UHD  faculty and staff can access video archives of the 16^th annual SLOAN-C International Conference on Online Learning held in early November.

UHD's Academic Technology Committee and Information Technology Department secured the licensing to make it available to the UHD community.

The conference focused on the latest in research, effective practices, and promising new technologies for online learning.  This year many conference sessions were webcast and those webcasts were archived and made available for viewing through Nov. 1, 2011. The webcasts include:

• Retaining Online Students
• Colleges for the 21st Century: The New Ecology of Learning
• Are You Experienced? Determining Online Teaching Readiness in Newly Hired Faculty
• Recent Large Scale Research on Online Learning Effectiveness
• Measuring Student Retention in Online Courses

If you are interested in viewing any of the webcasts, please click here.  To return to the archived webcasts at anytime, consider bookmarking the webcast page within your browser. 

Also note, if your computer does not have an application called "Silverlight" you will be required to download and install the software before proceeding. To install Silverlight, follow the onscreen instructions or click here for complete step-by-step instructions for viewing the webcasts and installing Silverlight. 

Please call the Help Desk at 713-221-8031 or Technology Learning Services at 713-221-8200 if you are unable to view the webcasts.

Candidate for Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Brian Chapman talks with Faculty Senate President Phil Lyons.

Videos of candidate visits are available online; deadline for evaluations is 5 p.m. today

Candidates for Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs visited campus this week and videos of their visits are available at a secure area of UHD's website.

The videos can be accessed at http://www.uhd.edu/publicaffairs/provostsearch/candidates.html. An evaluation form is also available at that site. The deadline for submitting the forms is 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 13.

Additional information about the candidates is available at the same web location. The candidates are:

 Manuel Avalos, Ph.D., Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Support and Development, Division of Academic Affairs, University of North Carolina, Wilmington;

 Ben Latigo, Ph.D., Dean and Professor, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of the District of Columbia;

 Brian Chapman, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina, Wilmington; and

 John Ronnau, Ph.D., Director and Professor, School of Social work, College of Health and Public Affairs, University of Central Florida.

Provost candidate John Ronnau talks with College of Business Dean Don Bates before his open meeting with faculty and staff.

Responses to UHD's Budget Discussion are now available online on the President's web pages, http://www.uhd.edu/presidentsoffice/budget/.

UHD President Bill Flores asked the UHD community to consider two questions:

Do you have a good idea about how the university can (a) cut costs, (b) generate additional revenue, or (c) become more efficient?

Have you encountered any practice or requirement in the university (at department, college or university level) that makes no sense to you or seems redundant or unnecessary?

He then asked people to send ideas and comments to suggestionbox@uhd.edu. Those suggestions are now available at http://www.uhd.edu/presidentsoffice/budget/.

Service award recipients are, from left, Brenetta Brooks, College Business Administrator I, 20 years service; William Robinson, Training Support Specialist III, 10 years; Sam Lai, Testing Specialist II, 5 years; David Bradley, Vice President for Administration and Finance, 25 years, and Myrtie Groves, Testing Assistant, 15 years.

Staff Council's Holiday Open House

UHD's Staff Council hosted the Holiday Open House in the Special Events Center, Academic Building. The event featured festive refreshments and acknowledged longtime employees.

UHD's W.I. Dykes Library will have shortened operating hours Dec. 18 - 23 and Jan. 3 - 16 and will be closed from Dec. 24- Jan. 2. 

However, the library staff will monitor the library's email Ask-a-Librarian reference service from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 27 - 31. 

The Community Involvement Center will conduct a "Books for Africa" Book Drive through Jan. 7 to address the shortage of books and the need for education in African countries.

Volunteers and staff will sort donated books and ship them to children in Africa through the Books for Africa organization. A book drop box will be available in Room 204-South. Pick-up is available.

UHD's Lamba Pi Eta communication honor society inducted new members Dec. 6

The Pi Mu Chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honor society for undergraduates, held its Fall 2010 Induction Ceremony Dec. 6 for UHD Communication Studies majors who meet the organization's academic requirements. 

New inductees are pictured above, from left, Jared Mayon, Falen Hardge, Terrica Watkins, Emil Niz, Briana Villa, Mayra Izaguirre, Damon Barone, Stacey Betancourt, Tiffany Watkins, Ann-Michael Brickey and Matthew Ellsworth.  Other inductees include Angela Dean, Marissa Marentes, Roseann Martinez, Robert Olson, Paige Preas and Yolanda Turner. 

 Inductees received membership certificates and lapel pins.  Society officers for the 2010-2011 academic year are Mayra Izaguirre, president; Jared Mayon, vice president, and Tiffany Sanders, secretary.

As a member of the Association of College Honor Societies , the Pi Mu Chapter at UHD is one of 344 active chapters worldwide. 

UHD's Powerlifting Club Team in Las Vega

UHD's Powerlifting Team members set records, finish eighth overall at WABDL championships

UHD's Club Powerlifting Team members set one world record, eight national records, and seven state recordsat the World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters (WABDL) World Bench Press and Deadlift Championships in Las Vegas. 

Trisha Jacobson, director of Student Accounting and Cashiers, is coordinating donations for a former employee and UHD graduate and her family who lost everything in a fire last weekend.

Tanesia Wilkerson worked in the Cashier office and the Learners Community. She and her husband have four children and they'd packed in preparation to move when a fire destroyed their home. She told Jacobson the family was lucky to get out alive. She is also a UHD graduate. The family lost basically everything including their furniture, clothing, computers and electronic equipment, dishes, bedding, linens and mattresses. 

The boys are ages 9 and 10 and the girls are ages 3 and 11. Contact Jacobson for more information including specific needs and clothing sizes. She can be reached at 713-221-8141 or JacobsonP@uhd.edu.

Don't stress out. Come and relax at the Student Life Center with a massage.

The Department of Sports & Fitness is now offering massages to the UHD community. Massage sessions are 45 minutes long and cost $25 for students and $35 for faculty, staff and Sports & Fitness paid members. To schedule an appointment please visit the third floor office of the Student Life Center.

For more information visit the website www.uhd.edu/sports&fitness/massages/.

ESO offers Star12 Training options for UHD employees at a discount

 Has your professional development budget suffered due to the current financial environment?  STAR 12 has cut membership prices for UHD's staff and faculty down to $150 per employee for a 1 year unlimited STAR 12 membership.

This membership includes unlimited training for 1 year for the following:

For an additional $30 per person, you can add MINDLEADERS, which includes 300 of the most popular E-Learning courses available.

If you wish to join, have questions, or need additional information, please contact Bobbie Horack, ESO Coordinator, at 713-222-5318 or horackb@uhd.edu.

Last year's Best of Show was the College of Public Service.

Staff Council sponsors holiday Office Decorating Contest; entries due Dec. 17

The Staff Council is sponsoring an Office Decorating Contest with multiple categories and the deadline to enter is Dec. 17.

Departments can enter for the office decorations or their door decorations, but not both. Office decorations will be judged on the categories of most creative, most traditional, most humorous, best door and best theme.

Email entries to Michelle Henninghaus at henninghausm@uhd.edu with the following information:

-          Contact name and extension,

-          Department and room number and

-          Door or office decoration theme

Judging will be held throughout the day Monday, Dec. 20, and the winners will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 21. A flyer with photos of last year's winners is available here.

UHD will hold its first online Winter Term from Dec. 27, 2010, to Jan. 14, 2011.

Currently enrolled UHD students will be able to take one course during the session, and registration for Winter Term will open today.
 

For more information, go here.

Here is the  list of courses list of courses for the all-online Winter Term:

IT Training for Faculty/Staff/Alumni

Register for IT training opportunities at the links below.  To schedule a one-on-one appointment or other assistance, please call 713-221-8200.

Blackboard Vista

Today

3 - 4 p.m. - Blackboard: Gradebook Setup

Tuesday, Dec. 14 
1 - 2 p.m. - Blackboard: Assignments

Wednesday, Dec. 15

10 - 11 a.m.- Blackboard: Communication Tools

Thursday, Dec. 16  

1 - 2:30 p.m. - Blackboard: Mail, Calendar, and Who's Online 

Monday, Dec. 20 
2 - 3:30 p.m. - Softchalk: Lesson Builder

Tuesday, Dec. 21

1 - 2 p.m. - Blackboard: Customizing Your Blackboard Course

Wednesday, Dec. 22

10 - 11 a.m.- Blackboard: Managing Course Content

Classroom Tools

Friday, Dec. 17
10 - 11:30 a.m. - Useful Classroom Gadgets

Microsoft Excel

Thursday, Dec. 23

10 - 11:30 a.m. - Excel Basics

See all current IT training available