Smeal Academy Newsletter: Kickoff to Summer Edition

The Smeal Academy is brought to you by the eLearning Design and Innovation Group at the Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University. The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip the Smeal community with best practices and strategies for teaching and learning with technology to support Smeal’s business education and research needs.

Photo by SOCIAL.CUT on Unsplash

Happy Summer!

Though technically we have not arrived at the summer solstice, this week marks the start of Penn State’s summer calendar, with the launch of Maymester and regular session summer courses beginning next week. Here are eLDIG’s tips for this new academic season:

Nominate a great teacher! Smeal Teaching Award nominations are open through Friday, May 10th. Anyone can nominate. Awards are given to teachers of all levels and modalities and those who support instruction. So, please visit https://forms.office.com/r/H4VWAFv4VE and nominate someone today. It only takes a few minutes and is a terrific way to support teaching excellence at Smeal!
Catch up on professional reading! Summer is a wonderful time to catch up on reading. Several members of the eLDIG team are reading Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick. Another title catching our attention is Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning by Jose Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson. Contact eLDIG if you are interested in reading and discussing!

Want more book recommendations? Check out this week’s new podcast, Meet the eLDIG Team – Chris Coyne, Instructional Designer by clicking below! Chris is an avid reader and made some fiction and non-fiction recommendations in addition to his reflections on teaching and learning. Smeal Academy Podcasts are released weekly and housed on our eLDIG website or follow the Smeal Academy Podcast on your preferred podcatcher!

Upcoming Smeal Academy Sessions

Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Business Education and Research Reading and Discussion Group – John Liechty, Facilitator
Join us for the fourth session of a Smeal series on the role of artificial intelligence in our teaching and research, which will focus on our shared commitment to preparing leaders to leverage artificial intelligence responsibly in business. John will share some trends in fields related to marketing and how they impact his approach to teaching at Smeal. Join us on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. EST via Zoom. Contact eLDIG if you would like a meeting invitation with a Zoom link.
Smeal Academy Summer Book Club – Session 1
This summer, we will read The Spark of Learning by Sarah Rose Cavanagh. We will meet three times over the summer to discuss the book. Join us for our first discussion on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. EST via Zoom. Contact eLDIG if you would like a meeting invitation with a Zoom link

NOTE: Recordings and resources from previous Smeal Academy sessions can be found on our eLDIG Website.

eLDIG ID Tips

- Tip #1: Announcements and Discussions Redesign
  If you opened a Canvas discussion today, you may have noticed it looks different! The Canvas Announcements and Discussions Redesign was forced on for all Penn State courses today. We recently held a Smeal Academy Zoom session discussing the changes. Check it out to learn more!
- Tip #2: Canvas Website Update May 9
  On Thursday, May 9th, the Canvas service website (canvas.psu.edu) will be updated and automatically redirected to a new URL (https://www.it.psu.edu/services/canvas/). The site will feature a revamped interface and improved accessibility. You will now find the Login button on the right side of the page, just below the menu bar. Links to the old site should be updated to use the new URL. Note: To access Canvas directly, bookmark psu.instructure.com.

Contact Us

Email us at [email protected] or fill out the eLDIG Contact form and we will be in touch.