The iSchool Digest will be on hiatus through the summer.
ACTION ITEMS
Course captioning: Instructors are encouraged to make closed captioning the default setting for courses; instructions are available for how to add live captioning in Zoom meetings. When students have to ask for captions, they may be disclosing information about themselves that they prefer not to share. Turning on captions as a default makes our online classrooms more welcoming to everyone.
Course scheduling: If you plan to teach in the fall, please review your course title, date, and time in Course Explorer. If changes need to be made, please contact Emily Knox. Classrooms for on-campus courses will not be finalized until the summer. The survey on fall teaching asked if you would feel comfortable teaching on campus. If your answer has changed, please let Emily know.
Human Resources: Lori Kelso’s last day with the iSchool will be April 30. All HR-related questions should be sent to iSchool-HR@illinois.edu.
Informatics Minor: A committee is currently reviewing the minor with a focus on the content of required courses and targeted recruiting. If you would like to provide feedback, please email Karin Readel.
Requests for summer course spaces: If you are teaching this summer, you need to directly request your course space using the ATLAS course request system. To get started, visit Learn@Illinois.edu and click on “Request a Course Site.” Step-by-step written and video instructions are available on the iSchool Wiki. Questions? Contact the Help Desk.
Statement of Economic Interests: Those who are required to complete this annual statement were contacted via email. The deadline to file is Saturday, May 1. Filing procedures are available online.
Student concerns: If you have concerns about individual students, please get in touch with Student Affairs staff. Advisors are available to direct students to resources that may help to mitigate troubles. Concerns with the potential to worsen into crises (e.g., those requiring referral to outside support services, those likely to result in academic failure, etc.) are of particular importance.
Summer salaries and TA appointments: Academic Affairs is coordinating TA appointments. For questions regarding faculty and graduate student summer salaries funded by sponsored projects, please email iSchool HR and copy Beth Etchison. Summer salaries need to be requested in advance. Retroactive billing to grants is highly problematic, and the iSchool is moving away from allowing this practice.
Time reporting: The deadline to update sick and vacation leave taken from 8/16/20-5/15/21 is Sunday, May 16. If you have questions, please contact iSchool HR.
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Beta Phi Mu (BPM) initiation: The BPM Alpha Chapter previously held its initiation of new members each fall. Beginning this year, the initiation will be held in the spring semester. This timing coincides with the expansion of membership to allow undergraduate as well as graduate students to be recognized for their accomplishments.
- Saturday, May 8, 11:00 – 12:00 p.m. For more information, visit the event page.
Convocation: The iSchool will hold a virtual convocation ceremony to celebrate December, May, and August graduates.
- Saturday, May 15, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. For more information, visit the Convocation page.
Eldercare Group: The iSchool Eldercare Group will meet again in May. Please email Kate McDowell if you would like to be included on the Outlook invitation for the series.
- Thursday, May 13, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Just Infrastructures Speaker Series: Please mark your calendars for “Claiming Democracy over Digital Infrastructures,” presented by Lilly Irani, associate professor of communication & science studies at UC San Diego. Just Infrastructures was launched by researchers in the iSchool, Department of Computer Science, and College of Media to interrogate the complex interactions between people, algorithms, and AI-driven systems.
Research Services workshop: ORCID & SciENcv Research Services will offer a hands-on workshop to help guide faculty through the process of setting up and managing online scholarly profiles in ORCID and SciENcv. Whether you are new to these systems or looking for assistance in updating existing profiles, Research Services staff will be available to provide insights. If you would like a doctoral student to attend in your place, please share the registration link; if you already have an account, you can provide proxy access to your ORCID and SciENcv accounts in advance.
- Wednesday, April 28, 3:00 p.m. An email with a link to Zoom registration has been distributed. If you have questions, or topics to suggest for future workshops, please email Alaine Martaus.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Campaign update: The iSchool has reached 97.5% of its $20 million campaign goal. Gifts toward the campaign will continue until June 30, 2022. Our School’s priorities for this campaign are accessible education, enhanced student experience, and faculty support. If you have questions, please email Diana Stroud.
Classroom accommodations: As a reminder, students do not have to have a letter from Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) for you to make accommodations in your class. Earlier this semester, the iSchool Diversity Committee hosted a DRES-facilitated workshop about accommodations in the classroom, which serves as a valuable resource for iSchool instructors. Questions? Email Emily Knox.
Course types for fall: A new system for classifying courses will be implemented in the fall to better inform students and allocate instructional support. Courses will be classified as Standard, Lab/Studio, Undergraduate and/or Master’s Seminar, Project, Capstone, Writing-Intensive, or Doctoral Seminars. These labels are not mutually exclusive, and a course may have multiple designations. Questions? Contact Emily Knox.
Digital letterhead: Our School’s digital letterhead was recently redesigned to align with the new campus branding standards. It can be accessed in the iSchool Wiki.
Fall enrollment update: Total applications have increased by 23% across all of our School’s graduate degree programs, which represents the fourth highest number of applications on campus. The School is on track to welcome approximately 1,400 students in the fall, including 500 new students across all programs.
iSchool Moodle changes: The iSchool Moodle is now only accessible through the VPN. For information about setup, please visit the Technology Services VPN page. Download instructions and links are available on the Technology Services VPN Download page. The Moodle also has been updated to read-only access. This means that you still will be able to view and export your course content, but you will no longer be able to edit or add content.
Job search for PhD students: A new web page, Doctoral Students on the Job Market, has been created to assist students in the job search. If appropriate, please encourage your students to contact Cindy Brya about this opportunity.
Mailing lists: As our School grows, please revisit our official mailing lists. If you would like to share information that is not work related but informally connects with our community, a social mailing list is available. To join, please email Jen Anderson (jdmorgan@illinois.edu) or lists@ischool.illinois.edu with the subject line, “subscribe social.”
Virtual film group: If you are interested in participating in a new group that will select and discuss one film per month, with rotating discussion hosts, please contact Kathryn La Barre. The plan is to meet in the summer and hopefully continue thereafter.