Volume 28, Number 1
Center for Teaching Initiatives | Information Technology Services | John M. Lilley Library | Learning Resource Center
Center For Teaching Initiatives
Demystifying the Pre-Requisite Gaps
Do you teach a math-intensive course and struggle to keep the class at the same pace? If so, you are invited to participate in this project Demystifying the Pre-Requisite Gaps.
The time commitment for this project is approximately 1 hour. This includes an interview via Zoom. Please fill in this form to be scheduled and obtain the interview questions ahead of time.
The short-term goal of the project is to identify specific mathematic skills Penn State Behrend students should have before entering your math-intensive course(s). The faculty interviews will help identify such math skills. The long-term goal of the project is to develop remedial opportunities to help students obtain such skills and be better prepared for the math-intensive courses.
Behrend Teaching Triangle Program
Funded by a grant from Penn State's Office for General Education, Behrend's first Teaching Triangle program is well under its way. Participating faculty members are formed in groups of 3 (hence, triangle) to make reciprocal visits to each other's classes. The program is formative, confidential, and interdisciplinary. Participants will share what they learned from their colleagues at the end of the semester.
The program will continue in fall 2021. All instructors are invited, general education instructors are particularly welcome!
For questions, please contact Dr. Qi Dunsworth or Dr. Glenn Kumhera.
Welcome Dani!
Please welcome new Instructional Designer Dani McCauley. Dani previously worked as a French/English teacher in grades 7-9 in several school districts in Pennsylvania. She then worked for five years as an Academic Success Coach at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where she enjoyed helping students develop skills to help them succeed in their courses. Her experiences have allowed her to develop understanding of teaching and learning from all perspectives – instructor, academic support, and student.
Dani is pursuing an Ed.D. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Administration and Leadership. She is a graduate of Penn State’s Master in Education in Higher Education through World Campus. Her research interests include rural students in higher education, student engagement in f2f and online classes, and first-year seminars.
Information Technology Services
Create PSU Lifetime Password Prior to May 12
The PSU Lifetime Password is finally here. This means that once you change your password to meet the new requirements, you won't ever need to change it again (unless it becomes compromised).
All faculty and staff are required to create a new password by May 12. If you already changed your password in March or April, you should be set for your lifetime password. If you're not sure of your password expiration date, login to Account Management and select "Security Settings".
As you know, your password is integrated into so many services and devices; changing it creates ripples effects in everything you do. Changing the password is the easy part --– testing to make sure all your devices have the new password will take some time.
However, before you do anything, please do the following:
- Plan and set aside at least 40 minutes, preferably while you are on campus.
- Bring all your mobile devices (phones, laptops) with you.
Then follow these steps:
Office Computer
- Arrive at campus.
- Using your office computer, login to https://accounts.psu.edu.
- Change your password.
- Restart your computer.
- Log back in to your computer.
After logging in, the following applications will prompt you for your new password:
- OneDrive, i.e. the blue cloud icon in the bottom, right corner of your screen (Desktop and Documents)
- Office 365 Desktop Apps (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, etc.)
And, if applicable, these applications will prompt you for your new password:
- Global Protect (globe icon in the bottom, right corner of screen)
- PSU Wi-Fi (laptops, mobile phones)
Mobile Devices
- Disconnect the dock from your laptop.
- Make sure you can log in without the dock connection before leaving campus.
What if I changed my password while OFF-campus?
If you changed your password while OFF-Campus, there are a few extra steps. Please see Password Tips for Off-campus & Mobile Users. This site has information on how to re-establish access to application and computer logins.
Need help?
As always, we are here to help. If you need assistance or have questions, please contact our help desk at 814-217-4357 (HELP).
To read more about the lifetime password initiative, please see the news story University to Implement Lifetime Password Policy for Penn State Accounts.
What You Need to Know about Box Migration
The take-away… DO NOT USE BOX.
Phase 2, the final phase of the Box file migration, is expected to be completed in early April. Upon completion, you will receive an email that states that your Phase 2 is complete. At that point, if you have any external collaborators, you will need to re-do their sharing permissions. The sharing permissions were maintained for internal collaborators.
The University will provide BITS with an error report so that we can reach out to assist. But if you have any questions or need assistance with your migrated files, please complete an IT Ticket. (Select “Box Files for Migration” under the “My Office” category.)
Although you are still able to see a copy of your files in Box, DO NOT access them from Box. These files will remain in Box until September 2021, when the University’s contract expires. Once the contract expires, the Box files will be permanently gone.
John M. Lilley Library
Library Makerspace
Beginning in April 2021, Lilley Library will begin developing Lilley 113 into the Library Makerspace.
What’s a makerspace, you ask? It’s a place where students and members of the Behrend community can come to make things, participate in hands-on learning, and explore their creativity and ingenuity.
Through a cooperative effort between the Library and the 3-D Printing Student Club, we are initially equipping the makerspace with two 3-D printers, purchasing new furniture, and updating the space.
Short range plans include purchasing additional 3-D printers, and training students on the use and maintenance of the printers.
As part of the plan to transform the first floor of the Library into a Knowledge Commons, over subsequent years we plan to include other prototyping and creative machines and products in the Makerspace, including a Cricut paper/vinyl cutter, LittleBits electronic prototyping tools, and more.
While there are currently makerspaces on campus, most of these are either project-based, like the Invent Penn State lab in the Burke Center or available only to students enrolled in engineering classes.
Our philosophy in building the Library Makerspace is to open this resource to all students and members of the Behrend community, provide training and instruction on using the tools in the Makerspace, and develop a space that will become a center of creativity and inspiration in Lilley Library.
We are planning on having a “grand opening” in the Fall semester, so please feel free and stop in once we have the Makerspace up and running. If there are any questions, please let Matt Ciszek, Library Director, know.
Learning Resource Center
Welcome (Back) Bella!
The Learning Resource Center is very pleased to welcome AnaBella Lassiter to its staff. Bella started her position as Program Coordinator on March 15th. She is a Behrend alum and an alum of the Center’s tutoring staff.
Bella became a peer writing tutor when she was a sophomore. She participated in the Center’s Composition Support Program, became a lead tutor, providing additional training and support for new tutors, and volunteered to participate in a special training initiative to improve writing tutoring feedback for Plastics Engineering Technology students on their senior design projects. The success of that program has led to an NSF grant.
Bella received the Outstanding Writing Tutor Award in her junior year. She was also a Schreyer Scholar, graduated with an honors degree, and received first place in the University Libraries’ Undergraduate Research: Excellence in Information Literacy Award.
We are delighted to welcome her back!
Best Wishes to Barb Davis
Congratulations to Barb Davis who retired on December 31th!
Barb positively impacted the lives of many students at Behrend and in the Erie community in her role as Program Coordinator in the Learning Resource Center and before that as the Program Coordinator for the Penn State Educational Partnership Program (PEPP).
Barb’s dedication to students and their success embodied the spirit of the Learning Resource Center. We are grateful for her significant contribution to the Center and the College and wish her all the best in this new chapter of her life.