center for INNOVATION in teaching, assessment, and learning

April 9, 2024

Dear Colleagues:

The CITAL team is very excited to bring you this edition of our newsletter, and hopeful that you all were able to witness the beauty of the eclipse. Inside of this issue, you will find another valuable blog entry by your peers around “Teaching Underprepared Students & The Hidden Curriculum.” We also highlight two faculty development opportunities around Quality Matters (QM), both the Higher Education Teaching Online Certificate and the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric are workshops provided at no cost for participating faculty, with funding from the Lilly Endowment and CITAL. Finally, we provide some information on classroom observations, instructional design & technology consultations, and useful tools in the Blackboard Grade Center. Please enjoy the rest of your week.

Sincerely,

The CITAL Team (Ed, Gina, and Cindy)

Teaching Underprepared Students & The Hidden Curriculum

This academic year, fifteen Valpo faculty and staff members met biweekly for a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) on “Teaching Underprepared Students and The Hidden Curriculum.” During the fall semester, we focused on reading two books: Teaching Unprepared Students: Strategies for Promoting Success and Retention in Higher Education by Kathleen Gabriel and The Hidden Curriculum: First Generation Students at Legacy Universities by Rachel Gable. During the spring semester, we have focused on developing concrete implementation plans to apply what we learned from the books and FLC discussions into our own teaching.

Many faculty have experienced challenges with teaching students who are underprepared, but we have learned, first and foremost, that it is helpful for faculty to adopt a mindset and commitment to “meet students where they are, rather than wish for different students” (source: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1242269.pdf).

To Read the Full Article, Click Here.

Higher Education Teaching Online Certificate

With funding from the Lilly Endowment and the Center for Innovation in Teaching, Assessment, and Learning (CITAL), the Committee to Enhance Learning and Teaching (CELT) is accepting faculty applications for the Higher Education Teaching Online Certificate. This Quality Matters (QM) program provides an opportunity for faculty to begin or enhance their online teaching skills through seven facilitated courses.

Funding is available for up to 10 faculty to pursue the certificate.

You can find more information on the courses and how to apply at the link below:
QM Higher Education Teaching Online Certificate: General Information

Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) Workshop

CITAL, with partial funding from the Lilly Endowment, is happy to provide an opportunity for faculty to attend a workshop on Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR). This workshop will benefit faculty interested in learning more about the QM rubric or those who are already teaching hybrid or online courses that would like to apply the rubric to existing or future courses.

This workshop is limited to 25 participants. Sign up is for two half-day sessions and faculty must attend both days to receive the certificate.

There is no cost to faculty members and detailed information can be found at the link below:

Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) Workshop - Booking by Bookwhen

Classroom Observations & Instructional Design Consultations

Would you like an outside perspective on teaching your course, classroom activities, or just engagement strategies? If so, CITAL is here to help. Both Cindy and Ed are available for in-person (face to face classes) or online (hybrid or online) classroom observations.

Additionally, if you would like to have your course reviewed regarding any instructional design or activity elements (online or face to face), both Gina and Ed are available to provide consultation services around instructional design or technology strategies for student engagement and content delivery. Click the button below to submit a CITAL helpdesk ticket:

CITAL Teaching & Learning Request

Organizing your Grade Center

Have you been adding columns to your grade center? Would you like to change the order of your grade center columns so they are more organized when displayed for you and your students? "How do I change the order of grade center columns?" was a recent question submitted to the CITAL Help Desk. Watch this short Blackboard Video Tutorial to learn how: Rearranging and Organizing Columns in the Grade Center.

Visit the CITAL Website, Your One-Stop-Shop for Faculty Resources

Submit a CITAL Helpdesk Ticket

219.464.50001700 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383-6493 USAvalpo.edu

Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.