Greetings, Friends, 

This week has been at least a decade long, right? Whew. We hope you’re finding time for a pause, a breath, a kind word, a glass of your favorite...tea. At Mason, we know our strength builds on our community, and on our deep investment in inquiry, dialogue, and the possibility of new pathways—all of which the world needs now.   

Your colleagues at Stearns Center are part of that community, and we’re here with resources for Now, Next, and maybe even some New Spring Plans. 

For timely suggestions about debriefing and supporting your students in the upcoming weeks, we remind you about resources from Mason Votes, and we highly recommend this new blog post from Michigan’s CRLT. Our new podcasts on engaging with Mason’s diverse and energetic students may also spark some ideas. (Research shows us that students appreciate faculty who acknowledge how significant world events may affect their learning.) 

And even though it’s just finally looking like fall, we encourage you to think a bit about your spring classes and projects. See below for information about Course ReDesign Academy, Project Learning Bootcamp, and our expanding collection of Stearns Center Mini-Grants to stoke your imagination and keep you moving forward! 

E Shelley Reid, Ph.D. 

Executive Director of Engaged Teaching 

STEM Education Grants

The Stearns Center is offering STEM Education Grants for Spring 2025. Grants support curriculum updates and capacity building. Applications are due Dec. 9th. 

Inclusive Excellence in Teaching Grants

To aid in scaling-up student support and inclusive excellence in teaching efforts across campus, we are offering IET grants. Applications are due Dec. 9th. 

Classroom Inquiry Grants

The SoTL-Classroom Inquiry Grants support faculty examining classroom practice in a scholarly way (data collection, analysis, & dissemination). Applications are due Dec. 9th.

Writing Across the Curriculum Grants

Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) invites proposals from academic units seeking to enhance the intentionality and sustainability of writing instruction across disciplines. Applications are due Dec. 9th

Are you creating or revamping a Mason Apex course? Do you want to create a high-impact project that foster critical thinking skills and creativity? Would you like students to draw connections with their previous coursework? Join us for this hybrid faculty development opportunity that includes two Zoom meetings and several asynchronous online modules. By the end of the bootcamp, you will have an assignment sheet, including grading rubric, ready to implement into your course.

The Stearns Center is hiring for a Faculty Fellow position for Spring 2025. The Faculty Fellow will work to develop STEM specific resources around curriculum design. Applications are due December 8th. Notifications will be sent before winter break.

Course ReDesign Academy will be mostly online in January--with Zoom meetings January 8-9, 2025--to support your final adjustments for a spring course or your advance planning for summer or fall.  Accepted participants receive a stipend to support course development. See more online, and use our link there to submit your application by December 11.

Join us February 4 and/or 11, 2025 for the first set of AI Literacy Test Kitchens! Whether you're new to AI tools like ChatGPT or experienced, explore prompts and discuss the role of AI literacy and creativity in teaching. Based on "Teaching with AI" by Bowen and Watson, this session will enhance your AI literacy skills and teaching strategies.

Make time for your writing by participating in a Friday Faculty Writing Sprint. These writing sprints are opportunities to connect with colleagues and create accountability for your writing plans. NEW this semester! Starting October 4, writing sprints will be held in-person on the first Friday of each month. 

Teaching a writing-intensive course, or want to reconsider how your unit integrates writing into its curriculum? The WAC Program helps academic units reimagine their approaches to teaching and assessing writing at the course and curriculum level. Email us to schedule a consultation.

Last Chance for Live Canvas Training before Spring Semester!

Are You Canvas-Ready? Join us for Canvas Boot Camp December 3-5 (via Zoom) for the final live training option before spring semester. Other Canvas training opportunities include Getting Started with Canvas (bi-weekly Zoom intro sessions) and our ongoing Canvas Brown Bag Sessions (weekly Zoom discussions).

The David J. King Teaching Award is given annually to a faculty member who has made significant, long-term contributions (over the course of 20 years or more) to the overall educational excellence of the university. Read more on our website; nominate a colleague via email to stearns@gmu.edu by February 12, 2025.

AIEM-Teach Unit Credential: Interested in... curriculum (re-)design? Retention? DFW rates? Supporting all students? Intentionally supporting your faculty in professional development? Units can be defined broadly as any group of at least 4-5 people including individual courses, academic programs, and departments. We offer customizable workshops and the opportunity for your unit to earn a credential and recognition. 

AIEM-Teach Individual Credential: Are you coming up for promotion or need to document your teaching efforts? Are you looking to connect with other faculty interested in teaching from across campus? Consider joining our open call workshops and earning an inclusive teaching credential!