For instructors, classroom discussions may seem difficult to facilitate effectively. Asking 'good' questions that are thought-provoking and lead to robust, in-depth discussion and student engagement requires thoughtful planning and preparation. In this workshop, effective methodologies for planning a discussion and best practices for facilitating student responses will be explored and modeled.  Register

When you think of your favorite teacher, what images or words come to mind? How would you describe your own teaching persona in comparison? Good teachers exhibit a “teaching persona” that is a balance between their authentic self and professional self. Thinking about this facet of teaching is important for new instructors, as it helps them find a personal classroom management style that’s right for them while effectively promoting student learning; at the same time, it can be a helpful reflective exercise for more experienced instructors.

This workshop will provide you with directed, interactive guidance and recommendations on developing specific aspects of your teaching persona and style, along with helpful advice for any who are still learning to become comfortable in front of a classroom.  Register

Clearly articulating classroom expectations helps to set the foundation for a mutually beneficial course. Research shows that persistence and retention is connected to student's sense of belonging. Furthermore, students who engage in quality interactions with faculty are retained at a higher rate (Astin 1977, 1993). As a faculty member, it is important to assist in developing this sense of belonging and aid in students persistence and retention. This session will cover pedagogical strategies and ways to negotiate positive norms within your classroom to assist you in developing a meaningful academic environment.

This is a required session for a certificate of completion in Fostering Proactive Learning Environments. Register

Do you have a desire to help your learners become more engaged and motivated to do well? Join us to learn how to create positive, engaging learning environments where learners “show up” in every meaning of the word. Together, we will explore specific strategies that you as an instructor can use to engage learners from the first class and maintain that engagement throughout the semester. You will have the opportunity to plan strategies and learning activities that can enhance engagement for all learners in many contexts, including small classrooms, large lecture halls, or online.  Register

While student learning is assessed in its most basic form via grades, those grades should only be the end product of a series of measures implemented in a class that assess what students are actually “learning with understanding”. Effective assessments that promote real, deep learning are formative, engaging students in the moment or helping them understand the relevance of their learning.

This session will explore how well-designed assessments can improve student learning, specifically how instructors can ensure students achieve different levels of cognitive thinking and knowledge development through intentional assessment design. A variety of strategies and examples will be discussed along with other important considerations in assessment development.   Register

Creating an environment of integrity within the classroom truly takes a village. Faculty, administrators, and students all play a role in maintaining an ethical campus community. This workshop will explore preventative tools to address classroom roadblocks.

This is a required session for a certificate of completion in Fostering Proactive Learning Environments.  Register

Whether you are new to teaching or not, we all have things about teaching that give us stress or that take more time than we would like. In this workshop, we will strive for effective student learning while being kind to ourselves and our own time. We will discuss sources of teaching anxiety and you will leave with strategies that you can use for effective planning and feedback.  Register

A teaching philosophy statement provides a concise description of an instructor's perspective on teaching, student learning, methodologies, and implementation, and institutions typically request a teaching philosophy statement from applicants for faculty positions and as part of the tenure and promotion process.

What, then, is your teaching philosophy? What should your write or include? This is a working webinar, where we will discuss best practices and strategies for composing the statement, incorporating time for individual brainstorming on components, group discussion and feedback, and theme development, concluding with recommendations and resources. Participants will leave with an outline of their statement themes, opening paragraph, and guidelines to continue crafting it.

For you and other participants to benefit the most in the time available, this webinar requires that you do some reflective writing in advance of the session.  Register

Technology misuse in the classroom has become so pervasive that we must rethink whether our energies should be spent fighting it or whether to work with students on a new paradigm. Yet struggles around technology are also the most obvious symptom of a much larger problem of many students' inability to focus and the value many of them hold for multitasking.

This is an elective session for a certificate of completion in Fostering Proactive Learning Environments.  Register

Job postings in higher education may request some kind of statement outlining your contributions to inclusivity and diversity, in addition to teaching and research statements. These written essays help search committees identify candidates who have the skills, experience, and/or capacity to engage in activities that enhance campus inclusivity efforts.

How do you approach writing such a statement? What should be included - research, teaching, and service experiences / activities, or values, views, and future goals? What are search committees looking for? This webinar will provide guidance in exploring your personal experiences to help you determine what to emphasize and include in your statement, and how best to illustrate your personal commitment to an institution’s mission and goals.

This is a working webinar, requiring that you do some reflective writing in advance, so that all participants can benefit from a richer group discussion. Register

In this session we will discuss the academic misconduct trends we are seeing online and in person with our students. Additionally, we will discuss how to identify and address these common violations while maintaining a productive instructor/student relationship.

This is a required session for a certificate of completion in Fostering Proactive Learning Environments.  Register

This presentation focuses on the benefits of incorporating artificial intelligence into lesson plans and course content. This new technology spans across disciplines and has an infinite amount of possibilities for its users. It is important that rather than shying away from artificial intelligence we as educators add it to the vast toolkit at our disposal to better prepare our students to become competitive global citizens. This presentation will provide tangible examples of how to incorporate AI in your classroom, discuss some pitfalls to avoid with AI and share information from the viewpoint of the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity.  Register

It’s time to start thinking about your upcoming course! Have you already started planning your syllabus and have ideas but don't know where to start? Or are you feeling mired down in syllabus details, feeling like you're missing a prime opportunity to rethink and revise certain sections? You're not alone - and we're here to help! Join other instructors as we break down the components of the syllabus using the backwards design model: the role of learning outcomes and how to craft them, developing quality learning activities, formulating the appropriate assessment, and determining the most effective teaching methodology. Other tips and advice for syllabus development, including required and recommended components, along with examples of good and bad syllabus construction, will be discussed.  Register

Are you ready to transform your assessment methods and unleash the power of technology to enhance student learning? In this webinar, we will delve into the world of Generative Artificial Intelligence, a powerful technology that can generate text, translate languages, write different creative content, and answer your questions with human-like responses. With prompt engineering, the art of crafting effective instructions for generative AI, you will discover how to design prompts that elicit thoughtful responses. Discover how to generate assessments that align with your course learning outcomes to foster creativity, critical thinking, and personalized learning experiences.  Register

Engaging in conflict is challenging whether you are an experienced instructor or new to your role. A common strategy is to ignore the behavior due to our own discomfort, concern over retaliation or fear that our intervention may cause more harm or disruption. We will identify what our fears are about classroom disruption and use case study examples to practice strategies to stretch participants' comfort zones. This workshop will also explore Gerald Amada's research from Coping with Misconduct in the College Classroom and provide participants with tangible strategies to prevent and respectfully address disruptive behavior.

This is a required session for a certificate of completion in Fostering Proactive Learning Environments.  Register