CTL Happenings - Message #603

Supiano, B. (2024, November 12). How Professors Handled Classes After the Election. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

In the wake of the elections, instructors took a variety of approaches to handling their classes, navigating and reflecting on the diverse emotions and political views of their students. Read this article to learn how instructors supported students and facilitated learning in respectful and productive ways.

The Extended Reality Initiative (XRI) Faculty Fellows Grant provides faculty with technical and instructional support and funds to implement Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) assignments/projects/activities into their course(s) that are designed to improve student learning and success at IU. Proposals are due December 8!

Learn more about the initiative and submit a proposal!

Are you an instructor of record this semester at IU Indianapolis? The CTL is conducting a study of current teaching practices employed by instructors at IU Indianapolis. The goal of this project is to understand how the institution can continue to advance evidence-based teaching practices that are known to improve student outcomes and course completion rates.

Participation is voluntary and will involve completing a short survey which should take you no more than 8 minutes. All instructors of record for Fall semester can participate.

Complete the survey.

Want to learn how to make (or improve) a great online or hybrid course? Then join us for this one-day introduction to the Quality Matters (QM) Rubric and to the QM quality assurance process, on Friday December 13, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. QM is the world’s leading quality assurance organization for online and hybrid course design, and you’ll apply QM’s recently updated Rubric to an actual online course! Completion of the workshop is a step toward becoming a certified Quality Matters peer reviewer. Attendees must bring their own laptops and power supplies. Lunch is provided!

Register for the workshop.

The Learning Technologies Faculty Fellows Programs have open applications to become a Fellow. Open fellows cohorts include the Digital Gardeners Initiative and the Extended Reality Initiative. If you are interested in building community and connections with faculty from across our IU campuses and exploring more with Learning Technologies, we encourage you to apply! Applications due December 2.

If you have questions, please contact:

Kelly Scholl – LT Fellows Programs Director

Justin Hodgson – Digital Gardener Initiative Director

Randy Newbrough – Extended Reality Initiative Director

Wednesday, November 20 | 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. | Online - Zoom
Register » Organizer: Anusha S. Rao and Presenter: Anusha S Rao and Richard Turner

If you are interested in applying for a 2025 Curriculum Enhancement Grant (CEG), we encourage you to attend this online information and Q&A session. During the 75-min session you will meet the program chairs and

• learn about the program goals, project tracks including the new Student Success Track, proposal requirements, and the review process,
• review examples from past successful proposals, and
• proposal development guidelines including using generative AI.

CEG proposal submissions are due by Monday, December 2, 2024. For more information, visit the 2025 Curriculum Enhancement Grant page. 

This information session will be offered the following four times:

• Wednesday, September 18, 12 – 1:15 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 1, 2 – 3:15 p.m.
• Thursday, October 24, 3 – 4:15 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 20, 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Wednesday, November 20 | 11 - 11:45 a.m. | Online - Zoom
Register » Organizer: Jeani Young and Presenter: John Ault

Did you know that how a PDF is created can negatively affect up to 20% of your students? Making sure you are using accessible content can have a remarkable impact on student success. Join us to learn how to ensure your PDF content is accessible to everyone.

Wednesday, December 11 | 11 a.m. - 12 noon | Online-Zoom
Register » Organizer(s): Charity Bishop

IU Indianapolis has a strong portfolio of engaged learning opportunities, including undergraduate research, service learning, study abroad, internships, and capstone experiences. These forms of experiential learning have been designated a high-impact practices based on “evidence of significant educational benefits for students who participate in them—including and especially those from demographic groups historically underserved by higher education” (American Association of Colleges & Universities). Many of these experiences require students to opt-in, generating inequities in engagement across student groups, as some students have more flexibility and/or financial resources to participate than others. Embedding high-impact practices directly into courses is a powerful strategy for promoting equitable access to experiential and applied learning opportunities for our students. However, when we scale experiential learning in this way, quality tends to suffer, and a high-impact practice is only high-impact “when done well.” The Institute for Engaged Learning (go.iu.edu/engage) is committed to providing instructors with a wide-array of professional development opportunities, which include multiple-day “When Done Well” professional development institutes, communities of practice (over Zoom or Teams), and 1:1 consultations. 

Service Learning Community of Practice 

The Institute for Engaged Learning will host a Service Learning Community of Practice (SL CoP) during the 2024-2025 academic year. The SL CoP is open to any IU Indianapolis, IU Columbus, or IU Fort Wayne faculty interested in expanding their knowledge, network, or collaborative opportunities surrounding service learning. 

Each CoP meeting will be a 50-minute Zoom session. Sessions will be held: 

Thursday, Sept. 19, 11am 

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2pm 

Wednesday, Dec. 11, 11am 

Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2pm 

Thursday, Mar. 6, 11am 

Wednesday, Apr. 23, 2pm 

The FACET Mack Fellowship program is designed to promote and enhance the community of IU faculty engaged in the SoTL by providing mentorship and funding. You do not have to be a FACET member to apply. Proposals are now due December 8. Read RFP and learn more.

Ball State University is pleased to announce the virtual 2025 Provost’s Summit: Fostering Inclusive Excellence in an Evolving Educational Landscape to be held on February 6 and 7, 2025. Register for the virtual summit. The program committee is accepting proposals for individual and panel sessions that center on Assessment Practices, Inclusive Pedagogy Practices, Innovative Teaching Practices, and Trends in Higher Education. Proposals are due December 15.

The University of Southern Indiana's 9th Celebration of Teaching & Learning Symposium offers the opportunity for lightning presentations, standard presentations, and poster discussions focused on improving and transforming student learning, academic success, and curriculum in higher education. Proposals due by December 16. Contact cetl@usi.edu for questions.

Call for proposals for the 2025 Midwest SoTL Conference are open! The conference will be held in person on April 11, 2025. The conference theme is Care, Kindness, and Creativity. Proposals are due by February 2, 2025. See the flyer or the conference website for details.

Thanksgiving Holiday: Virtual Hours and Office Closure
The CTL will be working virtually starting Monday, November 25 through Wednesday, November 27. We will return to our regular business hours on Monday, December 2.

Winter Holiday: Virtual Hours and Office Closure
The CTL will be working virtually starting Monday, December 23 through Tuesday, December 24. We will return to our regular business hours on Thursday, January 2.

CTL Happenings Newsletter Hiatus
Due to upcoming university winter holidays the CTL Happenings will return on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.