Marshall Online August Newsletter: Ultra Issue

August 22, 2024

Ultra Issue

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Issue. 12

News and Announcements

Welcome to Ultra: Congratulations! We want to thank you for all your help to transition to the Ultra upgrade! In this video, our team shares our favorite Ultra features. Have a question? Want to schedule a training? Use our Bookings link.

Marshall Online Open House—coming soon! Tour the new Online Student Engagement space, the Design Center, and our new recording studio in the Brad D. Smith Business Innovation Center. Learn how you can utilize the recording studio too! Watch for an invitation with more information.

Call for Nominations: Stephen and Sue Zemba Excellence in Online Teaching Faculty Award recognizes faculty members who demonstrate exceptional skill and commitment to delivering an engaging, transformative student experience in the virtual realm. Nominations are due September 15.

Annual Report 2024: What has Marshall Online has been up to this past year? In this report, we reflect on our collaborative efforts with partners across campus, celebrate wins toward students’ access to online learning, and share the crucial infrastructure we have built as we look to the future.

Updated Course Modalities and Attributes: Marshall University’s new distance course modality terms and attributes go into effect in the spring 2025 course schedule.

Want to let your students and advisees know about the changes? They can find this video and more information on our Course Modalities for Students page.

Marshall H.O.M.E Framework

The Marshall H.O.M.E. Framework is our new quality assurance model that we will use to certify online instructors and approve distance courses. Instructional designer Mary Welch and faculty liaison Dr. Laura Stapleton discuss the origins of the H.O.M.E. Framework and how it moves beyond structural standards to emphasize student experience.

Faculty Spotlight

Dr. Sumeeta Patnaik and Kae Bradley discuss their experience creating a learning community between a teacher prep course at a university in Kazakhstan and an English course at Marshall University.

Are you doing something innovative with your distance courses? Let us know at online@marshall.edu.

Faculty Liaisons on Ultra

“Faculty Workload Efficiency with Bb Ultra” by Dr. Shannon Miller-Mace

Our first cohort of faculty liaisons, Drs. Wendi Benson, Shannon Miller-Mace, and Laura Stapleton recorded 20 videos on impactful teaching practices. Check out all their videos in this playlist.

Introduction to Generative AI on Marshall Skills Exchange

Marshall employees now have free access to the Introduction to Generative AI micro-credential, a short course that will give you a good base knowledge of current AI functions and strategies for better utilization. Completing this short course is the first step to earning the full “Introduction to Generative AI” micro-credential. How to Register and Take the “Introduction to Generative AI” Micro-Credential:

Visit https://marshall.geniussis.com/Registration.aspx?aid=131
Click “Already Have a Marshall Account?” to sign in using your Marshall credentials, then click “Marshall SSO Login.”
Choose your Marshall e-mail and continue the login process.
This will take you to the Shopping Cart with the “Introduction to Generative AI” course already in it. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click “Confirm” to register for the course. There is no cost for the course.
On the confirmation page, click the “Go to Dashboard” button to navigate to the Learner Dashboard. On the Learner Dashboard, click the tile “Introduction to Generative AI” to go to the course in Blackboard Ultra.

Student Worker Spotlight

Meet Baylee!

Baylee joins the Marshall Online Team as our new Graduate Assistant. She is currently pursuing her Master’s and is majoring in Computer Science. Baylee is excited to use her technical and computer skills to make a difference in the Marshall student experience by utilizing AI and Microsoft Developer. Click here to learn more about Baylee!

Online Student Engagement

Advisory Council:

Marshall Online will officially launch the Marshall Online Student Advisory Council this fall to enhance the online student experience by leveraging the insights of currently enrolled students across various programs. This council will collaborate closely with Marshall Online staff and faculty to provide valuable feedback on learning in a virtual environment, evaluate both new and existing student engagement initiatives, and identify opportunities for improvement. Through this role, members will gain experience in advocacy, leadership, and communication, while engaging with peers and building relationships with university leadership.

Design Center

Ultra Resources: Check out our trainings, tutorials, best practices, and integrated tool info.

Teaching Resources for H.O.M.E. Framework: Explore our library of Best Practices for Online Teaching and Learning to support you in distance course development and delivery.

We want to know what you think of the H.O.M.E. Framework! Fill out our survey.