We found 258 results that contain "third party services"

How to Connect Online
 
Access to high-speed internet is critical for remote instruction and online classes. Because of varied locations of learners- some students may be on-campus and in the East Lansing area where others might be at their primary residences where internet capabilities are outside of the university’s control- it is important that educators understand how to get connected to the internet. If you or any of your students are unable to access the internet at any time, refer to the information below.
Last Modified: March 27, 2020
Accessing Internet On-Campus or in the Surrounding Area
There are two locations on campus open to students to use for internet access.

The MSU Union located at 49 Abbot Road from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
Brody Square is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

If you are staying on-campus or in the Lansing/East Lansing area and have any internet problems, contact:
MSU campus

MSU IT Service Desk: 517-432-6200 or 1-844-678-6200

Lansing/East Lansing area

Spartan-Net: 1-866-386-7778
Xfinity: 1-800-934-6489
AT&T: 1-833-732-2243

 
Accessing Internet Away from Campus
If you don't have access to internet at your primary residence, consider these tips:
1) Use Your Internet Service Provider's Hotspots
One simple way to find Wi-Fi away from home is to use your home provider. For example, if you’re a Comcast user, you will have access to Xfinity Wi-Fi networks when traveling. For most ISP networks, check their Wi-Fi page on the main site or download their hotspot app. Find a hotspot by entering an address or form of location. Then connect to your ISP’s available hotspots.
Helpful ISP hotspot pages:

AT&T
Xfinity
T-Mobile
Spectrum
Frontier WiFi

2) Use Your Phone as a Hotspot
This is also known as tethering. Some carriers have restrictions on how much data can be used for tethering or charged for using the feature, so be sure to check with your provider.
Common wireless service providers:

Verizon: 1-800-922-0204
AT&T: 1-800-288-2020
Sprint: 1-844-764-8359
T-Mobile: 1-800-937-8997

 
Discounted Internet Packages
Below are resources for learning more about discounted internet packages from some of the major providers. These links are provided for informational use when deciding on an appropriate solution for you.
EveryoneOn: EveryoneOn is a national nonprofit that creates social and economic opportunities by connecting everyone to the internet. Visit their website to learn more.
Comcast: Comcast runs programs that bring the cost of the Internet down for students depending on their eligibility. Learn more by visitng the Comcast/Xfinity student page and their Internet Essentials website.
Charter/Spectrum: Spectrum provides free Internet access to qualifying homes with students. Learn more about their programs and find out if Spectrum is available in your area. Visit their website to learn more.
AT&T: Through their Access program, AT&T makes Internet access available to qualifying homes. Learn more about this program on their website.
WOW: WOW is one of the providers participating in Lifeline, an income or government assistance based program that provides low-cost Internet service. Learn how to apply.
 
Public Wi-Fi: How to Stay Safe
If you choose to use public Wi-Fi, consider taking these appropriate steps to protect yourself:

Keep antivirus installed and up to date
Use a VPN
Be skeptical if it’s too easy to connect (ex. no agreement page)
Only browse on HTTPS websites
Refrain from accessing confidential data (ex. bank account)
Avoid performing online transactions
Verify popular Wi-Fi networks are correct (ex. Starbucks WiFi vs. Free Starbucks WiFi)
Always make sure paid Wi-Fi is legitimate and use a third-party payment system
Cover your keyboard when entering any passwords or credentials
If the connection is slow, it could be due to the device rerouting to the hacker’s access point

Eduroam
If you are near a college campus that is not MSU, you may be able to use your MSU credentials to access Wi-Fi via eduroam, which is a world-wide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community. Visit https://www.eduroam.org/where/ to find a map of global locations and learn how to use this resource. If you choose to use this resource and visit a location where eduroam may be available to you, it is important that you ensure that this location is safe and you are able to maintain social distancing.
Eduroam is a wireless network access service that allows global Wi-Fi compatibility between academic institutions and organizations. Students, researchers, staff, and faculty from a participating institution can access the wireless networks of any other participating institution by using their home institution’s credentials.
This means that visitors to MSU have easy access to Wi-Fi while on campus, and the MSU community has easy access when visiting other institutions across the world!
The process for connecting to Eduroam varies between devices. See below to learn how to connect yours:

Connecting to Eduroam for Windows: https://go.msu.edu/EduWin
Connecting to Eduroam for Mac: https://go.msu.edu/EduMac
Connecting to Eduroam for Android: https://go.msu.edu/EduAnd
Connection to Eduroam for iOS: https://go.msu.edu/EduiOS

 
Campus VPN
A virtual private network allows remote devices to connect to MSU's network as if they were located on campus. MSU's VPN is called F5 BIG-IP Edge. Most students will not need to use the VPN to access the MSU network and systems.
Here are some popular sites and applications that do not require the VPN:

D2L Zoom
Spartan 365 (Microsoft) Suite

OneDrive
Outlook
Word
Excel
PowerPoint
Teams


Google Suite
Qualtrics
EBS
All MSU sites, including:

Student Info (stuinfo.msu.edu)
Office of the Registrar (reg.msu.edu)



VPN Access for Students
If you use an application that requires the Campus VPN, also known as F5 BIG-IP Edge, log into new.vpn.msu.edu using your MSU NetID. Some colleges may have their own VPN for specific applications (e.g. Engineering).
If you need help, refer to the these instructions or contact the IT Service Desk at ithelp@msu.edu, 517-432-6200, or chat.
Note: Some internet service providers, personal networks, and countries may restrict or block VPN access. If you are located outside of the US, please be sure your government permits VPN use.

Given that there is variability in the availability of technologies and materials and differences in time  based on location (see table below) and that the availability of those technologies change over time, faculty members need to be as flexible as possible in the course requirements (technology, materials, timing), and both faculty and students need to be vigilant and clear communicators of their needs. The goal of this document is to provide possible alternatives for challenges that faculty may employ in accommodating students reporting that technologies are not available to them in their geographic location. 
Alternatives for Technology
Ideally, when designing curriculum, you would work with the core learning technologies available at MSU.  While not all of these technologies will work all of the time, the benefits of relying on this list are: 

You and your students have more technical support
They are free to you and your students
Most are available around the world
They have been vetted for base levels of security and accessibility
They are aligned to the data protection and storage requirements outlined by the Institutional Data Policy

Most of these tools will work most of the time. However, times may arise when some of these tools are not available depending on geographic region, most often those that include real-time sharing and drafting functionality (Google apps and Microsoft 365 are the core tools most frequently reported as not working). There are many reasons for how or why this unavailability comes about, but faculty and students should not use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) as a work-around in that it may violate local laws and regulations.  Instead, we are suggesting alternatives based on flexibility in curriculum and pedagogy.  Some alternatives to common issues are described below. Video hosting:  Most Issues with YouTube and Vimeo would be alleviated if you host your videos in MediaSpace and post them in D2L.  If the materials are third party and you are not able to move them online can you check with librarians to find alternatives within the library or identify other materials that meet the same or comparable learning outcomes.You can contact them at  https://lib.msu.edu/contact/askalib/  or by finding your subject matter librarian at https://lib.msu.edu/contact/subjectlibrarian/ File distribution:  Difficulties with software options that promote file sharing (Google Suite, Microsoft OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams) can be substituted by D2L.  By posting the files to D2L, students should have access to the content.  However, they may not have all of the collaborative features of the unavailable software such as live co-editing, chat, et cetera. So, assignments might have to be shifted to be individual as opposed to collaborative in nature, or re-designed to be submitted in phases to allow for students to download, co-create, and re-submit to a new assignment dropbox. Synchronous lectures: Accommodating synchronous lectures can be difficult given time zone differences. That said, recording lectures and posting them at a later time can be helpful for not only accommodating time zone differences, but also allowing students to review materials.  Alternatively, students might be able to call into the Zoom session and have access to the audio of the lecture, in some cases this may be sufficient to meet the academic goals of that Zoom session. If you are unsure about what academic technology strategies may work to accommodate your international students, request a consultation with MSU IT’s Instructional Technology and Development Team, who can help you think about the tools available and ways to think about incorporating them in your course and teaching process.
Alternatives for Webcam Assessment

Zoom (or other software like Kaltura MediaSpace app) and student smartphone
Proctoring locations
Shifting days/time of exam to accommodate availability of technology
Oral exam on phone

Alternatives for Materials
Getting materials from Amazon or other vendor:  One of the biggest concerns are materials purchased from vendors such as Amazon that are not able to be shipped to all countries.   A few options for potentially overcoming this hurdle include:

Use an intermediate shipping company, as described at https://borderoo.com/ . Providers can include (the followingare examples not recommendations):

MyUS
Shop2Ship
PlanetExpress


Order from a more regional service such as Taobao: https://world.taobao.com/
Or allow alternate materials that meet similar learning outcomes.

Note: Materials may take longer to arrive, so considerations may need to be made. Students engaging in the use of such services are responsible for any taxes or duties incurred.  Getting access to journal articles or other course readings:  Create downloadable course packs by assembling the readings of the course into a downloadable zip file that students can access and download from the course in D2L.  MSU Librarians can help you with this process.  You can contact them at  https://lib.msu.edu/contact/askalib/  or by finding your subject matter librarian at https://lib.msu.edu/contact/subjectlibrarian/ 
Alternatives for Time
If there are synchronous elements in the course, can a student reach the course objectives through asynchronous methods. Synchronous lectures: Can these be recorded and posted for others at a later date?  Either by recording Zoom sessions or by using the Hybrid Technology that are now available in many classrooms.  Lecture participation: Can course elements such as participation in a synchronous lecture be shifted to quizzes, reflection papers or other activities that engage the student in similar cognitive practice to what they will miss not being in the synchronous experience. Office hours:  If students are unable to make office hours because of timezone constraints, can you offer alternative times that might be convenient or provide sufficient support through email, phone conversations, individualized discussion forums, or other methods.  If time constraints are the only constraint then finding a time (such as 7-9pm) could work for most regions.
Technologies with potential availability issues
As of 8/11/2020, and subject to frequent change:



# Students
Country
Zoom
Microsoft Teams
Skype
G Suite
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Vimeo
WhatsApp
MSOneDrive
Notes


total FS20, unofficial
 
source
source
source
source
source
source
source
source
source
 
 


3,044
China
 
 
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
 


104
Iran
X
X
 
X
X
X
X
 
X
 
 


59
Bangladesh
 
 
X
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


31
Indonesia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
X
 
 
 


30
United Arab Emirates
 
 
X
 
 
 
 
 
X
 
 


4
Morocco
 
 
X
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


4
Ukraine
X
 
 
X
 
 
 
 
 
 
Apps blocked in Crimea region only.


3
Burma (Myanmar)
 
 
 
X
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


3
Syria
X
X
 
X
X
 
 
 
X
 
 


2
Sudan
X
X
 
X
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


1
Turkmenistan
 
 
 
 
 
X
X
 
 
 
 



 

Conducting a hybrid or virtual event isn’t solely dependent upon the use of external tools or third-party resources. Michigan State currently has several internal assets that can be used to support efforts.

D2L: You can use D2L to provide content and resources associated with your You can even provide your content in course-oriented form.
SharePoint: SharePoint is a web-based, collaborative platform that can be used to create an intranet or team sites. It can also be used to store and share You can access SharePoint at spartan365.msu.edu.
Microsoft Teams: This resource provides a means of sharing content and conducting continuous chats and engagement with attendees, participants, and team You can access Teams at spartan365. msu.edu.
Stream: Microsoft Stream is a secure video service so you can manage who views your video content and determine how widely to share within your It can be used in conjunction with Teams and SharePoint.

To help ensure inclusion of hybrid and virtual content, consider these resources from the MSU Web Accessibility page:

Captioning Resources
Spartan Ally Accessibility Tool
Classes & Workshops
Basic Accessibility Checklist
Evaluation and Validation
Web Accessibility Policy Liaisons
Contact Information
Faculty Accessibility Questions about Digital Content

For additional accessibility support, policy questions should be directed to the Digital Experience (DigitalX) team at webaccess@msu.edu.
Technical questions should be handled by your college or department’s Web Accessibility Policy Liaisons. IT staff have community support through the MSU WebDev CAFE (join the WEBDEVCAFE listserv).

Summary of CT&LI Summit Engagements
This report summarizes data gathered from the Center for Teaching and Learning (CT&LI) Kick-off Summit [held on Jan. 14, 2022] and following asynchronous engagement opportunities, as well as concurrent discussions within the center about space and services to directly address the questions in our charge. To read more about the Kick-off Summit, check out "Reflecting on the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit".

What factors should we consider when deciding where responsibility lies?




Aligning what is already in place; what units / local-level are already doing well.
How the Center and IT (particularly Academic Tech unit) work together.
How to ensure best use and highest purpose for any given resource.




What are the greatest areas of priority for increased collaboration and focus with regard to teaching and learning?




Development of service portfolio and communicating broadly/transparently (adjusting according to ongoing listening/feedback from users + assessment)

What are the demands/needs of educators? What are current/proposed services in the network? Evaluate gaps relative to current staffing. 

Developing “the network” across campus

Developing and maintaining directories of available people, resources and services. Making opportunities for affiliation with the center explicit.





What are our highest areas of need for investment in new skills and expertise, regardless of where those skills are placed




Needed investment in distributed staffing to meet the needs of faculty in colleges/departments/units that may not be as robustly staffed as others in areas/services that the center will not be able to cover (e.g. course assistance).
Evaluation, assessment, feedback, and educational research.
Educator development programming and instructional consultative practitioners.




What models would you see as most effective for increased local support in those colleges or units that currently would not be able to participate in a networked model?




Liaison model, assigning center staff to units, if we add/repurpose positions.
Joint appointments and fellowships, if the center is willing to co-sponsor.
Sponsored work or partial buy-out of educators to augment center staffing.




What design engagements might come after the summit? For instance, to determine the center’s services, design its space, or develop a collaborative model for the network?



Faculty (in process), instructor, and additional educator stakeholder engagement via surveys, interviews, or focus groups.
Evaluation of available center skills, capabilities and available capacities.
Service design exercises specific to individual service portfolio items.
Engagement with IT to coordinate and co-design shared client experience.
Possible direct engagement with MSU students or student-educators (GTAs & ULAs)


Data Highlights
Services and Support Portfolio 

Services

Responsive, point-of-need support, including individual consultations
Curriculum and program development
Course design / reform support and incubation
Development and training on various topics at various levels
Catalog of what to get where, and a directory to find people/expertise
Formal structure for online/hybrid course/program development and support

Space

Spaces that support delivery of training, hosting events, social gatherings
A place with presence to host and build the community of educators
Classroom space to experiment, innovate, and create digital experiences

“faculty can do one offs in a space to try something different with a class”
“technology to check out to use in classrooms (like VR or other tools)”
“space for recording teaching and support for editing”


Additional notes on physical space (data in evaluation re: Hub spaces not 1/14 Summit)

Dedicated desks for center staff, with mix of hot-seating / hotelling
Allows clients to meet with center consultants in semi-private settings
Variety of co-working spaces that enables part-time projects teams to gather
Small-group meeting spaces, high-flex tech enabled for remote participants
Individual booths to isolate noise from remote meetings from clients / coworkers


Connection and Collaboration

Hosting of events for collegiality, fellowship, networking and community building


Collaborative programming



Discipline specific or with faculty experts in certain pedagogies or approaches
With other central parties, e.g. MSU IT, DEI, Academic HR, student success, etc.
With faculty learning communities or administrative groups (e.g. online programs)

Sponsored institutional memberships and global virtual conference access for campus
Hosted and invited outside experts, presenters, and seminars or workshops
Fellowships for faculty with benefits for center, network, and the faculty fellow
Fellowships for graduate students that help them develop and gain hiring advantage
Opportunity for faculty/staff to affiliate with the center to encourage boundary-spanning

Teaching and Learning in Practice

Advocacy, leadership narratives, and communicative storytelling that elevate the importance of teaching and learning excellence at every level
Assessment, visibility, and recognition of teaching and learning
Emphasis on and recognition of teaching and learning in tenure and promotion

incentivizing teaching and learning efforts and allocation of time and talent

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL)

Additional Data Details (optional)
Wouldn’t It be Fantastic If (WIFI)
Description of Activity
In this activity the participants were asked to identify blue sky ideas to ultimately group into common themes and inform shared vision for the Center, Network, Teaching and Learning. Participants individually answered the prompt “Wouldn’t it be fantastic if (WIFI) … as many times as they could. Then in small groups, organized statements to show what might be influenced, controlled or created by the Center, Network, or Teaching and Learning. 
Stakeholders raised a variety of needs, which were categorized as ed-tech support, resources, staffing, space, as well as coordination/planning. Building a network for these services seems to be something participants hope for, such as a “shared list of experts across campus to make finding the right person to ask easier”. Additionally, this item “explicit partnerships and shared services between the teaching center and other key support units,” speaks to the network.. When it comes to specific services, support for DEI in instruction, fostering innovative practices, instructional design, and pedagogy were among those most frequently mentioned. Consulting, training and events are delivery formats most often associated with the center. 
The most common themes can be found here: WIFI Themes 
What the Center should provide: Services, Space, Coordination

Services: Consulting, special projects to solve common problems, access to experts, and intramural grants / sponsorships.
A space to provide access to services and resources, and invite educators to gatherings.
Coordination of services and facilitation of collaboration between units and people.

E.g. Educator showcase, repository/ a knowledge-base, and events calendar for all offerings across the university

Opportunities for part-time affiliation to center, as fellows, or to staff services or projects.
Classroom space to innovate and create digital experiences

“where faculty can do one offs in a space to try something different with a class”
“technology to check out to use in classrooms (like VR or other tools)”
“space for recording teaching and support for editing”


What the Educator Network should provide: Coordination, Collaboration, Networking

Coordinate the Educator Network with participation of center and other stakeholders

Allow for collaboration and self-organizing
Recognition to colleagues who contribute

Functional network, depended on by clients (needs) and university (commissioned work)

Maintain a “list of experts”, make it easier to find “the right people” to ask.

Opportunities for learning space experimentation, in prototype classrooms and digital.

What the whole University should support in T&L: Services, Pedagogy Practices, EdTech
In this section, some participants understood Teaching and Learning as how it is viewed and supported by the administration, while others provided more specific ideas around teaching resources and services   

Services and resources should be shared in a variety of ways and rather than being siloed all units should work together bringing the following together as shown in this quote “More collaboration and breaking down silos”

Creating a Network of experts coming from all units
Have connection points to colleges and “cross-college work” and working groups
Provide university funding for projects, “awards, innovation grants” for T&L.
“Both/And approach to broad everyone should know AND specific ideas in the disciplines or colleges”, perhaps with the center being more active in the former and the college more active in the latter such as DBER.

All educators may contribute and share pedagogy/best practices in peer-support.
Other supports include and may recognize needs of stakeholders: quality standards, DEI (including opportunities and accessibility), educational technology, and sponsored research such as SoTL, and those not typically included in educator support. 
There should be tangible appreciation of the work of educators in Teaching and Learning, including leadership narratives and recognition for RPT.

What I need from you… 
The What I Need From You  (WINFY) activity asked participants to assume one of five roles, randomly assigned. These included Academic Unit Administrators, Faculty and Instructors, Center Affiliated Staff, College Affiliated Staff, and University-Wide Staff.
Each group was asked to outline what they needed from each of the other four groups to be successful in their roles. The following themes emerged from each of the groups, pointing to commonalities among groups about what each would like to see from the Center.
Services and Support Portfolio
A clear and concise services and support portfolio emerged as a major theme. All five groups said that services and support portfolio was what they needed- both as stakeholders in the center, as center staff working with those stakeholders, and those who were potential partners and patrons of the center. The services and support portfolio -of what the Center provides, what it can offer to help with course design, instructional design, and various other activities, and how to contact and use the center was foundational for all five groups.
Participants in the WINFY activity wanted to have clear definitions of roles and resources of the center; clearer collaboration with college faculty and staff on projects and programs; a better understanding of what types of questions can be referred to the center; and ad hoc but nimble service support. Specific requests included consultations, development and trainings for various comfort levels of instructors, a clear catalog of what to get where, cooperation with local support, a list of resources.
Connection and Collaboration
Another dominant theme across all five groups was the need for and understanding of connection and collaboration. Primarily, participants from the groups wanted other units to be collaborative with the center, to figure out how to connect across boundaries, and how to leverage and build relationships. Four of the groups mentioned more collaborative work with staff in the colleges who are currently working on teaching and learning initiatives. Three of the five groups mentioned collaborative program opportunities, and two of the five groups mentioned a networked approach.
Teaching and Learning in Practice
The third theme that all five groups mentioned was what we are calling teaching and learning in practice. This encompasses a number of things, including teaching and learning in tenure and promotion, incentivizing teaching and learning, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. There was again the need for collaborative programming, this time with discipline specific colleges and with faculty who are experts in certain pedagogies or approaches. One group wanted to know what teaching and learning capabilities are available to help other educators, while another said that assistance with aligning course level objectives, assessments, and curricula with the institutional practices and the resources of the center would be useful. The Academic Unit Administrator and the Faculty group both had incentivizing teaching and learning as something they’d like to see from the center and center staff. There also was an overarching theme of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) but none of the groups made it their top priority-it did emerge as a theme though, so important to highlight here.
Minimum Viable Product Reviews 
The “minimum viable product” activity was framed as a Yelp review session. Participants were paired in teams of two and asked to take on the perspective of an educator who had worked with the Center for T&LI and had a positive experience. Throughout the 17 combined Center “reviews” the following were the top ten most mentioned themes/services. Within each of these areas, participants in the 01/14/2022 Kick-off Summit mentioned a range of examples (i.e. Center experiences [per activity instructions]). High level captures of examples for each are included below. 
Coaching/Consultation (Feedback, Support, Emotional Support)
Almost 65% of the reviews mentioned some version of coaching or consultation (including additional keywords such as feedback, support, guiding, and helping). Some examples of topics and underlying services within this category include: restructuring programs, refining crouse design, and reviewing curriculum; developing formative and summative assessments, transitioning to different feedback models, and integrating student voice; and finally combining theory and practice, integrating technology and pedagogy, as well as course alignment and student engagement.  
Pedagogy (Student Voice)
Over half of the reviews related to methods and practices for engaging in teaching. Examples of experiences and services related to this topic include but are not limited to: support and guidance for strategies, envisioning difference learning experiences, participating in design experiences to try new approaches to teaching and learning; integrate research and teaching; focus on student experiences, create supporting and effective learning experiences, create inclusive and welcoming spaces. 
Restructure/Redesign (Modality, Curriculum)
41% of reviews specifically called out redesign as a service of the Center. Examples of restructure and redesign (including topics of modality and curriculum) in the experience reviews include but are not limited to: moving face to face courses online (and planning for possible future transitions) and adapting class to a different structure (i.e. rubric or flipped models, competency-based learning outcomes, trauma informed teaching, asset based practices, etc.).
Student Experience (Engagement, Student-Centered)
41% of reviews mention the Center supporting them in ways that positively impacted student experience, student engagement, and student-centered design. Examples of this theme include: creating welcoming, supportive, and effective learning environments; reviewing curriculum and developing rubrics with respect to student engagement (and adjusting as necessary); and learning about theories of improving student connections to engage with them more effectively. 
Confidence (Empowered)
35% of reviews specifically denote improvements in educator confidence and empowerment after working with the Center. Topics where educators had this improved sense of ability and agency included student centered teaching and learning practices, creating supportive and effective learning environments, initiating collaborative partnerships, and general teaching and learning experimentation and implementation. 
Collaboration/Partnerships
35% of reviews emphasized the importance of collaborative partnerships with the Center across units. This ranged from individual consultations with faculty to full-scale curricular and program developments. The nature of these partnerships in terms of scope and focus varied in the reviews, but what remained consistent was the value that is derived from these relationships with the Center. 
Connection/Community
18% underscored the importance of connection to a network of educators through the Center and the community that is derived from it. This was mentioned in the context of relationships built with Center staff along with events where networking takes place. Sometimes, educators connecting with other educators can make a huge difference in their teaching as it provides essential opportunities for sharing what is being done and learned in one context to another. 
Assessment
Assessment was mentioned by 18% of the reviews as being an important piece of expertise that the Center can offer to faculty and programs at MSU. Of course, assessment comes in a myriad of forms and faculty are often seeking ways to improve on their assessment strategies and design.
Inclusion
18% of the reviews made mention of how consultative relationships with the Center could help them improve their efforts around accessibility and inclusion in their classrooms and digital learning environments. 
Research/SOTL (Scholarship of Teaching & Learning)
12% of the reviews mentioned various ways they envisioned that the Center staff could help them with their research and scholarship efforts. Examples were not provided in the reviews specifically, but we know that the approaches to research in the scholarship of teaching and learning in particular at MSU are vastly different from college to college and that the Center staff have a great deal of experience and expertise in these areas.

Just as in-person events need to accommodate diversity and special needs factors, virtual events present similar challenges and calls-to-action for your team. Tackling accessibility issues (e.g., screen reader compatibility, proper contrast, WCAG compliance, etc.) will ensure that everyone can partake of the event equally and protects the university from legal ramifications.
Examples of key accessibility-related topics include, but are not limited to the following:

Effort:

Closed captioning is needed for live presentations and
Website images must include alternative
Contrast should be evaluated to confirm WCAG AA
Content should be tested to confirm screen reader
Color choices must support colorblindness


Audit:

The Hub can assist with accessibility
Third-party support teams can be secure to assist with



To learn more about accessibility and virtual events, visit the following:

An Accessibility & Inclusion Checklist for Virtual Events
Accessibility: Resources to Help Ensure Accessibility of Your Virtual Events for People with Disabilities
Ensuring Virtual Events Are Accessible For All

Checking Your Course Materials & Resources
In anticipation of starting a new semester it is always a good idea to check the materials you plan on using for your course. Here are a couple of pitfalls that could happen, and how you might protect yourself. 
 
1)    Where did that go?
Sometimes we link to library resources such as journal articles, books, or media and we expect that the link will be ‘good’ in perpetuity. However, over time things shift and change. It is a good idea to use stable links to ensure that your resources will be available to students when they select the link you have provided. Here is the library resource on using stable links in your course - https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/stablelinks
 
2)    It’s not the limits we set…
Some resources have a limit to the number of individuals who can access the resource at one time. It’s kind of like the olden days when there were only a few copies of a book in the library for hundreds of students. The same occurs in some digital resources. It is a good idea to ensure that your resources don’t have any restrictions, and if they do, that you are aware of these prior to adding these to your final syllabus or course reading list. Here is a library article to help with these situations - https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=917727&p=6913084
 
3)    Deadlines and other support help
If you are experiencing an issue with access or availability to course resources from the library, you should contact them as soon as possible in the planning process. MSU librarians are very skilled and knowledgeable about the availability of resources and suggestions for alternatives when necessary. Here is a link to help with course materials - https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=917727&p=6913084
 
 The aforementioned points are related to resources and materials available through the MSU library. It is always a good idea to check your links and access to third-party resources and materials that you have ‘used in the past’. Over time open and free resources can become fee-for-access (e.g., you will receive a 401 Unauthorized error), as well as being removed from the web entirely (e.g., the dreaded 404 ‘Not Found’ error). Checking these resources early can help you avoid last minute panic and scramble to find alternatives for your course.

Feb. 13, 2024, resources for campus
 As we look to the Spring 2024 semester, we are also approaching the one-year mark of the violence of Feb 13, 2023. The university’s commemoration events are being designed to provide opportunities for all members of our community to come together and take the time and space they need for ongoing healing.Plans are underway for a student-led day of action and an evening remembrance gathering on Feb. 13, 2024. Committees consisting of students, staff, and faculty are actively planning these university-wide commemoration events. Committee members are engaging interest groups for additional input as they work through the details.
As a reminder, there will be no classes held on Feb. 13, 2024, though the university will remain open to support students and our community. 
Guidance to Campus in Support of Unit Level Efforts
To ensure that our campus is handling the commemoration of Feb 13 in the most sensitive and trauma-informed way as possible, it is not recommended that groups, units, or offices hold smaller commemoration events.  
If your unit is considering an independent commemoration event, here is some trauma-informed guidance to consider: 

Be aware of the university-wide events and avoid overlapping efforts, if possible. Additional timing, location, and details will be announced soon, and updates will be regularly available here. Additional timing, location, and details will be announced soon.
Ensure invitees are well prepared for exactly what will occur at your event, so that the details and their participation is not met with surprise.
Describe your event as fully as possible – what will you be doing, where will it be, what is expected of attendees or participants?
 Attendance should always be optional, and participants should be able to exit easily at any time. 
Commemorative events should not be a source of retraumatization, to this end, we do not recommend that individuals publicly share personal stories or that groups engage in expression of memories and experiences from Feb 13.
Providing narratives or listening to others’ stories can be quite activating for those who have experienced trauma.
Without the support and direction of mental health professionals, this type of exercise can create additional distress, often unexpectedly.
Share links to supportive resources with planners and attendees however possible. Some helpful resources may include:

Counseling & Psychiatric Services
Employee Assistance Program
Office for Resource and Support Coordination


Engage with IPF Events early for assistance in planning events which will involve entities outside your department or immediate responsibility and/or take place in university-managed spaces.
IPF Events can help you identify, coordinate, and schedule logistical support needs, such as Parking, Security, space-use approval, waste management, restroom facilities, electrical service, and seating.
They typically require 90 days notice for many approval processes, so contact them as early as possible for support.
MSU counseling staff will not be readily available for individual unit events, as MSU will be utilizing 3rd party support for presence at university-wide events, and MSU UHW staff will not be on duty to provide them an opportunity to engage in commemorative events. Plan accordingly.
Notify ORSC about your planned commemoration efforts, so that publicly announced offerings can be shared via our website and any important coordination can occur. 
Email orsc@msu.edu with planned dates, times, locations, and event details. 




Who is ORSC?





In April 2023, Michigan State University established the Office for Resource and Support Coordination, a temporary office to coordinate the university's continued response and supportive resources following the Feb. 13 violence on campus. The office is led by co-directors Natalie Moser and Dave Brewer. 
Moser currently serves as the director of the MSU Psychological Clinic and is a founding member of the university’s Trauma Services and Training Network. She is a licensed clinical psychologist, a leading expert in anxiety and has expertise providing consultation to families and communities. She holds a doctorate from the University of Delaware. 
Brewer most recently served as the director of building services for MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilities and was a key architect behind the university’s logistical response to COVID-19 to ensure the health and well-being of the campus community. Brewer has been an active member of the university’s Emergency Operations Center and training and planning efforts. He holds a doctorate in mass communication with a focus on organizational communication from the University of Alabama.  
More information on the ORSC team can be found below.
To contact our office, please email us at orsc@msu.edu.Photo by Tom Shakir on Unsplash

The ideal learning expereince fosters thoughtful discussions between educators and students. These collaborative conversations, dialogues, and even debates can empower students to develop and grow their ideas and perspectives. It is important to remember that conflict is normal, and there are effective [healthy] ways to navigate difficult conversations with your students. By adopting an open and proactive approach to conflicts, you can reduce the frequency with which conflicts arise and their impact. Here are some strategies to help you both prevent and manage conflicts in your teaching:
Preventing conflicts

Be credible. Credibility is built from the first day of class and is continually judged throughout the term. On the first day, establish your credibility by providing some background information about your experience with the subject matter, your experience as a student, your research, etc. Show that you are focused and prepared. Keep this up throughout the term by coming to lectures prepared and sharing your lecture goals with your students. Organization, enthusiasm, solid knowledge of the content, and fairness all help to build and maintain credibility. Finally, you do not need to be perfect to be credible. If you make a mistake or don’t know the answer to a question, acknowledge the situation and focus on ensuring that the students get access to the required information as soon as possible. Defensive reactions tend to build conflict instead of preventing it.
Set clear expectations. Provide expectations from the start, both by writing them in your course outline and stating them in class. You can describe the goals of the course and outline roles for you and your students. You can also clearly emphasize your expectations for student behaviour and the consequences for prohibited behaviour, stressing mutual respect as a rationale for any ground rules. You can also include University policies towards certain behaviours (e.g., plagiarism) in your course outline. What this looks like in practice:

Listing expectations in your course syllabus. 
Discussing the expectations in class at the beginning of the semester. 
Reminding students of the expectations throughout the semester when teaching and during office hours.


Develop rapport and listen for understanding. Strengthening your relationships with students can help prevent conflict. Students work better when they feel that their instructors care about them; therefore, try to reduce anonymity and use students’ names whenever possible (e.g., in lectures and when grading assignments or papers). Be present a few minutes before and after class to answer questions and chat with the students informally. If students feel comfortable sharing their concerns with educators, every effort should be made to take those opportunities to listen. Employ these tips for productive conversations: 

Enter conversations with an open mind. 
Recognize that there may be something going on in the student’s life outside of academics that is impacting them. 
Express empathy for how a student’s life experiences can impact their behavior. The student’s reaction may differ from your interpretation of the conflict. 
Acknowledge and validate the student's feelings by listening fully without judgment. 
Help the student feel heard and valued by asking questions to clarify what they are trying to say. 


Use a dynamic teaching style. Good presentation and facilitation skills as well as enthusiasm for your teaching are assets that will keep students’ attention focused and help prevent distracting classroom behaviour such as lateness, talking, sleeping, etc. Using interactive teaching methods also helps to prevent distracting behaviours by involving students in the lecture.

Responding to conflict situations
Not all conflicts can be avoided with proactive measures. The following six steps describe a flexible response to many conflict situations. To practice implementing these steps, remember a conflict you have experienced and think about how these steps could be adapted to help you respond to that situation.

Don’t take it personally (but reflect on your impact). Conflict situations can make the participants feel upset, threatened, frustrated, and/or angry. These emotional reactions are unpleasant and they can interfere with your ability to respond constructively. Educators are in a position of authority when dealing with students and how you react/respond matters. Be aware of the power dynamic and take responsibility for initiating the conflict resolution process. Help to control your emotional responses to challenging situations by changing your perceptions of them. Due to this power imbalance, there may be times when your intentions do not align with your impact. Take steps to evaluate your actions and rectify the situation. What this looks like in practice:

Reframe your reaction...think to yourself, “That student is really upset – I wonder what the problem is?”, or “This is a distraction that needs to be addressed.”
Consider the impact of your words and actions on students.
Ask yourself if your message or delivery was disproportionately demanding or hurtful. 
Take responsibility for the harm caused and discuss actions you will take in the future to ensure it does not happen again.  You can serve as a role model by showing students a positive example of taking ownership of your impact and working to repair harm.
Ask yourself if you are the best person to discuss the situation with the student. Would other faculty, staff or students be better suited to respond? Sometimes asking for help to initiate a difficult conversation can be beneficial.





Choose when and where to deal with the situation. Responding immediately to student concerns, distress and inappropriate behaviour demonstrates that you are attentive to your students’ needs and reinforces your expectations for student behaviour. For example, if students are noisy in class you can respond immediately by pausing until you regain the students’ attention, making eye contact with the disruptive students, or asking if there is a problem you can help resolve. Some situations can not be fully addressed immediately. For example, addressing a serious disagreement in class can distract the students, undermine your authority and take time away from the planned learning activities. The best response can be to note that there is a situation that needs to be resolved and suggest when and where it might be further investigated. Try to be attentive to both your needs and the student’s situation when picking the time and place. If you sense that a student is intimidated by authority, you may want to meet in a neutral location, like a conference room, rather than in your office. By meeting at an appropriate time and place, you can facilitate open communication between yourself and the students.


Follow up, listen, and find common ground. When you meet with students, indicate that you are interested in hearing their perspectives by keeping a positive tone, and asking them open-ended questions, like “What part of the marking do you see as unfair?” When the students explain their situation, really listen: focus on their communication, don’t interrupt, and let them finish. Consider asking:

What outcomes do you and the student each hope come from the resolution? 
How can you and the student work together to meet each other’s needs? 
What steps can you and the student take to achieve these goals? 



Check your perception. It’s very easy to misinterpret someone, especially if either of you are at all emotional. To ensure that you understand your students, you can check your perception of their accounts by describing your understanding and asking them to correct any misinterpretations or elaborate on anything that you find unclear. When describing your understanding, reframe their points as positive comments using non-blaming words. For example, “If my group members think they can do this to me again, they’re mistaken!” can be rephrased as “It’s important to you that your rights are respected.” Rephrasing the problem reassures the students that you are listening to them and it ensures that all the parties understand the problem. You can also ask lots of open-ended questions until you have enough information to understand the problem. Ideally, the feedback process would end when the students’ comments and body language confirm that they are sure that you have completely understood their message.


Select and explain your position. Now that you understand the students, you are in a good position to select a course of action. Be sure to choose an action that is in line with your teaching goals for the course. Tell the students what you have decided and give them your rationale for your decision. For example, when responding to a mark dispute, you might choose to review the assignment with the student by making reference to the marking criteria. In explaining your position, you might want to show an example of an assignment that better meets your expectations.


Discuss next steps and document your decision. When you have explained what you have decided to do, you can discuss possible next steps with the students. Finally, in many cases, you will want to document your decisions and, where appropriate, the information upon which you have based your decision.

If your plan of action requires follow-up on your part, you may want to briefly explain the process. For example, if you agree to review an assignment, you might want to indicate when they can expect to receive your comments.
You may want to direct students to other resources on campus, including counseling or health services, to get support and/or documentation.
If the students are not satisfied with your decision, it is good practice to direct them to an appropriate avenue for appeal (e.g., department chair).



Responding to highly emotional students

Schedule an appointment. If a student is too emotional to communicate his or her situation, it may help to schedule an appointment for a later time. This delay gives both parties a chance to calm down and to review the problem.
Open your door. This gives a chance for neutral, outside observers to witness the event. Leaving the door open protects both the student and the instructor.
Acknowledge behaviours and emotions. You may want to recognize the student’s emotional state at the beginning of your meeting. For example, you could say, “I can see that you are really upset. Can you tell me what you find especially frustrating?” If a student’s behaviour becomes inappropriate, point it out to the student.
Get assistance. If you don’t know how to approach a conflict situation, get assistance from a colleague or one of MSU's relevant offices (IDI, Ombudsperson, CTLI). If a student becomes very aggressive or threatening, contact the Michigan State Univesity police.
Keep others informed. If you are concerned that a difficult situation is developing, consider notifying others immediately. For example, if you are a teaching assistant, you could notify the instructor, the department chair, and the Graduate School GTA-Development staff.

Ineffective ways to deal with conflicts

Conquest. Trying to win an argument will turn a disagreement into a battle for dominance. Intimidation tactics can cause students to challenge you further and discourage their participation.
Avoidance. Ignoring problems does not make them go away.
Bargaining. Compromise can be a laudable way to resolve a conflict, but not when your teaching objectives get subverted by the resolution process. For example, asking a student to be less disruptive in class in exchange for a better grade on an assignment rewards unacceptable behaviour, harms your credibility, and is unfair to your other students. Make sure that your response to conflict situations is consistent with your teaching and assessment goals and is equitable to all in your course.
Quick fix. A band-aid solution, like changing a grade to get rid of a student, can not solve a conflict. This strategy also rewards unacceptable behaviour, harms your credibility, and is unfair to other students.

Thank you to colleagues in university educator development at the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo, the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Colorado Boulder and others for their materials that informed or were adapted into this resource. Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash