^{Summer plans gone awry? Draw inspiration from these dabbawallas in a downpour: Keep pedaling! [Photo by Magdalena Barrera.]}

At this time three weeks ago, I was somewhere over the Atlantic, flying to Mumbai for my father-in-law’s funeral. Anyone familiar with India at this time of year knows it's not an ideal season to visit: the monsoon has begun. If you’ve never experienced the monsoon, imagine 5-10” of rain daily. Humidity so strong you feel like your clothes are stuck to you. Eyeglasses that immediately fog up as soon as you exit an air conditioned room.

My husband and I did our best to improvise, as we were in the middle of a trip to Chicago. We picked up travel-friendly umbrellas that we prayed would hold up in the deluge. Our first stop after landing was a shoe store where we could buy appropriate footwear—open-toed rubber slides—so that we could slosh through the streets. We hadn’t packed the clothes we would normally wear to a funeral but made do with what was on hand. The monsoon felt to us like a calamity, making even the simplest errand an epic journey. We later learned that Mumbai received more rain in the seven days we were there than Delhi does in an entire year.

Nevertheless, all around us, life carried on. The more I observed them, the more I was inspired by how Mumbaikars adjusted to the rain and continued going about their business. Biking though water-logged streets, dabbawallas still delivered meals to office workers. Rickshaw drivers installed plastic curtains on the sides of their vehicles to keep their passengers dry. Schoolkids wrapped their backpacks in plastic and donned long raincoats, chatting merrily as they jumped across puddles. At the cemetery, the groundskeepers erected a large canopy so that our family could shelter from the storms.

At first, I was discombobulated by the disruption to my carefully constructed summer plans. Over Memorial Day weekend, I had compiled a long list of projects and goals to tackle this summer. Looking back, I see that I used magical thinking to generate the list because it was ambitious to the point of being unrealistic. In my mind, I had timed everything to fit just so, which meant the success of my plan depended on everything running right on schedule.

Here we are in mid-July; summer is halfway over. If your grand summer plans, like mine, aren’t panning out as expected, I invite you to join me in drawing inspiration from Mumbaikars in the monsoon. They don’t pretend the monsoon isn’t happening and they don’t expect to control it. They make changes because adaptation is part of living. Perhaps the measure of a successful summer break isn't whether every item gets checked off. Rather, let’s focus on whether we have made room for what matters most when life asks us to change course. Sometimes moving forward means completing the list and other times it means rewriting it.

Whether you're wrapping up summer projects, preparing for fall semester, or simply catching your breath, I hope you are making time for the people and priorities that sustain you, as well as giving yourself and others the grace to adjust plans when life has other ideas.

Sincerely,
Magdalena L. Barrera
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and
Accreditation Liaison Officer

Beginning Fall 2026, SJSU is launching Course Access, a course materials program designed to simplify how students receive their required materials and ensure they are ready to learn on the first day of class. With Course Access, required course materials are prepared automatically in collaboration with the bookstore for all students across participating courses. Digital materials are delivered directly through Canvas, eliminating delays at the start of the term.

The program supports instructional consistency by ensuring all students in a course are using the same required materials and editions. Faculty retain full autonomy in selecting course participation and digital content. SJSU views Course Access as an important step toward improving the overall academic experience and supporting student engagement from the first day of instruction. Learn more about the Course Access program.

Are you interested in learning about and implementing effective approaches and practices to (online) teaching? Through SJSU’s partnership with the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), SJSU faculty have the opportunity to enroll in one of two courses that will be offered fully remote:

Both courses will commence on August 20, 2026 and run through May 1, 2027. If you are interested in joining one of these courses and would like to learn more, please complete this form to register for a Zoom-based information session on Wednesday, July 29 (9:00 – 10:00 AM). (Please make sure to use your official SJSU email address to register.)

As you get your classes set for the fall semester, we at CFETI invite you to participate in our Zoom-based Course Prep Marathon on Thursday, August 13 from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. The day will be structured as follows:

Agenda

Please REGISTER for this online event. Registered participants will receive a calendar invite with a Zoom link that allows them to attend the entire marathon or only individual sessions.

This Canvas-supported professional development program invites SJSU faculty to strengthen the connections between what students learn in their courses and how that learning prepares them for their future lives, careers, and communities. Faculty will also develop new ways to make those connections more visible and intentional for students, including alignment with the nationally recognized NACE Career Readiness Competencies.

To learn more about the schedule, completion requirements, stipend, and to apply by Monday July 27, 2026, please go to the Beyond Classroom and Campus Application Form

Are you looking to streamline your syllabus creation while ensuring your course meets current university/accessibility compliance?  Want to integrate up-to-date assessment rubrics for department/program/general education learning outcomes? Join the Center for Faculty Excellence and the Office of Undergraduate Education for a collaborative, hands-on working session designed for instructors at all comfort levels with Concourse. There are two sessions available: August 18, 9:00 to 10:30 AM and August 18, 3:00 to 4:30 PM.

This "bring-your-own-syllabus" workshop is an active lab where we will integrate your existing syllabus into the Concourse system. We will guide you through the interface step-by-step, showing you how Concourse automatically integrates mandatory student learning outcomes directly into your document, thus saving you time and eliminating guesswork. Register to reserve your spot.

Use your current course as a foundation during this hybrid, four-part workshop series! You'll learn simple, time-saving techniques that you can quickly apply without starting from scratch! 

In this hybrid workshop series, you will leverage the Quick Canvas Checklist, to:

A certificate will be awarded upon completion of all four hybrid sessions! To learn more about the schedule and requirements, and to apply by August 25, 2026, go to the Canvas with Purpose Workshop Series Application Form.

As always, please remember, the CFETI Instructional Designers are available for coaching, consultation and collaboration! Reach out to cfeti@sjsu.edu to schedule a one-on-one session!

Boodlebox is a collaborative AI platform that provides access to multiple leading AI models within a single secure workspace. The platform is designed to streamline research, group work, and content curation. We are looking for a select group of faculty and staff members to explore this tool, test its capabilities, and help us evaluate its potential for broader institutional support. As a participant, you will receive dedicated support to help seamlessly integrate the tool into your workflow. Your feedback will directly influence our department's digital tool roadmap and future AI literacy initiatives. If interested in participating, fill out the AY 26/27 BoodleBox Pilot Interest Form.

As you reflect on your own teaching context, consider how process-based visibility tools like Turnitin Clarity might support transparency, student learning, and constructive conversations about AI use. If you are interested in piloting Clarity, scheduling a consultation, or continuing the discussion, please fill out the Fall 26 SJSU Turnitin Clarity Pilot Interest Form by September 13, 11:59 PM.

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