Archives for September 2024

Submitted by: Tonya McKinney, tmckinne@uca.edu on 08/29/2024

Innovations in Online Proctoring: New Features for Respondus Monitor

Respondus is at the forefront of online proctoring innovation, with new features being released each quarter. Don’t miss this webinar where you’ll see the latest enhancements for Respondus Monitor and LockDown Browser – and learn why 1,500 universities rely on them for online exam integrity.

Tuesday, September 10 at 2 pm ET / 11 am PT

LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Protect the Integrity of Online Tests
This comprehensive training webinar is intended for instructors who plan to use LockDown Browser and/or Respondus Monitor with online exams. The session provides a detailed demonstration of both applications, including enhancements that make Respondus Monitor even more effective and easy to use.

Wednesday, September 4 at 2 pm ET / 11 am PT
Wednesday, September 11 at 3 pm ET / 11 am PT
Thursday, September 19 at 12 pm ET / 9 am PT
Wednesday, September 25 at 2 pm ET / 11 am PT

Respondus 4 and the Test Bank Network: Quickly Create Online Exams
Find out how Respondus 4 allows you to create and manage exams that can be printed to paper or published directly to your LMS, and how the Test Bank Network enables instructors to create online tests from official publisher test banks.

Wednesday, September 18 at 1 pm ET / 10 am PT

Go to https://web.respondus.com/webinars/ to register for any of the above webinars.

https://web.respondus.com/webinars/

Submitted by: SCOTT AUSTIN, saustin@uca.edu on 08/29/2024

Griffin Planetarium shows this Friday August 30 and Saturday August 31 at 7:00pm: The one-hour shows this week includes a tour of the current sky, and the full-dome movie “Edge of Darkness” which explores the smaller objects of the solar system. The planetarium is located in the Conway Corporation Center for the Sciences. Seating starts 10 minutes before show time. Admission is free. Seating limited to the first 94. No admission after the shows begin. No food or drink allowed.

https://uca.edu/physics/planetarium/

Submitted by: Christina Lammers, clammers@uca.edu on 08/29/2024

Do you serve in an administrative assistant position or as an office
manager? Are you aware of the multiple resources available to you?
Participate in this group to receive helpful information, network, and share valuable tips to make your job easier!

Facilitator: Debbie Brigham, Human Resources and Risk Management Fiscal Support Specialist

September 4, 2024 (Wednesday)
9:00-10:00 am
RWSC 215
No registration required!!

 

Submitted by: Christina Lammers, clammers@uca.edu on 08/29/2024

Do you have a student worker, graduate student, or employee that could use information on what it means to professionally serve students, family members, and/or UCA colleagues? Then this session is for them. The session presents components of Service Excellence (Communication, Attitude, Respect, Enthusiasm) and reinforces the ability to influence in each one of these areas.

Facilitator: Charlotte Strickland, Director of Employee Engagement and Enrichment

September 5, 2024 (Thursday)
1:40-2:30 pm
ZOOM
Please register at link provided to receive the ZOOM link

https://uca.edu/hr/protectedcontent/service-excellence-september-5-2024/

Submitted by: Lainey Morrow, bmorrow@uca.edu on 08/30/2024

Eleven College of Business faculty and staff members were recognized for their outstanding service in UCA’s opening sessions including: Dr. Michael Hargis, Mrs. Christy Peel, Dr. JiHoon Jhang, Dr. Joe McGarrity, Dr. K. Mike Casey, Dr. Karen Oxner, Mrs. Susan Shaw, Dr. Ben Garner, Dr. Jeremy Horpedahl, Ms. Deanna Abrego, and Dr. Ashley Phillips.

https://uca.edu/business/2024/08/30/cob-excellence-awards

Submitted by: Leah Horton, lhorton@uca.edu on 08/30/2024

The UCA-SETF chapter, along with Rotaract, Bears for Global Engagement, the Honors College, and the Conway Morning Rotary Club, are proud to work with the Syrian Emergency Task Force on a soup tasting fundraiser to support the ongoing humanitarian projects undertaken by SETF in Syria and Turkey. The event will feature a variety of soups from the Soup for Syria cookbook (available for purchase at the event), handicraft items made by Syrians, and an opportunity to write Letters of Hope to people in Syria. Tickets prices are $25/person, $5 for students.

Sunday, September 29, drop-in from 3-5pm
First United Methodist Church, 1610 Prince St

Register at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soup-for-syria-tickets-1000491726687?aff=oddtdtcreator

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soup-for-syria-tickets-1000491726687?aff=oddtdtcreator

Submitted by: Carl Frederickson, carlf@uca.edu on 08/30/2024

Dr. Andrew Mason (Physics, Astronomy, and Engineering) chaired the organizing committee for the 2024 Physics Education Research Conference (PERC) held immediately after the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) summer meeting in Boston, MA during July. The theme for the PERC this year was “Bridging the Institutional Gap: PER at Primarily Undergraduate Four-Year Institution, Two-Year College, and K-12 Levels,” where PER is Physics Education Research. The PERC consisted of a number of plenary speakers focused on highlighting the work of PER faculty at primarily teaching institutions. Attendance at the PERC was roughly 280 attendees, a 20% increase from the previous year’s PERC, and was well received. The conference website can be found here: https://www.per-central.org/conferences/2024/.

Dr. Mason and Dr. Raymond Zich of Illinois State University together organized and presided over a PERC roundtable discussion session “Whither PER? Past, Present, and Concerns about the Future.” Dr. Zich is currently serving as co-chair of the PER Leadership and Organizing Council (PERLOC) within AAPT, such that there was a joint interest between the PERC organizing committee and PERLOC. The inspiration for this session was connected to Dr. Mason’s chosen conference theme, namely how the field has evolved in its first few decades, whether its defining characteristics are broadly continuing to be observed, and what future concerns ought to be identified and dealt with properly. After a brief introduction of these concerns, attendees were encouraged to identify and discuss concerns within the field in small breakout groups, then reconvene at the end of the session to identify several key concerns going forward. This session had roughly 40 attendees and was well received.

In addition to organizing this year’s PERC, Dr. Mason was involved with a number of presentations. During the AAPT meeting, Dr. Mason presented a poster titled “Investigating a Problem-Solving Theoretical Framework in Upper-division Electromagnetism Tutorials: Data from Focus Groups, Self-Assessments, and End-of-Semester Surveys.” This poster discussed the qualitative and quantitative methodology in testing preliminary tutorial sets with, and examining feedback from, upper-division first-semester students at BYU. During the PERC, he presented a poster titled “Building a Better Mousetrap: A Preliminary Study of Upper-Division Tutorials Explicitly Built on a Problem-Solving Framework.” This poster focused more on the results of the experiment and ensuing discussions; this poster was coupled with a submitted conference proceedings paper of a similar title, which has been accepted for publication. Dr. Mason was first author on the above posters and proceedings paper. He is also a co-author of a related contributed talk given by James Hecht, titled “Designing and Testing Upper-division Electromagnetism Tutorials.”

https://www.per-central.org/conferences/2024/

Submitted by: Carl Frederickson, carlf@uca.edu on 08/30/2024

Dr. Andrew Mason (Physics, Astronomy, and Engineering) is collaborating on an NSF DUE IUSE grant (award # 2021273, “Measuring Learning and Improving Teaching of the Physics of Fluids in Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences,” with AAPT as the lead institution). He is helping in the development of a quantitative analysis software package for non-parametric analysis of the Fluids Conceptual Exam, developed by the grant awardees’ co-PIs. Dr. Mason is spending portions of the Summer 2024 and Fall 2024 term working with Dr. Daniel Young of the University of Delaware and Dr. Liam McDermott of the University of Connecticut, Avery Point, under the supervision of grant co-PI Dr. Rebecca Lindell of Tiliadal STEM Education: Solutions for Higher Education.

 

Submitted by: Kristen Oitker, koitker1@uca.edu on 09/02/2024

It’s Youth Soccer Night Thursday at the Bill Stephens Complex! To kick off our soccer double header, the men take on Oral Roberts at 5:30 PM. We’re giving away clear draw string bags and sunglasses while supplies last! Come out and support the Bears!

 

Submitted by: Kristen Oitker, koitker1@uca.edu on 09/02/2024

Thursday night is full of soccer! Catch the second half of the doubleheader with the Women’s Soccer Team taking on Little Rock at 8 PM! It’s a purple out and part of the I-40 Showdown! Wear your purple and come get a free tie headband while supplies last! Go Bears!

https://ucasports.com/sports/womens-soccer/schedule