Online @ MTSU Fall 2025 Issue

A Newsletter for Faculty Teaching Online

In this Issue

Welcome, and we are here to help you! For the faculty teaching online, the outstanding MTSU Online team will continue to help you reach your teaching goals and build your pedagogical expertise. Please do call us when you are thinking about instructional strategies, authentic assessment, and crafting learning objectives for your courses. We have a full menu of faculty services and resources on our website.

If you would like to know more about the breadth and depth of MTSU Online and online programs, here is a one-pager of 鈥�Quick Facts about MTSU Online鈥�.&苍产蝉辫;

As you may know, MTSU is聽switching to the Canvas LMS聽beginning Summer 2026, and you can read more about that in the article below. This large Canvas project has been a great opportunity to partner with our colleagues in the Information Technology Division, as we work together to help meet the teaching and learning needs of students, staff, and faculty. Vice Provost Brian Hinote in Academic Affairs and Vice President and CIO Yvette Clark in ITD are the executive champions for this project have assembled an implementation team and fostered an effective environment for collaboration to get this significant work done.

Speaking of partnerships, we are pleased to聽partner with聽our outstanding colleague Jennifer Vannatta-Hall, the Director of the new 聽and you can read more about that partnership in an article below. You鈥檒l see more about upcoming workshops and opportunities for faculty development in this newsletter.

In this issue, you can also learn more about our Quality Matters initiatives, exam proctoring software, and our recent student satisfaction survey. Thanks for reading, and we hope to assist you soon.

Trey Martindale, Professor and Associate Vice Provost for Online Learning, MTSU Online

Switching to Canvas

MTSU is changing our learning management system (LMS). We are switching from D2L Brightspace to Canvas from Instructure. We will have a full Canvas implementation and use beginning in Summer 2026. A few intrepid 鈥渆arly adopter鈥� faculty will use Canvas in Spring 2026. Please visit the to see the full timeline, read the answers to frequent questions (FAQ), see a summary of why we switched, and learn what you can do to get started now, learning to use Canvas.

Provost Mark Byrnes made this decision to change after an extensive and comprehensive review and evaluation of LMS features by a . We appreciate all the efforts of people across campus in determining what best fits the needs of our students.

Quality Matters

Quality Matters (QM) is the gold standard in online course and program development, design, and delivery. What are five reasons we use QM?

Clarity and Confidence for Faculty 鈥� QM provides a clear, research-based framework for designing your online course, making the process less overwhelming.
Better Learning Experiences for students 鈥� QM鈥檚 standards ensure your course is organized, consistent, and accessible, helping students navigate your course with ease.
Academic Rigor with Student-Centered Design 鈥� QM encourages alignment between objectives, content, activities, and assessments so that everything students do in the course directly supports their success.
Institutional Credibility & Continuous Improvement 鈥� Courses that align with QM demonstrate a commitment to academic excellence, accessibility, and continuous quality improvement 鈥� key indicators for accreditation, retention, and reputation.
Support Every Step of the Way 鈥� QM isn鈥檛 extra work; it鈥檚 supported work with the help of an Instructional Designer trained in QM to guide you through each step.

If you want to learn more or find out how to participate in our updated quality assurance efforts, watch the two-minute video below and scan the QR code on the screen or in the QM Launch Infographic and fill out the form. You can also send questions to our QM Lead, Tara Perrin.

QM Website:
QM Course: (free)

Online Student Satisfaction Survey Results

Each academic year, MTSU Online surveys our online students to receive valuable feedback about the courses, programs, and student support services provided. We were pleased to find that 90% of respondents reported being highly or generally satisfied with their overall online experience.

Of the online student support services offered, the Library and Academic Advising are ranked as the two most used student services by online students.

We also received some positive qualitative feedback from our online students. Of the suggestions received, offering more online classes and being more consistent in online class design were prevalent themes. Here is a short capturing of responses from our respondents: 鈥淢TSU already does a great job for online learning!鈥�, 鈥淚鈥檓 glad MTSU Online is there. I would not have been able to graduate in May without it鈥�, and 鈥淢y professors are very available and scaffold learning in such a way that I am engaged and can reflect on what I have learned throughout the course.鈥� These statistics and comments are a credit to our faculty and the excellent work you do with students. We celebrate these achievements and thank you all for making it possible.

Proctoring with ProctorU

We have fully transitioned from our former proctoring service, Examity, to ProctorU.

ProctorU is fully integrated into our learning management system, accessible through the navigation bar. If you have proctored activities in your online course, be sure the ProctorU link is in the course navigation bar so students can access this service. Visit our Proctoring Services webpage to learn more about proctoring options and resources. If you have any support information regarding Examity in your D2L courses or have the link included in the Navigation Bar of D2L, please remove it. If you have any questions, please contact our Assistant Coordinator of Student Services, Tonya Dowd.

Ask & Engage (Drop-in Clinics)

Thank you to all those who have attended a drop-in clinic in previous semesters. We have renamed these workshops to Ask & Engage to better reflect the purpose and goals of the 90-minute meetings. Ask & Engage sessions are an opportunity for you to drop in and speak with one of our instructional designers. We are available for brainstorming, consultation, and troubleshooting. All Ask & Engage sessions are virtual and last 90 minutes. You do not need to register鈥� just pop in. Here are the scheduled Ask & Engage workshops:

MONTH	DAY, DATE	TIME
September
	Thursday, 4^th	1:00-2:30	PM
	Tuesday, 9^th	1:00-2:30	PM
	Monday, 15^th	10:00-11:30	AM
	Wednesday, 24^th	10:00-11:30	AM
October
	Thursday, 2^nd	1:00-2:30	PM
	Monday, 20^th	10:00-11:30	AM
	Wednesday, 29^th	10:00-11:30	AM
November
	Thursday, 6^th	1:00-2:30	PM
	Tuesday, 11^th	1:00-2:30	PM
	Monday, 17th^st	10:00-11:30	AM
	Wednesday, 26^th	10:00-11:30	AM
December
	Thursday, 4^th	1:00-2:30	PM
	Tuesday, 9^th	1:00-2:30	PM
	Monday, 15^th	10:00-11:30	AM

Webinars and Workshops

Quality Matters (QM) Workshops

Approximate Length: 3 weeks, Asynchronous

Start Date: September 30^th

Want to become an internal MTSU QM Peer Reviewer? The first step is taking this course. QM’s flagship workshop, Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR), is required to become an internal or general QM Peer Reviewer. This course is intended for any faculty member who desires to participate in MTSU鈥檚 new Quality Assurance process following Quality Matters principles as an Internal Peer Reviewer. Expect to invest approximately 35 to 40 hours over the three weeks for successful completion.

In addition to learning about the QM Rubric and the course review process, participants will learn to apply the concept of alignment and draft helpful recommendations for course improvement.

If you are interested in the Internal Peer Reviewer Program, please complete this short and Tara will contact you with more information. These sessions are limited to the first 20 participants.

Tara Perrin, Instructional Designer for MTSU Online, will facilitate these sessions. Tara is a QM Certified Facilitator of the APPQMR, a QM Certified Peer Reviewer, and a QM Certified Master Reviewer.

There is no substitute for experience! Your colleagues who have experience meeting QM’s rigorous course design standards and implementing QM on their campuses can provide you with valuable insights and experience. “QM Success Stories” are webinars from your colleagues and fellow institutional QM members. Sessions are offered once per month and are FREE for QM members only! Space is limited to the first 1000 registrants. You can register once and view the webinar with colleagues. QM Success Stories are recorded. The following is offered in September and can be viewed via recording.

QM Success Stories: Escape the Inaccessible: The Digital Escape Room (DER) About Inclusive Design

Presented by Heather Wire, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of West Georgia

This study explored how a DER about accessibility impacted faculty intentions to develop accessible online content. Addressing issues within online learning is crucial because inaccessible content excludes learners, hindering their educational experience. The presenter will explain how DERs provide engaging and challenging experiences for participants, how participant frustration fosters empathy towards learners with disabilities and how the experience motivates faculty to create accessible online content.

SPRQ Workshops: Strategies, Practices, Resources, Quality

MTSU Online offers SPRQ webinars and workshops to highlight Strategies, Practices, and Resources to support Quality in online teaching and learning. Sessions are led by experienced instructional designers available for course design consultation and brainstorming. This series is virtual, recorded, and posted on our. We hope you will subscribe!

Register for any of these workshop sessions via the .

Fall 25 SPRQS Workshops

October 15^th (Wednesday) 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Enhance your online teaching presence to foster student connection and engagement. Learn practical strategies supporting regular and substantive interaction and meaningful engagement.

November 10^th (Monday) 9:00 a.m. 鈥� 10:00 a.m.

Ensure your course materials are accessible to all learners. Learn how to use built-in tools and best practices to create inclusive content.

December 2^nd (Tuesday) 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Prepare for the end of the semester with confidence. Learn best practices for wrapping up your course and gathering feedback from your students.

January 12^th (Monday) 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Optimize your LMS course shell. Learn best practices in course navigation and organization.

Special Spotlight

Dr. Jennifer Vannatta-Hall, Center for Teaching and Mentoring

We are pleased to continue and strengthen our partnership with the newly named (CTM).

The CTM, which emerged in May 2025 by reimagining the former Learning, Teaching & Innovative Technologies Center, is under the capable direction of Dr. Jennifer Vannatta-Hall, a seasoned educator with more than 27 years of experience from K-12 to higher ed, including leadership roles as Assistant Director, Associate Director, and Interim Director in the School of Music.

Dr. Vannatta-Hall brings energy and focus to faculty and staff development, teaching, and mentoring. Her leadership emphasizes strategic planning, campus-wide and community partnerships, evaluation of programs, and alignment with national trends in teaching and mentoring. With her at the helm, CTM is poised to amplify support for faculty, especially as we transition to Canvas and expand online teaching expertise.

Through this partnership, MTSU Online will collaborate and participate with CTM鈥檚 renewed mission-shaping workshops, mentoring programs, and resources that equip online instructors with high-impact teaching strategies and innovative pedagogy. Together, we鈥檙e ready to elevate learning experiences and make teaching and learning more accessible, effective, and engaging for MTSU students.

Through this partnership, MTSU Online and CTM will co-develop new workshops, faculty mentoring opportunities, and shared resources that promote innovative teaching practices. Our shared goal is to provide instructors with practical tools that enhance student learning and engagement. We鈥檙e enthusiastic about what this collaboration means for the future of teaching and mentoring at MTSU, and we look forward to celebrating the successes that come from working together.

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