ONLINE @ MTSU - Spring 2024
A Newsletter for MTSU Faculty
Table of Contents
Welcome Back!
Dear faculty colleagues,
Welcome to Spring 2024 on behalf of MTSU Online. We so appreciate working with you to help expand educational opportunities for the people of our region and beyond. As you may know, options for online courses and degrees at MTSU have expanded rapidly over the last three years. Here is a brief summary of our progress and activities.
Student credit hours from online courses have reached an all-time high, and account for 26% of all MTSU credit hours. Nearly 10,500 students enrolled in at least one online course this Fall, which is 52% of the total MTSU student headcount. MTSU now has 55 fully online degrees and concentrations – a significant increase from just three years ago. Summer credit hours offered online continued to increase, and online courses accounted for 61% of all summer offerings. Currently, 13% of MTSU students are fully and exclusively online. These areas of growth are a testament to both the hard work of the MTSU Online team and the invaluable collaborative spirit of deans, chairs, and faculty. The MSTU administration has demonstrated unwavering support for expanding online opportunities for students.
In the Fall 2023 semester over 460 faculty members taught at least one online course. MTSU Online supports the faculty with a variety of opportunities including training workshops, faculty peer mentoring, personal consultations, and an extensive archive of web-based resources about online teaching and learning.
Our student support team continues to offer personal direct assistance to online students. Students can access various special services including live and email support, live tutoring throughout the day (and night), career advising, mental health counseling, library support, and assistance navigating D2L and related technologies. MTSU Online is developing engagement opportunities for online students, including opportunities to participate virtually in events that in the past have been available only for on-campus students.
The valuable and skilled MTSU Online instructional designers have been highly productive this year, assisting the faculty in producing dozens of new and redesigned courses that emphasize student engagement with faculty. The team recently added Dr. Tim Oneal and Ms. Hangmin Zhang, bringing our total to four instructional designers. We also added an experienced and skilled administrative assistant, Ms. Charlene Huffman.
Thank you for working with us this past year, and we look forward to serving you and the MTSU students and helping you succeed.
Trey Martindale
Professor and Associate Vice Provost for Online Learning
Have You Heard?
MTSU ONLINE REALIGNMENT
You have probably heard about the tremendous growth MTSU Online has experienced in the last three years. As a result, our unit has been realigned within MTSU. MTSU Online is now aligned administratively with the Provost's Office, specifically under the new Vice Provost for Faculty & Strategic Initiatives Dr. Brian Hinote. Dr. Trey Martindale is now the Associate Vice Provost for Online Learning (formerly Chief Online Learning Officer). With the addition of our two newest instructional designers, an administrative assistant, and our loyal and steadfast student support and faculty coordinators' efforts, we will continue the terrific work started by our predecessors and look forward to an exciting future!
NEW ONLINE TUTOR VENDOR – ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON!
As part of our online student support and inclusivity efforts, we arrange for online tutoring for online students at the student's convenience. Our vendor, TutorMe, has undergone some company changes which require us to change vendors. If you have any support information regarding TutorMe in your D2L courses or have the link included in the Navigation Bar of D2L, please remove it.
We are currently working with Tutor.com to establish a new 24/7 online tutoring option for MTSU online students. Once the logistics are finalized, we will send an announcement to all faculty on how to update your D2L course.
MTSU ONLINE YOUTUBE CHANNEL RELAUNCH
We're excited to share with you the latest enhancement in our digital learning environment - the revamped MTSU Online YouTube Channel. This platform is not just a resource; it's a community where innovative teaching practices meet cutting-edge technology.
Why Should You Tune In?
- Explore Best Practices in Course Design: Our content, ranging from Bloom's Taxonomy to accessibility and engaging learning activities, is crafted to enhance your course effectiveness and student learning outcomes.
- Tech Tutorials at Your Fingertips: Step-by-step guides on D2L Brightspace, H5P, Panopto, Microsoft OneDrive, and more, are readily available to streamline your online teaching experience.
- Dive into Generative AI: Discover the potential of tools like ChatGPT and DALLE in your teaching methodologies. Learn how these innovations can transform student engagement and creativity.
Stay Ahead with Our Subscribe Feature
- Regular Updates: Keep up with the latest trends and tools in online education. Our channel is an ever-evolving repository of knowledge.
- Skill Enhancement: Each video is an opportunity to refine your approach and bring new, exciting elements into your virtual classroom.
- Community of Innovators: Engage with a network of educators dedicated to redefining online education.
Join Us on This Exciting Journey
Your path to an enriched online teaching experience begins with a simple click. Visit the MTSU Online YouTube Channel, immerse yourself in our content, and hit that subscribe button. Let's collaborate to shape the future of online education at MTSU.
EASILY FIND YOUR MEDIA FILES IN D2L
Did you know that you can easily access Media Files that you create directly in D2L by going to your Media Library option under settings?
Whether you add a D2L video or audio note to an announcement, content area, feedback, or in an email, you can find your recordings under the Media Library option as shown here. You can filter and search your media files too!
Let us know if you have questions.
D2L CHAT FUNCTION DISCONTINUED
As some of you may have noticed, the D2L Chat feature is no longer available for use. D2L (our Learning Management System) discontinued the Chat feature permanently. If you are a faculty member who used the chat tool, please make sure that any references to that tool are removed. If you would like to discuss possible alternatives to using D2L Chat, please contact any of our Instructional Designers or email us at online@mtsu.edu and your message will be forwarded appropriately.
Spring 2024 Workshops
MTSU Online collaborates with the LT&ITC each semester to host virtual workshops with an online focus. Please see our upcoming events below. All MTSU Online workshops are recorded and posted to our MTSU Online YouTube Channel. Subscribe today!
Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI): Concepts and Strategies You Really Should Investigate Part 1
February 20th (Tuesday) 11:30am-12:30pm
Regular and substantive interaction (RSI) has gained increasing attention with federal regulations and evolving online learning best practices. Join us in this 2-part professional development workshop where we’ll start by defining RSI and discussing opportunities and challenges with RSI in online courses. In part two, we’ll explore strategies and resources for implementing RSI to engage students, supporting their academic success and satisfaction, and equipping you with ideas to enhance your teaching.
RSI: Concepts and Strategies You Really Should Investigate Part 2
February 27th (Tuesday) 11:30am-12:30pm
Regular and substantive interaction (RSI) has gained increasing attention with federal regulations and evolving online learning best practices. Join us in this 2-part professional development workshop where we’ll start by defining RSI and discussing opportunities and challenges with RSI in online courses. In part two, we’ll explore strategies and resources for implementing RSI to engage students, supporting their academic success and satisfaction, and equipping you with ideas to enhance your teaching.
Using H5P Activities Instead of Quizzes / Exams – Notes from the Field – A Case Study
March 19th (Tuesday) 11:30am-12:30pm
Ever thought about using H5P activities as formative or summative assessments in your online or traditional classroom rather than the standard Multiple Choice / TrueFalse Quiz/Exam? Join us for a conversation about some of the pros and cons of using H5P activities from an instructor’s perspective as well as what some students had to say about it too!
To register for these or any of the other faculty development opportunities offered through the LT&ITC please visit the LT&ITC Workshop Calendar.
Staff Spotlight: Hangmin Zhang
Hello, I am Hangmin Zhang, the newest member of the MTSU Online Instructional Design Team. Having graduated from Vanderbilt University, my journey began as a reading instructor at MTSU, followed by a role as a middle school teacher. During this time, I actively applied instructional design methodologies and gained valuable hands-on experience with a diverse range of learners.
In addition to my passion for education and instructional design, I have harbored a lifelong love for art and travel. Considering myself a cosmopolitan, I thrive on adventures and enjoy embracing new experiences.
I am genuinely excited about the opportunity to collaborate and work with you!
Faculty Resources
| Course Development Processes | Faculty Developer Information | Other Faculty Services |
This biannual newsletter is produced by MTSU Online.
Comments and feedback should be sent to online@mtsu.edu.
