Pew Faculty Teaching & Learning Center
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Director's Note This week, I will do my best to keep it brief and share less text-intensive resources (e.g., podcast, video, infographic).
Relationship-rich education. The webs of relationships afforded by a GVSU education truly do matter. For a delightful exploration of the importance of a relationship-rich education, I recommend this Teaching in Higher Ed podcast episode. At this point in the semester, it is worth checking in on how well you are doing in learning and using students’ names, a relational practice repeatedly shown to have a big influence on the classroom climate as well as student learning. As a reminder, you can access photo-rosters via the feature, Class List in Banner.
Social priming, anyone? As we move into exam season, why not provide a growth mindset reminder before the next exam or assignment, sharing something along the lines of “I believe that every student, regardless of how well they did on this exam, can improve their skills, learn from their mistakes, and be successful in this course. Remember, learning is a process and often occurs over time.” This particular phrasing comes from the 2024 article, Growth mindset messages from instructors improve academic performance among first-generation college students. For a practical overview of growth mindsets and an infographic to share with students, I offer this Arizona State Quick Reference Guide.
A liberal education for a VUCA world. Haven’t we always been about preparing students for uncertain futures? In many ways, yes. A GVSU liberal education is not just about particular knowledge and skills but also about solid preparation for a range of personal and professional futures. While the term VUCA world doesn’t exactly roll off my tongue, I have to say that the framing of higher education as preparation for the inevitability of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity has great appeal. Might this language help students better understand the relevance of courses/programs? If you bristled at that word, I offer that as I am listening to the book, Generations by Jean Twenge, it is clearer than ever to me that we need to do a better job explaining to students the why of learning. And reading, And of tackling hard problems. Are there ways beyond the first day of class and the syllabus that students can engage with the bigger context and importance of your course?
Liberal education and civic engagement. Please help promote the most excellent GVSU Votes! initiative. I invite you to participate in the Democracy 101 series, request a classroom presentation, share student engagement opportunities, and explore the helpful resources.
If you are up for it, next time we’ll tackle several timely teaching and learning issues that warrant a touch more depth and nuance. Never fear; there will be a TL;DR option.
–Christine Rener
P.S. Are you involved in any way with curriculum development? If you missed the “Nuts and Bolts of Curriculum Review” session held earlier this month, you can access the slides and a Zoom recording on the Office of the Provost website.
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Student Mental Health Summit
Mark your calendars for Wednesday October 16, 2024, and be part of the inaugural GVSU Student Mental Health Summit, hosted by the Pace Initiative for Student Mental Health and sponsored by the Pew FTLC. From 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. in Zumberge Hall (Room 3000), this event will bring together students, faculty, and staff to discuss innovative strategies for boosting mental health support on campus.
This is your chance to hear from student leaders, mental health experts, and learn about campus resources dedicated to promoting well-being at GVSU. Together, we can build a stronger, healthier community. Don’t miss out!
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Sign Into Laker Dock Today!
The Pew FTLC invites all faculty to join the new Laker Dock platform, a campus-wide portal for connecting with faculty and staff across GVSU. To get started, simply log in on the website or download the app to activate your account.
We’ll be using Laker Dock to build community and share resources, so activate your access soon. We will be experimenting with several topical faculty groups throughout this year. You’ll have full control over notifications and membership, making it easy to stay informed and connected.
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Want Feedback on Your Teaching? Sign-Up for a Mid-Semester Interview about Teaching (MIT)
Looking for timely feedback from your students? The Pew FTLC offers the Mid-Semester Interview about Teaching (MIT), where a consultant visits your class, interviews students, and provides valuable insights on their learning experience. Conducted between weeks 4-9, the process takes just 30 minutes and includes a facilitated discussion on course strengths and potential improvements.
MITs are especially useful for new faculty or those trying new teaching methods. Requests are limited to one per semester and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Call for Proposals and Attendance
Join the GVSU community for the 12th annual Teach-In on November 13th and 14th, 2024. Teach-In; Power, Privilege, and Difficult Dialogues is a two-day conference designed to highlight student, faculty, and staff voices for mutual education around inequity, systems of oppression, social justice, and liberation on our campus and impacting our worldwide community.
Come be a part of this impactful work! We encourage teams of faculty, staff, and students to submit a proposal for a session by Friday, October 20th. For information on what and how to submit a proposal, visit our Teach-In website.
Other ways to engage in Teach-In aside from hosting a session include:
- Offering extra credit to students to attend the event
- Opting to defer your scheduled class for students to attend a Teach-In session for credit
- Make attending Teach-In part of your class requirement
- Extra-credit assignments for students to document certain aspects of their experiences at Teach-In
We hope to see you and your students at this important two-day event!
Cheers,
Teach-In Planning Team
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