Pew Faculty Teaching & Learning Center
| |
Director's Note
This week, I am attending the Annual Meeting of theAssociation of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). In addition to presenting two sessions with amazing colleagues, I am soaking up as much as I can to bring back to GVSU. Here is a small sampling:
The Faculty Experience. Todd Benson, the Executive Director of COACH at Harvard is here. His research on the faculty experience is always compelling and I am thrilled that GVSU has joined the Collaborative. As mentioned in Lakers Ready, faculty will receive an invitation to complete the COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey in February. Please be on the lookout and make sure that your voice is heard.
Audience Polling. As an educational developer, I am always studying the ways others lead sessions and facilitate discussions. One approach that I have appreciated at this large conference is the use of Slido to virtually collect and share audience questions. It certainly streamlines the whole Q&A portion. Maybe you use polling in your classes already, but I offer Slido as one idea for engaging online or in-person students. It is worth considering what questions, reflections, or ideas students might be more comfortable sharing by such means.
Trust Generators. In preparing for my session on equity-minded leadership, the topic of trust appeared in many of my readings. I love Richard Feltman's deceptively simple recommendations in the Thin Book of Trust. Given that the authors of the great, free book, The Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching, are also here at AAC&U, I was reminded of their take on the topic of trust. Chapter 4, "Relationships: Earn and Maintain Students' Trust" presents scholarship on trust and provides practical suggestions for the classroom.
Point-of-Use AI Assignment Guidelines. I would argue that if you are wanting to help shape student use (or avoidance) of AI, providing guidance as part of assignment instructions can be more effective than a global syllabus policy. Particularly as we are all trying to get our arms around the evolving technology and its implications, having a nuanced discussion closer to the point of students working on an assignment can be more meaningful. If you are looking for ideas and sample language, I shared three links in our December 13th newsletter. Here are three additional resources that have come out since.
Shifting gears to next week, I am delighted that Mary Murphy from Indiana University will be on campus for a number of sessions to which you are all invited. We have been benefiting from the work of her team for many years, most recently as part of the Strong Start Teaching Institute. As enticement for next Tuesday's conversations, I offer the freely accessible Tools and Resources page from the Equity Accelerator Project. From here, you can access a Classroom Practices Library, an online Syllabus Revision Module, a Social-Belonging Intervention, and a resource collection for Supporting Students in Times of Uncertainty.
I look forward to being back on campus and with you next week.
—Christine Rener
| |
Creating Cultures of Inclusion with Dr. Mary Murphy
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
8:30am–10am in the Grand River Room
Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
This session of the Student Success Series will explore how we can create cultures of inclusion. Dr. Murphy's research illuminates the situational cues—like faculty and institutional—that influence students' academic motivation and achievement with an emphasis on understanding when those processes are similar and different for structurally advantaged and disadvantaged students.
Dr. Mary Murphy is the Herman B Wells Endowed Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University and Founder of the Equity Accelerator, a research, practice, and policy organization focused on creating more equitable learning and working environments through social and behavioral science. See Dr. Murphy's full bio here.
| |
Winter 2024 Learning Communities are OPEN!
Interested in a restorative and fun way to engage in timely and relevant topics related to higher education, teaching and leanring? Searching for community perhaps outside of your department or unit? Consider joining one of our Learning Communities! Open to faculty and staff!
Learning Communities (LCs) bring faculty and staff together to connect, build community, and explore a topic of mutual interest through a semester-long converstation. Ultimately, the new knowledge gained and the new relationships forged through these communities leads to innovation, collaborative projects, and exciting things in your classrooms. Past participants consistently report this experience to be reenergizing, supportive, and just plain fun!
Below are just a few of the Learning Communities that are currently open and accepting new members. You can view the complete list of open LCs by visiting our Current Learning Communities webpage.
| |
Faculty Mentoring Groups Are Accepting New Members!
Were you hoping to joining a Faculty Mentoring Community last Fall but just ran out of time? Consider joining one now!
Faculty Mentoring Communities will be meeting through the Winter 2024 semester and are open to adding new members. These mentoring communities offer structured meeting opportunities to gather with colleagues and explore the multiple sources of guidance and connection available at GVSU for professional growth and development. Sessions center around topics that are top-of-mind for participants—the content of each meeting is flexible and responsive to group members.
| |
|
|
