Category Archives: Undergrad

See FAQ for category descriptions

New attendance procedure begins this fall

From Carolyn Haynes in the Provost’s office:

As you begin to prepare for the fall semester, I wanted to alert you to a new attendance procedure which will be in effect in fall 2018.

The federal government has mandated that universities confirm that students have begun attendance in all courses that count towards federal financial aid eligibility (34 CFR 668.21). Institutions must do this by verifying the occurrence of students’ “academic activity” through the 10th day of the semester. Last year, Miami received just over $104 million in federal financial aid. Failure to meet attendance regulations could result in large fines and even jeopardize Miami’s eligibility for federal Title IV financial aid.

Federal regulations (34 CFR 668.22 (l)(7) define “academic activity” as occurring when a student physically attends at least one class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students.

Because we also have hybrid and online courses, the following also count as “academic activity” when a student:
· submits an academic assignment (in class or online);
· takes a quiz or exam (in class or online);
· participates in an interactive tutorial or is involved with computer-assisted instruction;
· attends a study group as assigned by the instructor;
· participates in an online discussion as part of the course; or
· initiates contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course.

“Academic activity” does not result when a student:
· logs in to an online class but has no other “academic activity” online; or
· meets with an academic advisor.

Over the summer, the Office of the Registrar will roll out a change to the photo roster that will permit instructors to notify the University that the student did or did not begin attendance. It is anticipated that the deadline for confirming this will be the end of the second week of full semester/term courses and by the end of day 3 of sprint courses.

Prior to the beginning of the fall semester, the University Registrar will send faculty specific instructions for how to mark attendance on the photo roster. Please note that this change was designed to be quick and easy so as to avoid excessive use of your time.

Suggestions for ways to take attendance in large classes:
· Give a quiz on first or second day of class. Quiz could be on the syllabus contents.
· Have students sign in at door.
· Use assigned seating charts for students, and ask TA or undergraduate associate to note empty seats.
· Ask students to fill out index cards with name and one question or thought related to the class.
· Do an online poll using an app such as Kahoot. Ask students to use their real names on the poll.

Best wishes to you on a rejuvenating and productive summer.

Congrats to the CLAAS of 2018!

Congratulations to all of the recent graduates, and particularly members of the first cohort of PSS majors on the regional campuses (CLAAS). Three of them are featured in this video highlighting regional students and their stories. Notably, all three of them have been accepted into graduate programs; we wish them the best of luck and continued success!

 

New writing center for English language learners

From Liz Wardle, Howe Center for Writing Excellence:

The new English Language Learner Writing Center (ELL WC) has begun offering limited services this semester. It will become fully operational at several sites around campus in the fall.

I am writing to let you know that the ELL WC website is now operational, so you can share it with your students and colleagues: http://miamioh.edu/ellwc. The site includes information on how to make appointments, as well as resources such as grammar tutorials.

If you have questions or would like to schedule a department workshop or one-on-one consultation regarding working effectively with multilingual writers, please contact the ELL WC Coordinator, Dr. Larysa (Lora) Bobrova.

Undergraduate Research Forum next week

Most of you are likely aware of this–if not involved as mentors of students presenting–but I wanted to make sure to pass this on from Martha Weber, ORU:

Miami’s 24th annual Undergraduate Research Forum will honor our dedicated Miami mentors  and celebrate the intellectual accomplishments of our student researchers. Established in 1994, this university-wide forum has showcased the creative and scholarly activities of undergraduates engaged in research. During the interactive poster sessions both student researchers and mentors celebrate and promote undergraduate dedication to learning and scholarly achievement.

Over 560 Miami students are registered to present at the annual Undergraduate Research Forum on April 25, 2018. Fifty-two oral presentations involving 61 students will take place in rooms on the Shriver Center third floor. Three interactive poster sessions involving over 500 student presenters will take place in the Shriver John Dolibois Rooms. Student research on display covers a wide variety of topics and may have been carried out as part of a class, an independent study, a community project, a service-learning project, a creative project, etc.

You can find an ADA-compliant download of the program here.

COMPASS seeking editors

Do you have talented students who are interested in writing, publishing, or plan to pursue careers in academia where an understanding of peer review and the publication process would be useful? Consider encouraging them to apply for the editorial board of COMPASS, the department’s undergraduate research journal. Students complete PSY 394 (2 cr.) for training, after which they serve on the editorial board until graduation.

If you have interested students, please have them complete the application or contact me or the current student executives for more information: Andrew Higgins, President; Eva Demeropolis, Managing Editor.

OUPRC at Ohio Dominican this year, April 28

The 32nd annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Research Conference (OUPRC) will be held on Saturday, April 28th at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus. The deadline for submissions and conference registration is Friday, April 20, 2018. From John Marzita, this year’s organizer:

The OUPRC provides psychology students with the opportunity to present their work to a supportive audience, and to share ideas with student researchers and faculty from across Ohio. Students who are presenting their work at other conferences… often attend OUPRC to practice their presentations first. Students who are new to research learn something of the excitement of a research career and are may be motivated to continue in psychology or a related research field.

This can also serve as an excellent opportunity to recruit for our graduate programs. If there is a critical mass of individuals interested, the department will help support the travel (e.g. van rental) in addition to regular conference support mechanisms.

MUDEC Luxembourg Call for Proposals, 2019-2020

Miami’s Dolibois European Center (Luxembourg campus) has released its call for curriculum proposals for the 2019-20 academic year. The committee considers the configuration of courses when determining which to approve for a given academic year. The first step is a one-page statement of interest which is due March 30. If you are interested, please let me know and I can send you additional information.

Call for Dean’s Scholar and Capretta Scholarship nominations

Allen McConnell and the Awards Committee announce two important recognitions for your talented undergraduate and graduate students:

The deadline for Dean’s Scholars applications has been set, with completed nominations being due before the end of the day on Friday, March 16, 2018. The College of Arts and Science Dean’s Scholarship is designed to encourage scholarly activity among Miami’s best undergraduate seniors, with students applying for support during the spring semester of their junior year. Details can be found on the Team Drive here.

The deadline for Capretta Scholarship consideration is Friday, April 6, 2018. The Capretta Scholarship is awarded to graduate students for research accomplishments completed at Miami University. Graduate students who have completed their master’s thesis and have not previously received the Capretta Scholarship are eligible for consideration. Nominations can be initiated by psychology faculty or by students (self or peer). Details can be found on the Team Drive here.

Service learning course support

The Miami University Office of Community Engagement and Service and Service-Learning Designation Committee (SLDC) are now accepting Service-Learning class proposals for the Fall 2018 and January 2019 terms. They write:

Miami University defines Service-Learning (SL) as “an experiential pedagogical practice that uses action and reflection on complex public challenges to meet community-voiced needs and enhance learning through mutually beneficial, reciprocal partnerships.” Note that a syllabus is NOT required at the time of submission. Proposals for SL classes are due by noon on Monday, March 5, 2018. Submit your proposals here

They are also offering grants to support your service-learning course and community-engaged work:

Faculty from Miami Oxford campus are invited to submit a proposal for our NEW Faculty Community Engagement Mini-Grant Program. Proposals are due Monday, March 5th.
These grants of up to $1,000, are available to fund the development of new Service-Learning courses or initiatives or the improvement of existing ones, and/or for the implementation of community-based research projects or professional development related to Community-Engaged Teaching, Research or Scholarship.

See Summer!

Cheryl Young, Asst. Provost (Global Initiatives), is asking for your help to increase the number of students participating in study abroad and study away programs this summer. Many application deadlines are March 1 so if you have students or advisees asking about such programs, or those you think might benefit from them, consider sharing this promotional video or have them visit MiamiOH.edu/SeeSummer.