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Background:
All public institutions are required by law to make their educational experiences accessible to those with disabilities.  Anecdotes and research both point to the fact that making materials more accessible helps all students regardless of capabilities.  For simple documents that are text and images only this process has been relatively straight forward.  However, when we start looking at embedded equations in text it starts to get more complicated.  This overview is meant to serve as a brief guide to the issue and give you some recommendations for how to improve your accessibility with documents that contain mathematical equations.
 
Overview of technology:
 
In general, technologies for equations fall into three categories: production, translation, and output.  See samples of each of these technologies in the table below.  Technologies that produce equations in text such as LaTex, may have to go through a translation technology to be formatted as MathML that allows for multiple outputs (and thereby accessible).  Ideally, this translation step could be skipped to allow production to be directly outputted in the various formats, but for some disciplines the culture is to use technologies that are not capable of doing this.




 


Workflow elements




 


Production


Translation


Output




Sample Technologies for accessible equations


MS Word


MathJax (to web)


Kurzweil 3000




D2L


Equatio (handwriting to digital)


Nemeth Braille




LaTex


MSU Math Online (LaTex to html)


Screen readers (e.g. JAWS, NVDA, etc.)




Excel


MS Word with MathType add-on (many formats to MathML


 




Written on paper


 


 




Proposed suggestion:
Faculty and staff who are looking to make accessible documents should consider converting documents into MS Word.  In light of the issues with PDFs discussed in the 2/19 letter from Provost Youatt, the main recommendation is to use the MathType add-in for MS Word.  Because it can import LaTex equation and translate those to MathML that can then be outputted in various formats depending on the need of the student.  This tool seems to be the most robust to translate prior work to be more accessible.   
 
You can learn more about the MathType add-in MSU’s accessibility site: webaccess.msu.edu/Tutorials/mathtype.html
 
Take home message:
Ideally, faculty and staff should create a workflow that allows their work to be accessible by its nature, where it does not need further processing by the faculty, staff, or student to be accessible.  We realize that different discipline’s culture of technology and publishing may drive inaccessible practices, but identifying this goal and moving towards it at any opportunity will not only help those with disabilities, but will also increase the dissemination of intellectual work more broadly, which is ultimately tied to our mission as an institution of higher learning.

MSU IT is committed to providing no-cost training about collaborative tools to all students, faculty, and staff. Check out the following courses available in March and visit SpartansLearn for more information and to register.
Featured Course of the Month
Zoom – Meetings
Tuesday, March 18, 1:00 p.m.
Unlock the full potential of Zoom and revolutionize your virtual meetings. Dive into the heart of collaboration as you learn to effortlessly orchestrate breakout rooms, harness the power of seamless recording and reporting, spice up engagement with advanced polls and quizzes, and discover the art of content sharing.
What participants are saying...
“I liked learning about the polls/quizzes because I am building a D2L course, and I want to access the learner's knowledge progress.”
 
March Schedule
To register for the following virtual instructor-led training courses, go to SpartansLearn.
OneDrive – Getting Started
Friday, March 7, 9:30 a.m.
Access, share, and collaborate on all your files from anywhere! This course will introduce the essential functions of OneDrive, the go-to app for storing data and synchronizing it across other Microsoft applications. Learn how to ensure that work is saved, backed up, and available wherever and whenever access is needed.
 
SharePoint for End Users
Tuesday, March 11, 1:00 p.m.
Join our live training to unlock the power of SharePoint! Discover its amazing features, effortlessly navigate the platform, create dynamic lists, and master the functionality of document libraries. Get ready for an engaging and hands-on learning experience.
 
Outlook – Calendar Basics
Wednesday, March 12, 10:00 a.m.
Outlook is not just for emails! In this exciting course, learn how to streamline your workflow and schedule using the Outlook calendar. Set up an Out of Office email, share your calendar with colleagues, and schedule meetings with multiple people without breaking a sweat using the Scheduling Assistant and Polls tools. Outlook - Calendar Basics is anything but basic!
 
Microsoft Teams – Working with Teams
Monday, March 24, 2:30 p.m.
This hour-long course is valuable to individuals, teams, and departments looking for a centralized hub for communication, file sharing, and collaboration. Learn how to request a new team or join an existing team, manage channels and tabs, and manage the team’s members, settings, and analytics.
 
Can’t attend a live course? Watch on-demand anytime at SpartansLearn.
 
Monthly office hours are available for those with questions about content shared in the courses. Find the schedule at SpartansLearn.
 
All participants are invited to share anonymous feedback about their course through our End of Course Survey. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to help shape and inform our future offerings. Congratulations, Nancy Spitzley in MSU IT Data Center Operations, our quarter 4 drawing winner for completing an End of Course Survey!
 
For any other questions about technology training, please contact train@msu.edu.

MSU Attendance Policy:
"No person is allowed to attend a class unless officially enrolled on a credit or non-credit basis with the appropriate fees paid. Students who attend, participate and strive to complete course requirements without formal enrollment will not receive credit for their work...It is the responsibility of the instructor to define the policy for attendance at the beginning of the course."


Attendance policies and the repercussions for non-attendance are the purview of the class instructor. MSU suggests the following guidance related to COVID-related absences: 



Clearly state the class expectations for attendance and consequences for non-attendance in the syllabus, including your policy for illness 



Consider how you will accommodate students who might need to be absent for two or more weeks 


Instructors are encouraged to give students the benefit of the doubt and not require medical evidence and make accommodations as best as possible. 



Clearly state the class policies related to missing quizzes and submitting late work and the consequences for missing or late work. 






Suggest to students that they reach out to their advisors, College Student Affairs offices, and instructors if they will need to miss class due to COVID. 


Encourage the students to establish a peer network of support in case they need to miss class. To get the name out of a few students in class or teach them how to use D2L, so they can reach out to appear if they need assistance or to get notes. 


Provide information about the grief absence process and consider being generous if students report they have experienced a loss; consider putting in links to CAPS and other support services listed on the Keep Learning Website. 



In addition to the Attendance Policy, your syllabus should also include:

Effect of attendance on final grade, if any
Excused or unexcused absences
Policy on missed or late work

Check out this article for more information on syllabus basics. Photo by Roel Dierckens on Unsplash

***This is part of a series of articles compiling useful resources and information for new graduate students. Some of the information in this series will be relevant for anybody new to MSU, including undergraduates, postdocs, faculty and staff. The topical areas range from settling into East Lansing and Michigan, getting to know which services can be found on campus to administrative steps and information needed throughout a graduate program at MSU. For the full series, see this playlist dedicated to (international) graduate students.***
 
Libraries
The biggest library on campus is the Main Library, located on West Circle Drive near Beaumont Tower, though there are a few other specialised libraries, e.g. the Schaefer Law Library or the Gast Business Library at other locations.
The main library offers many services besides being a space for studying and finding books. For example, there are the Digital Scholarship Lab (to explore new technology for use in research and teaching, e.g. VR or a 360-degree visualization room) and the Hollander MakeCentral Service Desk (for printing, plotting, publishing and even passport (photos) services).
If you can’t find a book at the MSU Library, there is a service called the Interlibrary Loan Service through which you can access books/ resources at other libraries.
The library also offers workshops, e.g. an introduction to the MSU Library Services, using different citation software and data/ content management.
There is a 24/7 Support Line for general library questions (and D2L support). Call (800)500-1554. Or “Ask A Librarian” using this link: https://www.lib.msu.edu/contact/askalib/
Skill Building
There are a range of units on campus dedicated to helping you develop skills.
Writing
The Writing Center provides one-on-one and group writing consultations and writing groups (“write-ins”) for graduate students and faculty. They also offer workshops including those on “Navigating the Master’s degree/ PhD” and incorporate issues like time management and writing strategies. They are available to help you with any type of writing project you may have, academic or not.
“Write-Ins” are offered through different units besides the Writing Center, e.g. by the Graduate School and provide a dedicated time and space (as well as some support if needed) to make progress on any of your writing projects – from class work to dissertation chapters.
Workshops
A myriad of workshops is offered throughout the semester.
Topics include anything from departmental/ research specific seminars to writing and time management strategies (as mentioned above) to improving mentor relationships to wellness/ mental health workshops (see the Health article in this playlist for more information). The organizing units differ depending on the topic area. A good starting point is the Graduate School’s events calendar.
Statistics
Besides course offerings to learn about statistical methods, there are a few resources available to help you with your statistical skills and projects.
The Center for Statistical Training and Consulting provides statistical support for your research projects (they won’t do it FOR you but they will help you figure it out!) and teaches workshops on statistical methods.
Check with your College if they have a dedicated statistical support unit. For example, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has a Statistical Consulting Center.
Want to improve your statistics, data science and programming skills in R? Have a look at what the R-Ladies East Lansing are up to these days. There may be a workshop just around the corner.
English Language
The English Language Center at MSU is a good place to improve your general English skills, learn about English for the classroom, i.e. if you are teaching, and to get support for your writing projects if English is your second language.
A note on skill building and other workshops…
I know we all get a lot of e-mails, but it is worth at least scanning each one because a lot of the workshops, seminars and service that MSU has to offer are advertised that way. They might provide that motivation or accountability to get you started on your next dissertation chapter.
 
Other support resources
Legal Support
MSU offers some free legal support for students. Check out this website for their services.
Family Resources/ Support
The Student Parent Resource Center offers support and resources for students with children.
Work Life Office
The Work Life Office is a one-stop destination for your needs regarding work life fit, including career transitions, community connection, workplace assistance and family care among others. Though their target group at MSU is faculty and staff, as an employee of MSU (TA or RA) you are more than welcome to use their services.
 
Sports and Wellness
Gyms
MSU has 3 gym buildings: IM West, IM Circle and IM East. Traditional gyms with workout machines are found at IM East and West. All buildings also have spaces for different types of sports, e.g. basketball, soccer, squash, tennis, gymnastics, etc. There are swimming pools at IM West and IM Circle which you can use for free. However, you will have to register your student ID online in order to access the building/ locker room (at IM Circle).
Too cold for running outside in the winter? Make use of the free running track in IM East (above the basketball court). You don’t need a gym membership to use this, just a valid student ID to get into the building.
Gym memberships are organized through Recreational Sports and Fitness. There are also a variety of group exercise (fitness classes) options available, both in-person and through an online platform called Fitness-on-Demand. Since a fee is automatically collected each semester, all you need to do is activiate your StudentID card on their website and your ready to work out.
You can also sail (and paddle board and kayak) at MSU! The MSU Sailing Center on Lake Lansing is your address for water-based sports.
Other Fitness options
Health4You offers fitness and wellness options throughout the year, including a lunchtime fitness series (Yoga, Pilates, TaiChi, etc). Make sure to look at their calendar of scheduled events and workshops.
A fan of shooting sports? Check out MSU’s Demmer Center that offers indoor and outdoor shooting ranges and classes for firearms and archery practice.
Want to get on the ice? No problem, you can ice skate at Munn Ice Arena.
Sports teams
Want to join a sports team? There are different avenues for that at MSU.
Club Sports are Registered Student Organizations and compete regionally and nationally.
Intramural Sports offer the opportunity to participate both competitively and recreationally in your favorite sport. There is a set list of sports types and you can join or create your own team to participate in campus competitions.
Spartan Fit
The Spartan Fit program aims to support you in your fitness and wellness journey. They offer assessments and programs to help you achieve your goals, including using exercise as medicine.
Watching sports
College Sports are a big deal in the US - think football, baseball, basketball or ice hockey for example. MSU is no exception, with Sparty being our mascot and helping us cheer “Go green, Go white!”. As part of the MSU community, especially as students, you get reduced rate tickets to the student sections for football, men’s basketball and hockey. The other sport events are free to attend. Check out the MSU Athletics website to purchase tickets. Also note that COGS sometimes has special deals for graduate students.
 
Food on Campus
There are many options to eat on campus – from the little Sparty’s stores where you can buy snacks to full dining halls with several different food options, you’re sure to find what satisfies your appetite. Your go-to website for anything food related on campus is Eat@State.
Coffee and Snacks
Sparty’s are little campus stores that usually offer filter coffee and snacks, including packaged sandwiches and in some instances even warm foods like soup or sausages. They are located all over campus. There is also a Sparty’s Market – a small grocery store at 1855 Place.
There are a few Starbucks on campus (1855 Place and main library) and a Panera Bread in the Edward J. Minskoff Pavilion (Business College). Both offer a variety of coffee specialties as well as sweet and savory foods.
Cafeterias and Dining Halls
Look at Eat@State for a full overview of dining halls/ cafeterias and available meal plans (you can pay for a whole semester or a set number of meals in advance, but you can also pay for a single meal when you enter the dining hall). I just want to mention a few highlights here.
Brody Square at Brody Hall is probably the biggest one, offering a variety of cuisines from stir fries to pizza to (vegetarian) burgers and salads.
The Edge at Akers Hall is another big dining hall offering a great variety of cuisines and has its own Tandoori oven.
Thrive at Owen Hall is a recent addition and focused on providing allergen-free food.
Dairy Store
The Dairy Store is an MSU business and produces ice cream and cheese from our own cows! You can buy packaged cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, soup (changes daily) and delicious ice cream. It has two locations, one inside the MSU Union building and one in Anthony Hall (entrance on Farm Lane). In the summer month, they usually also have an ice cream food truck outside.
MSU Student Food Bank
If you need some support in procuring sufficient food for you (and your family), please make use of the MSU Student Food Bank. It is a volunteer-based organization on campus providing free foods and related items, helping you to cut your food bill down to half. Please make sure you are eligible and bring your student ID.
Social Life
There are many different ways to socialize and make friends on campus. Here are just a few formally organized ways.
OISS hosts weekly coffee hours, usually on Fridays. Meet and mingle with fellow international students. OISS also sometimes organizes sightseeing trips. Keep an eye on the e-mails they send.
The Council of Graduate Students (COGS) puts on social events like tailgates (a type of get-together with lawn games before a big football game), trivia nights and free dinners for graduate students.
There are a lot of different Registered Student Organizations (RSO’s) that bring together groups of students with similar interests, anything from cultures to sports.
Your department will probably have a Graduate Student Organization that might put on events or gatherings. They are a good way to connect with people and get involved in your department.
Looking for volunteering opportunities? One way to start might be to sign up to the volunteering listserv of the City of East Lansing. You can check out opportunities and sign up here.

Many decisions must go into the structure of an exam and how that assessment fits into the overall organization of a course. This document will review options for test configuration at multiple levels and then provide some examples of MSU faculty that have incorporated these strategies into their courses.
Course-Level Considerations
Course-level considerations require reviewing the structure of the class to see where major scheduling or grading changes can be made.

Lower the stakes / reduce the scope – Deliver more assessments that each cover less content. This provides students with more accountability for checking understanding in quicker and shorter ways throughout the course which can enhance the learning experience. Reducing the scope of exams in this way can also provide you as the instructor and the student with more targeted areas of feedback earlier on in the learning process
Drop a lowest exam grade – Provide students an “out” if they are unprepared or have a bad testing experience
Use honor codes – When combined with taking time to establish a climate of integrity, honor codes can reduce academic dishonesty

Exam-Level Considerations
Exam-level considerations can be made without altering other components of the course. However, these strategies often require evaluating the style of question asked.

Allow open book or notes and/or collaboration - The National Association of Colleges and Employers determined that the most important skill employers look for in college graduates are problem-solving and teamworking skills. Exams can be structured to practice and assess those skills
Write authentic questions – Teach and test skills and application of knowledge necessary for successful performance as a professional in the field
Allow corrections – Turn typical summative assessments into formative assessments by allowing students to use exams as a learning tool. Exams do not always need to be used as assessment of learning; they can also be used as assessment for learning
Offer more points on the exam that what is needed to achieve a 100% grade
Allow students to have multiple attempts at the exam
Use a two-part exam structure that has students take the exam both individually and in groups.

Question-Level Considerations
Question-level considerations are the easiest to implement; most changes can be accomplished using D2L quizzing tools.

Use question pools
Randomize questions
Limit the number of questions per page
Provide technology practice before the first major exam

Timing Considerations
Deciding on a time limit for an exam is an important decision. There are pros and cons for either limiting time or giving extended time.

Using untimed exams reduces student anxiety – When you have pools of questions that reduce the chances of students cheating on exams, it can allow a unique advantage of removing time limits on exams so as to reduce the anxiety that comes from timed exams
Using timed exams – Setting a time limit can provide a layer of security against academic misconduct. By minimizing the time students have to take the exam, they are more likely to spend that time focusing on the questions and not copying questions or collaborating
Ask TAs or ULAs to take the exam prior to delivery – Provides a report on time estimates that it will take for the class to complete the exam. It also provides opportunities for them to spot check the questions themselves for errors or opportunities to enhance the exam’s efficacy

Collaboration Considerations
When possible, collaborating with faculty colleagues, TAs, or ULAs in exam creation can help minimize the time and effort needed.

Generate questions pools as a faculty team
Have TAs or ULAs to create questions – Their direct involvement with students in supporting their learning throughout the course gives them a unique advantage in knowing how to write questions that can be useful for drawing out evidence of knowledge among learners

Examples from MSU Instructors
Mini-Exams
For many years, chemistry instructors in Lyman Briggs College have incorporated a low-stakes “mini-exam” as the first timed assessment in their introductory chemistry courses. In terms of points, the mini-exam is typically worth about 40% of a midterm exam. The mini-exam gives students an opportunity to experience “exam difficulty” questions in an exam setting. This early exam provides feedback to students regarding their approach to the class (have their study approaches been working?) on a lower-stakes exam. This also allows the instructors an early opportunity to intervene and support students prior to the first higher-stakes midterm exam. The mini-exam can be considered as either more formative (i.e., score dropped if midterm exam scores are higher) or more summative (testing on important expected prior knowledge), depending on the course design. With the move to online instruction, a mini-exam also gives instructors and students an opportunity to test and become familiar with the technology being used for midterm exams in a lower-stakes setting.
Strategies

Lower stakes exams
Provide technology practice before the first major exam

Extra Points
One approach has been successfully used in multiple introductory as well as some upper-level chemistry courses is offering more possible points on an exam than is needed for a grade of 100%. For example, if there are 80 possible points on an exam, grading might be based on a total of 73 points; a student who gets 73 points would earn a 100% grade. This approach allows instructors to communicate high standards for responses to exam questions but still relieves some pressure on students. Anecdotally, instructors have sometimes found that this alleviates the need for regrades. Instructors might choose to limit the maximum grade to 100% or offer bonus credit for students who score above 100%. In addition, building in extra points can potentially reduce some stress for first-year students accustomed to high-school grading scales where often scores above 90% are required for an “A.”
Strategies

Offer more points on the exam that what is needed to achieve a 100% grade

Authentic, Low Stakes Exams
In her neuroscience for non-majors course, Casey Henley writes exam questions that require students to make predictions about novel experiments based on content learned in class. These questions often require students to read and interpret graphs. Since the questions require problem solving, and the answers cannot be looked up, the exams are open book and open note. Additionally, the exams become a learning experience themselves because optional correction assignments are offered, and students can earn points back by reviewing their work and resubmitting answers. Exam corrections also provide information about the misconceptions that students held going into the test, which helps Casey create or edit content for future semesters. The class has four non-cumulative unit exams and one cumulative final. Each has the same point value, and students get to drop one exam grade.
Strategies

Write authentic questions
Lower the stakes
Drop a lowest exam grade
Allow open book or note
Allow corrections

Collaborating on Question Pool Creation
Consider working together with your colleagues on developing shared pools of questions that can be used for quizzes and exams within the same subject matter. This can greatly reduce the chances of cheating and bring a new sense of alignment across courses for those who are teaching similar courses already. It is also an important space for collaboration to take place among peers. A good example of this happening at MSU already is the way instructors in the Biological Sciences program share questions. Instructors in the Physics and Astronomy department have also shared questions across the institution with LON-CAPA for many years. and
Strategies

Use question pools
Generate questions pools as a faculty team

Introduction
Quality Matters (QM) is a nationally recognized, faculty-centered, peer review process designed to certify the quality of online courses and online components. MSU purchased a campus subscription to the QM Rubric to assist faculty and instructors in creating quality courses that will improve online education and student learning. The initial pilot of using the rubric to inform course design started as an MSU partnership between the Center for Integrative Studies in General Science, College of Arts & Letters, and MSU Information Technology. Currently, MSU maintains its full subscription status on a yearly basis which provides access to the fully annotated QM Rubric and the QM Course Review Management System (CRMS). Additionally, MSU IT Academic Technology consults with faculty and instructors on applying QM standards to their courses and developing new approaches in online and blended learning.
The MSU QM Course Review Process is a faculty-driven, peer review process that emphasizes continuous quality improvement. The QM reviewers experience and review a course from a student perspective and provide feedback based on the Quality Matters Standards. See IT Instructional Technology & Development for information about course development and see IT’s Academic Technology Service Catalog to learn more about QM at MSU. 
Our course review process consists of three parts: 

a self-review done by you to get familiar with the course review process on the MyQM system. 
an internal review by a peer-reviewer to provide initial feedback on the course design. 
after any necessary changes are made and the course has run, a copy of the course can undergo an official review conducted by a team of three QM Reviewers (Master Reviewer, Subject Matter Expert and one additional Reviewer) resulting in Quality Matters Certification [cost $1,000].

Whole programs can also be QM certified whose courses have been peer-reviewed. Information on QM program certification can be found on QM’s website. 
Getting Started
Anyone at MSU can create an account through the Quality Matters website by using their msu.edu email address.
Quality Matters provides a fully annotated course standards rubric, different types of course reviews including a self-review, and discounted QM professional development through its website and MSU’s subscription.
Some of the Quality Matters resources involve added costs and official course reviews require MSU consultation first.
Course Rubric
The QM Rubric is a research-based peer review process that is widely adopted in higher education as a measure of online course quality. It offers weighted best practices in online instruction to improve course quality.
Visit the QM Higher Education Rubric, Sixth Edition to download the rubric.
The rubric is helpful as a tool to consider what elements may be missing from an online or blended course or to generate suggestions for new features.
Self-Review First
Faculty and staff can use the fully annotated, self review materials, within the MyQM CRMS (Course Review Management System). Annotations explaining each standard in greater detail can be accessed within the Self Review tool after logging in to the QM site.
This unofficial self review is a way to become more familiar with QM standards or assess a course prior to an internal or official review. You can also do pre- and post- assessments of your courses to keep a record of improvements, and a private report can be emailed once completed.
What to expect in a peer-review?
The internal and official review are almost identical. Both generally consist of the following steps:


Pre-Review Discussion


Team chair (Lead Reviewer in an internal review) contacts review members and faculty member to set up a conference call or face-to-face meeting at the beginning of the review. The purpose of the conference call/meeting is to discuss the instructor worksheet, ensure that all members have access to the course, establish the team review timeline, and answer any questions from team members before the review begins.


Review Phase


The review begins. Each team member logs into the QM Rubric website and uses the online rubric tool to record their observations about the course. Remember that you are reviewing the course from the student’s perspective. If you have questions during the review, don’t hesitate to contact your team chair.


Post-Review Discussion


Upon completion of the review, the team chair will call for the final conference. This conference will be among the review team members to discuss any discrepancies in the review and to ensure that recommendations are helpful and effective.  All individual reviews will be submitted after this meeting to compile the final report.


Post Review – Revise Course (as needed)


The team chair will submit the final review to the Campus QM Coordinator through the online QM tool. The review findings will be shared with the course instructor who then has an opportunity to respond to the review (using the course Amendment Form in the QM site). If the course does not yet meet standards, the faculty course developer/instructor works to bring the course to standards (with the assistance of an instructional designer, if desired). The review team chair then reviews the changes and determines whether or not the changes move the course to QM standards. In an internal review, revisions are made before submitting for an official review.
Steps for Internal Review
It is good practice to complete a self-review of your course before submitting for internal or official review. This is an optional step and only you see the self-review responses. For a self-review, log into the CRMS (Course Review Management System) on the QM website and use the Self Review tool to conduct a review of your own course.
When you are ready to submit a course for internal review:

Sign up for a SpartanQM Online/Blended Course Peer-Review and wait for an email response. 
Make a copy of your course to be reviewed.
Log in to MyQM at http://www.qmprogram.org/MyQM (Your login name is your email address on file with QM. If you do not have your login info choose "Forgot Username" or "Forgot Password")
Log in to the Course Review Management System (CRMS) and select “Start a Review Application” on the main screen.

Select Michigan State University.
Select David Goodrich as the QM Coordinator.
Select yourself as the Course Representative.
Select Internal Review as the review type.
Scroll down and enter course information. Select Submit Application. You will receive an email that will prompt you to complete the worksheet once it is approved.

Log in to the Course Review Management System (CRMS) to complete the Course Worksheet.
Select My Course Reviews: Open Course Reviews

Here you will choose the "View" next to the applicable course number. 
The Actions section allows you to view, edit and then submit the Course Worksheet. Select edit to input your course information. 
When finished, click “Submit Complete Worksheet.”

Your course will automatically be assigned to a Lead Reviewer who will contact you regarding the course review.
After your review, you may make any necessary changes to your QM Review course as a result of the internal review.
This review is an unofficial course review that provides feedback on meeting the QM Standards before submitting for QM recognition.

Steps for Official Review
When the course is ready for the official review:

Sign up for a SpartanQM Online/Blended Course Peer-Review and wait for an email response. 
Faculty will use the updated copy of the course that was used in the internal review. 
Log in to MyQM at http://www.qmprogram.org/MyQM (Your login name is your email address on file with QM. If you do not have your login info choose "Forgot Username" or "Forgot Password")
Log in to the Course Review Management System (CRMS) and select “Start a Review Application” on the main screen.

Select Michigan State University.
Select David Goodrich as the QM Coordinator.
Select yourself as the Course Representative.
Select QM-Managed Review as the review type. 
Scroll down and enter course information. Select Submit Application. You will receive an email that will prompt you to complete the Course Worksheet once it is approved.

Log in to the Course Review Management System (CRMS) to complete the Course Worksheet.
Select My Course Reviews, Open Course Reviews. 

Here you will choose the "View" next to the applicable course number.
The Actions section allows you to view, edit and then submit the Course Worksheet. Select edit to input your course information.
If you completed an internal review inside the CRMS, you can copy your internal review worksheet.

MSU staff will add the QM review team to the QM Review Course. This can take up to two weeks.
The Course Representative (faculty course developer/instructor) meets virtually or by phone with the QM review team for a pre-review meeting.
A QM Review is scheduled for a 4-6 week review period, which includes approximately 3 weeks of actual review time in addition to pre- and post-review conference calls.
The QM Team Chair will submit the final report which will be sent to the Course Representative.
Once the standards are met, Quality Matters recognition is provided to the Course Representative and the course is listed in the QM Recognized Courses registry.

Recertification Review
Certified courses are reviewed and re-certified after five years.
Resource Links

QM Higher Education Rubric, Sixth Edition
QM at MSU Community: Faculty and staff at MSU can join this D2L Community site to learn more about the QM Rubric, discounted professional development, and course examples for meeting standards.
Quality Matters website: Create an account using your msu.edu email and access the self-review tools on the MyQM site.

What is TurnItIn? 
TurnItIn is a service that allows universities to uphold academic integrity by giving instructors the opportunity to offer feedback on student assignments and detect possible issues of plagiarism. 
 
How can TurnItIn be used for instruction? 
Despite its reputation as a deterrent to plagiarism, TurnItIn can also help instructors in assisting students in their understanding of proper citations and the correct formatting for their writing. Instructors have the ability to control various aspects of TurnItIn and how it is used for evaluating student assignments.  
 
How do I access TurnItIn? 
Instructors can access TurnItIn via D2L when creating assignments. Under the “Evaluation and Feedback” tab, choose “TurnItIn Integration”. From there, instructors can choose how they want to evaluate student assignments.  

 
Where can I find more information about TurnItIn? 
D2L’s help site has a page featuring how to get started with TurnItIn.   
 

This week, we are featuring Dr. Jim Lucas, Assistant Dean of Global Education & Curriculum.  Dr. Lucas was recognized via iteach.msu.edu's Thank and Educator Initiative! We encourage MSU community members to nominate high-impact Spartan educators (via our Thank an Educator form) regularly!
Read more about Dr. Lucas’ perspectives below. #iteachmsu's questions are bolded below, followed by his responses!
 

 
You were recognized via the Thank an Educator Initiative. In one word, what does being an educator mean to you? 
Mentor
Share with me what this word/quality looks like in your practice?
Mentors help personally and professionally by pushing you to be your best. I think being a mentor is a good way to think about being an educator. As a mentor, you have to connect with the student where they're at by being developmental and helping them progress as a student and as a person. I also think you need to put yourself out there and empathize with your students. You have to be willing to be a real person with your students, ask the tough questions, and put in the time and the effort to get through to them. Sometimes I think if we all cared more about each other as people that some of the problems we think of as insurmountable would be less insurmountable.
I always tell my students, once a student, always a student. Once they come into my life, they always have access to me as a mentor. I don’t cut students off once the class ends. I am there for them throughout their college experience. 
Have your ideas on this changed over time? if so how?
As an administrator, it’s important to have one foot on the ground. It’s easy to forget life from a students’ perspective. It’s important to keep yourself real, keep yourself honest, and keep yourself connected to the students so you can try to relate to them in a way that seems authentic. 
When I talk to other educators about how to create curricular experiences or how to work with students, I encourage them to keep doing the work. I don't want to be one of those people that taught 20 years ago but hasn't been in a classroom since. I stay connected to students, particularly first-year students, so I can serve them better. But it also helps me professionally, to help other people think about how to mentor and teach students.
Every time that I'm confronted with a topic that I want to teach, I start by asking myself “how do students learn?”I always push myself to think about how to present topics in the most engaging, exciting, and fun way possible. So I'm constantly pushing myself to think about new ways to do activities and assignments in class. I realize the students I'm teaching in 2021 are different from the students I taught in 1999.
Tell me more about your educational “setting.” This can include, but not limited to departmental affiliations, community connections, co-instructors, and students. (Aka, where do you work?)
I work with first-year students through UGS offerings, integrative studies teaching, and also teach several education abroad courses. 
What is a challenge you experience in your educator role?
I feel that today’s world is very complicated. All students don’t come to college with the mindset and resilience to be successful. We’ve changed so much as a society. Whether students are coming with more home life issues and less social capital or overly structured lives with hovering parents. Figuring out the right balance of challenge and support is hard because you want to challenge them without harming them. You need to find the appropriate way to challenge them to promote growth. Sometimes, we solve problems for students, rather than empowering them to solve the problems themselves, but conversely, sometimes we leave students hanging by a limb expecting them to figure it out on their own. It is a messy grey space. 
Another challenge I experience is the lack of recognition or value attributed to teaching in all forms. I think we need to remove the “Grand Canyon” of academic versus student affairs and teaching versus research. I think if you want to work with students, you need all types of people and perspectives. You also need to value your teachers and reward them for putting in the time that it takes to promote growth and learning.
Any particular “solutions” or “best practices” you’ve found that help you support student success at the university despite/in the face of this?
Having a sense of structure is really important. I always start the class by reviewing prior content and answering any questions students have about the past week. At the end of class, I review where we've been, preview where we're gonna go next week, and talk about what’s due. Also, I create a routine for my class, even more so during COVID, with a set structure they can come to understand the ebb and flow of class. 
I work very hard to set norms in my class. I think that a lot of faculty assume that just putting expectations in the syllabus is enough. In my experience, you have to keep talking about and revisiting norms. And if you’re going to set a norm, you have to model it. I can't just say I want you to have good dialogue skills, I have to model it for the students by showing them what I expect, holding them accountable, and managing the issues as they come up. I start every class in small groups and rotate so they get to know each others’ names and have to work across differences. 
I'm really trying to set that tone during the first day that we're an active learning community, that we need to learn to listen to each other, and that we all have opinions that are valid to be listened to, but yet also remember not to be racist, sexist, etc., I try to set all that that tone on that very first day. The other thing I would say to anyone that's new to teaching is that it's helpful to have peers and or a more experienced mentor to ask questions. When I first started teaching, I had an elder faculty member in the department that I could go to, or when I was teaching EAD 315, I could go to other grad students and be like, how is this working for you? Did it work? Did it not work? 
Teaching is as much of an art as it is a science and I think you have to adapt. For new instructors, I’ll say this: You haven’t taught anything until you’ve taught it three times. After teaching a course three times, you start to realize your own structure and flow. Teaching is like theatre--you have to figure out what you're going to put on stage and what you're going to keep behind the curtain. I think an error that many educators make is putting way too much “behind the stage.” I think students do better when you're more transparent about what you expect, and why you're doing what you're doing. And I think that they respect you for telling them.
Sometimes teachers think that they need to have an air of superiority or infallibility in the classroom. It’s okay to admit “I'm not perfect” and admit to the students when you’re not perfect. For example, I’ll let students know I've had a really bad week, and I'm sorry that I couldn't get to your papers or that the D2L site is messed up. 
Be honest and human with the students. These actions are role modeling the behaviors that you want them to see. One of the things that I learned as an educator is how a student assesses you on the first day of class is highly correlated to the way they'll evaluate you later on. The first day of class is super important. 
I don't start with a syllabus. I start with some form of fun, engaging activity that sets a tone for my class. So if I'm doing, for example, sustainability I might do like a human barometer activity that gets the students up and moving and establishes dialogue in the classroom where they're hearing from each other more than they're hearing from me. And I make it clear that that's what my class is going to be. 
What are practices you utilize that help you feel successful as an educator?
Using class time to give voice to students is really important. Create a positive climate in your classroom where students feel valued and where they can ask questions. I build five minutes at the start and end of every class. Some people might say, well, I'll cover less content. But, you know, my belief is, it doesn't matter if you cover it if they don't retain it. And they're not going to retain it if they're not in a classroom where they feel that they're listened to, and that they're engaged. Figure out the right mix of process and content is important for any teacher. The process of how you run your class is just as important as the information that you're giving.
Also, I'm a big fan of backward design. People need to start with their learning outcomes and go through a process of curricular prioritization. IAs I said, you haven't really taught anything until you've taught it at least three times. In those three times, you start to realize what's important and what's not important. 
Next, I like the teaching perspectives inventory (http://www.teachingperspectives.com/tpi/). I encourage educators to work on themselves to understand who you are as a teacher and figure out if the way you run your class aligns with your thoughts about teaching and learning. Ask yourselves questions like do your values as a teacher align with the way you do your learning outcomes, assessment, and all that or is aligned with your values as a teacher? For this reason, I never use a canned curriculum or activity. I take ideas and structures from other places, but I need to adapt them to my needs, outcomes, and teaching style.
What topics or ideas about teaching and learning would you like to see discussed on the iteach.msu.edu platform? Why do you think this conversation is needed at msu? 
A greater range of activities that hit multiple levels of professional experience. Mid-high level conversations about sticky, difficult issues. What do you do when a student has a breakdown in the middle of your classroom? These are things that I've confronted, but I'm not always sure that I had the best possible approach. 
For example, I had a student who checked out of his housing and was effectively homeless, and then I was with the police on campus looking for the student one night-- as an educator I find myself in the middle of these situations. I would love to have a space to talk with kindred spirits about how to do that work, where our limits reside, how have other people navigate it, and how do we make the system better? I want to make the campus a better place for everyone. And I'd like to be involved in those conversations, not so much tips and tricks for my own classroom.
What are you looking forward to (or excited to be a part of) next semester?
Looking forward to face-to-face teaching and education abroad. I want to see my students and talk with them. I feel very disconnected from them in a remote environment. I decided not to teach online for Spring. As a person that likes to create community in small, experiential educational settings, it is hard for me to do that online.