Valued colleagues,
Evergreen was founded in the late-1960s, when the world was cresting a wave of social change. At the same moment, the global economy was beginning a radical shift that would swing us toward neoliberal realities. To say there’s a tension here is banal, because it’s probably the defining tension of the postmodern era – but I think it plays out in particular localized ways for us as teachers. The mission and models we cherish value a handmade education: experiential, high-touch, customized, analog. Yet we can’t escape the surrounding context of time-space compression, immaterial labor, technologization, and precarity. I’ve been mulling this over as I try to pinpoint where Evergreen faculty are in our work lives right now. How can we excel at making a “slow” education when everything seems to be racing faster?
In my role as the LTC Faculty Scholar, part of what I hope to offer is pedagogical resources. But “resources” often manifest as “more to read” – and who has time for that? This extends to the production of resources themselves: too many good efforts at Evergreen get swept away in the tide of limited attention and advancing datestamps. I wanted to highlight existing teaching resources in this newsletter, but it feels important to pair the links with ideas about how you might approach them. My ideal for the Learning and Teaching Commons is that we could actually save you time by offering tangible, portable materials to use in the classroom. Let me know what I can do to get closer to that target!
Teaching at Evergreen
What: This Canvas site is a repository for the best work of the LTC and friends, organized into thematic modules.
How: The magnitude of this archive may be overwhelming – on the Modules page, you can use the little triangle to zip closed topics you’re not looking for and focus on the information you want. For most modules, the first item is the key guide, so put your attention there if you’re trying to be efficient. If you’re continuing from there, it may be helpful to use the Next button at the bottom of the page.
LTC Website Resources
What: The Learning and Teaching Commons has a site for updates and archiving, and you’ll find a different but overlapping mix of materials here.
How: You’ll need to use the dropdown menu under Guides & Resources to find your way. If you hate looking at Canvas, you may find the Learning and Teaching Guides page more inviting (some links lead to the larger Washington Center site). Syllabus Statements collects snippets that you can cut-and-paste.
Real Evergreen: An Educator’s Handbook
What: Edited by Joli Sandoz, this epic anthology collects recent and archival writings about teaching at Evergreen. Updates in progress!
How: The table of contents is helpfully organized into thematic sections. Plus, it’s a PDF, so you can search for keywords! Many of these selections would be interesting to share and discuss with students to promote metacognition.
I’ll stop here, but I’m sure there are other valuable guides and repositories out there. I’d appreciate hearing about your favorite Evergreen teaching resources to use and remember.
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This year, we are adopting a new model for teaching support and enrichment sessions: LTC Salons. Salons, held Fridays 12:30-2:30pm, will be hosted by the Faculty Fellow as informal gatherings around a theme.
Each Salon topic will come with a digital resource packet – stop by any time during the event to pick up a hard copy and say hello. Stay for a while, if you like, to discuss the materials or bounce around your own issues and questions over tea and snacks. You’re welcome with whatever amount of time and engagement you have available that day.
Some Salons will repeat and others will be new each quarter, depending on interest, so if you miss one you hoped attend do let us know.
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Fridays 12:30-2:30pm
January 19 (week 2) – Salon: Library Resources
February 2 (week 4) – Salon: Pedagogy of Kindness with Wajeehah Aayeshah
February 16 (week 6) – Salon: Learning and Teaching AI Literacies
March 1 (week 8) – Salon: Supporting Undocumented Students
March 15 (week 10) – Community Work Session: Evaluations
Odd-numbered weeks: LTC Faculty Scholar office hours (or by appointment!)
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Timothy Corvidae (he/him), Instructional Designer at the Washington Center, brings a range of experience in curriculum design, instruction, and facilitation. Check out his full bio on our website and connect for further conversations on online teaching at Evergreen.
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Engaging Formats for Student Introductions
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As the quarter ends we might not be feeling quite ready to think about how to kick off the next one, but . . . this tip is tailored for week 1, so here it is.
Just about every guide you’ll ever read about fostering community online will recommend having students post introductions to themselves in the first week, or even in “week zero” before the term begins. This works just about any way you do it, but it can be more fun–and students may be more likely to really give each other’s posts their due–if they can do it in a format that is inherently engaging.
These introductions can also serve to get students relating to themes in your program or course. I like to pose a few prompts for their introduction, at least one asking for a personal connection to a theme you’ll be studying, and at least one that is an invitation to just share about themselves as a human, not a student.
Here are three formats that can work with whatever prompts you choose:
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Photo from your Phone: Have students select a photo from their phone’s photo gallery to share that says something about what they value/what delights them in the world/something or someone that sustains and uplifts them/ [insert prompt here]. They should add alternative text describing the photo in their post, in case someone in the class has a visual impairment. Make it clear that this must be a photo they already have, because this is a reflection activity for them as well as an act of representation (Maybe suggest that camera photos or photos stored on a computer are also allowed, in the event a student doesn’t have a phone with a camera). Have them write about the photo with their post–either a free-form explanation or you can provide some thoughtful prompts. Then, encourage students to ask each other questions or name connections they notice between people’s photos and themes.
Variation: Take a selfie of yourself wherever you are right now/where you usually study/where you usually log in for zoom class. This is about weaving together a physical learning community composed of the physical environments everyone.
Use flip (formerly known as flip grid) for intro videos:
(Most) students love flip grid. And it’s an app within Microsoft 365, so it gets students into that environment.
The key is to ask students to limit the length of their videos. The goal here is for students to be able to enjoy watching all or most of each other’s videos, so short is sweet. I recommend 90 seconds to 2 minutes max; maybe even challenge them to 1 minute. You can actually enforce this when you set up a grid, by setting a time limit for their recording.
Drawback: Some students aren’t thrilled about making a video of themselves, and for some of them this might not be something they can or will do. You can address this by offering the option of turning the camera around, and making a walking video of a place they love, or someplace they’ve been meaning to explore, or [insert prompt here]. You could even have ALL the students do this.
Use a shared slide deck with a slide template: This is a current favorite of mine, for many kinds of assignments. Think about what you want students to share in their introduction, and set up a nice slide template in which they can do that. Create a slide deck in powerpoint with enough copies of the template slide for all of your students. You can embed the slide deck in a page on your canvas site (reach out if you’d like a walk-through of this process). Then invite students to grab a slide and complete it. Students can interact with each other’s slides using by adding comments (under the Review menu, they can choose Comment), or but posting comments in the Notes section underneath a slide.
This format works well because students can share a good amount of information that is digestible because it comes in a predictable, visually organized format. It’s fun, because students can see the array of their slides in the side bar, and can flip back and forth through each other’s pages easily. Using it for introductions also gets them used to the format, if you want to use it for other activities later in the quarter (it’s excellent for doing critiques, proposing projects, and so much more!).
Here’s an example slide template:
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Proposals for Evergreen Summer Institutes Opening Soon! |
Keep an eye on your email next week, applications opening soon!
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As the quarter continues, the Writing Center is available to support students with essays and other writing projects for their programs and classes, as well as with self-evaluations, resumes and cover letters, scholarship and other application essays, creative writing, and more. Students can access writing tutoring in the following ways:
Visit or call (360-867-6420) the Writing Center in Library 2310 (on the Library’s main floor) during our open hours:
Mondays – Thursdays: 12pm-7pm | in-person OR online
Fridays and Sundays: 12pm-4pm | online only
Schedule an appointment through our WCOnline platform
Email us: WritingCenterStaff@evergreen.edu or ansley.clark@evergreen.edu
Additionally, please don't hesitate to reach out to schedule a Writing Center visit for your class or program, ask questions, voice comments and concerns, and request specific support. As I continue to get to know Evergreen's communities and learn how the Writing Center can best support them, I welcome feedback and look forward to getting to know faculty.
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These individuals and offices are eager to support students. Keep this list handy when advising students or reach out to schedule a visit to your program or course.
• The Greener Hub connects students in touch with the people, offices, and services they need.
• Visit the Daniel J. Evans Library page to learn about student access to electronic and print materials.
• Refer students to the Writing Center and the Quantitative & Symbolic Reasoning Center for tutoring support.
• TRiO provides wraparound services to first-generation, low income, and disabled students.
• Media Services offers equipment, instruction, and production services in audio, video, animation, film, and photography for students, faculty, and staff.
• The Title IX office is available to support us in our responsibilities as mandatory reporters. Review the Guide for Responsible Employees for more information.
• Connect your students with Advising and Career Services for support with academic planning and career exploration.
• Access Services for Students with Disabilities works with admitted Evergreen students to ensure equal access to academic programs and services.
• Submit your student concerns to the Campus Assessment, Response & Evaluation (CARE) Team. This cross-divisional team directs students towards supportive campus resources.
• The basic needs center provides resources for a variety of student needs.
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There are many opportunities for faculty to share their achievements, and we want to encourage you to contribute to the wealth of knowledge in our Evergreen community. Explore the options below for highlighting your work.
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Faculty Notes
Submit a Faculty Note.
Library Institutional Repository
Please submit any publications, learning resources, or other materials that you would like to share and contact archives@evergreen.edu with any questions or feedback.
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Real Evergreen: An Educator’s Handbook
For details or to submit a contribution, contact Joli Sandoz.
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