A NOTE FROM THE PROVOST
Wendy Hensel, J.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dear colleagues,
First, I want to thank you for all that you have done and continue to do as our Georgia State community adapts to life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with one of the greatest challenges that many of us have experienced within our lifetimes, you collectively have risen to the occasion and embodied the spirit of innovation for which we are known at GSU. I am in awe of the teamwork that made it possible to transition courses to a distance learning format so quickly, ensuring our 53,000+ students were able to continue with their educations uninterrupted. I also am incredibly proud that our faculty members are uncovering the mysteries of the coronavirus through critical research and shaping how our world is responding to the emergency.
In this issue, you will read profiles about faculty – both long-time pros in online education, and others who are brand new to it – whose insights into online teaching and learning can be helpful to you, and how you can be a mentor to other faculty as we move into an all online environment this summer.
There is also a look in this issue at the university’s research and service during this emergency.
• The COVID-19 crisis has brought the best in our research and scholarship to the fore, from the Institute for Biomedical Sciences’ work in trying to figure out what makes the novel coronavirus tick, to drug and vaccine discovery efforts across departments, and work by epidemiologists and computer scientists working to predict and track the virus.
• Other parts of our institution are also reacting on the community level. Graduating the highest number of respiratory therapists in the state, our Respiratory Therapy program graduates this spring will head straight into the front lines of healing, receiving temporary licensure upon graduation. Our RT department is also sharing ventilators and providing personal protective equipment to our health care providers, and EXLAB, our makerspace through CETL, is helping in the creation of parts for face shields and covers for masks.
As we move forward in this new environment, we have continued our search for leadership who will advance Georgia State’s reputation for innovation. I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Kim Siegenthaler, who joins our team on May 4 from the University of Missouri as our inaugural Associate Provost for Online Strategies. Her leadership will strengthen all that we do as we look to expand and enhance our presence in online learning and provide the necessary support and infrastructure to accomplish this. I hope that you join me in welcoming Dr. Siegenthaler as a member of our community.
We are also continuing our search for a permanent dean of the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions. There is one more finalist virtual presentation on May 6 by Dr. Cathy Rozmus. For more information about how you can participate, and to view recordings of presentations by Drs. Huanbiao Mo and Yong “Tai” Wang on April 23 and 24, please visit http://provost.gsu.edu/lewis-dean-search. Please make sure to complete the feedback form at the bottom of the page to share your views as we work to complete this vital search.
As we head into the summer and begin to plan for the fall, there are many unknowns for which we simply do not have answers. It is my intent to be as transparent as possible as we confront these challenges and to share information with you as it becomes available. President Becker and I are committed to providing the necessary training and support to foster your success regardless of the circumstances we face.
For me, this has been an eventful first year as Provost – to say the least. I am immensely grateful for your support and all that you have done and will do in the future to continue our innovation in teaching, learning, research and scholarship in these uncertain times. My best wishes to you and your family as we conclude this unprecedented spring semester. Please stay safe and take care of yourselves.
Sincerely,
Wendy Hensel
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NEWS
Georgia State’s Faculty Members Tackle Novel Coronavirus/COVID-19
Trusted Sources for COVID-19: Georgia State Voices Share Insights and Expertise With News Media
How Georgia State Is Contributing to the Front-Line Community Response to COVID-19
Faculty Share Insights From This Spring’s Instructional Transition
Taking Stock of Georgia State Diversity-Focused Initiatives: Summer 2020
Kim Siegenthaler Named Inaugural Associate Provost for Online Strategies
Watch and Share Feedback: Final Lewis College Dean Candidate Virtual Presentation on May 6
CETL Announces Teaching and Mentorship Awards
NEWS FROM THE NEXT GENERATION PROGRAM
READ PREVIOUS ISSUES
NEWS
Georgia State Faculty Members Tackle Novel Coronavirus/COVID-19
Numerous researchers across multiple disciplines at Georgia State are working to untangle the mysteries of the novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to find treatments to against it, and to track its spread.
In the Institute for Biomedical Sciences, faculty members are looking at multiple ways to understand and fight the virus, working to identify candidate therapeutics to inhibit viral replication, to use drug repurposing strategies to find successful treatments, develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, and to investigate gastrointenstinal symptoms of COVID-19. More about IBMS researchers is at https://news.gsu.edu/2020/04/07/georgia-state-biomedical-scientists-join-the-global-race-to-fight-covid-19/.
In the College of Arts and Sciences, researchers are collaborating to better understand the virus, have found potential in repurposing an existing medication for rheumatoid arthritis to fight novel coronavirus, and to develop better diagnostics for early detection of SARS-CoV-2, including the repurposing of an existing technology developed by faculty – which could be used for rapid diagnostics and patient triage in emergency rooms. Computer scientists have teamed up with epidemiologists in the School of Public Health to use social media chatter on Twitter to gain unique insight into the spread of the virus, and to measure how the public is gaining information (or disinformation) about the pandemic. IBMS researchers are teaming up with the School of Public Health to study the role of environmental characteristics on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in different settings.
Georgia State’s Research Magazine has more about this work in its latest edition. Click here to read “On the Front Lines – Fighting Coronavirus”.
The university’s scholarship and research related to the pandemic also extend to faculty in the College of Law and the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Law faculty have weighed in on the possibility of liability impacts to businesses that open too soon (click here to read more), and Andrew Young School faculty have released research indicating that workers who have lost their jobs as a consequence of the pandemic may find themselves displaced by automation during the eventual recovery. Read more about the AYS research here.
Trusted Sources: Georgia State Voices in the News
During this emergency, the public needs clear, truthful insights and analysis based upon expertise. Georgia State’s faculty have been up to the task, and have been a frequent source of information about the virus, the pandemic, and the repercussions from it – quoted widely in local, national and international media. You can read a compilation of articles from outside media by visiting https://news.gsu.edu/covid-19-headlines/.
How Georgia State Is Contributing to the Front-Line Community Response to COVID-19
Georgia State is playing a part in the community response to the COVID-19 pandemic in different ways, from respiratory therapy to putting the university’s makerspace to work.
Respiratory therapists are vital in the care of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, where the most extremely ill patients must be intubated and placed on a mechanical ventilator. Georgia State’s Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions graduates more respiratory therapists than other programs in the state, and new RTs graduating this spring will hold temporary licenses upon graduation in order to join the health care forces caring for patients in the respiratory distress caused by the disease.
With classes moved to teaching at a distance for the rest of the semester, the department offered its equipment and supplies to area hospitals because the inventory of ventilators and protective equipment such as gloves and masks remained low. Other academic programs in the Lewis College made their supplies available as well. Under a quickly assembled agreement, the RT Department prepared its ventilators to be borrowed by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and may be used anywhere in the state. Learn more by clicking here.
Respiratory therapy faculty from Georgia State have also answered some frequently asked questions about COVID-19 ventilators, patient care, and how smoking and vaping present additional risk factors for increased severity of the disease. They’re available at https://news.gsu.edu/2020/04/23/treating-covid-19/.
The EXLAB Makerspace in Action
3D printers from Georgia State’s EXLAB are being used to 3D-print face shield components for Atlanta Beats Covid. EXLAB has loaned the printers to Geekspace Gwinnett to assist them in creating face shields needed by front line health care workers.
The EXLAB makerspace at Georgia State University is helping to make and supply Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be used by healthcare and other vital workers, as well as vulnerable community members, during the shortage caused by COVID-19. Working in cooperation with other makerspaces and maker organizations across Georgia, EXLAB volunteers and resources are contributing to create items like face shields and masks.
Through participation in Atlanta Beats Covid, an organization that brings together makers across the state, EXLAB resources have been matched with the needs of healthcare providers and first responders to construct PPE from donated materials that meet specific requests. EXLAB’s laser cutters and 3D printers are being used to generate components for face shields.
EXLAB volunteers are also making fabric masks through Sewing Masks for Area Hospitals – Atlanta (SMAH Atlanta). Working with SMAH Atlanta, EXLAB volunteers are making fabric masks that fit criteria vetted by facilities in need and which can be donated through the organization.
Faculty Share Insights From This Spring’s Instructional Transition
Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, in March the University System of Georgia directed Georgia State and other institutions in the system to prepare to take face-to-face classes to a remote instruction modality. Teaching at a distance can be daunting to anyone who has not engaged in it before. But through resources like the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, in addition to faculty mentors and peers, faculty provided some academic continuity during a semester that turned the world upside down for students, faculty and staff.
Here, some of Georgia State’s faculty members share their insights into teaching at a distance this semester, and some lessons learned along the way.
Getting Feedback
At the start of the 2019-20 academic year, few at Georgia State could have envisioned ending the spring with all face-to-face instruction moved to teaching at a distance. Not in the least did Erica Akhter, lecturer of neuroscience, who started in her full-time faculty role Georgia State this fall.
While she had previous experience as an instructor in undergrad, her Ph.D. program and part time instruction at Georgia State during her last year of her Ph.D. program at Emory, just like other Georgia State faculty who have been at Georgia State for years, this was her first venture into online teaching.
But a constant of her teaching strategies remains – working to receive continuous feedback in order to improve teaching and to find areas needing attention.
“It’s something that I think is very important, and I do it regardless of the modality that I’m teaching in, especially since I’m so new,” Dr. Akhter said. “But I think it’s critical regardless of what stage you’re in to check in and see what’s working.”
In her two course sections of NEUR 3001 (Principles of Neuroscience II), the courses are taught asynchronously. Surveying for feedback takes place by using online quizzes regularly – covering both the material and asking for students’ thoughts about how classes are going for them.
“It helps students to feel engaged and listened to,” Dr. Akhter explained. “And, it has helped me to see where I could do some things better that I would have otherwise missed.”
In a course on professional development that she is teaching this semester, the second half is devoted to practicing communications skills and doing things such as making elevator pitches and interviewing. She moved to a partially synchronous, partially asynchronous approach, in the event students could not participate in virtual class sessions, but frequent communication on an email basis, or by sticking around during video sessions, provides mutual feedback.
It wasn’t easy at first as her students adjusted to the new learning environment, but they’ve persisted, often participating in the synchronous portion of the class. But one day, she received heartening feedback in asking a question to break the ice in teaching public speaking: “What’s one good thing that’s going on in your life right now?”
“Several of the students said, specifically for this class, ‘now we’re getting to acquire professional skills online that we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to practice,’” Dr. Akhter said. “It was a nice little silver lining perspective that they have.”
— Jeremy Craig, Communications Manager, Office of the Provost
Engaging to Learn
Andrea Hendricks has taught mathematics online since 2001, and while technologies have grown and improved, a key challenge is there that confronts any modality of teaching, but with key differences: working toward the “lightbulb” moment when a student grasps a new concept.
“I think that was the biggest challenge: figuring out how to motivate students to actually engage with the material and realizing that if you don’t provide a good experience, they’re going to take a shortcut,” said Hendricks, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Associate Department Chair for Online Math and Computer Science at Perimeter College.
Hendricks, an award-winning, nationally-recognized educator in the field of online learning, has mentored faculty peers during this semester, when students who did not choose online classes, and faculty who may never have previously taught online courses, had to move to remote instruction due to the need for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been exciting and fun to watch their learning process,” she said. “It’s like with our students – they’re learning some things for the first time, and then they realize they’ve got this – and that they can do this.”
As instructors move into the summer sessions, which will be taught online, Hendricks advises faculty to think from the standpoint of the student, and work to determine where pain points for the students might be.
“What are you going to do to make this experience connected and cohesive for the student?” she said. “A challenge that I find often is that instructors provide a lot of content and resources in their online course, but there’s really no way it connects. When you’re in a face-to-face class, instructors provide that framework for the student to understand what they’re about to embark on, but that’s harder to do in an online class.”
Syllabi also must be clear, and students must read and understand it. One approach that Hendricks has used is giving a quiz on the syllabus itself at the end of the first week.
“It’s to make sure they’ve read everything and understand the really important parts, because you’re not there to explain that to them,” she said.
And faculty may find students emailing with questions that they feel like they have answered 10,000 times.
“In a face-to-face class, you answer those questions naturally anyway, so there has to be some grace when they ask in an online class because they are navigating the course at a distance where information can easily be overlooked,” Hendricks said. “So, if it’s something important to you, make it clear and provide the information in a few different ways – not just in print form, but video and audio form, too. Your course, content, and activities must be clearly designed and easy to navigate so that students can understand what you want.”
To read a recent article written by Hendricks for Campus Technology, “5 Easy Ways to Infuse Learning Science into Remote Teaching,” visit https://campustechnology.com/articles/2020/04/15/5-easy-ways-to-infuse-learning-science-into-remote-teaching.aspx?s=ct_le_150420&oly_enc_id=0784I0279056C2E.
— Jeremy Craig, Communications Manager, Office of the Provost
Empathy & Communication
Tools for remote instruction and learning are important. But it is also how the technology is applied when people are in the mix that is critical.
The power of communication and the simple act of interaction, beyond the course material itself, has helped to keep the students of Iris Thomas’ German courses engaged and involved in courses that were moved from face-to-face instruction to teaching at a distance this spring.
Indeed, it started before the return from an extended Spring Break, while Dr. Thomas started to prepare and upload materials to iCollege, taking a moment to reach out through the platform before the return to a much different learning environment and a set of unknowns that has disrupted life for students, faculty and staff at the university.
“Technology is wonderful, and it’s great that we have it, but still, there are people behind that screen,” she said.
“I wanted to put students in a mood that was more at ease – to think, ‘she is here for us,’ so that they feel more of a comfort level,” Dr. Thomas said. “So when they wrote back to me via email, also via iCollege, I gave them positive reinforcement, telling them ‘hey, that’s great that you’ve already touched base with me before we’ve resumed classes.’”
Maintaining that communication has been key – something she suggests as a key strategy for faculty preparing to start out a term teaching online.
“That strategy is to communicate – really to communicate – even if it’s just for ‘drop-in’ minutes for 15 to 20 minutes,” Dr. Thomas said. “Really ask them questions – ‘how are you? How do you feel about online learning in general? Are there some struggles? What’s going on in your life?’”
This can help instructors to learn where students might be hesitant to interact, and help instructors determine where they can better communicate with their students.
Having spent time as an online learner herself during her graduate programs, Dr. Thomas can see behind “both sides of the screen” – helping to build an empathy for students who have to adapt to a new reality, and in a situation where interaction with other people must be much more intentional and proactive in some regards.
“My privilege, or my advantage, was that I had good deal of experience coming from as a student in online classes,” she said. “There’s this broad space where we can improve so many things.”
— Jeremy Craig, Communications Manager, Office of the Provost
The Challenge of Lab Classes – Without Traditional Student Labs
COVID-19 has shaken up academic classrooms globally. The transition to online instruction and distance teaching has been a challenge nationwide, but Georgia State instructor Paul Ulrich adapted his biology courses to teaching at a distance.
“Movement online presents some unique challenges, and the lab environment is one of those especially high hurdles to clear. I am most grateful that the shutdown arrived late in the semester. While we are still assessing best practices for remote delivery, I have been pleasantly surprised that the online format has really improved engagement of students with respect to our journal club discussions,” Dr. Ulrich said.
Maintaining engaging, online classes is challenging within the realm of STEM subjects, as many of these classes are accompanied with essential, hands-on labs. Plotting the course without face-to-face instruction comes with new opportunities and their own unique challenges.
“We have had to replace our summer course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) offering with a non-laboratory course focused on the scientific process and experimental design. Dr. Jon Sylvester is designing this new course, and I am excited because this course will fill a gap in our curriculum and prepare students for research experiences in their junior and senior years,” he said.
Dr. Ulrich has a background in marine ecology, and he uses it as a means of understanding the state of the world. He said that this new territory is a great opportunity to learn.
“In ecology, disruptions are instrumental in opening up new niches. I think COVID-19 is providing such a disruption, a disruption that we can harness to drive valuable innovation.”
— Braden Turner, Writer/Graduate Administrative Assistant (M.A., English), Office of the Provost
Taking Stock of Georgia State Diversity-Focused Initiatives: Summer 2020
As an initial step in a wider examination of diversity-focused initiatives at Georgia State, the Office of the Provost in conjunction the Next Generation of Faculty initiative will inventory underrepresented group programming over Summer 2020. This cataloguing of various programs will begin with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), academic, and research-based initiatives for individuals from underrepresented groups. Gradually, this campus-wide initiative will inventory multicultural events and organizations, and ultimately include diversity education programming and policy. This catalog of initiatives can assist faculty, administrators, and students to help identify existing resources that enhance diversity.
The aforementioned diversity initiatives can anticipate follow up in the upcoming weeks. If you have any questions about this effort, please contact Dr. Curtis Byrd at [email protected].
Kim Siegenthaler Named Inaugural Associate Provost for Online Strategies
Kim Siegenthaler, Director of Mizzou Online at the University of Missouri, has been named as the inaugural Associate Provost for Online Strategies, effective May 4.
Dr. Siegenthaler will be responsible for developing a university-wide strategy for delivering high-quality online courses, certificate programs, degree programs and executive education to traditional and life-long learners. She will work closely with university leadership, colleges and CETL to establish a vision and strategic priorities for online programming.
She will be responsible for administrative oversight and coordination of all aspects of digital education. Dr. Siegenthaler will create, implement and champion quality standards across Georgia State’s online offerings and develop best practices for student support and teaching in online environments.
She has worked with administrators, faculty, and staff to move the University of Missouri toward a strategic vision for distance education. During her tenure, the University of Missouri experienced a significant increase in the number of programs and students enrolled and developed the infrastructure necessary to deliver high-quality programs and effective student support programs.
Dr. Siegenthaler holds a Ph.D. in Leisure Studies from the University of New Mexico, a Master of Science degree from the University of Oklahoma, a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Baylor University.
Watch and Share Feedback: Final Lewis College Dean Candidate Virtual Presentation on May 6
The search committee for the Dean of the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions wishes to remind the Georgia State community about the May 6 virtual presentation by candidate Dr. Cathy Rozmus, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs in the Cizik School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
The presentation via Webex for faculty, students and staff will be held from 3 to 4 p.m., and can be viewed at http://provost.gsu.edu/lewis-dean-search. Georgia State Campus ID and password are required to access the livestream.
After the presentation, don’t forget to submit feedback at http://provost.gsu.edu/lewis-dean-search through a feedback form at the bottom of the page. If you have not yet viewed or given your feedback for the April presentations by candidates Dr. Huanbiao Mo and Dr. Yong “Tai” Wang, you can also view presentation recordings and give feedback through this web page. The deadline for feedback is 5:15 p.m. on Friday, May 8.
CETL Announces Teaching and Mentorship Awards
Each year, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) accepts nominations to recognize faculty and graduate students who have made exceptional contributions in teaching, professional development and mentorship across the university. This year’s awardees include:
Pedagogical Mentorship Award: The Pedagogical Mentorship Award goes to a faculty member who has been nominated by graduate students for helping them develop as a teacher and for serving as an inspiration and official or unofficial mentor.
Recipient: Stephanie Gutzler, Biology
Part-Time Instructor Pedagogy Award: The Part-Time Instructor Pedagogy Award goes to the part-time instructor who shows dedication to teaching and to the development of student learning.
Recipient: Sarah Vogt Klein, Middle and Secondary Education
Graduate Teaching Assistant Pedagogy Award: The Graduate Teaching Assistant Pedagogy Award goes to graduate students who exhibit exceptional work in the classroom and a dedication to improving their craft.
Recipient: Macie Orrand, Anthropology
News from the Next Generation Program
Forecasting Novel Coronavirus
Gerardo Chowell
Public Health Professor Gerardo Chowell, a faculty member of the university’s Second Century Initiative (2CI), the predecessor to the Next Generation Program, has been quoted in local, national and international media regarding novel coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic and is creating updated coronavirus incidence forecasts.
Learn more about his forecasts and how to access them at https://nextgen.gsu.edu/2020/03/13/2ci-faculty-member-forecasts-novel-coronavirus-incidents-using-mathematical-epidemiology/.
News from the Office of the Provost is a bimonthly e-newsletter highlighting news and activities in academic affairs at Georgia State University. For questions about the newsletter, email Jeremy Craig at [email protected].
Previous issues are available at the following links:
Oct. 2018 (Vol. 1, No. 1)
Dec. 2018 (Vol. 1, No. 2)
Feb. 2019 (Vol. 1, No. 3)
April 2019 (Vol. 1, No. 4)
June 2019 (Vol. 1, No. 5)
August 2019 (Vol 2., No. 1)
October 2019 (Vol. 2, No. 2)
Winter 2020 (Vol. 2, No. 3)
Look for the next edition of the Provost’s Office newsletter this summer.