November 9, 2022: Issue # Fall 2022
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| | News from Moody College'sCenter for Advancing Teaching Excellence
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Greetings! The second Fall 2022 edition of CommuniCATE focuses on the outstanding learning experiences happening in Moody College of Communication. Faculty and students are busy demonstrating that “What starts here changes the world” through purposefully innovative instructional design.
From Free Speech Week to international learning experiences, Moody College of Communication continues to set the pace for excellence in the field through student-centered curriculum design focus. These intentional environments provide a solid pathway of practice for students as emerging professionals in the field.
We welcomed new staff in CATE and are looking forward to collaboratively building transformative learning environments for Moody College students.
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- Rachelle (Shelly) Furness is the new instructional designer for CATE and comes to Moody College with a diverse skill set that spans business, education, and corporate training experience.
Jessica Garcia is the Social Media Coordinator for CATE and a junior in the Moody College of Communication, studying journalism and English.
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What does quality, student-created course content look like?
Seymour Papert’s (1991) core tenet of constructionist learning positions students as active builders of knowledge. For emerging communication students, designing learning projects that focus on authentic, real-world products allows not only for exceptional learning, but also creates opportunities for continuous updating of course content. For example, Scott Stroud, as part of his direction of the Media Ethics Initiative, expressed frustration that he had to spend time to find quality, up-to-date case studies for his students. His solution was to design for scaffolded student projects that ultimately supported the creation of timely case studies. As part of an independent study course, the exemplary case studies are vetted through a graduate student and Dr. Stroud before the product goes live on the website. Check out the student-created content here. If you would like support to implement student-created content in your course, ask CATE!
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Spring Canvas Course Shells
As the spring Canvas course shells are popping up in your dashboard, remember that the CATE team is here to help you get ready to start the semester strong. We are:
- Critical friends – thought partners on activities, course design, syllabus development, etc.
- Canvas support – advisors on using Canvas to enhance learning and grading processes
- Learner-centered approach coaches – resources for a wide array of protocols to increase student engagement
- Cofacilitators – partners working in the classroom to support new practices
Let us know how we can support you.
Make an appointment with Mary.
Make an appointment with Shelly.
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Did you know that there are some handy new apps in Canvas that were developed by UT, for UT? Please complete this survey by Friday, 11/18, to help CATE plan for any support needs and provide shout outs for those of you who are already “in the scene” using the apps in creative ways.
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Free Speech Week
In celebration of Free Speech Week, CATE collaborated with Moody College Public Relations to provide an interactive faculty session focused on facilitating free speech opportunities in the classroom. Attendees participated in a Superfight® game activity to deconstruct the feelings students might experience when allowing for discussion of current issues in the field. Following the entry event, faculty brainstormed how to balance inclusion concerns while still offering scaffolded opportunities to build critical thinking and communication skills.
Please feel free to reach out to CATE for more free speech in the classroom curriculum design ideas.
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ULA Program Updates
Halfway through the semester, the ULAs are fully immersed in their roles as instructional support for Moody College faculty. Our Fall 2022 cohort of 31 ULAs are reporting incredibly positive experiences as they complete check ins with CATE staff.
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New Course Evaluation
The University of Texas at Austin is launching a new Course Evaluation System this Fall 2022. Now integrated on Canvas, instructors will be able to track student response rates while the survey is active. The survey completion window opens on November 17.
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Teaching Exchange Brown Bags
Bring your lunch and let’s talk about UT’s new Course Evaluation System (CES)!
Check our News & Events page frequently for updated events and details added regularly.
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Shiv Ganesh is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies and chair of the Global Engagement Committee. He researches collective action in global and digital contexts. He received the 2022 President’s Award for Global Learning for his project, “Cotton Threads: Fabricating Ethical Production and Consumption in the Garment Industry.”
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Nathaniel Repay is a third-year PhD student in the Rhetoric, Language, and Political Communication area of the Communication Studies department (CMS). His research focuses on issues of power and ethics in public culture, particularly within the context of mainstream Christianity in the United States.
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We want to hear from you! Please respond to our survey to help CATE better support your needs. The survey will remain open until Friday, 11/18
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Follow CATE on social media to stay up to date on all things teaching and learning in Moody College.
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Submit your general feedback and suggestions for CATE, ideas you have to improve this newsletter, or nominations for spotlights using this form:
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