Hi everyone! Just a reminder that the Free Farmers Market is back at the Apartment Community Center! We hope to see you there!
UMBC CWIT alumna Wendy Bickersteth will give an online talk on Existing Risks of Generative AI and Surveying Public Perceptions on Friday, September 5, 2025, from 11am-12pm EDT. She is currently a Societal Computing PhD student at the Carnegie Mellon University CyLab Security and Privacy Institute.
Working with Dr. Lorrie Cranor, she conducts research on usable privacy and security, focusing on privacy labels and the use of AI. Read more about this work in this recent paper.
Join the online event via this WebEx link.
Workshop Overview: This workshop covers the topic of research misconduct and policies for handling such misconduct. It ensures that researchers are aware of what constitutes misconduct, including fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism, and understand the procedures for reporting and addressing these issues.
RSVPs recommended but not required. Attendance is taken at the event by scanning a QR code. Attendees more than 10 minutes late will not be allowed to receive credit for the micro credential.
A full syllabus of the RCR Microcredential Workshop Series offerings for Fall 2025 can be found here, as well as a list of readings and case studies for each session. Questions can be sent to rcr@umbc.edu.
More about the RCR Microcredential Series: Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training is required for all doctoral students, master’s thesis students, and postdoctoral scholars on campus, but benefits all who are engaged with the research process. While UMBC continues to have online, self-paced CITI training that most may use to complete RCR, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) mandates that all personnel funded on their grants complete in-person, discussion-based RCR training across certain topics. This microcredential workshop serves as an option to complete that in-person, discussion-based training for one topic. Graduate students and postdocs who are not NIH funded may use online CITI training OR this set of microcredentials to satisfy their UMBC RCR requirement. If you have a question about your RCR requirement, please ask your research supervisor or contact rcr@umbc.edu.
These financial webinars are open to all Faculty and Staff, regardless of your retirement plan or vendor.
Register for TIAA’s live webinars to get financial information, news and tips from their experts.
Reserve your spot by clicking the registration links below. These webinars are a part of your retirement plan benefits.
Thursday, September 11, 12pm to 1pm: Tips for working with a financial professional
Having a financial professional supporting you on every step of your journey is key to creating a secure financial future.
They will discuss:
Thursday, September 25, 12pm to 1pm: How to get the most from employee retirement plans
In this webinar they will show employees how to take advantage of all their plan has to offer so they can save and invest with confidence and get the most from their money.
During this webinar, find out how to:
Need to boost your course accessibility but short on time? Blackboard’s Ally tool is built right into your course and gives you instant feedback on how to improve content for all students — including those with disabilities. Ally helps create a better learning experience for all students, not just those with disabilities.
Here’s how to get started:
1. Look for the Colored Meters
Every file you upload in Blackboard, as well as the content you create in Blackboard, gets a small gauge icon next to it. These meters are only visible to you, the instructor, and to the Blackboard system admins.
Image 1: Ally meters inform you about the accessibility of your content. Low (0-33%): Needs help! There are severe accessibility issues. Medium (34-66%): A little better. The file is somewhat accessible and needs improvement. High (67-99%): Almost there. The file is accessible but more improvements are possible. Perfect (100%): Perfect! Ally didn't identify any accessibility issues but further improvements may still be possible.
Click the meter next to a content item to see what’s wrong and how to fix it.
2. Use the Ally Course Report
In the right menu of your Ultra course, go to Books & Tools > Ally Course Accessibility Report.
You’ll see:
Start with “Easy issues to fix” or “Low scoring content” to make quick progress. Many times, these may be the same issues, or the easy issues are images that need descriptions so it can be a fast way to improve your course accessibility.
3. Tackle the Top Three Issues
UMBC’s most common accessibility problems are:
Fixing just these can significantly raise your accessibility score.
4. Use Ally’s Built-In Fix Guides
Clicking on an issue opens a feedback panel with:
You don’t need to be a tech expert -- Ally walks you through it.
5. Tell Students About Alternative File Formats
Ally doesn’t just help instructors -- it gives students access to alternative formats like audio, tagged PDFs, and BeeLine Reader to reduce cognitive overload. These formats are auto-generated from your original files and are available through a dropdown icon next to each document. Encourage your students to explore these options based on their learning preferences, device or accessibility needs. It’s an easy win to support more flexible, inclusive learning.
Open your course today, check the meters, and fix one thing. Just one small change can make a big difference.
Ready to take the first step? Visit UMBC’s Digital Accessibility site or run an Ally course report today. Support is also available from Student Disability Services and Instructional Technology.