CTL Happenings - Message #608

Dobney, D. (January 31, 2025). “How Are You doing Today?” A Survey for Starting Each Class. Faculty Focus.

Amid social uncertainty and anxiety surrounding upcoming midterm exams and other high stakes assessments, consider checking in with your students and strengthening your classroom communities. This article introduces a way to turn a common question faculty ask students at the start of the class “How are you doing today?” into a genuine conversation and care for your students’ wellbeing.

This year’s conference will explore the evolving role of AI in education, featuring an interactive keynote workshop with José Antonio Bowen, author of Teaching with AI. Attendees will gain practical strategies for integrating AI into their teaching while fostering student engagement and academic integrity. The conference will also include a resource fair and over 30 peer-reviewed sessions on inclusive teaching, promotion and tenure, innovative grading strategies, and more. Join us on Friday, April 4, at the IU Indianapolis Campus Center. Register today to secure your spot!

Fifteen faculty members from multiple IU campuses have received the 2025 Extended Reality Initiative (XRI) Faculty Fellows Grant award. The grant will allow the introduction of extended reality technologies to the faculty member and inspire the development and implementation of these innovative technologies into their courses. For a list of this year’s award winners and a short description of the projects they will be working on, visit the XRI website.

Wednesday, March 5 | 12 noon - 1:30 p.m. | Online - Zoom
Register » Organizer: Anusha S. Rao and Presenter: Carol Hostetter

In the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), problems are the first step to formulating meaningful inquiry that can lead to useful answers. This workshop is an opportunity for hands-on work to discover what methods match the burning questions we want answered about our students’ learning. We will engage with SoTL literature to explore pathways for productive research.

This is the second workshop in a two-part series on SoTL. The first workshop “Getting Started with SoTL” will be held on February 19, 12 – 1:15 p.m. on Zoom. Register for the workshop. 

Note: This webinar will be recorded. If you’re unable to attend the live session, you can access the link to the webinar recording and the resources/slides by registering once the webinar is over.

More about the presenter, Dr. Carol Hostetter:

Carol Hostetter is Professor Emerita from the School of Social Work at Indiana University, having joined the faculty in 2001.  She has won many teaching awards, including the top teaching award for all eight campuses of Indiana University. Dr. Hostetter has been a leader in Indiana University’s teaching academy, FACET (Faculty Colloquium on Excellence in Teaching) as well as in Indiana University’s Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) program. Her SOTL grants, presentations and publications focus on social presence in online courses, high-impact practices and learning analytics.  

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

Thursday, March 6 | 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 

Thursday, March 6 | 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. | Online - Zoom
Register » Organizer: Lesli Amaya and Presenters: Lesli Amaya, Zachary Carnagey, and Gina Londino-Smolar

**This webinar fulfills the instructional requirement for the Teaching with Classroom Response Systems faculty development badge.**

Transform your lectures into dynamic, interactive experiences that engage today’s learners and improve learning. In this webinar, discover how Top Hat can help you create active learning environments that promote deeper understanding. This webinar features:

Faculty Insights and Student Impact: Learn from a faculty member who has enhanced their teaching with Top Hat. Our speaker will share their implementation journey, highlighting their most effective activities, observed impact on student engagement, and key lessons learned. You'll gain practical examples you can adapt to your own teaching.

Hands-On with Top Hat: Learn to integrate polls, discussion questions, and knowledge checks into your lectures. Perfect for both newcomers and experienced users, bring your own materials or work with our examples to create engaging content.

Participants are welcome to attend either or both segments based on their needs. Join us to discover practical strategies for creating more dynamic classroom experiences that connect with your Gen Z learners!

Note: We will remain available after the session for those who would like additional hands-on time to reinforce their learning. 

Monday, March 10 | 12:45 - 1:45 p.m. | Online - Zoom
Register » Organizer: Learning Technologies Faculty Fellows Programs and Presenters: Eric Brinkman, Maggie Gilchrist, and Justin Hodgson

This webinar session focuses on conversations and practices related to AI/Generative AI and academic integrity, and will examine critical issues for responsible use and assessment with AI/Generative AI. Learn more at the Digital Gardener Initiative.

Tuesday, March 11 | 12 noon - 1 p.m. | Online - Zoom
Register » Organizer: Anusha S. Rao and Presenter: Kara Taylor

This interactive and thought-provoking session explores strategies for fostering a sense of belonging among diverse student populations on college campuses. Drawing from research and real-world examples, you will learn how belonging impacts student success, engagement, and well-being. The session will address the diverse groups' challenges and provide actionable steps for creating an inclusive campus culture that values and supports all students. Specifically, you will:

1. Understand the importance of belongingness in promoting academic success and retention for diverse populations.
2. Identify barriers to belonging that students from underrepresented groups may face.
3. Explore evidence-based practices for fostering a culture of inclusion and community.
4. Develop actionable strategies to create welcoming environments for students of all backgrounds, including racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and first-generation college students.
    

This event aligns with the following IUSM Academy of Teaching Scholars program competencies: Inclusive Teaching (I)

This FREE event is curated with YOU in mind! This symposium promises to be a thought-provoking exploration of the interstices and intersections that shape our understanding of social justice. Don't miss this opportunity to engage with leading voices in the field and consider new perspectives on inclusion and equity. Starting March 6, register today!

Indiana University Southeast’s Institute for Learning and Teaching Excellence invites part-time faculty to submit proposals for the virtual 2025 Adjunct Faculty Scholars Conference on Saturday, April 12. Full-time faculty may co-present with a part-time faculty member. Sessions are 45 minutes and may include interactive presentations, panels, or workshops. Proposals are due by Monday, March 10, at 8 a.m. EST. Submit your proposal. For questions or more information, contact seilte@iu.edu.

Mentor applications are now open for the Community Engagement Internship program. Faculty seeking a student intern to assist with community-engaged teaching, research or projects are encourage to apply by March 14.

A faculty learning community (FLC) for those seeking to develop or improve Project-Based Learning undergraduate courses during fall semester, 2025. Ten applicants will be selected to participate. Please complete the application before 5 p.m. Friday, March 14, to receive full consideration. To apply, visit the application page.