LTDC Online News

H1N1 preparation and online help for faculty and instructional staff
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) and Learning and Technology Services (LTS) have been engaged in H1N1 Social Distance Teaching preparation over the past few months. A host Webpage was created on the CETL site to help the faculty and instructional staff develop a plan for course continuation in case of a pandemic event on campus. One of the models created was referencing how the instructor is engaging learning in the face-2-face classroom environment and suggesting alternatives using D2L (Rapid Deployment of an existing F2F course, borrowed from Andy Speth/UW-Green Bay, thanks Andy!) and other online options of disseminating content and gathering student assignments and feedback.
Also, as a result of the pandemic preparation planning we have decided to allow faculty and instructional staff to activate their own D2L courses. Approximately a year and a half ago UW-Eau Claire went to the map-all course model (in D2L), now, with this new option it will make course activation faster and easier for the faculty and instructional staff who are not presently using D2L. We are further providing online documentation (and video tutorials—in progress) to step them through this process.
We have also added more D2L Basics and other student/instructor online communication option workshops to the training schedule, in addition to short online video tutorials on the later subjects. We are also encouraging the faculty and instructional staff to engage their students in their contingency plans as soon as possible so their learners will be prepared for the optional learning delivery process if a pandemic event should occur. To date we have not seen much interest in attendance of these workshops, but we are prepared and in wait-mode.

Donna Raleigh is retiring
Donna was the LTDC Rep for UW-Eau Claire for many years (7+) and also the past Chair in 2006-07. She will be retiring on November 3rd after 32 years of employment. We wish her well in her retirement and thank her for all of the years of service and expertise.

Dr. Patricia A. Kleine named Provost
Patricia A. Kleine (Eastern Connecticut State University) became Eau Claire’s Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs this summer. She is the university’s chief academic officer, providing administrative oversight for our four undergraduate Colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Sciences, and Nursing and Health Sciences; various other academic and co-curricular support programs; the Office of Graduate Studies and the Office of Undergraduate Studies.

College of Business is going QM
UW-Eau Claire’s College of Business (COB) is joining the Quality Matters Consortium. The COB will become a member in November with the plan to certify all of their MBA Online Consortium courses.

Campus Visitors
The past two months have been busy for the campus; we have had a visit from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, September 14-16, and the UWSA Board of Regents, October 15-16.

Submitted by Gene Leisz