Faculty,
The Faculty Resource Bulletin is one of many steps we’re taking to improve communication about local and statewide faculty professional development information and opportunities. Please visit our Faculty Resources sites (see links in the header of this blog) for more information as well as past Bulletins.
Highlights of this week’s Bulletin include:
- From Your Colleagues: Using Zoom for Student Feedback
- Equity and Inclusion Roundtables
- Academic Technology Innovation Funds Available
- Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom
- Events and Development Opportunities
- On Campus (Workshops and Drop-in Webinars)
- Other Opportunities (System and State)
From Your Colleagues: Using Zoom for Student Feedback
Wes Jorde, philosophy faculty at DCTC, has been using Zoom to provide feedback to students on written assignments in his online courses. This form of feedback allows students to hear his voice, an important factor in reducing student stress levels as they receive the feedback. It also allows them to review the verbal feedback, written annotations, and transcripts as many times as they like.
Watch Wes demonstrate this practice in this Zoom recording: https://minnstate.zoom.us/recording/play/agKzceD45m11XPM8pL90VTZzHs02sk0bUKQfx51vqgjv9K036suGl_4nQn7Egwd8?autoplay=true&startTime=1574622931000.
Equity and Inclusion Roundtables
Teaching in Multi-Generational Classrooms
Friday, April 3
10:00-11:30 (IHCC)
1:00-2:30 (DCTC)
We are excited to be offering these opportunities for faculty to share effective teaching methods across disciplines. Each session will featured a guest facilitator, who will open the topic and provide a broad perspective on the topic. Faculty will then facilitate the discussion toward a deeper understanding of how the topics play out in the classroom.
Our hope is that these informal discussions result in a deeper understanding of our diverse student body. See the events calendar for more information, including location as well as guest and faculty facilitators for each session.
Academic Technology Innovation Funds Available
In collaboration with Todd Jagerson and ITS, the Teaching and Technology Committee at IHCC and Faculty Development Committee at DCTC are pleased to announce new funding to support faculty innovation in the use of technology in teaching and learning contexts.
Both committees have set processes for requesting these funds, with a focus on ease of faculty access, accountability for their use (for teaching and learning), and obtaining information required to make purchases.
Guidelines
Please send requests for funding to ttc@inverhills.edu (IHCC) martin.springborg@dctc.edu (DCTC). Requests should include a brief introduction as well as the following:
- Basic information about the technology being requested, including manufacturer, cost, and subscription information or quote if applicable.
- A connection to at least one learning outcome from your course(s) that will benefit from the technology being requested.
- Some information about where you found the technology (through a colleague, at a conference, etc.).
DCTC Only:
- Note any matching funds for the request, from a department or program.
Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom
Online
February 17 – March 23
Cornell University’s Center for Teaching Innovation is offering a massive open online course (MOOC) for educators, Teaching & Learning in the Diverse Classroom, which guides instructors in exploring frameworks and strategies for building and sustaining inclusive learning environments. The course runs from February 17 – March 23, 2020 on edX.org.
U.S.-based and higher-education-centered, the five-week course is for anyone with teaching responsibilities, at any level of diversity expertise. Registration for the course is open now.
The course features:
- compelling voices and stories from students and faculty
- opportunities to reflect on social identity, both your own and students’
- an introduction to key research on inclusion and student-centered learning
- an emphasis on assessing your own course design through the lens of inclusion
- a learning community guide to help form a cohort at your institution.
The course is free to attend, or there is an option to earn a certificate (for a $49 fee).
Meet our instructors and learn about the course in an introductory video.
Please get in touch with questions at cornellcti@cornell.edu.
Events and Development Opportunities
On Campus
We have a lot planned this semester! We kicked things off with a half-day “Brightspace Refresher Camp” at DCTC. This training covered basic and advance tools, as well as recent updates made to email and other functions. If you couldn’t join us, you can access slides and handouts from the Faculty Resources site: https://www.inverhills.edu/FacultyResources/EventsandNews.aspx. Click on the dropdown menu for “Brightspace Refresher Camp”.
We will also continue to offer “Drop-in Webinars” – opportunities to participate in live webinars with your faculty colleagues and have discussions afterwards. We host most online opportunities/webinars in our space (Fine Arts 270 at IHCC and 2-141C at DCTC). Consider participating with your faculty colleagues and join a discussion afterwards.
See our Events Calendar for a full schedule of all programming, and watch for announcements of future opportunities in your email.
Recordings
Unable to participate in webinars we host on campus? We’re sad you can’t join us, but you can also RSVP from the Events Calendar and participate on your own. Recordings for most webinars can be accessed from the Minnesota State D2L Support SharePoint site. Use your StarID@minnstate.edu credentials to login. Contact Martin Springborg if you can’t find a recording you’re looking for.
Other Opportunities
See posts under college categories (above and in right navigation) for information on campus Brightspace and course design sessions. View our Events Calendar to see details on these and other campus professional development opportunities.
Applying the Quality Matters Rubric Short Course
QM’s flagship workshop on the QM Rubric and its use in reviewing the design of online and blended courses is intended for a broad audience, including but not limited to faculty, instructional designers, administrators, and adjunct instructors. It is particularly helpful to those new to QM or those considering the adoption of a quality assurance process for online and blended learning.
In addition to learning about the QM Rubric and the course review process, participants will learn to apply the concept of alignment and draft helpful recommendations for course improvement.
After completing this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Recognize the foundational concepts of Quality Matters.
- Identify the critical elements of the QM quality assurance program, including the QM Rubric, materials, processes, and administrative components.
- Apply the QM Rubric to review online courses.
- Make decisions on whether the demo course meets selected QM Rubric Standards.
- Apply the concept of alignment.
- Draft helpful recommendations for course improvement by citing annotations from the QM Rubric and evidence from the course.
Skills to Facilitate Your Course Efficiently using D2L Brightspace Tools
The Quality Improvement Process site provides examples of ways to to support student-to-content interaction in courses.
- Fixing courseware glitches, such as broken links, typos, and mistakes, as needed.
- Monitoring learning outcomes based on student interaction with content.
- Improving content as needed to facilitate learner outcomes.
By the end of this three week course you will be able to using D2L Brightspace tools to mange your D2L course efficiently and effectively. You will be provided with key workflows that you need to copy or import course materials, tips and tricks to streamline the process, and strategies for organizing your course schedule. Participants come away with the skills to reuse existing materials in the most efficient manner.
Course Learning Objectives
- Differentiate between D2L Brightspace tools (e.g. Import/Export/Copy Components, Manage Dates, Brightspace Pulse) to apply effective course structure for student motivation.
- Apply D2L Brightspace tools to organize a structured path for students to take within your course.
- Select and implement one of the D2L Brightspace tools in your course.
STAR Symposium 2020
Online
February 28
8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
This free virtual one-day conference includes presentations that focus on pedagogical approaches including delivery via face-to-face, blended, flipped and online classrooms.
The STAR Symposium focuses on topics related to quality initiatives and best practices (teaching, design, faculty support, etc.) for face-to-face, blended, and online courses and/or programs.
The symposium includes 24 concurrent sessions and two keynote presenters. Join us to hear from experienced professionals about topics related to faculty support, course design and delivery, assessment practices, technology integration, and student engagement strategies.
Search more Minnesota State system events at www.asanewsletter.org/events.