Happy New Year! I can’t believe we are already in 2020, I guess time really does move fast when you are having fun. I hope you all have as much fun as I do working here at PG, with each other and our students.

As you know we recently had an engagement survey. I know you have all had an opportunity to review the results for your area in your department meetings as well as the new recognition program implemented within your departments which was developed by your fellow faculty members in response to surveys (thank you for taking the time to respond). However, I wanted to also share a little information about the entire School of General Education.

· 99% said you're committed to doing what is required to perform your job well.

· 95% said you're committed to doing what is required to help the organization succeed.

· 93% said you intend to stay with the company for at least the next 12 months.

First of all, “wow” you are all my inspiration! I can say that all of these are very evident in how you work with our students every day. We are always striving to provide the best experience for our students and I hope you all feel that in working with everyone here in General Education too.

Even still, we will continue to work to improve our school based on your feedback. With your help, these are some of the things we are working toward based on this survey:

· “I have the opportunities to advance and develop in my career.”

· “I am appropriately involved in decisions that affect my work.”

· “I believe feedback from this survey will be used to make improvements.”

We will be working with folks on individual development plans, looking for opportunities to provide training or mentoring and discuss development opportunities and career goals. We want to help everyone understand what authority you really do have regarding problem-solving and recognize those who do make appropriate decision making. Finally, we will continue to discuss this survey within our departments and use this digest as a way to ensure that we keep our communication open and transparent with all of you. With that, we would like to introduce a new segment to our GenEd/OC Digest - The Engagement Action Plan Update. Please continue to scroll down to see what's in store.

As we embark on a new decade (or do we? Click here for an interesting perspective), I just want to tell you all how excited I am that you are all here. You are my inspiration. The work you do every day with our students, how you show your care for them as individuals, their success, and the success of our school, is what continues to drive me and I venture to say, our departmental leadership as well.

Thank you so much, and here’s to an amazing 2020!

What do Lake Michigan, the bronze Fonz, and seven PG Math faculty members have in common? Milwaukee, Wisconsin! Milwaukee was the host city of the 45^th American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) annual conference this past November and served as the perfect place for a combination of professional development and socializing. Math faculty who were able to brave the freezing temperatures and attend the conference included Peg Hohensee (Math Chair), Michael Heeren (FT), Kirsten Meymaris (FT), Lea Rosenberry (PT), Melissa Scranton (FT), Tami Tacker (FT), and Scott VanZuiden (PT).

Between trying to recreate the opening scene to Laverne & Shirley, raiding the local Starbucks for hot beverages, and taste-testing cheese curds at local restaurants, PG faculty attended sessions to learn about new ideas and resources for our students. The number of sessions dedicated to online instruction has risen significantly in recent years as more and more colleges are offering online classes. Many sessions dealt with online discussion boards and how to maximize the potential of these exchanges. After attending and listening to what other colleges have tried, the math faculty at PG remained confident that our discussion boards are effective ways to encourage participation, build confidence, and prove mastery of mathematical concepts.

The PG math faculty presented ideas to the members of the international math organization over five different topics: Online Statistics Data Collection, Math in Rock Climbing, Google Forms, Legacy of New Math, and Student Frustration. Those who attended our sessions were eager to hear about our experience in online education and appreciated the sharing of ideas. The sessions were well-received and increased the reputation of PG as a leader in online education.

In this rare time together, the PG math faculty attendees made time to share pictures and stories about things happening in their lives, like a new house, cute cats, kids, and (of course) PG math classes. Talking, eating, and laughing brought the whole group closer not only as colleagues, but as friends. Click here to see some of the photos we took together.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a conference with your colleagues, do it. Conferences provide a window into the online world at other institutions and spark ideas for our classes. They also knit us together as instructors and deepen bonds of friendship. And if you have the theme song to Laverne & Shirley playing over and over in your head now, you’re welcome.

A simple way for instructors to motivate students is to show encouragement and support through a brief acknowledgement email. When grading, open the Class List in a new tab. If a student’s work is particularly strong, insightful, or clever, you can send a short email during the grading process. It’s easier to send a quick message when the student’s work is fresh in your mind. Even a few lines of praise can keep students engaged in the course and can let them know that their effort matters.

Do you have a best practice or tip you'd like to share? Feel free to email your department chair or fill out the GenEd/OC Digest Spotlight Form found on the homepage!

Welcome to our new segment - The Engagement Action Plan Update. Above, Dean Dekorte discussed some of the outcomes of our recent Engagement Survey. As stated, we will continue to work to improve our school based on your feedback. Here, we will discuss steps being taken to address tasks, and/or progress being made so stay tuned!

Jennifer Harrison (FT) of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department wanted to share a wonderful holiday article with the SoGE titled "Seeking the Intangible: Does Kindness Exist?". You can click here to read the entire submission.

For those who haven’t heard, the final adoption of the APA 7^th ed. of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, the official source for APA Style, will be in January 2021. Faculty should accept and encourage the continued use of APA 6^th ed. throughout the 2020 academic year without penalizing the use of APA 7^th ed. features during this time for any students who want to learn and use the new rules. APA gives a broad overview of features and changes on their website. You can also read the introduction to the manual, which reviews every chapter and highlights major changes.

If you have any additional questions, remember that the WAConcierge is available to help you. You can send an email 24/7 to WAConcierge@purdueglobal.edu or stop by the monthly walk-in session on the last Tuesday of each month, noon-1:00 pm ET. The WAConcierge is here to serve faculty and other university stakeholders with writing-related questions and concerns. Students should be sent to the PG Writing Center.