Welcome to our October 2026 Newsletter! |
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As I was working on this month’s issue of the Faculty Friday Newsletter, I found myself reflecting on my first fifteen months at SJSU. One of the best parts of my experience has been the countless opportunities to connect and collaborate with the people who make up our remarkable university community. Whether working with faculty members, administrative analysts, event coordinators, department chairs, associate deans, or deans, I have been continually struck by the expertise, creativity, passion, and dedication that colleagues bring to their work.
These connections can happen in all kinds of places: while waiting in front of City Hall to catch the Rapid 500, standing in line at the go-to coffee shop waiting for a Mint Mojito Iced Coffee, attending that 9:00 a.m. meeting on a dreary Monday morning, or while participating in a professional development program. Each of us has countless opportunities to connect with colleagues in the course of our daily work.
CFETI’s programming, I believe, offers especially meaningful opportunities and spaces for faculty to learn, exchange ideas, forge connections, and build the relationships that strengthen ourselves and our shared work. One of the most common pieces of feedback faculty share with me at the end of a workshop, retreat, or workshop series is how much they enjoyed connecting and working with colleagues. Upcoming workshops, programs, and initiatives that allow for this include the Womxn’s Leadership Retreat (October 30), the Momentum program for associate professors (starting November 6), the Beyond Classroom and Campus Faculty Showcase (December 3), as well as the many workshops organized by SJSU’s AI Fellows and Ambassadors.
I hope you find these and all the other opportunities announced in this issue useful and meaningful. If you have any thoughts or feedback on the newsletter—its format and content—do not hesitate to reach out to faculty-success@sjsu.edu.
With the best wishes,
Friederike Bruehoefener
Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence
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News and Updates from Faculty Success & Beyond |
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ERFA Faculty Research and Creative Activity Award ($3,000): all tenure-track faculty, tenured faculty, FERP faculty, and senior lecturer faculty with more than 6 years of continuous service to SJSU are invited to apply by Wednesday, December 2 (5:00pm PT).
The Weir/Galm Award ($2,500): the award is intended to support research, travel to present at conferences, or acquisition of materials related to teaching or scholarship. All tenure-track faculty are invited to apply by Wednesday, December 2 (5:00pm PT).
Mindful Teaching Award ($1,000): this award recognizes those who incorporate mindfulness practices in the classroom. All active SJSU faculty members are invited to apply by Wednesday, December 2 (5:00pm PT).
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Peer Educators can help faculty with tutoring, study sessions, classroom activities, and general student success skills. Students benefit from positive learning communities, a greater sense of belonging, and knowledge of campus resources. Priority is given to courses that:
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Primarily enroll lower-division students
- Are required courses with historically high DFW rates
- Have high equity gaps or impact large student numbers
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Join the Center for Community Learning & Leadership (CCLL) and CFETI for an in-person lunch on October 29 (12:00–1:00pm) to learn about service-learning pedagogy and a curriculum development grant opportunity (of up to $3,000). Service-learning integrates community involvement with academic instruction and reflection, deepening student learning and civic responsibility while strengthening reciprocal community partnerships. (Please note that service-learning does not include collaboration with for-profit businesses.) To register for the Lunch & Learn, please complete this Google Form.
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Updates from the Center for Faculty Excellence and Teaching Innovation |
All tenured associate professors are cordially invited to participate in Momentum, a faculty development program designed to support faculty as they chart a successful path toward promotion to full professor. Taking place between November 2026 and May 2027, the program includes thematic Friday morning workshops as well as Writing Sprints. For more information on the program’s detailed schedule and to register, please consult and complete this Google form.
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Mark your calendars for a retreat designed to support tenured faculty (associate and full professors) in advancing their leadership and professional presence. Centering the journeys of women leaders in academia, participants will—through facilitated conversations, panel discussions, and other activities—articulate their leadership strengths, identify the leadership opportunities they seek, and learn to build the visibility and relationships needed to be recognized and considered for leadership roles. All are welcome! If you would like to register for the retreat, please complete this Google form.
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Join Dr. Karen D. Wang (SJSU Assistant Professor of Instructional Design and Technology) for a hands-on workshop, hosted by CFETI and the Adobe Center of Excellence, that focuses on turning everyday teaching challenges into creative possibilities for student learning. During the workshop, participants will identify a real classroom challenge, uncover the underlying student need, and generate innovative activities or assignments in response. To register for the workshop, please complete this Google form.
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An important component of designing and building a course is ensuring that instructional materials are accessible to students with disabilities. This workshop, which will be held on October 30, January 29, and March 26, will demonstrate several things instructors can do to ensure accessibility of their course materials.
Workshop Objectives:
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- Explain the importance of accessible materials.
- Structure text documents with Heading Styles.
- Assess the quality of closed captioning in online videos.
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The SJSU Lecturer Teaching Toolkit is a Canvas-based resource hub designed to support lecturers in creating engaging, effective, and inclusive learning experiences. Explore practical teaching materials, evidence-based best practices, and curated resources on topics such as inclusive pedagogy, assessment strategies, effective communication, grading and feedback, course design, and more. Be sure to check out the CFETI Lecturer Portal for more resources and upcoming events.
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The California State University (CSU) Online Course Services (OCS) platform provides professional development programs tailored for faculty and staff across all 23 CSU campuses. Taught by certified CSU facilitators, these courses are 3-week, fully online, asynchronous experiences that require roughly 15 to 25 hours of total time commitment. The curriculum focuses on quality online instruction, peer reviewing, and emerging educational tools, featuring specialized tracks built around the CSU Quality Learning and Teaching (QLT) framework and Quality Matters (QM) standards. Review the workshop descriptions to learn more and to register.
Already completed a workshop? The next step available to you is to have your course Quality Matters Certified, which includes a $500 stipend. The goal of these reviews is to provide encouragement and support toward designing and delivering courses that result in quality learning experiences for students. Review colleague video testimonials and complete the Quality Matters Course Certification Interest Form to get started.
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Join SJSU’s AI Fellows and campus experts this fall for engaging workshops, interactive events, and conversations exploring how AI is shaping teaching and learning. Save the dates and join us to share ideas, learn from colleagues, and explore what’s next for AI at SJSU. For more details about upcoming events and resources, visit the CFETI website.
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Panel Discussion: Critical Thinking, Equity, and AI
Join us for an engaging cross-disciplinary panel discussion exploring what responsible AI use looks like in practice, featuring insights and perspectives from faculty and students.
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Date & Time: Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM PST
- Location: Zoom
- Facilitator: Dr. Jila Maleksalehi, Adjunct Faculty, Child & Adolescent Development & Teacher Education, College of Education
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Panelists: Althea Rao, Duy Dao, Resa Kelly, Ryan Skinnell, and Mahima Agumbe Suresh
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Register now to join us to discover how learning goals, disciplinary contexts, and equity shape our thoughtful decisions around AI in teaching and learning!
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What’s Next After CustomGPTs: Moving Your AI Assistants to Skills and Plugins
Explore how to transition teaching assistants from Custom GPTs and Gemini Gems to Skills, connectors, and plugins. Participants will build and test a working skill while considering privacy, accessibility, accuracy, and human oversight.
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026
Time: 12:00–1:15 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Facilitator: Mithila Guha, Assistant Professor, Lucas College and Graduate School of Business
Register for the workshop here!
Our CFETI team is here to help faculty transition their Custom GPTs to the new plugin format. Please complete this form if you would like assistance migrating or recreating your Custom GPT.
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Demystify AI Master Class Series
Join us for a two-part master class exploring how AI works, how it can be customized, and how it is moving from virtual spaces into the physical world. Please feel free to share this opportunity with your students.
Workshop 1: Teaching LLMs New Knowledge: From Foundation Models to Custom AI
Monday, October 26, 2026 | 2:00–3:30 p.m. | AI Center
Workshop 2: Bringing AI into the Physical World: From LLMs to Physical AI
Monday, November 2, 2026 | 1:00–2:30 p.m. | Digital Twin Lab
Facilitator: Kaikai Liu, Associate Professor, Computer Engineering Department.
Register for the master class series.
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Designing for Curiosity: AI Assignments That Deepen Learning
Learn how AI-integrated assignments can promote critical thinking, reflection, revision, and deeper learning. Participants will redesign one of their own assignments and leave with a ready-to-use version.
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Time: 2:30–4:30 p.m.
Location: AI Center for Civic and Social Good
Facilitator: Wendy Lee, Associate Professor, College of Science
Register for the workshop.
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Tool, Tutor, or Threat? AI in Engineering Education
Explore the opportunities and challenges of AI in engineering education through a live demonstration of an AI tutor for novice programmers, followed by a faculty panel and open discussion. The session will examine AI’s impact on curriculum, assessment, student competency, and faculty responsibilities while considering how to prepare students for AI-supported professional practice.
Date: Friday, October 30, 2026
Time: 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Location: Room 225, Martin Luther King Jr. Library
Organizers: Maria Chierichetti and Radha Aravamudhan
Lunch will be provided. Please fill in the RSVP form by October 18, 2026.
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Human + AI: How Engineering Faculty Are Transforming Teaching and Research
This interdisciplinary faculty panel will explore how engineering professors are using AI to transform teaching, research, data analysis, and technical practice. Dr. Sravani Vadlamani will lead a discussion featuring faculty lightning talks, a moderated roundtable, and audience Q&A on responsible, ethical, and human-centered AI adoption across engineering disciplines.
Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Time and Location: To be announced (Registration opens soon!)
Facilitator: Dr. Sravani Vadlamani, Assistant Professor, Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering
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AI-Assisted Software Development: Industry to Classroom with IBM Bob
Join us for an insightful session exploring how AI-assisted software development is transitioning from industry practices into classroom learning, featuring insights from IBM Bob.
Session Activities:
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Live demonstration of AI-driven coding workflows and industry-standard developer tools.
- Interactive discussion on integrating modern AI development practices into computer science and engineering curricula.
- Q&A session with industry experts on preparing students for AI-enhanced software engineering roles.
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Primary Goal: Bridge the gap between enterprise AI development methodologies and academic coursework to better equip students for modern software engineering careers.
Date & Time: Thursday, November 5, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM PST
Register for the IBM session.
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AI & Me: Stories of How AI Has Changed Our Lives on Campus—A Story Showcase with Prizes
Hear personal stories from students and faculty about how AI has shaped their academic and campus experiences. Attendees can participate in a story wall, vote for the Audience Choice award, and join conversations about AI on campus.
Date: Monday, November 9, 2026
Time: 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Location: King Library Digital Humanities Center
Facilitator: Vishnu S. Pendyala, Associate Professor, College of Information, Data and Society
RSVP for the showcase | Submit your story | Volunteer | Register for the livestream | Volunteer as a Reviewer
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Building Thinking Classrooms in the Age of AI
Inspired by Dr. Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms, this interactive professional development workshop explores how faculty can use AI to foster deeper thinking, meaningful collaboration, productive struggle, and student independence. Participants will redesign a classroom activity using thinking classroom principles and intentional AI integration
Date: Thursday, November 13, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Facilitator: Jila Maleksalehi, Lecturer, Connie L. Lurie College of Education
Register for the workshop!
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Human Enough? A Faculty Conversation about Norms for AI Disclosure in Teaching and RSCA
Take part in a cross-disciplinary conversation about AI disclosure practices in teaching, research, scholarship, and creative activity. Faculty will share perspectives, discuss ethical and practical concerns, and explore areas of common ground.
Date: Monday, November 16, 2026
Time: 2:30–4:30 p.m.
Location: MLK Library AI Center
Facilitators: Jason Aleksander, Professor, College of Humanities and the Arts and Kerri Malloy, Associate Professor, College of Social Sciences
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Teaching and Learning With AI: Exploration and Hands-On Practice
This webinar will feature panelists from various departments and will introduce key topics, including Draft, Verify, Approve: A Responsible Workflow for AI-Assisted Course Prep; How to Avoid AI Hallucination; and Cautionary Use of AI and Assessing Dangers to Professions and Society, etc.
Date: Friday, November 20, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Facilitator: Ni Zhang, Associate Professor, College of Health & Human Sciences
Register for the webinar.
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SJSU staff and faculty are invited to join Adobe Education Institute (AEI) 2026, a free live training series running November 3 - 5. Sessions cover practical, ready-to-use skills in Adobe Express, Acrobat, and the newest Firefly features in Creative Cloud Pro—no prior experience needed. Every session attended earns a digital badge, and anyone who completes the full learning path earns the AEI Pathway badge or even the AEI Influencer badge—a nice addition to a LinkedIn profile or professional development record. Sessions are live, with recordings available afterward, so a scheduling conflict doesn't mean missing out. Registration is open now. Please register using your SJSU email address, as personal addresses cannot be used. Check out the agenda and Register today.
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2: RTP: Optional response to department-level recommendations due
16: Range Elevation: Department-level recommendations sent to candidate
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Do you have a story, highlight, reading, or tip that you would like to share in this newsletter?
Please reach out anytime to faculty-success@sjsu.edu
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