Hello everyone,

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Women in Cybersecurity will be postponing their election to Fall 2026. In-person elections will take place at the start of next semester and all are welcome to run. Those who have already applied through the Google Form will be notified and are welcome to run again if interested. Election date, time, and place will be announced around that time.

Apologies for the inconvenience and see you next semester for our new board selection!

UPDATE: The standing desk has a new home! 

*********** Current faculty or staff members of AAAFSC, if you need a standing desk, please reach out to suns@umbc.edu.  A gently used VariDesk Pro Plus 36 is looking for a new home on campus. Need a cart to transport. ***********

The UMBC Instructional Technology Update is provided by the Division of Information Technology for students, faculty and staff. If you have questions or need help, please consult the Blackboard Help FAQs or directly at www.umbc.edu/blackboard/help.  You can also contact the Technology Support Center at 410.455.3838 or submit an RT (Request Tracker) ticket via the myUMBC Help Menu or directly at my.umbc.edu/help.

HEADLINES

What’s New: Digital Accessibility (DA)

• SP26 Provost’s Perspectives on DA: 3/13 & 4/24 (including delayed Federal implementation)

• Making Math Accessible: A Practical Guide for STEM Instructors 

• Raise a FA26 Bb Course Ally Score by Fixing the Prior Version

• Achieve ‘Strive for 85’ DA Goal: Enroll in CoRE Foundations

• DA Steering Committee Launches 'Strive for 85' Ally Course Accessibility Goal

• UMBC Adopts Mathpix Snip to Advance STEM Digital Accessibility

• Beyond Compliance: How MLLI is Redefining Inclusive Pedagogy 

• Access in Action: 3 Minutes with Faculty Senate President Nancy Kusmaul 

Additional Updates

• Blackboard News

  • SU2026 Courses Created in Blackboard on April 16, 2026

  • Reminder: Blackboard Courses Scheduled for Server Retirement  

  • Latest updates to Ultra courses

• 2026-27 Learning Analytics Mini Grants CFP Due Friday, 6/5/26

Training & Professional Development (view upcoming events)

• Course Roadmap to Equity Digital Accessibility Summer Camp

  • Session 1: June 3 (12 PM - 3 PM): Fine Arts & Humanities

  • Session 2: June 10 (12 PM - 3 PM): STEM & Social Sciences

• What’s New in Ultra for Teaching & Learning (5.15)

• Improve Your Course Accessibility Score with Ally (6.2)

In Case You Missed It: Recordings & Tips (myUMBC login required)

• YuJa Migration Video Collection 

  • Organization Tips for Your Media Library

• Digital Accessibility

  • Practical Fixes for Digital Accessibility in STEM with Dr. Sarah Bass 

  • Accessible Math Collection 

  • Getting Started with Digital Accessibility Collection

  • Website Accessibility Tips

Other DoIT & UMBC News

• Spring Cleaning Your Cloud Storage

• Streamlining Transcription: How DoIT and the AOK Library Leveraged AWS to Enhance Media Accessibility at UMBC

• Accessibility & usability updates for myUMBC (phase 1 & phase 2)

• New Deadline, Same Mission: The accessibility mandate has been extended, but our commitment remains

• New Sites resources, site admin training, and project phases for accessibility 

• UMBC REX Analytics Adds New Portal & Hub 

• Upgrade Alert: RT 6 Has Arrived!

Parking Services is in the process of permanently removing all visitor pay-to-park stations across campus. The current equipment and software are outdated, labor-intensive, and no-longer cost effective. As part of this transition, UMBC has moved to fully contactless parking payments, with Park Mobile serving as the exclusive payment platform for all visitor pay-to-park locations.

Departments that previously utilized guest codes for visitor parking have already been transitioned to our new vendor, Offstreet Technologies. Offstreet provides a streamlined parking validation process through contactless parking payments using departmental chartstrings.

As we begin the shut down and removal process of the pay stations,  campus visitors may park in any pay-to-park lot at no cost during the transition period. Effective, Tuesday, May 26, all visitors will need to pay-to-park using one of the following methods:

• ParkMobile App 
• QR Code Scan
• Text-to-Pay
• Offstreet Registration Link (provided by host department)

Advantages of ParkMobile 
• User-friendly platform that allows visitors to pay for parking in less than one minute.
• Eliminates the need to stand outside in inclement weather to complete parking transactions.
• Reduces common user errors, including incorrectly entering license plate information or inserting credit cards into cash receptacles.
• Provides digital receipts for business and reimbursement purposes.
• Allows visitors to pay in 15-minute increments.
• Enables users to extend parking sessions remotely
• Sends alerts prior to parking session expiration.

We appreciate the campus community’s patience and support as we continue modernizing UMBC’s parking operations and improving the visitor parking experience. 

Questions regarding ParkMobile and visitor parking? Please email parking@umbc.edu 

Temporary Private room available for Summer 2026 in a 2BHK townhouse for a male at Westland Gardens for a 3-month move-in. 


Perfect for interns, students living on campus whose apartments will be closed, or anyone looking for temporary housing.

Fully furnished 2BHK townhouse:

What you get:

• Spacious living room with sofa + TV. 
• Fully equipped kitchen (Oven, Microwave, Fridge, Dishwasher). 
  In-unit Washer & Dryer.
• Central heating & cooling. 
• Just a 1-minute walk to the UMBC bus stop. 
• Only 10 minutes walk to campus.
• Availability: May 25th - Aug 15th. 
• Rent is just 600$ only(I can help you with BGE + Wifi). 
  

DM for more information: +1-202-937-5716 or email me at IO95979@umbc.edu

Come by Commons 308 for Breakfast Burritos & more!

Hurry before it runs out!!

Mandatory Training Requirements for Federal Grants

As reminder to all PIs who are conducting federally funded research as a covered person (or submitting a new research proposal to a federal grant funding agency), you must complete Research Security training.   UMBC utilizes the CITI Research Security Training (Combined Course) module  as our primary NSF-approved training platform.   

 If you submit a new research proposal, the Office of Sponsored Programs will verify this training is completed prior to UMBC submitting to the federal grant funding agency. 

Please follow the steps below to add the course to your account:

Step 1: Log into your CITI account via UMBC's single sign on.
Step 2: At the top of the Welcome page, select My Courses.
Step 3: Under Institutional Courses, select View Courses.
Step 4: Scroll to the bottom of your Course Page and select Add a Course.
Step 5: Scroll down the Curriculum Page to and select Research Security Training (Combined Course). 
Step 6: Hit Submit. Your new course will now appear on your Course Page.

It is important to select the Research Security Training (Combined Course), the basic course for research security will not count as it's not NSF -approved and is part of the Responsible Conduct of Research training circulum.

Troubleshooting Tips:

Per CITI's Support Center, if you experience any issues, such as getting stuck on a slide within the module, try navigating back 1–3 slides and then proceed forward again. This allows the stuck slide to fully load any content or sections that may have been skipped. The issue often occurs when users click through slides too quickly or use the playback bar to fast-forward, which can disrupt the module's progress.

For the best performance, please use one of the following supported browsers: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari.  Please do not switch between browsers prior to completing this training. 

If you encounter any issues or have further questions, feel free to reach out to ORPC at researchintegrity@umbc.edu.

Looking for a summer or fall course? There are two exciting course opportunities:

SUMMER 2026: HCST 100, which will focus on Black maternal health in Baltimore and the US. This course is online and asynchronous. Details can be found here.

FALL 2026: FREN 329 French for Professional Purposes will focus on French for the Health Professions this semester. See the attached flyer for more information. The flyer reads, "FREN 329: French for the Health Professions (Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00am-11:15am).

• Positioning: Use your skills in French and intercultural communication in the medical and public health sectors
• Mission: Apply new knowledge in active and interactive projects and engage with guest speakers working in the health professions.
• Scope: Explore health systems and cultures in the Francophone world and master medical and public health vocabulary.
• Core goal: Take an (optional) internationally recognized certification exam, organized by the French Chamber of Commerce 

Prerequisite: FREN 304. Francophone students are encouraged to the instructor for permission to register. Questions? Contact Professor Grenouilleau-Loescher, r213@umbc.edu."

The Leadership Alliance’s Virtual Professional Development Series (VPD) is designed for undergraduate students who are interested in exploring a research career. The VPD is designed for all students - from those who are just beginning to understand what research is to those with multiple research experiences. The VPD will:

• Improve your understanding of the overall research process
• Provide a better understanding of research opportunities across disciplines and subject areas
• Introduce you to professionals in industry, academia, and government who are affecting social change through their research
• Give you increased confidence for future research opportunities and graduate school application processes
• Improve your networking skills and expand your network at multiple career levels
• Understand the careers that are available to research professionals
• Inspire hope, ignite curiosity, and help propel you to the next phase of your academic career

This program is FREE and runs from June 1 through July 17, 2026, and will feature:

• Weekly "Conversations with a Doctoral Scholar" (Leadership Alliance alumni who have received their PhDs or MD-PhDs) on Mondays at 4 pm EDT
• Professional Development Workshops on Wednesdays at 4 pm EDT
• Graduate School Recruitment and Info Sessions on Thursdays from 3 - 4 pm EDT and 4 - 5 pm EDT, and on Fridays 2 - 3 pm EDT, and 3 - 4 pm EDT.
• The opportunity to connect with peers, mentors, and future colleagues

Participation in most events can happen synchronously (live - strongly encouraged if the option is available to you) or asynchronously (through recordings and related follow-up activities). All registered participants will be enrolled in a Google Classroom where all workshop and program materials will be stored.

The Leadership Alliance will present a digital badge/certificate of completion to students who:

• Attend (or asynchronously view) at least 5 of the 7 Wednesday Workshops
• Visit at least 4 Graduate School Recruitment and info sessions
• Submit a question for at least 2 of the 7 "Conversations with a Doctoral Scholar" sessions
• Follow The Leadership Alliance on LinkedIn
• Complete a post-survey

Participants will be able to upload their digital badge to various platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc) and share with prospective employers and graduate institutions via email.

Program information and the link to register can be found on The Leadership Alliance's website here: https://theleadershipalliance.org/virtual-professional-development

1 Room Available in a 2-bedroom apartment (about one academic year)

Location: 1345 (B) Stevens Ave (2nd floor), Arbutus

Punjab Kabab and Halal Kabab & Wings and Dominoes Pizza are across the street.

Nearby grocery stores include: Save A Lot, Dollar General, two Convientient stores.

UMBC Bus: (on the UMBC Arbutus route) (bus stop is close by)

The bus takes about 5 minutes to get to school from there.

Rent: $575/month + BGE (utilities)

Email: djohnso6@umbc.edu or just dm me here if intrested.