UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

05-01-2023

Pilot Stories (Video Series)

Marketing & Communications and Admissions recently launched our second set of videos in our ongoing series that captures students’ transformative experiences while attending UP. The short videos are in each student’s own words and highlight them engaging in some of their favorite activities on campus. Marketed on social media, the videos aim to help prospective students imagine themselves here, see the value of a UP education, and make connections that are relatable. 

The first three videos in the series can be viewed on our website, Instagram, or Facebook. Please feel free to share them on your social feeds as well! 

To view more Marketing & Communications videos, check out our YouTube.

Spring Wellness Fair (May 18)

Human Resources is excited to invite you to the first annual Spring Wellness Fair on Thursday, May 18. The event gives you an exciting opportunity to learn about wellness resources through interactive activities, samples, health screenings, and giveaways. Human Resources looks forward to this amazing opportunity to bring staff and faculty members together to focus on the importance of healthy behaviors to improve your health and wellness.

We look forward to seeing you there! 

On behalf of the President’s Leadership Cabinet and the Provost Council, we thank you for all you do in support of our students and helping to make University of Portland the special place that it is.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact benefits@up.edu. 

Faculty/Staff Discount for Reunion 2023 (Jun. 22–25)

It’s time to register for UP’s 2023 Alumni Reunion! Join us for boatloads of fun with events like the BBQ (where we’ll celebrate Wally’s 75th birthday!), golf tournament, PilotTalks, and pickleball clinics. Look for a recent email from Alumni & Parent Relations with your personalized discount link. Read more about Reunion. 

Teaching Survey Says!

Dear UP faculty members, the Center for Teaching and Learning seeks your participation in the following survey. The purpose of the survey is to receive input on faculty development needs in order to prioritize offerings and programs over the next two years. Should you have an interest in leading programming, you will also be invited to share your gifts and talents. In less than 10 minutes you can help shape the programming of the center for the next two years.  

The survey can be found here. 

2023 Innovative Assignments and Activities Competition Winners

On behalf of the Center for Teaching and Learning, please join me in congratulating the winners of the 2023 Innovative Assignments and Activities competition. Their work highlights some of the most successful and creative assignments that support more effective teaching and learning across a wide range of disciplines. You will hear from the award winners during a session on faculty development day. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Terry Favero, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at favero@up.edu or x-7373.

2023 Recipients: 

  • Lauren Berger, Psychological Sciences—Using VoiceThread to increase student engagement and motivation. 
  • Verena Hutter, International Languages and Cultures/German—Understanding history through the development of an avatar. 
  • Ryan Kenton, Biology—Nematode Children’s Book using Up-Goer Five, an online text editing tool to simplify complex concepts. 
  • Greg Pulver, Performing and Fine Arts—Understand the Plight of Indigenous Americans through the lens of an artist. 

Moodle Upgrade for Summer 2023

The Office of Academic Technology Services and Innovation is planning to upgrade Moodle this summer to version 4.1 This upgrade will see an updated user interface and some major improvements in several key features: 

  • An improved calendar and upcoming events timeline. Students can see assignment due dates and important upcoming events from a centralized hub on their Moodle dashboard. 
  • Easier to find courses. Course lists are now searchable and make all courses more visible. 
  • Navigation upgrades. Course sidebars and weekly topics are collapsible to grant more space to relevant on-screen information. 
  • Easier gradebook navigation: The gradebook features an upgraded user report where students can quickly see a snapshot of their standing within a course. 

ATSI will post numerous training opportunities and reference documentation this summer for faculty to learn how to use Moodle 4.1. You may access an early preview of Moodle 4.1 via https://learningdev.up.edu. Note that this is a test server and changes made to this site do not affect your actual Moodle courses. Additionally, at this time, you must be on campus or connected via VPN to access the Moodle test server.  

Please contact atsi@up.edu with any questions. Thank you! 

UP Senior Lauren Banks Receives Fulbright Award

Lauren Banks, Class of 2023, has been selected to receive a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to advance her Environmental Sciences studies in France for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 academic years.   

Banks, a double major in Biology and French Studies from Santa Cruz, Calif., spent the 2022 fall semester studying abroad in Nantes, France. After graduating from the University this spring, Banks will pursue a master’s degree at the École normale supérieure de Rennes in Bruz, France. 

Her research will focus on exploring the connection between the water cycle and soil microbes in forest ecosystems. 

Spring Cleaning? Give to the University Archives

Are you spring cleaning your office? The University Archives aims to retain materials that relate to the University’s story. So as you clean and recycle, help us preserve and remember too. Materials of historical value describe the purpose, activities, history, values, and character of the University, department, or school; student and faculty milestones and achievements; unusual or outstanding events; annual events and special events (hosted events, outside speakers); and events which shape the University of Portland legacy over time.

Deciding which items are of enduring value can be more an art than a science. When in doubt, let the University Archives sort out the questions and papers by contacting Fr. Jeff Schneibel, C.S.C.,  at archives@up.edu or x7116.

Please Load Scholarly Activity on the Portal (by May 31)

Faculty members are reminded to load their scholarly activity on the portal in PilotsUP by May 31 each year. Data obtained through the portal will be used to populate A Community of Scholars, published by the Provost’s office. Faculty members use their school’s report on the home tab of the Scholarly Activity Portal to send the data to their respective deans as a part of annual self-evaluation. 

You can find the link to the Scholarly Activity Portal in the Academic menu of PilotsUP or you can go directly to this link. 

For any questions about loading your scholarly activity in PilotsUP please contact the Office of Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement at scholars@up.edu.