Thoughts on Creating an Inclusive Environment in Online Classes

The following article was written by Ray Schroeder, Associate Vice Chancellor or Online Learning at the University of Illinois Springfield.

In preparing for the fall term, most colleges and universities are responding to the renewed public consciousness about equality, inclusiveness and fairness for all students.

As we reflect on American history and, in particular, the history of our institutions of higher education, we see that in so many conscious and unconscious ways we have failed in our responsibility to promote the core values we express as a society, most notably inclusion and equity. The country has been reminded that Black lives matter -- not that all lives don’t matter -- but, that despite the Civil War, despite Emancipation, despite the civil rights legislation over the years, we still are not equally united across racial, cultural and gender lines. This is abundantly clear in widely reported horrifying acts of racial violence against minorities, but is also evident in the disparity of salaries for the same work, disparity of diversity in positions of prominence and disparity in preparedness and success of youth entering higher education. Polls show that most Americans agree that we must do better. And the time to renew our commitment is today.

The opportunities to begin to make a difference are endless through the online platform, where that platform is equitably available. Not limited to students recruited to the campus, not limited to students who can relocate and come to campus, online programs reach across cultures and locations to serve students where they are. And yet, minority and low-income students do not thrive at the same rates as others in the current system. So where can we begin in developing more successful diverse and inclusive online programs?

This article appeared in Inside Higher Ed on August 26, 2020.

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Former University High basketball player Destiny Ramsey hired as assistant coach at the University of Illinois Springfield

When plotting one's future, it doesn't hurt to have a Plan B in case Plan A doesn't pan out.

Destiny Ramsey, to her credit, also has a Plan C, but every potential dream job she is contemplating includes coaching basketball, too.

The former University High School player's current multi-tasking situation finds her as the new assistant coach for the women's team at her alma mater, the University of Illinois Springfield, where she will also be pursuing a master's degree in business administration and a certificate in human resource management while working remotely part-time for the Chris Mizell State Farm Agency in Bloomington.

"I don't know life without being busy," said Ramsey, who hasn't pinpointed exactly what she wants to do.

Ramsey's new coaching job is on the staff of third-year UIS head coach Casey Thousand, whose program went 9-19 last season. Ramsey spent the past two seasons as a volunteer assistant working with post players at Illinois Central College, which went 57-10 with her help and reached the 2019 national tournament.

"It's an honor," Ramsey said of her new assignment.

This story appeared in the The Pantagraph on August 27, 2020..

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Karen Whitney: United in Safety as the fall semester begins

The following is an excerpt from a column by University of Illinois Springfield Interim Chancellor Karen Whitney. This column appeared in The State Journal-Register on August 23, 2020.

As readers of this column are well aware, UIS Chancellor Emeritus Susan Koch, who retired June 30 following nine years of dedicated leadership, cared deeply about making the University of Illinois Springfield an inspiring place for teaching, learning, research and service. A place where leadership is lived. And a place where people want to be.

Count me in as one of those folks.

When I was asked to consider serving as the UIS interim chancellor, I did so knowing I would be leading during an unprecedented time in our history. I have worked in higher education for more than 40 years, and believe that this is very likely the most challenging time for educational institutions across the country.

Though I was quite busy and happy working with other presidents and chancellors around the country as a higher education consultant, I saw the interim position at UIS as an opportunity to make a real difference during a demanding time and keep the university moving forward to ensure the success of our students, university and community.

Chief among my top goals for my time at UIS is effectively managing our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our greatest obligation is to the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. To this priority have countless numbers of administrators, faculty, staff and students dedicated themselves over the past several months.

At UIS, we say (and believe!) we are United in Safety. Like most other universities, we released a plan (https://www.uis.edu/admissions/fall-2020/) this summer outlining our safety expectations, testing protocols, teaching and learning strategies and efforts to promote and prioritize safety on campus.

We are providing masks for all students, faculty and staff and are requiring everyone to wear a face covering when on campus. We developed enhanced cleaning protocols. We moved furniture and rearranged our facilities to support physical distancing. We blanketed the campus with safety signage. We continued to build on our nationally award-winning approach to teaching and learning online; we have led the country in innovating “blended courses” that offer teaching and learning in a sensitive combination of on-campus and online formats. We worked closely with our faculty while listening to our students to provide that right offering of courses.

Recognizing that not every student will learn on campus this fall, UIS is uniquely prepared for this time of increased demand for remote learning. For 20 years, UIS has been a national leader in online learning. 

We also launched an on-campus COVID-19 testing approach using the University of Illinois’ revolutionary saliva test (https://www.uis.edu/covid-19/testing/), which every member of our on-campus community will undergo once a week at no cost to them. 

Every measure has been taken with the utmost care and concern for our community, and it reflects strong, steady planning, dedication and creativity. We also have experienced tremendous collaboration with community partners, which I greatly value and appreciate.

Read the entire column online.

UIS, LLCC welcome back students to a different kind of school year

Raeann Sherada of Riverton is the senior lead at the University of Illinois Springfield’s Student Union welcome desk.

Sherada, a communications major, greets students, hands out TV remotes, dispenses masks for those who forget them and oversees reservations for the Student Union’s conference rooms.

One day last week, Sherada, sitting behind free standing plexiglass and wearing a UIS mask, was making signs reminding students not to move furniture.

“We’re doing our best to make sure it is safe for everyone,” Sherada said. “I think it will be OK as long as people wear face coverings and maintain their distance. We’re cleaning a lot more around here.”

Three of her classes are now online, plus one class meets in-person periodically, a notion Sherada doesn’t mind.

“I’d be OK with going all-remote, too,” Sherada said. “I’m pretty adaptable. Moving online in the spring was a difficult transition, but we all got through it. We’re more prepared for that than ever, so I think it’ll be good.”

UIS and Lincoln Land Community College began classes at full throttle Monday, but the campuses had a different buzz to them under the COVID-19 pandemic.

About three-quarters of both schools’ course offerings this semester are either online or remote.

Online courses have no scheduled class times. Students can watch a professor’s lecture at their leisure. Remote classes are face-to-face via Zoom or other web sites that meet on regular days and at regular times.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on August 24, 2020.

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See photos from UIS' first day of class.

UIS to host roundtable talk on COVID-19

The University of Illinois Springfield and the Community Health Roundtable will offer a free public webinar on “Public Health and Medical Care in Sangamon County: Six Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

The webinar will take place from 12-1 p.m. today and will give a quick update about the current status of COVID-19 plans for the state and county.

Panelists for webinar include Gail O’Neill, director of the Sangamon County Department of Public Health (SCDPH); Dr. John Flack, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at SIU School of Medicine; and Kenneth Kriz, UIS distinguished professor of public administration.
O`Neill will discuss the current status of COVID-19 in Sangamon County, including breakdowns by demographics and location, and how the SCDPH is responding.

This story aired on WCIA on August 21, 2020.

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Spit test: U of I begins COVID-19 saliva testing

University of Illinois Springfield saliva testing for the new coronavirus is up and running as of Aug. 11. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed the so-called SHIELD test. The tests are being used at all three U of I campuses. The university system said it wants to supply the tests throughout the state and nation.

Starting Aug. 17, anyone spending time on the UIS campus as a student, faculty or staff member must be tested once per week. "We're going to do surveillance testing, not symptomatic testing," said Karen Whitney, interim UIS chancellor, during a webinar last month. The conversation was about education and COVID-19. Whitney told attendees of the coming school year, "It's gonna be a roller coaster."

On Aug. 10, the University of Illinois System announced a new "university-related organization" that will make the technology available nationally. The test has rapid results and costs less than nasal swabs, according to a news release. Results are ready within six hours. According to the release, "The quick turnaround time for test results is a key in curbing the virus, allowing isolation early enough to limit spread of the infection as well as narrowing down past exposure to allow more effective contact tracing. It also identifies and isolates people with asymptomatic cases who would otherwise spread the virus unknowingly."

This story appeared in the Illinois Times on Aug. 13, 2020.

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UIS AD Peyton Deterding remains optimistic for upcoming school year

University of Illinois Springfield athletic director Peyton Deterding has been on the job for less than a year.

He fortunately had some time to acclimate to Springfield before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early March. His first day at UIS was Dec. 9 last year.

Spring sports, which had just begun, were canceled and little has improved since then. The Great Lakes Valley Conference in late July postponed most fall sports — except cross country — until the spring semester and the NCAA Division II Presidents Council decided Wednesday to cancel its fall championships. The council “determined that it was not feasible to hold fall championships as planned or to postpone them to the spring while prioritizing the health and well-being of student-athletes,” according to the NCAA announcement. The NCAA Division III Presidents Council also reached the same decision.

Deterding maybe hasn’t been able to explore town as much as he would’ve liked due to the quarantine, but at least he can now look forward to the return of students on Aug. 24.

“We’re excited to get our student-athletes back on campus because to be honest with you, it’s been some time,” Deterding said. “It’s been early March since we’ve had all of them back and interacting. We’ve had a few here in the early summer doing voluntary workouts. It was great to see them, but we’re excited to get the whole crew back.”

Deterding said he feels confident about their impending arrival on a small and more manageable campus and said athletic activity won’t largely begin humming along until early September.

“They will do some voluntary stuff, but ... we’ll look at what’s safe at that time,” Deterding said. “That, again, is changing daily as we all know. Safety is paramount for us. That’s no surprise, but we will get them back and cross country will be the first to embark on a true team practice, which will be in the late August time frame. But we want to get kids back on campus, acclimated to how things are operating now because there are some nuances and differences. But we feel comfortable with that. I think we have a great plan in place as far as the university’s perspective.”

Deterding said he is characteristically optimistic, despite the adversity imposed by the pandemic. He believes the postponed sports, soccer and volleyball, may start in early March and hopes basketball will begin as planned in mid-November. However, he expects the regular season for men’s and women’s basketball to be largely limited to conference-play. The GLVC has set Oct. 1 as the deadline to determine the competition start date for men’s and women’s basketball, each considered high risk by the NCAA.

“I hope so,” Deterding said of the mid-November start. “I try to remain positive. I’m generally a positive person. But I remain pretty positive that we’re going to play sport — all of our sports — during the academic calendar. That will continue to be our focus and try to do it in a safe manner and provide the opportunity to compete.”

He also stressed he wants to build a bigger presence in the area.

“I think there’s great opportunity and I say that because I’m not sure — at least in my early time here — how well known UIS is to the community,” Deterding said. “We’re in close proximity to everybody. We’re a little isolated, but we’re a valuable resource. I think that needs to be stated. Again, I think we need to get some folks out and see what we have to offer and get them out to some games and have them engage and interact.

“I know from the very first month on campus that we’re very high school sports dominated here. That allows an opportunity. There’s a passion for sport.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on August 8, 2020.

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Star party to view Perseid Meteor Shower will go virtual

The University of Illinois Springfield Astronomy-Physics Program will broadcast a virtual star party for the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower live on Zoom from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The broadcast will be held rain or shine.

The star party was originally scheduled to be held in-person at Lincoln Memorial Garden, but will instead take place in an online format due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

John Martin, UIS associate professor of astronomy/physics, will give tips for viewing the Perseid meteors, finding bright planets, the Summer Triangle, the Big Dipper and other bright stars and constellations in summer evening sky and answer astronomy questions submitted live.

If weather permits, there will also be live views of the night sky Tuesday.

The link for the Zoom event will be posted at go.uis.edu/summerstarparties and @UISObservatory on Twitter.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on August 6, 2020.

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More paid internship opportunities for UIS students

The University of Illinois Springfield will now be able to offer more paid internships to its students.

A nearly $45,000 grant for the Illinois Cooperative Work Study Program will help increase the internship opportunities. The funds will provide for approximately 40 paid internship opportunities.

“During these challenging times, we are particularly thankful that UIS has been named as a grant recipient to administer this competitive internship program,” said Tammy Craig, director of the UIS Office of Engaged Learning. “Eligible students who might have postponed an internship over the summer due to extenuating pandemic circumstances, or were not able to participate in unpaid internships, will now have additional options to explore.”

Students will receive a wage of $12/hour for their work.

This story appeared on WICS Newschannel 20 on August 3, 2020..

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GLVC postpones soccer, volleyball seasons

The University of Illinois Springfield’s soccer and volleyball seasons have been postponed until the second semester due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Great Lakes Valley Conference’s Council of Presidents voted to postpone the majority of its fall sports “based on guidance from the league’s athletics directors and an extensive review of the recommended testing and safety measures developed by the NCAA Sports Science Institute,” according to the GLVC’s announcement on Monday.

Football was also postponed in the GLVC. Each of the fall sports affected — football, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball — were determined high risk by the NCAA Sport Science Institute, based on a consensus by the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine COVID-19 Working Group.

Student-athletes may still train outside of the playing season beginning Sept. 7 or on the fourth day of classes for the fall term under the NCAA’s countable athletic related activities (CARA) rules.

UIS athletic director Peyton Deterding, who started his first day on Dec. 9, said student-athletes are expected to arrive on campus with the rest of the student body on Aug. 24.

“We are looking at ways to still provide meaningful opportunities for student-athletes and one of those is they come back to campus,” Deterding said. “Obviously some have been away from their sport for a little bit of time, so we’re looking for ways to continue with practices and strength and conditioning in a safe environment. If we can do it in a safe environment, it allows us to build some team camaraderie and team unity and get them back to playing sports.”

UIS’ opening soccer games were scheduled Sept. 6, after their schedules — featuring only conference games — were released in June. The UIS volleyball team was also set to open the year Sept. 3.

Cross country, however, was determined medium risk and will still be permitted to compete this fall with the GLVC meet scheduled for Oct. 24. The UIS cross country teams are slated to begin with a home meet Sept. 4 but that may change, according to Deterding.

Golf and tennis, each judged low risk, will also be allowed to compete in their non-championship segments in the fall and continue their season into the spring when their respective championship seasons begin.

Baseball and softball — considered medium risk — will be permitted to have only intrasquad competition on campus in the fall.

The GLVC said in its press release that it has established Oct. 1 as the deadline to determine the competition start date for men’s and women’s basketball, each considered high risk.

This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on July 27, 2020.

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Helping teachers adjust to eLearning

While 2020 can present a learning curve for parents and students taking on remote learning , teachers want them to know they aren’t alone in making the adjustment.

The Illinois Online Network (ION) started about 20 years ago and has been at the University of Illinois Springfield for about three years. This year, the programs have seen a record number teachers signing up to take their courses. Executive director Vickie Cook said more than 2,000 teachers have learned from the programs since March. 

“Now everyone has been forced to into online, remote, blended types of education. So faculty who didn’t necessarily have the need to learn this type of skill now find themselves in a situation where it’s pretty crucial that they get up to speed pretty quickly,” Cook said.

Teachers who want to learn more about how teach remotely can sign up for the program’s fall term which starts August 24th. ION has also hosted free webinars to help teachers adjust to conditions presented by the pandemic. They are hosting two free webinars on August 6th and 13th for K-12 educators. 

This story appeared on WCIA on July 20, 2020.

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