GSC Faculty E-News for April 2018
Better Together

Collaboration and innovation can take time, yet results are often powerful when we work together to enhance student success.

This month I'm pleased to share an example GSC's unique collaborative work. As the Instructional Design (ID) Team works with faculty, they often hear about wishes and dreams related to educational technology. And when a dream is shared by multiple faculty over time, the ID Team works to find solutions.

Recently, ID Team member Erin Courville took one of those dreams - to have more robust grading functionality for forums in Moodle - and submitted the idea to a Remote Learner contest. Erin won first place for her idea, and you can read more about the contest below.

And when we come together to celebrate our students during commencement, it's another powerful reminder about how our work collectively contributes to student success. If you haven't registered to attend commencement yet, there's still time! Granite State College is pleased to rent regalia on your behalf if you need it, and we hope you'll join us for this special day to celebrate our students and connect with colleagues. The final deadline to register is coming up fast, and more information is available below.

Until the May issue, thank you for helping us be better together for our students!
With regards,

Dr. Scott Stanley, Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs
Innovate from Within & Collaboration Wins!

Instructional Designer Erin Courville recently won 1st Place for Remote-Learner's 2018 Idea-a-Thon for her entry.

Her idea? Ensure forums have all the grading options of a normal activity in Moodle (think: ability to tie rubrics to forums!). This is just another example of how GSC listens to its faculty and attempts to solve issues.


Congrats, Erin!

Want learn more about Open Education Resources (OER) and Open Pedagogy?

A new page called "OER in the News" serves as an aggregate of news sources about open education and open educational resources.

Curated by our own Granite State College librarian, Pat Erwin-Ploog, and fellow GSCers, this resource is a great way to tune in to the growing news coverage on OER and Open Education practices.

Last Chance to Register for GSC's 2018 Commencement on June 10 | AllWell North Complex​, Plymouth, NH
 
Our graduates will be accompanied by family and friends to celebrate their big day. Faculty participating are required to wear regalia, but if you do not have your own regalia, we will rent it for you!
  


  • Arrival time: 10:30-11:00 am
  • Line up: 11:30 am
  • Ceremony at Noon
GSC's virtual Faculty Lounge in Moodle is a one-stop shop for professional development. New resources are available:

  • A module called Faculty Sharing, with demo courses that provide examples of module overviews, activities, and resources.
  • Two new tutorials: one on engaging activities and assignments and another on campus technologies
As communicated earlier this year, a change in structure to the summer term will allow for six-week and 10-week options for our students (eight-week options will no longer be offered). This change also shifts GSC's Academic Calendar; to review these updates, please review the GSC Academic Calendar.

The Instructional Design Team is always available to help faculty with course design strategies. If you have questions, please be sure to contact your hiring supervisor.
Explore the Faculty Lounge for an on-demand recording about this powerful writing assignment tool. Want to try it? Connect with our Instructional Design Team today!

For faculty who have been part of GSC's Academic Technology Institute recently or involved inege's Open Ed initiatives, Robin DeRosa has been an inspiring partner. As a faculty member at Plymouth State University - a sister institution of Granite State College - Robin has been instrumental in the Open Ed movement.

She recently co-launched the Open Pedagogy Notebook and appeared on the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a longtime favorite within GSC's Academic Affairs. Check it out!

“Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else.” 

―  Fred Rogers


DID YOU KNOW?
Addenda to the College catalogs are now posted on the website: https://www.granite.edu/become-a-student/catalog/
Once posted, these become the documents of record, so please be sure you are using the correct versions.