This month's CTL spotlight is on Maria Knight, JWU's Human Resources Training & Development manager. Maria coordinates onboarding for the university, and is one of the first members of the JWU community that welcomes new faculty and staff as they begin their own journey at JWU. Maria has been at the Providence campus since 2012, where she has collaborated with a number of committees and subcommittees including the IDEA committee, the University Scholarship & Best Practices Expo committee, CTL Executive Steering Committee, and helped facilitate the employee experience survey and DEI survey. Maria recently began a collaboration with our Center to share out the wonderful opportunities HR and EAP Coastline provide for faculty and staff. We are looking forward to seeing how HR and the Center for Teaching & Learning can continue to provide wellness programming university-wide. Thank you for your commitment and service to the JWU community, Maria!

When life throws you curveballs, it can be easy to forget that JWU has an employee assistance program to help you navigate through them. Whether it's managing everyday stress or tackling major life challenges, Coastline EAP is equipped to assist you every step of the way. From providing guidance on handling anxiety and depression to offering support with legal and financial matters, Coastline has got you covered.

Head over to HRpulse or to JWU Human Resources on jwuLink to explore the wealth of resources and information available through Coastline, and be sure to check out Coastline’s monthly EAP News for the latest updates and insights.

But wait, there's more! Take advantage of JWU’s Wellness Schedule, jam-packed with live online wellness webinars and classes designed to rejuvenate your mind, body and soul. The best part? These sessions are completely free, so feel free to sign up for as many as you like!

In case you missed it, check out this powerful session from Adam Peal, Ph.D., Charlotte, on artificial intelligence, large language models, faculty and our students! Thank you, Adam!

Planning is well underway for the 2024 University Scholarship & Best Practices Expo! The program and presenter bios are being finalized and will be available soon. Registration will open THIS WEEK, please watch your inbox for more information.

The University Scholarship & Best Practices Expo committee is looking for volunteers! We have almost doubled in size since last year's expo, and as a result, we need faculty, staff, and student volunteers to help with directing traffic, monitoring AV, set-up, and breakdown. Even if you are only available for a small amount of time, we would greatly appreciate the support! Please click on the button below to sign-up.

When: Friday, April 12, 2024, 8am-3pm

Providence Location: Friedman Center, 2nd floor and additional locations, Harborside Campus

Charlotte Location: Innovation Lab, Hance Auditorium, University Events Center (UEC)

Here is a visual calendar of all of the events hosted by the Center for Teaching & Learning. You can download the interactive PDF below that has embedded links to all events listed under our JWULink page. You can also share this file with your colleagues!

When: Friday, March 15th, 2024, 11:30am-1:00pm

Where: Harborside Academic Center (HAC Amphitheater) & VIRTUAL-- all JWU employees are welcome!

Presented by: Rosanne J. Westgate, Ph.D., CBIS

On Friday, March 15, Johnson & Wales University will welcome CTL and Bridge DEIB speaker Rosanne J. Westgate, Ph.D, CBIS. Her presentation--Neurodiversity on The College Campus--will include a discussion of how to handle complex situations that may arise in your classes and how to respond to neurodiverse students in effective ways. Concrete case studies will be shared and there will be an opportunity for Q&A toward the end of the presentation, which will take place in the HAC Amphitheater and will be simulcast on Zoom.

Dr. Westgate has been a leader in the field of special education since 1974 in New York State, and has worked and been influenced by pioneers in learning disabilities, such as Dr. Ray Barsch and Dr. Phillipa Berchen. Her early years found her teaching at a clinic for neurodiverse learners, preparing them to reenter mainstream classrooms by adapting educationally and socially. From her first teaching assignment, Dr. Westgate developed programs for students in the public school system and received awards for inclusive practices at one of the first school districts on Long Island to successfully implement co-teaching. She was recognized as a Channel 55 Educator of the Week and as a recipient of the Excellence in Teaching award for the New York State Council for Exceptional Children. For the Teaching Exceptional Children Plus journal, she has authored and coauthored articles such as "Poetry Emotion or Effective Literacy Practices for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities” and "The Power of Person Centered Planning."

At various public schools on Long Island, including but not limited to Southold, Southampton, and Hampton Bays, Dr. Westgate has worked as a special education administrator, a CSE Chairperson, a 504 Compliance Officer, and a principal. She was an adjunct professor at SUNY Cortland and SUNY Stony Brook, where she taught courses such as Special Education Law, Inclusive Practices, and Assessment and Diagnosis. Dr. Westgate has also served as the Director of the Kennedy-Willis Center at Pathfinder Village for individuals with Down syndrome, where she was directly involved in education and research in cognition. Her last position in the public school system was working with The NYS Education Department and Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES, where she was a Special Education School Improvement Specialist focusing on Specially Designed Instruction and Inclusive Practices.

Dr. Westgate maintains a private practice for neurodiverse children and adults working to acclimate to school and work environments. In this capacity, she has regular contact with individuals with learning disabilities, ADHD, anxiety disorders, and autism. In addition to her office work, Dr. Westgate is an autism consultant at Kelberman in Utica, New York, a diagnostic and treatment center for children and adults on the autism spectrum. She is a certified Brain Injury Specialist with the NYS Brain Injury Association and the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists.

Dr. Westgate’s primary focus is ensuring that neurodiverse learners at all levels learn to manage, navigate, and become self-advocates, making their teachers aware of their neurodiversity in order to find practical strategies for success on all levels.

Based on conversations that have taken place in workshops and among cohort participants at the CTL, many of our JWU faculty and staff have fascinating stories to tell. If you’d like to share your story in a memoir (of any length) but don’t know where to start, or you’ve already drafted a memoir but would like feedback from your colleagues, consider joining the memoir writing circle. We will discuss the characteristics of the memoir genre, share our writing, and provide feedback to each other in a casual, supportive environment.

The group will meet on the first Tuesday of every month (March 12th, due to Spring Break) from 4:00-5:00, and you can either join in person at the CTL or remotely via Zoom. If you want further information about the writing circle, email Karen Shea at kshea@jwu.edu.

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.

Facilitated by:

Kristin Pendergast, M.Ed., (She/Her), Assistant Director of Community Standards and Conduct

Désirée Schuler, MA, (She/Her), English, Associate Professor, Humanities

When: March 8, 2024, 10am

Where: VIRTUAL

All Providence 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 around a theme based on feedback received over the past year, including from the employee IDEA Survey. Discussions during the fall semester focused on experiences around disability addressing diversity in recruiting and hiring, and employee wellbeing. Each session will provide information and resources followed by facilitated conversation around a specific theme. Please view the spring semester discussion topics and sign up by clicking here. Refreshments will be provided!

When: Wednesday, March 13th, 1pm

Where: Center for Teaching & Learning, Richmond Building 1st floor, Downcity (IN PERSON ONLY)

The Teaching and Research cohort has been active with faculty and staff members in attendance, all working on traditional research or Scholarship of Teaching and Learning projects (SoTL)! All who feel they may benefit from a supportive environment and the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with peers while working on teaching or research projects are encouraged to join us.

Flexible VIRTUAL meeting times are being offered.

Next Session: Thursday, March 14th, 10-11am

Email CTL@jwu.edu to be added to the list of participants and to receive meeting invites.

This workshop will support the integration of case studies into the classroom. Topics will include analyzing case studies, facilitating in-class discussions, and developing assignments. The differences between synchronous and asynchronous case study facilitation will also be discussed. This workshop is open to all disciplines/colleges.

When: Friday, March 22nd, 12:30-1:30pm

Where: VIRTUAL via Zoom

Facilitator: John D. Varlaro, PhD, SPHR, GPHR, College of Business

Although JWU students are required to take writing courses at the 1000 level, engaging students in writing should not stop there. In fact, since writing “can actually serve to generate new knowledge” (Estrem 2015) and “is a code word for being an inquiring scholar and a thinking person” (Werder 2016), it is crucial for faculty in all disciplines to engage students in writing.

Session facilitators aim to answer questions they’ve heard expressed by professors across the university when it comes to assigning writing projects:

• How can I help my students understand the important elements of a given writing project?
• Is there a way to create a rubric that will help students understand my expectations for a writing assignment and reduce the amount of time it takes me to grade it?
• Where can my students get help with editing? Many have issues with grammar, punctuation and academic wording, but I simply don’t have time to help them because I have so much course material to cover.

The primary goal of the workshop is for attendees to walk away with an idea for a writing assignment and a corresponding rubric that will not only help students ace the assignment but also make the grading process less daunting.

Facilitated by:

Eileen Medeiros, Professor of English and Director of the Academic Success Center;

Karen Shea, Professor of English and Assistant Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning;

Liz Fisher Sullivan, Manager of Instructional Design;

Chelsea Barolet, Instructional Technologist

When: March 26, 2024, 3:30-5:00 PM

Where: HYBRID, Center for Teaching & Learning and Zoom

Do you struggle with getting your point across when discussing complex content areas? Want some tips on how to grab your audience's attention and teach them about your work in minutes? Are you presenting at this year's expo? Join Dr. Sydney Duncombe, Science Communicator, who will present a workshop on verbal communication skills. This workshop is open to both Providence and Charlotte faculty and staff.

Facilitated by: Dr. Sydney Duncombe, (She/Her), Science Communicator

When: Friday, April 5th, 12:15 - 1:45 PM

Where: HYBRID, Center for Teaching & Learning and Zoom

Lunch with be provided to all in-person attendees. In-Person seating is limited!

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.

Facilitated By: Kristin Pendergast, M.Ed., Assistant Director of Community Standards and Conduct

When: April 19, 10:00-11:00am

Where: VIRTUAL

Join in on the discussion about the effectiveness of infusing thinking skills and habits of mind into school and college curriculums with deep discussion of the habit of mind of listening.

Facilitated by: Abd Elrahim Basal, M.S., lecturer; Math Department, College of Arts & Sciences

When: Friday, April 19th, 2024, 10-11:30am

Where: Center for Teaching & Learning Classroom

This workshop will provide attendees with information on open access (OA) and open educational resource (OER) case studies. The differences between OER / OA case materials and their implications for publishing and teaching will be discussed. In addition, attendees will learn about the Open Access Teaching Case Journal (OATCJ), including publication expectations and OATCJ case adoption for the classroom.

When: Friday, April 19th, 12:30-1:30pm

Where: VIRTUAL via Zoom

Facilitators:

John D. Varlaro, PhD, SPHR, GPHR

• Professor, College of Business, Johnson & Wales University

Jane Gravill, PhD, MBA, PMP

• Editor-in-Chief, Open Access Teaching Case Journal (OATCJ)
• Professor, School of Business, Conestoga College ITAL

Kimberlee Carter BEd., MA

• Open Access Teaching Case Journal (OATCJ) Editorial Committee Member
• Open Educational Resource Consultant, Conestoga College ITAL

Karen Shea, Ph.D, Faculty in English Department

“After attending the workshop series, I also feel more connected to others at the university whose goal, like mine, is to help students succeed at JWU and beyond. Workshops like these are so valuable not only for the content that is taught but also for the ability they provide for faculty and staff across the university to get to know each other. If we have a better understanding of what we do in our respective disciplines and departments, I believe we are more likely to reach out to each other when issues related to academic integrity arise.”

Sandra Gibson, PT, DBT- Faculty in Physical Therapy Program

Sandra indicated in her final assessment portfolio that the certification program has provided an opportunity for professional growth and that take aways from the program are a deeper understanding of today’s students and strategies to embrace artificial intelligence in the classroom while providing clear and concise expectations. Sandra also mentioned that she has a better understanding of Academic Integrity as a whole at JWU and the teaching and learning approach that the university takes vs. a punitive approach.

Sharon McMahon, M.Ed. – ESL Specialist in JWU Global

“The Academic Integrity Certification Series was a positive next step in this long progression that began with my initial university teaching experiences. I don’t want to call it a culmination; there are always new learning opportunities and ways to develop our practices. It has served to update and refine my knowledge of the conduct review process and JWU’s culture of integrity. This series was convenient and engaging, and the opportunity to earn a certificate felt motivating. Overall, it served not as an end in itself, but a stepping stone to make sure I keep my instruction responsive to technology’s everchanging utility, advantages, and potential pitfalls.”

Registration is open for the 2024 Innovative Education Conference.

"Inclusive Teaching in an Ever-Changing Learning Environment"

When: Wednesday, March 27th, 8:30am - 5:00pm EST.

Where: VIRTUAL

Registration is FREE this year. All registrants can come and go as their schedules allow.

Offering more than 30 workshops, presentations, and roundtable discussions and 15 poster presentations from faculty at URI, faculty from across New England, the United States, and a few other countries, too.

Keynote speakers: Dr. Kelly Hogan (Duke University) and Dr. Viji Sathy (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) who are the authors of Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom.

Are you pursuing more Project-Based Learning and looking for support? Or do you have a project and would like the space to ideate and mentor-colleagues to help make it happen?

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA) is looking forward to their 10th annual Institute on Project-Based Learning — a 2.5-day program where teams from colleges and universities will work with experts, including a dedicated coach, to share knowledge about project-based learning and make tangible progress to advance student project work in their courses and programs.

Where: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA

When: Thursday, June 20th - Saturday June 22nd, 2024

Opening plenary at 8:45 am on Thursday and will end at noon on Saturday with team presentations. Check-in and breakfast will be available as early as 7:15 am on Thursday morning.

Teams should plan to attend the Institute in its entirety.

Keynote Speaker: Randy Bass, Vice Provost for Education, Georgetown University

Who Should Attend The Institute is designed for faculty and administrators from a wide variety of institutions—including public, private, liberal arts, STEM, community colleges, and research universities—who are interested in learning about project education and advancing plans to integrate learnings into their own curricula.

Why Attend Project-based learning offers students real-world opportunities to research issues, think critically, gain new perspectives, solve problems, and develop written and oral communication skills all within the framework of a team environment and guided by engaged and involved faculty. Through the Institute on Project-Based Learning, faculty and administrators from colleges and universities around the world benefit from over 50 years of experience at WPI integrating project-based initiatives into undergraduate education including classroom projects in a wide range of disciplines, projects in the first year, major capstone projects, and community-based projects.

What Should Participants Expect Teams from varied institutions—public, private, liberal arts, STEM, community colleges, research universities—will come to the Institute with a proposal outlining a specific goal or project they would like to advance. Each team will be assigned an Institute faculty member who will work with them to coach them through the process. Through collaborative work, the teams of faculty and administrators develop strategies to integrate project-based learning into their own undergraduate curricula, whether in general education or in the major, in one department or across the campus.

Institute faculty will use proven materials and examples to help participants:

• bring project work into their own classes, seminars, and capstones, and learn how to use projects to help students make interdisciplinary connections.
• use faculty-guided project work to strengthen service-learning, study abroad, and internship programs.
• develop the fundamental skills needed to make project-based learning work for students, including student team formation and development, evidence-based thinking and writing, and strategies for attacking open-ended problems.
• create faculty development plans to support project-based learning, including community networks and partnerships with external organizations.
• use student project work as a key component for overall program evaluation and student learning assessment.
• build relationships with teams from other institutions to share ideas and experiences.

Johnson & Wales University is thrilled to introduce its state-of-the-art media production studio, located on the 4th floor of the Richmond Building.

This dynamic resource is designed to empower faculty members in enhancing their teaching methods. Staffed by expert professionals of the IDT Media Production Team, this cutting-edge facility offers an array of advanced multimedia tools and equipment. Faculty members will have the opportunity to create a diverse range of engaging and interactive content such as:

• Producing high-quality instructional videos that demonstrate complex concepts
• Recording engaging podcast discussions to supplement course material
• Designing virtual tours of culinary techniques for remote learning
• Developing interactive simulations to provide hands-on experiences in various fields of study.
• Seamlessly integrating these multimedia elements into your curriculum, enriching the learning experience for students with the support of the IDT Team

The media production studio will serve as a versatile hub for innovative educational content creation, and it exemplifies our commitment to fostering creative teaching practices and providing faculty with the tools necessary to thrive in the digital age.

Interested in reserving? Email Peter Eastwood, Creative Director, Manager of Multimedia Production, Instructional Design & Technology (peter.eastwood@jwu.edu).

Join us for this free nine-part webinar series in which we explore practical strategies for applying the nine Universal Design for Learning Guidelines to any modality.

Presenters will explore the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines in this free nine-part webinar series. Discover actionable strategies to spark curiosity and ignite learning across on-campus, asynchronous, synchronous, and hybrid environments. You'll gain practical tools and resources, readily adaptable to any discipline.

Dates: 1/24, 2/28, 3/27, 4/24, 5/29, 6/26, 7/31, 8/28, 9/25 (All dates are Wednesdays.)

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern

Audience: These webinars are recommended for faculty, instructional designers, librarians, tutors, academic advisors, and other personnel.

Sponsored By: the Goodwin University Institute for Learning Innovation, the Goodwin University Center for Teaching Excellence, and the University of Bridgeport Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.

Proposals for the NEBHE OER mini grant program are due by March 1st.

For all information related to this program, please visit our Library guide at:

Link to Library Guide and contact Lisa.Spicola@jwu.edu or Katrina.Herold@jwu.edu for more information

Faculty, although proposals are due in March, the project work can occur during the summer months!

270 Weybosset Street, Richmond Building 1st Floor

Want to get involved with the Center? Send us your ideas!

• Ideas for CTL Programming

• Nominations for CTL Spotlight

• Reservations for Space

• Advertising Your Event

• Suggestions & General Feedback

Contact CTL@jwu.edu