September Newsletter
2023
The mission of the Johnson & Wales University Center for Teaching & Learning is to foster a community of lifelong learners and enhance the student experience by inspiring innovative research, scholarship, collaboration, and impactful facilitation of learning.
All JWU faculty and staff are welcome to participate in our programming.
Universal Design for Learning
Syllabus template update
Providence State of the Campus and Employee Picnic
Center for Teaching & Learning Writing Services
Contact the Center for Teaching & Learning for support at any stage of the writing process, from brainstorming and organizing a draft to final line editing. We can help you with article manuscripts, conference abstracts, committee bylaws, memoirs, poems, short stories, or any other writing of reasonable length (excluding entire books or dissertations). If you need help with content in a specialized area, we will connect you with experienced colleagues in your department. We can also give you advice regarding the best place to submit work for publication by providing access to local and national publication venues.
If you’re planning to present at a conference, we can help you organize your presentation slides; ensure that your slides are error-free and that your bullet points are in parallel format; offer suggestions for effectively opening and closing your presentation; and serve as a practice audience.
Remember - you are not alone, so please don't hesitate to reach out to CTL@jwu.edu for assistance with any writing or speaking project!
Coffee & Conversations with President Bernardo-Sousa
All employees are invited to join President Bernardo-Sousa for open and informal discussions on JWU’s culture of inclusion and belonging. Each session will be centered on a theme based on feedback received over the past year, including from the employee IDEA Survey. Each session will provide information and resources, followed by facilitated conversation around a specific theme. Please sign up by clicking here. Refreshments will be provided!
Mon, Oct. 2 from 2:00-3:00pm: Addressing Experiences Around Disability (Downcity)
Thurs, Oct. 26 from 2:00-3:00pm: Addressing Diversity in Recruiting and Hiring (Harborside)
Fri, Nov 17 from 9:00-10:00am: Responding to Bias on Campus (Downcity)
Mon, Dec. 4 from 11:00am-12:00pm: Employee Wellbeing (Harborside)
Resource Fair CTL Wish List
Faculty and staff shared dynamic ideas at the CTL’s Resource Fair table regarding what they learned at the CTL last year, ways in which the CTL might help them this year, and how they might help others by leading a workshop at the CTL this year.
Comments regarding what faculty and staff learned at the CTL last year included references to the “amazing” Expo and to workshops focusing on topics such as using multimedia to enhance accessibility for all students and developing case studies to enhance the learning experience for JWU students. It was also noted that the CTL offers a great space for holding collaborative meetings.
“Wish list” comments related to what faculty and staff would like to learn at the CTL this year focused on strategies for modifying the delivery of course objectives without changing them, using UDL for problem solving, organizing a promotion dossier, and assisting students with mental health issues.
Based on the number of comments related to ways in which faculty and staff feel that they can contribute to the CTL this year, the enthusiasm for sharing expertise and helping others at JWU is impressive. Faculty and staff offered to lead workshops related to research collaborations, pedagogical consulting, tutoring, stress management, using online tools such as Jam Board, social media marketing, gatekeeping, interdisciplinary teaching, making course objectives more meaningful for students, problem solving, student mentoring, experiential learning, networking, and many others.
The CTL team will be reaching out to faculty and staff in the upcoming weeks to continue to provide a space where faculty and staff can collaborate, learn, and bring their workshop ideas to fruition in order to enhance the experience for all JWU students.
Have you heard of the New England Faculty Development Consortium (NEFDC)?
JWU has an institutional membership, and the annual conference is October 20th, 2023!
Teaching and learning everywhere is experiencing dramatic disruption, forcing educators to rethink what it means to prepare students for an uncertain future. While some disruptions certainly present opportunities for justice, change also introduces new challenges. How do we intentionally disrupt taken-for-granted conventions of higher learning rather than feeling as though the disruptions are happening to us? What practices have we put into place that work in disrupting conventions?
NEFDC seeks proposals that address topics such as:
- New educational norms and disruptions
- Empowering teaching practices
- Ungrading and self-reflective teaching practices
- Leveraging AI in the classroom
- Positionality and equity in learning
Faculty, academic administrators, faculty developers, instructional designers, graduate students and anyone interested in enhancing the professional development of faculty and administrators committed to excellence in teaching and learning will find meaning and practical strategies at this fall’s conference.
New Faculty Learning Community
The CTL, in collaboration with Human Resources and IDT, is happy to announce an enhancement to the new faculty onboarding process, the New Faculty Learning Community, which is an optional virtual faculty learning community launching in September to include topics such as DEIB @ JWU, academic integrity, student support services, developing a teaching philosophy, handling challenging classroom situations, best teaching practices, and how to thrive as a member of the JWU community. Although this community has been designed for new faculty, all are welcome to join.
We will read and discuss: Lang, J. M. (2016). Small teaching : everyday lessons from the science of learning. Jossey-Bass/Wiley.
All meetings are held virtually on Zoom at 6:30pm
Session dates:
9/5/23 Welcome to JWU, culture, and institutional values
9/18/23 Building a learning community
10/2/23 Student resources and handling challenging situations
10/16/23 Academic integrity
10/30/23 DEIB @ JWU
11/13/23 Best Teaching Practices
11/27/23 Best Teaching Practices continued
12/11/23 Resources for ongoing support and development
Please email CTL@jwu.edu to be added to the New Faculty learning community list.
Teaching and Research Cohort
Email CTL@jwu.edu to be added to the list of participants.
Zero Textbook Course (ZTC) Marking and Open Educational Resource (OER) informational session
JWU recently received a course marking grant from the New England Board of Higher Education, which will allow students to easily search for courses with zero textbook costs (ZTC). The library and CTL will also work with faculty to increase the amount of Open Educational Resources (OER) at JWU to keep education costs down for our students. The Library, in collaboration with the CTL, is offering mini grants to faculty that incorporate or create OER for use in their courses.
If you would like more information on this project, please attend the informational session September 22, 2023 at 11am to learn more.
Fall/Winter Virtual Workshop Series
Elevating Academic Integrity: Creating Positive Learning Environments and Institutional Cultures of Integrity
Certificate Description: This four-part certificate aims to provide faculty with tools and strategies to create a meaningful and mutually beneficial academic environment. Workshops will address academic integrity from both policy and pedagogical standpoints, review trends in academic misconduct, and explain the investigative and referral process for students who may violate academic integrity policies. The series will conclude with an interactive workshop on classroom behavior and effective ways to respond to students who are disruptive or in crisis.
Sessions will be HYBRID. You may register to attend in person OR virtually.
Session 1- The Wildcat Way: Promoting Integrity as an Institutional Value
At JWU, we pride ourselves on The Wildcat Way, or a shared set of values that we as a university strive to uphold. Integrity is embedded into all of the shared values of Pride, Courage, Character and Community, and each faculty and staff member plays a role in maintaining a culture of integrity at JWU. This introductory workshop will provide an overview of the ways we contribute to the culture of integrity at JWU.
9/29/23 10am
Session 2- Navigating Academic Integrity- Trends and Responses in Addressing Misconduct
While cheating is not new, the ways in which students commit misconduct change over time, and with new changes in technology, there are always new trends faculty should be aware of. This workshop aims to educate faculty on our Academic Integrity policy and discuss trends we are seeing at JWU with our students. We will also bring in members of our Instructional Design and Technology team, who will review their role in assisting faculty with creating assessments that can mitigate misconduct. Lastly, this workshop will review the process of what to do if you suspect misconduct in your course, from investigation to referral to the Conduct Review Process and educational sanctions for responsible students.
10/27/23 10am
Session 3- Beyond the Syllabus: Infusing Integrity into the Classroom
It is best practice to include an Academic Integrity statement on a course syllabus, but is that enough in today’s classroom? This faculty-led workshop will introduce you to methods beyond the syllabus that will assist you in setting clear expectations throughout the semester. Topics include syllabus information, uLearn options, and discussion topics that engage students in thinking critically about what it means to uphold integrity in the classroom.
11/17/23 10am
Session 4- Classroom Behavior and Conflict Resolution
While faculty can be proactive in setting up class content, they cannot always prevent the unexpected when it comes to students in distress or being disruptive. This workshop addresses strategies that faculty can use when it comes to disruption in virtual and on- ground settings while maintaining control of their classroom. Faculty will also be provided with resources they can refer students to, including a review of the CARE Team process, Safety and Security, and uSucceed. The workshop will include real-life scenarios in which faculty will have to work as a team to address how to best handle each situation, concluding with a debriefing with Community Standards and Conduct.
12/1/23 10am
Call for Faculty Learning Communities (FLC) and Special Interest Groups (SIG)
A Faculty Learning Community (FLC) is a peer-led group of faculty members (6-12) who engage in an active, collaborative, year–long program, structured to provide encouragement, support, and reflection. A special interest group (SIG) is a group of individuals who unite to support common concerns and interests.
If you are interested in forming a FLC or a SIG, please reach out the the Center for Teaching & Learning. We can help you identify and reach out to colleagues with similar interests and help you organize and set up meetings.
Please email us if you are interested in learning more @ CTL@jwu.edu
Expo Updates
Friday April 12, 2024 Expo call for proposals opens early September. In addition to the new presentation methods added in the spring, including lightning talks, roundtable discussions, posters, and traditional classroom delivery, we will be adding the option of panel discussions and will be seeking an impactful keynote speaker.