The Erie Hall construction project is not only the new home for our students' Recreation and Wellness Center but also home to some of the latest technology. The addition of this building on campus increased our supported network devices by 198+ (including everything from security to Wi-Fi to exercise equipment. Due to delays in the availability of equipment, the A/V installation will continue into the future as parts become available.
Reed 1: With the opening of Erie Hall, Reed 1 office space will now include Behrend's Sustainability Office. The new space will feature a gathering and educational space, support video conferencing, and a dedicated digital sign outside the office. Expect this new environment to be fully operational by the start of Fall 2023 classes.
Kochel 43: This recent renovation was made possible by a Learning Space Leadership Committee (LSLC) grant procured by the University. The new design allows for an interactive, flexible pod design so that faculty can customize how their classroom is configured. BITS is targeting more Kochel classrooms for wiring and podium A/V control upgrades this summer.
Mobile Printing on Campus
Mobile printing is now available at various locations on campus. Get more information on where and how to connect using your phone, tablet, or laptop.
Introducing Digital Room Schedulers
Campus offices are replacing paper room reservations posted at the door with new digital sign screens. You will see these being installed soon in Erie Hall, Reed, and Knowledge Park. These 10-inch digital sign screens allow an up-to-date view of 25 Live reservations and are tied into the university emergency alert systems.
DUO Mobile is Going Away
Starting this Spring, Penn State will be moving from DUO Mobile to Microsoft Multifactor authentication (MFA). This process will begin with students migrating to the new service. Faculty, staff, and retirees will switch by the end of the calendar year. More information will be available soon.
How should you prepare? The changeover will apply to cell phones only, so you may want to add another device that you can access. To do so, go on to Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Settings and add another sign in for your landline, token, or tablet.
Farewell Carolyn
We say goodbye to Carolyn Dudas, who officially retired on January 31. Carolyn worked for BITS as a web developer and information specialist and served as BITS' ASG editor for over 20 years. We wish her all the best and happy retirement!
John M. Lilley Library
The Libraries recently added some helpful advertising databases:
AdWeek.com: Access from our Databases List (or go to adweek.com via your browser from a university VPN connection.
Advertising Insights (replaces Ad$pender): Off-campus access requires the use of GlobalProtect VPN. There is a limit of six concurrent users.
University Libraries Catalog Adds Search by Purchase Date
Want to see a list of the newest arrivals at the Lilley Library? Use the catalog's advanced search function.
For the best search results, we recommend choosing the following attributes:
- Access: In the Library
- Library or Location: Type Penn State Behrend
- Sort results by: Purchase date
In this example, we're looking for the most recent acquisitions for Behrend. These boxes are at the bottom of the advanced search page linked above.
We're delighted with this new function. Please give it a try and let us know what you think.