DELTA: Your Partner in Digital Education
Welcome to a new academic year at NC State! I love the start of a new school year, meeting a new group of students in class, trying out new tools in my course, and working with others across campus to get things done.
[Speaking of new tools – have you heard that we upgraded to Moodle 4 this fall? If not, please take a quick look to get familiar with the updated interface; it’s like one of those iPhone upgrades that makes you pause for a moment because something is in a new location. But soon you realize, “Okay, I can work with this.” HINT: The Turn Editing On big red button is no longer there — instead, in that upper right-hand corner of the screen is an Edit Mode button that you toggle on and off. Okay, yes, it took me more than a moment to realize that when I was getting my class ready! And as a partner in teaching along with you, I wanted to share that.]
The power of partnerships, the importance of working together and sharing knowledge across organizations and disciplines to achieve goals has been on my mind a lot recently. After all, we recently worked with multiple college and unit partners across campus to launch the third iteration of the Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions course, a two-credit hour online course for all incoming students. This year’s course, The Future of Food, was taught with over 5,000 enrollments, and is an example of the NC State values of community and collaboration strategic goal. When I think of this unique course, I view it as one type of educational possibility in Powering the Extraordinary; an example in how we can step out of silos and partner with each other to empower students for a lifetime of success and impact.
DELTA staff are involved in many extraordinary efforts in digital education, but we do not do this alone. Our work is your work, and our success is your success. I like to think of our team as kind of like the theater tech group that is working behind the scenes of a terrific show. You, the faculty, are the headliners. You are the ones students are here to see. You are disciplinary experts, and you have the opportunity to teach and mentor our students, share your research, and ignite in your students the same passion you have for your area of expertise. We, the learning design and technology support experts, are here to help you share your expertise with your students. We are here to help you navigate the tools and to partner with you to help you tell your story.
As you prepare for the start of the fall 2022 semester, we invite you to think about how we can partner with you to share your passion for your subject with your students. Perhaps you are getting started with the academic technology tools at NC State and want to start with a consultation, online tutorals or a hands-on workshop. Or, if you are interested in taking a deeper dive into potential improvements or additions to your course, we would love to partner with you. Whatever you decide is best for your instructional needs, DELTA is here to help!
Check out this video and hear directly from some members of DELTA’s Digital Learning team describe some of the ways they are ready to help. We look forward to working with you and have a great semester!
