CTL Happenings - Message #438

Google’s wide array of tools—both the familiar and the cutting edge—can energize your teaching and enhance student learning. On February 27, 9-11 a.m. at the Idea Garden, Hine Hall IP106, 875 W. North Street, experience these tools firsthand when Google representatives visit IUPUI for the Google Higher Ed Roadshow. In these sessions, geared toward faculty as well as academic technology staff, you’ll explore new ideas for bringing Google tools into the classroom. You’ll discover how Google can facilitate creative problem solving, collaboration, and communication. 

These sessions will cover:

• G Suite tools, such as Docs, Drive, Calendar, Chat, Meet, and Jamboard—the new interactive whiteboard from Google
• Google Course Kit,  which provides a seamless experience across GSuite apps within Canvas
• Google’s Virtual Reality (VR) tools  like the immersive, 360° Tour Creator and Poly

The Google Higher Ed Roadshow is an event you won’t want to miss! Registration is limited, so please RSVP if you plan to attend.

Discover new ways to enhance student learning and reduce achievement gaps. William M. Plater Institute on the Future of Learning and LEAP INdiana Conference will feature speakers Laura de Abruna, Ph.D., New York College of Pennsylvania and Casey Green, Ph.D. The Campus Computing Project.  Faculty will also experience: 

• Fast-paced dynamic presentations
• Digital courseware & adaptive learning technology demonstrations
• Digital sandbox exploration with Q & A

Join colleagues from across Indiana at the 2019 on February 8, 2019, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information and registration, visit platerinstitute.iupui.edu.

IUPUI’s student body has become increasingly diverse. However, students of color continue to face barriers in the classroom related to their sense of belonging, representation, and retention. The Teaching Towards Racial Equity Workshop Series, which is part of The White Racial Literacy Project, is designed for instructors who are currently teaching and are aspiring to promote racial equity in their courses. Whether you have encountered challenges related to racial equity in the classroom or you are new to this topic, we invite you to engage with colleagues. Participants will reflect on how their identities, lived experiences, and worldview impact their teaching and students’ learning. Participants will also have opportunities to refine their courses and implement strategies to achieve racial equity in the classroom.

Instructors who are interested in this workshop series need to submit an online application by January 27. Click here for more information and to apply.

The IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning seeks proposals from faculty teaching at higher education institutions across Indiana for the 2019 E.C. Moore Symposium on Excellence in Teaching. We would especially welcome proposals that address topics such as: efforts to improve student learning and engagement, inclusive excellence, integrative learning, novel general education courses or curricula, creative use of instructional technology, and initiatives that promote excellence in teaching. Proposals should clearly demonstrate relevance to a broad range of disciplines. The 2019 E.C. Moore Symposium will be held on Friday, March 8th at the IUPUI Campus Center.

Proposals will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. Click here for more information and to submit a proposal.

The Curriculum Enhancement Grant (CEG)  provides faculty with technical and instructional support, time, and funds to implement projects designed to improve student learning and success at IUPUI, IUPU Columbus, and IUFW. In addition, the grants seek to enhance the conversation about scholarly teaching on campus and increase the practice of the scholarship of teaching and learning. The grant supports a wide range of faculty projects designed to improve student learning and success. See the 2019 Curriculum Enhancement Grant Request for Proposals for more information. The deadline for proposal submissions is Friday, January 25, 2019, 11:59 p.m.

As IUPUI begins the process of reviewing general education courses, course coordinators or faculty responsible for preparing course portfolios for review may have questions about the information and materials that need to go into the portfolios. This workshop will provide an overview of the course review process, a review of course portfolio requirements, the process for assembling and submitting the portfolio, and the rubric that will be used to review the course portfolios. Examples from existing course portfolios will be incorporated into the workshop. Questions and discussion will be encouraged.

This workshop is being offered in two formats: in person and online.  When you register, you will be prompted to choose how you would like to attend.

Have you ever had the experience of reading your end-of-semester student evaluations and found yourself surprised by the comments? Perhaps a student made a suggestion that you agree would be an improvement to the course.Or maybe a student was critical of something and you wish you could have explained the pedagogical reasoning behind your course design. Although end-of-semester feedback can be helpful for making adjustments for future semesters, it is too late to make changes that will impact the students who actually provided the feedback. This webinar will focus on obtaining mid-semester feedback from students.

This webinar is part of the Center for Teaching and Learning’s online mini-workshop series focused on foundational teaching skills, Teaching@IUPUI. Designed for new faculty, adjunct faculty, graduate students, and those looking for a refresher on good teaching practices, the webinars are short, with a brief presentation interspersed with opportunities for interaction and questions. Grounded in current research, the workshops address various teaching topics and provide participants with strategies and resources to make instruction more effective, efficient, and enjoyable. Sessions are scheduled with the time of semester in mind, to keep topics relevant for faculty needs at that time.

This event aligns with the following IUSM Academy of Teaching Scholars program competencies: Assessment Methods and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (A).

With the recent opening of the Idea Garden, a new, collaborative innovation space for students, faculty, and staff at IUPUI and the recent addition of a Virtual Reality Station in the IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning, there are now more opportunities to begin learning about and experiencing how you might integrate virtual reality and augmented reality into your teaching and learning.

Participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to learn about and experience a variety of virtual reality and augmented reality tools and applications such as:

• Google Expeditions
• Virtual Reality applications
• Virtual Reality headsets and equipment for experiencing VR
• Cameras for creating VR experiences

Space is limited so be sure and register soon! 

Open Educational Resources (OER) are a great solution for making class material affordable (or free!) for your students. In this webinar we will discuss definitions of OER, Creative Commons licensing, and OER resources available at IU. 

One of those resources is Pressbooks, a tool that allows you or your students to write manuals, articles, books, and more for a variety of uses including sharing with others as open educational resources. It can also be used to adopt existing OER into your courses. Learn how you can integrate Pressbooks into your classroom. 

This event aligns with the following IUSM Academy of Teaching Scholars program competencies: Instructional Strategies (IS), Instructional Technology (IT).

Open Educational Resources (OER) are a great solution for making class material affordable (or free!) for your students. In this webinar we will discuss definitions of OER, Creative Commons licensing, and OER resources available at IU. 

One of those resources is Pressbooks, a tool that allows you or your students to write manuals, articles, books, and more for a variety of uses including sharing with others as open educational resources. It can also be used to adopt existing OER into your courses. Learn how you can integrate Pressbooks into your classroom.

This event aligns with the following IUSM Academy of Teaching Scholars program competencies: Instructional Strategies (IS), Instructional Technology (IT).

Have you had a student involved in academic misconduct in your class and are unsure how to address the situation?  This webinar will introduce graduate students to the steps in how to handle different types of academic misconduct.  We will also look at how to avoid common problems in classrooms by being proactive when designing assessments, and emphasizing academic integrity in the classroom from the first day.

This event aligns with the following IUSM Academy of Teaching Scholars program competencies: Instructional Strategies (IS).

As IUPUI begins the process of reviewing general education courses, course coordinators or faculty responsible for preparing course portfolios for review may have questions about the information and materials that need to go into the portfolios. This workshop will provide an overview of the course review process, a review of course portfolio requirements, the process for assembling and submitting the portfolio, and the rubric that will be used to review the course portfolios. Examples from existing course portfolios will be incorporated into the workshop. Questions and discussion will be encouraged.

This workshop is being offered in two formats: in person and online.  When you register, you will be prompted to choose how you would like to attend.

• Multicultural Leadership Empowerment Program 
The MLEP cultivates leaders to engage in issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion; developing knowledge, awareness, skills, and practices that respond to the challenges and possibilities of learning, working, and living in a diverse world. Apply for the second Spring 2019 cohort (running March 21st-April 19th) by clicking here!  More information can also be found here. 

• Join CIRTL at IUPUI to build your resume and more. 
Presenters from across the country share their expertise on teaching and learning topics in STEM education to prepare graduate students for future faculty careers. Sign up for a free CIRTL network account to enroll in upcoming CIRTL cross-network courses and events.

The Polis Center at IUPUI is offering a series of free workshops to build data literacy skills and use the SAVI community information system as a resource. See the workshops offered below: 

• Create and Use Client Data |January 31, 9 – 11 a.m. - Register
• Create and Use Survey Data  |February 14, 9 – 11 a.m. - Register

The Mosaic Faculty Fellows program provides an opportunity across two semesters for faculty to explore and reflect upon active learning approaches with other Mosaic Fellows. The call for the next round of Fellows is out and can be found on the Mosaic Initiative site. The deadline for application is March 22. Click here for more information.

Melinda Stanely from IU Kokomo will share her engagement techniques used in her online courses to increase interaction between her students.  She will also share how VoiceThread is used to create effective online lecture presentations open to student feedback, and discuss the importance of course announcements, and what makes this communication tool effective for students.

To register for more information, click here.

This three-session series is designed to train participants to communicate complex scientific topics more effectively to non-experts like patients, learners, lawmakers, and funders.

Session 1: Feb. 12, 4:00 -6:00 p.m., Connecting With Your Audience 
Session 2:  Feb. 19, 4:00- 6:00 p.m., Distilling Your Message 
Session 3: Feb. 26, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., Media Training for Scientists and Physicians

All participants are asked to commit to the entire three workshop series, as each session builds upon the previous. For class descriptions and to register click here.  Please note: If you register for this event, you will be registered for all three sessions. 

Call for Presentations, workshops and posters deadline is Friday, February 15, 2019 for the 8th Annual PEER-LED TEAM LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY.  Among the threads to be explored are:  (1)Sustainability of PLTL campus programs; (2)Critical thinking, meta-cognition, and PLTL; (3)Discourse analysis including cyberPLTL; (4)PLTL and the sense of belonging; (5)Workplace skills development and PLTL; (6)Implementations in non-STEM disciplines.  For more information, contact Dr. Ne'Shaun Jones

Save The Dates:  Thursday - Saturday, June 6 - 8, 2019 for the 8th Annual Conference of the Peer-Led Team Learning International Society.  This event is hosted by IUPUI STEM Education Innovation and Research Institute (SEIRI).  For more information:  info@pltlis.org

Gannon, K. (2018, November 26) What is the purpose of final exams, anyway?Chronicle of Higher Education.

This article gives alternate assessment options to the high-stakes final exams. Specifically, student-centered and creative solutions are offered that can motivate students to be consistently engaged, be less anxious of heavily weighted final exams, and demonstrate well-rounded learning outcomes.