In this edition of the Pew FTLC Newsletter:

Show your work. As we prepare for the coming semester, I would like to double down on a message that I have shared numerous times in the past: How might we make our expectations for students even clearer? How might we emphasize process over product in assessing student learning? There are small things we can do as well as huge shifts in the design of our courses in response to these questions and the times we are in. Here a few resources, listed in increasing order of complexity:  

Getting to know you. At New Faculty Orientation this week, I spoke about the importance of getting to know our students. Practices that build shared understanding, community, and foster dialogue are also relevant to those of us who have been teaching at Grand Valley for a while. It is incredibly helpful to know what prior experiences, skills, interests, and aspirations students are bringing. We have to be careful about making assumptions and over relying on the past, so here are some potentially new approaches to getting to know students. Michelle Pacansky-Brock has a lovely Getting to Know You Survey on the “humanizing online courses” section of her website. Vanderbilt’s teaching guide on this topic is also excellent. I also highly recommend Columbia’s Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning podcast and the episode with Michelle Miller, “The Secret to a Connected Classroom? Names Matter” (Season 10, Episode 1). Looking for additional scholarly evidence that even making an effort to learn names in a large class makes a difference? You are welcome.   

Making the case. Looking for additional ways to tap into intrinsic motivation and engage students this semester? Consider ways to help students articulate the alignment of what they are learning to desired employer skills. Stick with me here. I am not suggesting that the relevance of our curricula hinges solely on employability, but...I will argue that faculty play a key role in fostering integrative learning and helping students make all sorts of connections that come more naturally to us as expert learners. I am delighted to see that all eight of the NACE “career-ready competencies” resonate strongly with the foundations of a liberal education and the GVSU student learning outcomes (and general education essential skills) for undergraduates. I suspect that every course you teach has strong connections (at the very least) to the competencies of communication, critical thinking, and teamwork competencies that employers say they need the most from our graduates. If you or your students are interested in receipts, consider these recent research reports: The Agility Imperative: How Employers View Preparation for an Uncertain Future or The Career Readiness Imperative in Gateway Courses.  

Digital accessibility corner. In alignment with the Digital Literacy Initiative, I will be regularly sharing resources that support the why and the what of our goals for digital accessibility. A related site to bookmark is the Digital Accessibility Committee resource page. Last month, I addressed documents and here I will talk briefly about Images. Alternative (alt) text is a brief text-based description of images and graphics to help those with visual impairments to understand the content and context of photographs, icons, illustrations, diagrams, etc. There is a difference between functional and decorative images with respect to digital accessibility; to learn more about alt text best practices, I suggest this WebAIM site. A common mistake is to use phrases such as “image of” or “picture of” in your alt text. Pithy and clear alt text wins the day, so I encourage you to review several other sites that include plentiful examples (a GSA.gov site or the GVSU Web Team page).  

I look forward to seeing many of you in the coming weeks. Know that the Pew FTLC team (read more about these amazing individuals below) stands at the ready to support you in your endeavors, so don’t hesitate to reach out.  

-Christine 

Don't forget to join us for the 32nd Annual Fall Conference on Teaching and Learning tomorrow, Thursday, August 13. If you haven't received a confirmation that you have registered to attend the event, please reach out to our office.

We have reached the seating capacity for this year's event. We are actively communicating with those who successfully registered to confirm whether they plan to attend. If you are no longer able to attend, please let us know by emailing pewftlc@gvsu.edu. We are relying on our community to take registration seriously and hope to be able to accommodate all those who wish to attend.

We will record Dr. Tracie Marcella Addy's keynote presentation and post it to our Fall Conference webpage. If you are unable to attend you will be able to view this later in August. Materials from concurrent and roundtable session presenters will also be available on our website later in August. 

Our team has expanded and we wanted to take a moment to introduce you to everyone! Below you will find photos, names, titles and brief descriptions of responsibilities related to each member of our team.

Christine Rener - Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning Innovation

Christine leads teaching and learning initiatives across the university. Through this work she develops and leads workshops, conferences, and consultations with individuals, groups, and departments. She also works with committees, task forces, and other groups across campus to promote and support innovative teaching and learning practices. 

Maggie Goss - Assistant Director 

Maggie consults with faculty, develops programs and workshops on evidence-based teaching practices, stays up to date with relevant research in educational development, and facilitates the Sandbox Learning Innovation Grant and the Teaching Innovation Grant application process, as well as facilitates the Annual Fall Conference on Teaching and Learning. 

Raquel Ramirez - Program Manager

Raquel supports our special projects and programs including, New Faculty Orientation, Annual Fall Conference on Teaching and Learning, Faculty Badges @ GVSU, supports the Pew FTLC Faculty Fellows with their Center programming, and facilitates the Sponsored Teaching and Learning Event Grants, as well as the Faculty Conference Grant.

Merisa Smith - Project Coordinator

Merisa supports the Center projects and programs including, event coordination and logistics, Learning Communities, and supporting the Pew FTLC Faculty Fellows with their Center projects. Merisa also manages the website content and Center promotion. 

Chris Haven - Director of the General Education Program

Chris serves as the director of the General Education Program, which is housed within the Pew FTLC. He is a Professor in the Writing Department who teaches courses in creative writing and style. 

Lindsay Ellis - Director of Supplemental Writing Skills

Lindsay serves as the director of Supplemental Writing Skills, which is housed within the Pew FTLC. She is a Professor in the English Department and directs the Lake Michigan Writing Project. 

Janel Pettes Guikema - Director of Curricular Initiatives

Janel serves as the director of Curricular Initiatives in the Pew FTLC. She is a Professor in the Modern Languages and Literatures Department who teaches French courses.

Patty Bolea - Pew FTLC Faculty Fellow

Patty has worked with the Pew FTLC as a Faculty Fellow for over 10 years. As a social work faculty member focused on supporting faculty and students, Patty leads the Minds that Matter Series, the Pace Initiative for Connecting Mind and Health, and our Faculty Mentoring Communities program.

Ellen Shupe - Pew FTLC Faculty Fellow

Ellen serves as a Faculty Fellow, in collaboration with the Pew FTLC and the Padnos Center for Global Experiences. She is a faculty member in the Psychology Department who works with faculty from across the institution interested in international education activities, including but not limited to, international virtual exchange, study abroad, and global learning in on-campus courses. 

Samantha Mulder - Administrative Assistant

Samantha manages the budgets associated with Pew FTLC grants and activities, supports departments through the reimbursement process, guides faculty and staff through the annual Faculty Teaching Excellence Award process, provides calendar support for Christine Rener, and manages the newsletters.

Sam Condon - Office Assistant

Sam provides administrative and clerical support for the General Education Program, the Pew FTLC, and supports programming related to Supplemental Writing Skills and the Faculty Research and Innovation Center. 

Interested in joining a faculty mentoring community this year?

Our Faculty Mentoring Communities program isn’t quite ready yet for registration — it should be live in early September BUT, you can make sure you don’t miss out on this opportunity by completing our Mentoring Community Interest form. All faculty who complete this form will be alerted once the registration goes LIVE and will be sent the direct link to register. 

Our Faculty Mentoring Program offers structured meeting opportunities to gather with colleagues and explore the multiple sources of guidance and connection available at GVSU for professional growth and development. There are mentoring communities for faculty in their first year of teaching and mentoring communities for veteran faculty members. Participants consistently report mentoring communities to be grounding, supportive, and inspiring. Check out last year’s list of mentoring communities by visiting our Mentoring Community webpage—this year’s lineup will likely be very similar. 

Interested in leading a Faculty Mentoring Community this year? Fill out our Mentor Interest form today!

Looking for a way to connect with other faculty or staff this year? Searching for a community of colleagues to learn with? Hoping to refresh your teaching techniques or evidence-based practices? Join a Learning Community!

Learning Communities (LCs) are small, faculty- and staff-led groups that gather around a shared topic for a semester or two. These communities create space for collaboration, new kinds of learning, and the opportunity to meet people across campus. New Fall LCs are being added frequently, and below are just a few of the LCs that are currently open and accepting new members.

Apply online via our Grants System today!

If you’ve got an idea—or just the start of one—we invite you to propose a Fall 2026 LC or Year-Long LC. Submit a Letter of Intent using our online form. If you're wondering what’s possible, browse our Past LCs webpage for inspiration from years past. And, if you want to check out our current LCs, visit our Current Learning Communities webpage.

Traverse City in October? A conference devoted to the scholarship of teaching and learning?  A conference theme of “Motivation and Meaning in Higher Education?” A chance to renew your joy of teaching?! SAY LESS!

For nearly 40 years, the Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching and Learning has provided opportunities for the presentation of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.  Faculty from across the nation gather at Lilly Conferences to exchange ideas and build a repertoire of skills that can be put to immediate use.  And we, at the Pew FTLC, want to send YOU to Lilly!

Our Sponsored Teaching and Learning Event (STLE) Grant covers the full cost of attending a conference focused on teaching and learning. The Lilly Conference in Traverse City is one such conference and we have 10 spots available for GVSU Faculty.  Application deadline is August 21, so mark your calendars. You’ll be able to apply via the FTLC grants system—be sure to select “Sponsored Teaching and Learning Event Grant” as the “grant type” you are applying for. Preference will be given to first-time conference attendees and to applicants who are not already presenting at Lilly.

For more information about the Lilly Conference, visit the Lilly Conference - Traverse City webpage. For more information about our STLE Grant Program, visit our Upcoming STLE webpage—check back often as we add new STLEs throughout the year.