Keep Teaching Newsletter: Week 9

May 29, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

As we collectively bring this quarter to an end - we start to turn our attention to planning for the future. This spring, that planning has taken on an entirely new meaning. For many of us, summer plans have been cancelled and planning for teaching remotely looms large - while we are also tired and trying to stoke our own resilience.

The Learning and Teaching Commons invites you to register for one or more of a rich slate of summer institutes that provide opportunities to come together to reflect and learn. I’ve highlighted some of the institutes for you below - There are many more wonderful institutes, I wasn’t able to mention. Please take a moment to read through the descriptions. As always, the Learning and Teaching Commons is here to answer your questions.

Learning and Teaching

Summer institutes provide the precious resource of conversations with colleagues about learning and teaching. Perhaps you are interested in integrating climate resilience or computer science into your program; or sharing pedagogical techniques in biology.

I am guessing for many of you, figuring out how to design your programs and courses for online or hybrid modality is top of mind. The #EvergreenEverywhere summer institutes can be taken as a series or a la carte. The series begins by processing as a community the lessons we have learned from transitioning to remote teaching this spring before turning toward designing meaningful hybrid and online learning experiences with support from a hybrid learning cohort composed of Evergreen faculty and staff. In midsummer, work through the challenges of lab, field, studio and other experiential learning in remote or altered spaces and to join colleagues in a ‘virtual studio’ to design equitable and inclusive learning activities. The series ends with time to reflect with peers as you transition from planning to teaching.

New Academic Directions

Have you heard Evergreen is engaged in an institutional (re)design process, lovingly nicknamed Big Bets? As with any large-scale change initiative - good ideas lead us to questions about implementation. We’ve cued up a series of summer institutes to continue the thinking and planning with a broader audience. All summer institute conveners are asked to register for the Big Bets Summer Institute to invite you to engage more deeply with the planning our colleagues have been engaged in over the past year. Many of you will be interested in contributing to designing curriculum that is relevant, engaging and will attract new students to Evergreen as well as how the narrative transcript can be used as a holistic learning record that serves students well.

Leading for Equity

The rapid changes we’ve seen over the last few months and years and the changes yet to come call for adaptive leadership that centers equitable outcomes for students. Resilient Leadership in Times of Change builds upon the successful leadership institute last summer to bring faculty and staff leaders together (details for applying are below). Towards a Model of Transformative Justice and Trans 101 center equity by helping us better support and serve ALL students.

Four institutes ask us to turn attention to understanding how the Evergreen community is realizing our commitment to social justice, diversity, and equity. Research on Forms of Truth & Reconciliation explores models for community transformation. Approaches to Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation continues the campus equity action planning. Finally, Listen to the Wind: Embodiment of Equity and Change in Troubled Times affords space to reflect on campus climate data to understand how to create a greater sense of belonging in our community.

As a parting gift, I share a delightful opportunity to reflect on your own journey through this pandemic in Lynda Barry’s assignment to document all the small things that are easily lost.

In community,

Julia Metzker
Elizabeth Williamson

Kasama Tayo: Cooking Together with First Peoples

Kasama tayo is Tagalog for "we are together"!

First Peoples staff are cooking together with students. Students receive boxed meals and cook them together on zoom.

We've had a wonderful time cooking with other students, especially as the quarter is coming to an end. Being able to cook with everyone, though from a distance, has really helped us feel like we are still able to enjoy community during this fairly stressful time for us all. Mil gracias (many thanks) for sharing this time with us. -Hailey Maria and Caleb Sol

Not only was my body fed nutritious and delicious food, but my soul was also nourished with positive and encouraging energy from fellow Evergreen community members. Kasama Tayo helped me feel connected with folks, even though we may not be in close physical proximity with each other. -Nashesha R.

Share your story!

We've heard such wonderful tales of the creative ways faculty and students are adapting to learning and teaching in physical isolation. Send a short description of an activity, student project, and other resource to the Learning and Teaching Commons. Materials will be posted on the Keep Teaching Canvas Course and highlighted in this newsletter.

Important Deadlines

Program Budget Requests | Due by May 29

Please head over to my.evergreen.edu and click on Academic Resources to make your program budget request. David McAvity will allocate funds the week of June 1, so please have your program budget requests for all quarters of 20/21 submitted by Friday May 29 at the latest. For more details, head over to the Learning and Teaching Commons website.

APPLY for the Evergreen Summer leadership institute:
Resilient Leadership in Times of Change

Deadline extended to FRIDAY, June 5!

All faculty and staff are invited to attend the 2020 Resilient Leadership in Times of Change remote summer institute! (We had a good time at last year's institute -- and this one will be different and present different information, so plan to attend again.) To apply, answer a few short questions, intended to help ensure participants represent a good balance of roles at the college and a variety of approaches to college mid-level leadership.

Please submit your application by 5 pm Friday, June 5. A member of the convening team will be in touch with you by June 9, with information about acceptance to the institute. Faculty participants will be compensated at the regular summer institute rate of $125 per day; this institute counts toward the 10 days of paid summer institute time available to individual faculty.

Apply for Resilient Leadership in Times of Change

End-of-Year Student Presentations Calendar

The Capstone and End-of-Year student work calendar is now live! It will continue to be updated as programs submit more information. If you would like to add your programs end-of-year student presentations to the calendar, please complete this form.

sites.evergreen.edu/ltc

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