MTSU Mondays: Improving free course resources, promising enrollment, national ranking

Here's the latest news from Middle Tennessee State University.

Training expands OER free course accessibility for students

While the cost of textbooks in higher education poses a significant challenge to many students, accessibility to course materials for those with disabilities is an even greater challenge for some whose limitations make learning more difficult.

So a multidisciplinary team of five faculty members is working toward improving accessibility for all through Open Educational Resources, which are course materials made free to students through a variety of platforms.

The faculty team includes Ginelle Baskin, Walker Library; Claire Cook, Human Sciences; Kim Godwin, College of Education; Katherine Mangione, Elementary and Special Education; and Sam Zaza, Information Systems and Analytics.

A $100,000 Tennessee Board of Regents grant a few years ago bolstered the Open Educational Resources program, with most implementations happening in 2021-22. Many courses utilizing OER are general education classes, and Baskin said those professors are encouraged to code their classes so students easily identify them.

Now that professors are getting into the rhythm of moving toward more OER materials, Baskin said the advisory group wanted to expand OERs and learn ways to provide more accessibility to MTSU students — those who are registered with the Disability and Access Center as well as anyone else who could benefit.

“We are making it accessible for somebody coming in that has a disability, whether it’s vision-related or they’re using screen readers. We’re thinking about how we are designing materials,” said Baskin.

“Accessibility allows us to help give voices to those who may have been marginalized,” Cook said. “But OER accessibility is really a need that can help everybody, and it helps us to be relevant and current. And as a higher-ed institution, that’s what our students want.”

Promising enrollment, high ranking kicks off academic year

Faculty and staff were welcomed to the new academic year with promising news about fall enrollment, another prestigious national ranking, and faculty awards for those who’ve gone above and beyond in their service to students and the campus community.

Now in his 23^rd year leading the Blue Raider campus, President Sidney A. McPhee shared his annual State of the University address to several hundred faculty and staff gathered recently inside Tucker Theatre as part of the traditional Fall Faculty Meeting to kickstart the 2023-24 academic year that officially began Aug. 28.

McPhee praised those inside Tucker, particularly the university’s admissions team — with strong support from faculty, deans, and other departments — for their “tremendous work” this past spring and summer to produce preliminary enrollment numbers that reflect “a record number of applications and admissions for the fall of 2023.”

While final fall enrollment won’t be official until mid-September, the latest figures show a 2% overall increase from last fall’s enrollment of about 20,000 students fueled by jumps in first-time freshmen (11.4%), new graduate students (11%), and new undergraduate students (7%).

“During this past year we have asked everyone to increase efforts related to recruitment and yield, and you all have delivered,” added University Provost Mark Byrnes. “Next week we’ll welcome thousands of new Blue Raiders, and it’s largely due to the efforts of the faculty, staff, students, and alumni who are in this room today.

“We make a promise to students and their families when they’re admitted … that we will do everything we can to help students succeed.”

McPhee also noted that, for the fifth straight year, MTSU was named to the Princeton Review’s prestigious ranking among the 389 Best Colleges and Universities in America, one of only five institutions in the state to make the list.

The Fall Faculty Meeting also includes awards and recognitions from the MTSU Foundation, which was represented by current foundation president and alumnus Ronald Roberts. Awards and recognitions for outstanding teaching, research, and service are given to top instructors, tenured and promoted faculty, and emeritus faculty.

The top award is the Career Achievement Award, presented this year to longtime Jones College of Business management professor Jill Austin, who began her career at MTSU as an assistant professor in 1985. She was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 1991 and to professor in 2001. For 28 years, she served as department chair in what is now the Department of Management. She teaches courses in the areas of business ethics, negotiation, decision-making, nonprofit management, and general management.

McPhee also started a new tradition of presenting the President’s Silver Column award “to a select group of employees who have demonstrated exemplary dedication and excellence and have gone above the call of duty in carrying out their roles and responsibilities in their respective positions at the university.”

This year’s six recipients each received a special presidential pin and a cash gift of $5,000 from the university. They included Ron Henderson, Department of Physics and Astronomy; Pamela Morris, University College; Jennifer Vannatta-Hall, School of Music; Tony Strode, Undergraduate Admissions; Bess Rogers, Recording Industry; and Allie Sultan, Media Arts.

MTSU Mondays content is provided by submissions from MTSU News and Media Relations.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: MTSU Mondays: Improving free course resources, promising enrollment