Celebrating Your Success
Wayne Osborn is retired from CMU as Professor
Emeritus and continues to teach as an adjunct faculty member in
the field of astronomy. He has the following successes to share.
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A book edited
by CMU ProfEd faculty member Wayne Osborn and University
of Toronto Astronomy Librarian Lee Robbins was recently
published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
Entitled "Preserving
Astronomy's Photographic Legacy: Current State
and the Future of North American Astronomical Plates,"
the volume addresses the issue of how to preserve
astronomy's rich heritage of photographic observations
for future generations of astronomers.
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Recently
published a paper entitled "A variability sample
catalogue selected from the Sydney Observatory Galactic
Survey" in the European journal Astronomy &
Astrophysics (volume 503, pages 1023-1036, Sept. 2009).
For future issues please share your accomplishments or success
stories by e-mailing Sarah Young at
young2sa@cmich.edu.
Customized Library Links in Blackboard
OCLS is working towards offering access to
subject-specific library resources directly from Blackboard.
Currently, the Library link within each Blackboard course
shell takes students to an intermediary page that allows
them to select either the OCLS or the on-campus library Web
site. Going forward, we'd like to customize the Library link
in each Blackboard course shell so the student will be taken
directly to a subject resources guide appropriate to that
particular course.
For example, the Library link in an MSA 600 course will
take students to our MSA Resources guide; in the EDU 660
course, students will be linked to our MA in Education
Resources guide.
Advantages of adding a subject-specific Library link
within your Blackboard course shell are:
- A student has immediate access to a collection of
resources relevant to his or her specific class or
topics of research.
- The full suite of OCLS resources and services
(including our Ask A Librarian service, Document
Delivery service, and the CMU Writing Center) is one
click away.
OCLS librarians will be happy to change the destination
of the link in your Blackboard course
shell(s) for you
should you decide to do this. If you want to make this
change to your course shells or have any questions about it,
simply contact a librarian at
http://ocls.cmich.edu/reference/index.html.
Basic
Troubleshooting and Support Advice for Blackboard
This month's column provides some basic troubleshooting
and support advice which will hopefully be useful for
instructors and students alike. LMS Support staff believes
instructors likely prefer to teach rather than being bogged
down in the training or tech support business, making it all
the more important to route all Blackboard-related
technical issues/questions to the CMU Help Desk and
ask students to do the same. While it's tempting to pick up
the phone or e-mail questions to a support staff member
directly, this action prevents calls from being properly
logged and tracked, which limits our ability to identify
trends in issues and resolve further-reaching problems
– and delays identification of emerging issues
and staffing requirements.
One very basic troubleshooting skill that almost anyone
can try is swapping browsers. If you have encountered a
specific problem and are using Internet Explorer, try the
same task using the Firefox browser, available at no cost
at:
http://firefox.com. Or if you currently
use Firefox, try switching to IE. MAC users can similarly
switch from Firefox to Safari or vice versa. In a similar
vein, avoid upgrading immediately to newly released browsers
or operating systems. Often times certain Blackboard
features may suddenly develop glitches or fail to work
correctly. A matrix showing the specific combinations of
browsers/OS versions currently supported by Blackboard is
available at:
http://ddlcampus.cmich.edu/browsercheck/cgi-bin/bb8_matrix-new.pdf.
When contacting the Help Desk for assistance, they will
first try to resolve your problem over the phone. Be
prepared to answer some questions about the steps you have
already attempted and to complete some trouble-shooting
instructions. Since technical skills among students and
instructors vary widely, it's important that even the most
"obvious" solution is suggested and checked. Similarly, when
students report a problem by e-mail, the more information
that is provided the quicker the problem can be resolved. An
e-mail containing the messages: "I tried to submit my
assignment and it didn't work" or "I got an error
and couldn't join the chat" will take considerably
longer to resolve as the necessary details must first be
gathered. The more information which can be provided, even
details which may seem irrelevant at the time, can actually
be very useful in the troubleshooting process and result in
more timely resolutions to issues.
We remain committed to quick service and timely
resolution to technical issues when they arise and thank you
in advance for your ongoing cooperation!
Training in the
'click' of time
CMU's Human Resource Office offers online
training with a range of professional and service oriented
topics including: communication, diversity, leadership,
violence prevention and more. It's free, easy to use,
accessible anytime, and you can complete it at your own
pace. You might find many of the topics helpful in your work
with us
– and your other personal/professional
activities. Online programs range in length from under 10
minutes to full three-hour seminars. Visit the Online
Training Videos page at
http://www.cmich.edu/HR_Home/Strategy_and_Org_Development/Online_Training_Videos.htm.
APA 6th
Edition Resources Available
Off-Campus Library Services
has created a page of helpful links to examples of how to
cite sources according to the new 6th
Edition of the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association. If your students need
guidance on how to format a document or see examples of how
to cite sources according to the new APA, send them to
http://libguides.ocls.cmich.edu/content.php?pid=27285&sid=197831.
And while you're there, be sure to check out the other
excellent resources available to you and your students on
our Research and Writing Help page.
H1N1 Flu Recommended
Precautions
Given the anticipated spread of the H1N1
influenza virus, CMU's Core Crisis Group is working closely
with University Health Services and the Central Michigan
District Health Department. We are following the guidelines
provided by our local health department and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
As you may know, the flu can be spread
easily from person to person. It is important to
re-emphasize the precautions you should take to reduce the
chances of becoming ill. Symptoms of H1N1 influenza include
a fever of 100 degrees or more, cough, sore throat, runny or
stuffy nose, body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue,
diarrhea and vomiting.
In an effort to reduce transmission and
illness severity we suggest the following recommended
precautions:
The following are steps you can take
to reduce the spread of the flu:
-
Practice good hand hygiene
by washing your hands often with soap and water,
especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based
hand cleaners are also effective.
-
Sanitize equipment. The
flu virus is readily spread through office equipment,
exercise equipment, doorknobs and any object handled by
the public.
-
Cover your mouth and nose with a
tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don't
have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or
shoulder
– not into your hands. Avoid
touching your eyes, nose or mouth to reduce the spread
of germs.
-
Stay home if you are sick
for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever
or signs of a fever (have chills, feel very warm, have a
flushed appearance, or are sweating). This should be
determined without the use of fever-reducing
medications, containing ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
Isolate yourself as much as possible to reduce exposure
to other individuals.
-
Talk to your health care
provider to find out if you should be
vaccinated for seasonal flu and/or the H1N1 flu.
Seasonal flu vaccine is currently available through
University Health Services. The availability of the H1N1
flu vaccine for CMU faculty, students and employees is
not known at this time, but University Health Services
will release information once details are available.
For the most
up-to-date information on flu, visit
http://flu.gov
or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.
If you have any
questions concerning the H1N1 Flu please contact Carmen
Ceja-Blohm at
cejab1c@cmich.edu.
