DUS News - March 16, 2020
- Log in to Canvas, look at your courses and review our orientation course if you are not familiar with Canvas.
- Be familiar with the technology you may be using in your courses, like Zoom or Office 365. There are also tutorials for Zoom and Office 365.
- Check in with your adviser. If you don’t know who your adviser is, you can find their contact info on the top right of your LionPATH homepage under “My Advisors.”
You may be wondering how COVID-19 and President Barron’s announcement about our move to remote instruction will affect you as a DUS student. You can continue to find new information from the University on the Penn State Coronavirus Information and FAQ webpages. We also wanted to let you know that DUS will continue to support you during this time. Academic advising will be available to DUS students remotely during the temporary suspension of in-person University classes and events. Please see the DUS website or the (advising office at your campus) for the most up-to-date information on scheduling advising appointments.
There are number of tools out there to help you make a smoother transition to online learning. Penn State Remote Learning answers a number of FAQs specific to the transition we’re all going through right now. You can also find technological resources and support on the Penn State IT student webpage. Beyond the technical, treat learning online just as you would learning in a classroom: show up for class, demonstrate good course citizenship in interactions with classmates, set aside time for homework, and reach out to your professor if you have questions. Remember that this is a difficult transition for your instructors as well, so make sure to be patient with them and use appropriate email etiquette.
Finally, we hope you’re taking care of your health and wellbeing during this challenging time. Learn what you can do to protect the health of those around you. Take care, and please reach out to us if there’s anything else we can do to support you.
Instructors have been asked to utilize Starfish to provide you with feedback about your progress in their courses. If you receive positive feedback in the form of a “kudo,” keep up the good work! If you receive a warning in the form of a “flag,” please take action! In that case, your instructor has noticed that you are not doing something they expect for success in their course and has taken the time to draw your attention to this concern. Making a change right now will give you the chance to recover your grade before the end of the semester. If you’re not sure what you need to do differently in order to be successful, talk to your instructor, TA, or academic adviser as soon as possible. Not sure how to take the first step? See our article about office hours below.
If you have reached a decision about your choice of major and meet the qualifications to enter that major, you can use “Update Academics” in LionPATH to process a change into your major. Students who are completing their sophomore year need to be moving out of DUS. You can review the qualifications for your intended major by viewing the Entrance to Major requirements on your intended major's page in the Bulletin.
- March 16 (Mon)
- - CANCELLED - DUS Group Advising Session - Exploration Workshop
- March 18 (Wed)
- CANCELLED - Study Smarter Workshop
- CANCELLED - Study Smarter Workshop
- CANCELLED - Major Fair - March 19 (Thurs)
- CANCELLED - Study Smarter Workshop - March 25 (Wed)
- DUS Group Advising Session - Standing Out* - March 30 (Mon)
- DUS Group Advising Session - What Gen Eds Do I Need?*
*Sessions may be canceled. We are working on adapting content for online sessions.
More events at dus.psu.edu/calendar.
Stay up to date on the latest news and information from Penn State about Coronavirus: https://sites.psu.edu/virusinfo/
If you’re looking for a great way to gain leadership experience this summer, check out the DUS NSO Peer Adviser position. The DUS NSO Peer Adviser team will play an important role in helping to promote a positive awareness of the exploratory educational experience and well-informed decision making before entering colleges/majors. To learn more about the role, visit https://dus.psu.edu/dus-nso-peer-adviser, or apply via the Penn State jobs website at https://psu.jobs/job/92687.
Questions can be directed to Tanja St. Pierre at txs181@psu.edu or Rebekka Kuhn at rcs5081@psu.edu.
Cancelled until in-person classes resume. Starting shortly after in-person courses recommence, a representative from the Business Career Center will hold drop-in hours in the Grange Building Lobby every Monday from 12:00–2:00 p.m. Stop by for tips on resumes, cover letters, career events, and resources. These opportunities will start on April 13 and go through April 27 (please note that earlier scheduled drop-in hours have been cancelled). No appointment needed. For assistance at other campuses, visit your campus career center.
The Student Engagement Network internship program was created to support the advancement of student engagement across the University, providing interns with the opportunity to serve as voices of engagement at Penn State. Applicants must be undergraduate students at Penn State University Park and be in good academic and conduct standing with the University. The internship program is open to students of all educational backgrounds, especially those interested in helping current and future students enhance their out-of-classroom learning.
Deadline to apply is March 20. Learn more on the Student Engagement website.
Penn State Learning and ENGL 250: Peer Tutoring in Writing are seeking 15 students who would be interested in sharing their personal stories of discovery and success with the Penn State community. Student narratives will be workshopped with writing tutors in training and then published in Penn State’s Short Edition dispensers. Submissions should be under 8,000 characters and will be added to the dispenser located in the Grange Building after workshopping. Interested students would commit to three writing consultations with their ENGL 250 partner at the Undergraduate Writing Center in 220 Boucke Building. The first session will focus on brainstorming, the second on reviewing and discussing a rough draft, and the third on reviewing the final draft for a public audience. These consultations would take place between February and early April; times would be chosen based on what works best for the student and writing tutor.
In partnership with the Division of Undergraduate Studies and the Penn State Libraries, the project aims to showcase student stories focused on discovery, exploration, and overcoming and/or working through adversity. Specifically, we are looking for students who are willing to share a piece of their Penn State journey with the many community members who visit the Grange Building on a daily basis. Tutors will work with students to develop narratives that illustrate the challenges, discoveries, and passions that are ultimately shaping their education.
To learn more or to nominate a student a student, contact Beth Parfitt (eep112@psu.edu), the ENGL 250 course instructor.
In accordance with the University announcement that all classes are to be held remotely from Monday, March 16 until Monday April 6, all Study Smarter Workshops are cancelled. If you would like more information about attending an online Study Smarter Workshop, please contact Teresa Burkhart at tgb11@psu.edu.