Hello Colleagues,
This is the last CTL newsletter until August 2022. I want to thank all the members of the CTL Advisory Committee, the presenters for our workshops, and Kerri Easterbrook (the Graduate Assistant for CTL who makes all these newsletters so beautiful) for all their guidance, creativity, and collegiality. Also, congratulations to Dr. Ryan Safner (Delaplaine School of Business) and Dr. Jessica McManus (Psychology & Counseling) for their successful Academic Innovation Grants. Both projects are focused on improving student learning.
In the 2022-2023 academic year, look for professional development workshops on topics such as: specification grading, e-portfolios, and COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning). Dr. Simone Kolysh will host a half-day workshop on the topic of “Let’s Address it: Building an Inclusive Learning Community” on Friday, August 12th from 9 am – 1 pm in Whitaker Campus Commons. Lunch will be served. In addition, the Fall Forum is scheduled for Monday, August 15, 2022. The afternoon portion of that day will focus on Core Curriculum revision. As many of you know, the Core Revision Group will be hard at work over the summer creating models of a revised Core Curriculum for our undergraduate students based on: Process Principles, Vision Statement, Design Principles, and Essential Learning Outcomes. This group looks forward to continuing the dialogue and soliciting input from the faculty about the possibilities of a new Core Curriculum for our students. Finally, the CTL, CCAB (Core Curriculum Assessment Board), and OIRA will be planning for “Assessment Day” in August too.
I wish you all a good end to your spring semester and a healthy and safe summer.
Best wishes,
Paige
"As his instructor, you can stimulate his curiosity with an inspiring and energizing presentation style, with activities and assignments that maximize his sense of control over the material, and with expertise that helps him reach just a bit beyond his current abilities. The psychologist Todd Kashdan writes, “If you want people to be interested, committed, and willing to devote effort to learning, mastering, and using these skills for the long haul, then you can’t avoid the initial step of stimulating excitement.”" Keep reading here.
"Perhaps you worry about not doing enough to help your students, or have become numb to their needs, or even question your personal and professional worth. These are all symptoms of “compassion fatigue.”... While compassion fatigue may be more acute in the helping professions, it can be experienced by anyone giving emotional support to others. And it is no surprise that compassion fatigue is on the rise among educators, due to the supportive and personal nature of teaching, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic." Continue reading here to learn what you can do to mitigate compassion fatigue.
"There are different ways to teach students in higher ed, but which is best? In today’s Academic Minute, Utica College’s Tim Abraham examines different approaches... Learning activities in one section followed a traditional “lecture” model of instructor-led teaching, whereas the other section relied on a variety of “brain-based” techniques for a student-centered discovery learning approach using movement, art, patterning, and deliberate social groupings." Click here to listen to this brief 2-minuite podcast to learn which technique worked best.
"Meyer’s death should serve as a reminder of the importance of providing empathy and support to all parties in disciplinary matters, an idea that has gained traction over the last 10 years but isn’t always carried out. In Title IX hearings in particular, experts say, respondents are often not treated with the same compassion as complainants. But experts also say that the larger issue is the omnipresent mental-health crisis on campus, and concerns about student discipline shouldn’t distract from that." Read more here.
"One-third of students disagree at least somewhat that their colleges are responsive to the needs of all students. Nearly one in four disagree at least somewhat that their college makes an effort to understand their current experiences and challenges. Following are 10 ideas for building stronger connections with students and turning those “disagree” findings around..." Read those ideas here.
"Colleges’ undergraduate enrollment is down across the board, at every type of institution, among nearly all demographic groups. But the number of Hispanic students leaving college after a year or two, or deciding not to start, is especially concerning. After two decades during which Hispanic students have been the fastest-growing demographic group enrolling in college, the Covid-19 pandemic has threatened that progress." Click here to continue reading.
"Educational developers often recommend teaching practices that assume instructors are in a position in which they can cede some of their authority to students in order to increase student agency and motivation. Not all instructors, though, are in this privileged position. In this episode, Chavella Pittman and Thomas J. Tobin examine strategies to adopt practices that are inclusive of our colleagues as well as our students." Click here to listen to episode 231, Include Instructors in Inclusive Instruction, of the Tea for Teaching Podcast.
The Beauty of Short Video Projects
Looking for an end-of-semester or end-of-unit project that requires students to build their skills of analyzing, evaluating, and creating? Then maybe it’s time for your students to make some videos! Check out this blog post to see how I use videos as cumulative assessments in my classes!
Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation
On June 1, 2022 our Blackboard system will be updated to use the Ultra Base Navigation system wide theme. This theme will make Hood’s Blackboard system more modern, streamlined, and responsive to different types of devices. Ultra Base Navigation also provides new ways to communicate and helps users instantly connect with important course information. Users will have an improved way to manage their course site lists with the use of different views and filters. All course sites will continue to use the Original theme design and that will NOT be changing on our Blackboard system or any current course centric functionality. Please note that Original theme courses will however no longer be able to leverage color palettes or course themes going forward. All course sites will use the system default color palette as part of a consistent theme across all course sites. Although this loss of individual course themes will be disappointing for some, the benefits across the system that come with Ultra Base Navigation will certainly outweigh this minor Original theme feature loss.
If you would like to test drive Ultra Base Navigation prior to our June 1st system upgrade, you can visit our Blackboard Test system for a first look here. A copy of the CTL Blackboard site has been loaded on this system to give you a sense of what is changing and what isn’t changing. IT has also provided an Ultra Base Navigation Original Theme course site sandbox for faculty to explore. If you have questions regarding the Ultra Base Navigation Test system or sandbox site, please contact the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@hood.edu
Hello from the Online Skywalker! This is the last CTL Newsletter of this academic year, and I wanted to end with an essential topic related to students and instructors. For the last two years, we have been discussing and navigating the challenges of effective teaching and learning. As students and instructors navigate unfamiliar course modalities, new technologies, health concerns, economic stressors, disrupted home routines, and a tumultuous social and political landscape, the stress level had increased every day. With instructors’ work focused on teaching and interacting with the students, they have found themselves at the center of these challenges — essentially acting as the glue holding the learning experience together. To support all their students and ensure their success, we must provide guidance to instructors in caring for the whole student. But, how can this be done in an authentic and easily implementable way? Let’s start with the Syllabus of your class. Please visit to this link to download a short article (PDF) about how to make an appropriately welcoming syllabus for your class. Happy reading! Remember, I am just one email away for any question or idea you want to share: torrescrespo@hood.edu
Do you have a question about technology or teaching? Send an email to CTL@hood.edu, and on every Friday, we'll answer the question most broadly applicable across departments. When you email your question, let us know if you'd like to remain anonymous, use a fun sign-off moniker of your choosing (akin to the Dear Abby column), or list your name. All questions welcomed!
The Center for Teaching & Learning
Email: CTL@hood.edu
Website: www.hood.edu/CTL
Location: Hood College, Rosemont Avenue, Frederick, MD, USA
Phone: (301) 663-3131
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1139236646512716/
