Applications for the Initial Slate of FLCs are Due Today

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We are trying not to clutter your inbox so we are using this week’s tip to simply remind you that applications for the initial slate of Faculty Learning Communities are due today. There is something here for everyone. 

We are excited to bring you the initial slate of Fall 2023 offerings from FDEV and partners. All applications are live now and are due on Tuesday 9/12 at 11:59pm. Applications will be evaluated by members of the FDEV board or sponsoring units.

This group of programs includes Faculty Development programs and offerings from Undergraduate Education and International Education. We collaborated to try and maximize visibility and accessibility, but we want to be sure those programs receive the credit they deserve. Any questions about the programming broadly should be directed to Interim Director Zach Justus.

Collaborative Online International Education (COIL)
Who: Tenure/Tenure-Track and Lecturers
Format: Synchronous and Online
Compensation: $500
Length: Fall Semester
Contact: Dr. Nan Li
Full Description
Application 

International Education and Global Engagement (IEGE) is offering an opportunity to participate in a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) this fall to assist professors with the implementation of Collaborative Online International Education (COIL) as a course component on our campus. COIL engages your classes with students across the world in discussion, group projects, and/or problem solving, and professors have the opportunity to collaborate in teaching with colleagues across the world.  

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Teaching (EDIT)
Who: Tenure/Tenure-Track and Lecturers
Format: In Person
Compensation: $500
Length: Fall Semester
Contact: Dr. Alisa Wade, Allison McConnell, and Zach Justus
Full Description
Application

The Office of Faculty Development (FDEV) in collaboration with the READI Hub will be offering an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) Teaching Series in Fall 2023. The series is led by Dr. Alisa Wade (History) in collaboration with Allison McConnell (TLP). The series includes six workshops, and is designed to offer faculty an introduction to basic concepts of equity, diversity, inclusion, and how they can be implemented in the classroom, to create more equitable and accessible learning environments. 

Quality Learning and Teaching (QLT)
Who: Tenure/Tenure-Track and Lecturers
Format: Asynchronous and Online
Compensation: $750
Length: Fall Semester
Contact: Zach Justus
Full Description
Application

The Office of Faculty Development is partnering with the Technology & Learning Program (TLP) to offer the Quality Learning and Teaching program, which is designed around the QLT evaluation rubric. The course is offered as an asynchronous, self-paced course in Canvas.

STEM Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 
Who: STEM Faculty only (NS and ECC) Tenure/Tenure-Track and Lecturers
Format: Hybrid–all meetings online and in person
Compensation: $1880
Length: Full Academic Year
Contact: Dr. Jamie Linn Gunderson and Zach Justus
Full Description
Application

The Office of Faculty Development is excited to offer an NSF-funded Faculty Learning Community (FLC) focused on the implementation of teaching strategies that support student learning in STEM. 

Supporting Undergraduate Research via Assignment Design
Who: Tenure/Tenure-Track and Lecturers; preference for faculty teaching 100-200 level courses.
Format: in person
Compensation: $250
Length: Three workshop sessions; 2 hours each
Dates: Mondays, Oct 2, 9, & 16 from 9:00-11:00am
Contact: Dr. Kim Jaxon
Application

The Office of Undergraduate Education and Academic Success is offering support for Undergraduate Research. Dr. Kim Jaxon, Coordinator of Undergraduate Research, is leading the workshop series focused on assignment design. These workshop sessions offer an opportunity to design assignments that weave primary research practices into existing courses to support expanded undergraduate research experiences. We know that inviting students to engage in authentic research with faculty is an effective high-impact practice. We also know that mentoring and supporting undergraduate research is time-consuming, often taking place outside the teaching of our courses. We will work with model assignments, design assignments, and support each other as we try out ways to enrich our curriculum with undergraduate research. 

Be on the lookout for additional programs later in the Fall. 

Coming in the Spring
Chico Affordable Learning Solutions (CAL$) with Beth Shook
Teaching Climate Change Resilience (TCCR) with Mark Stemen 

Zach Justus
Interim Director of Faculty Development
Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences

Equity is Everyone’s Responsibility

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Last week we mentioned the grades and equity dashboard as a useful tool for looking at who your students are and how they are doing. It is no secret that our campus continues to struggle to make equity a reality. We continue to make progress in fits and starts, but we do not need to wait for big initiatives or funding cycles to make change. The most critical equity work on campus starts with you in the classroom. The challenges are real, but we partnered with Undergraduate Education to create a list of changes we can implement as individuals in the classroom–often while the semester is ongoing. 

  • Rename office hours student hours. A simple change in name can make you more approachable and increase student utilization of time you have set aside for them. 
  • Show your students who you are.  Sharing our own narratives with students makes it easier for them to approach us with questions.
  • Incorporate diverse examples into your assigned material. Students will not always see themselves in you and your experiences. They should see themselves in the material we assign. 
  • Incorporate an assignment where students draw on their personal experience. This signals to students you care about who they are and where they come from. 
  • Look for ways to lower course material costs. A 2020 survey reported about 65% of students have skipped buying course materials because of cost. This has a disproportionate impact on lower income students. Visit the Chico Affordable Learning Solutions (CAL$) website for more information about zero and low cost course materials.
  • Limit extra credit. Our students who are working, first-generation, and diverse are statistically less likely to do extra tasks. When we offer extra credit for additional work there is a disproportionate benefit for already advantaged students (Feldman, 2018, Grading for Equity).
  • Move away from high stakes assignments and towards more frequent, reflective, iterative work. Research shows that students are more likely to retain information when engaged in regular practice and application, and receive feedback that they can use to improve.  Here is some feedback from a faculty member who tried this technique in her classroom for a semester. 

For a deeper dive check out our existing teaching guides focused on inclusion and consider signing up for equity focused offerings in this semester’s FDEV slate.

Zach Justus
Interim Director of Faculty Development
Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences

Get Some Help

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Being a University professor is awesome. You have specialized knowledge, education, and experience that makes you a valuable mentor and resource for students. Part of this dynamic is that we are used to being the most knowledgeable person in the room so asking for help can be tough, even humbling. I am here to tell you it is worth your time. 

A few years ago I was coordinating a large course on campus and noticed some numbers I did not like in terms of successful student completion of the course and equity gaps (if you have not already done so take a minute to click on the link above to check out your own courses). I have been teaching for a long time, but I realized I needed some help so I applied for the 2021 Faculty Learning Community about equity gaps. It was an amazing experience and I learned a ton from speakers, leaders, and from colleagues grappling with the same questions. 

On Monday we published our slate of programming along with partners from Undergraduate Education and International Education. Take a look and see if there is somewhere you could use a little extra help. Your love for learning and your discipline is probably what brought you to this point–keep it going and apply for a Fall 2023 Faculty Learning Community.

Zach Justus
Interim Director of Faculty Development
Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences

Just Breathe

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Hello!

My name is Zach Justus, I previously served as the Interim Director of Faculty Development and am excited to be back in the role. This is a time of tremendous change on our campus and in higher education broadly, but I am going to keep these tips focused on actionable concrete ideas designed to help you in the day-to-day work of teaching and learning. 

Today’s tip is–just breathe. One of the great privileges of this position is working with new faculty. When I was meeting with new lecturers I focused on just making it through the first week. It is good advice for all of us. Give yourselves permission to focus on that goal as well. You don’t need to be a master of Canvas when you get started. You don’t need to be the most knowledgeable person in the room about generative AI. You just need to make it through the first week. 

If you are looking for some help with Canvas I strongly recommend the 90 minute self-paced training available through TLP. Start here for training and other guides.

If you are looking for help getting started with AI in your classroom please refer to our joint announcement last week. TLP is also hosting a series of workshops including several on syllabus statements. You can change your syllabus policy in the first week if you announce it to the class. 

Lastly, be on the lookout for our fall programming announcement next week.

Zach Justus
Interim Director of Faculty Development
Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences

Artificial Intelligence in Fall Classes

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Hey folks!

We have received quite a few requests for help with Artificial Intelligence (AI) policies for Fall syllabi. Faculty have had a wide variety of reactions to AI programs that generate language, solve problems, create images, and write code. There is no one-size-fits-all policy for the campus, and we have several workshops on the horizon to help faculty explore some of these new possibilities. For now, you have quite immediate and practical concerns—here is what we are suggesting.

Things to keep in mind

  • The “ignore” disposition with AI is not viable. The tools are here, accessible, and accomplish a wide variety of tasks.
  • You should play around with some of these tools. Google Bard is free. ChatGPT has a free and a premium version. There are a thousand other specialized tools.
  • Consider how AI will change your course overall and specific outcomes/assignments in your course. I (Zach Justus) created a guide with Nik Janos if you are interested in a systematic approach.
  • We strongly recommend you adopt a syllabus policy. Below you will find sample policies adopted from Bryant University by joshuah whittinghill. AI is prevalent with students so if you don’t adopt a policy, students will ask or will use it without knowing what your expectations are.
  • There are legitimate privacy concerns with ChatGPT and other programs. Requiring student usage requires careful consideration.
  • joshuah is developing a series of AI workshops starting with several on AI Syllabus Statements & Detection Tools. Workshop information is below. Some of these workshops are after the first day of the semester. It is okay to make syllabus adjustments during the first week of the semester as long as you notify students.
  • It is important to be aware the tools currently available to detect AI-generated work are inconsistent and may discriminate against non-native English speakers. Therefore as noted in the Chico State’s Integrity Policy, have a conversation with the student(s) before referring the student(s) for violation of Academic Integrity to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.  

Sample syllabi language

  • All Use: AI writing tools such as ChatGPT are welcome in this class, provided that you cite when and how you use the tool. You will be provided with examples of how to cite your use of this tool in your assignments.
  • Some Use: As an instructor I recognize there are a variety of AI programs available to assist in creating text, images, audio, and video. However, I want to stress that, AI programs are not a replacement for human creativity, originality, and critical thinking. Creating is a skill that you must nurture over time in order to develop your own individual voice, style, and view.  During our class, we may use AI  tools.  You will be informed as to when, where, and how these tools are permitted to be used, along with guidance for attribution.  Any use outside of this permission constitutes a violation of Chico State’s Integrity Policy and may result in you being reported to the Office of Students Rights and Responsibilities.
  • No Use: AI writing tools are not permitted for any stage or phase of work in this class. If you use these tools, your actions will be considered academically dishonest, and a violation of Chico State’s Integrity Policy and you may be reported to the Office of Students Rights and Responsibilities.
  • Example of attribution language: “The student generated this assignment in part with [enter tool used here]. Upon generating an initial draft or outline of ideas, the student reviewed, edited, and revised the work to their own liking and takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this assignment.”

Workshop Information

  • Wednesday, August 23 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, August 24 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • All workshops will be in the Zoom TLP Lab

Zach Justus
Interim Director of Faculty Development
Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences

FDEV Program Resources

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Dear faculty,

As the semester winds down, I want to take this opportunity to share some resources that were developed this year within programs we offered in Faculty Development. Our hope was to collect all resources in one place to facilitate access and navigation and to allow for easy sharing even after the programs end. For each program listed below we created a webpage and, even more importantly, we built a “one-stop-shop” schedule where all information and resources associated to each workshop are posted. As you can tell if you explore these links, we also tried to diversify the formats of the resources to satisfy different learning and engagement preferences.

UDL Faculty Learning Community: schedule

EDI Teaching Series: webpage and schedule

HSI Professional Development Initiative: webpage and schedule

I hope you will take some time, possibly after finals, to check out these resources, because there are a lot of tools, templates, and tips for best practices that you can apply to your courses, even if you ddi not have a chance to complete these programs.

Chiara Ferrari, Ph.D.

Faculty Development Director

Implement Universal Design for Learning in your Courses

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Sent on behalf of Dr. Jamie Gunderson, Assistant Professor in the School or Education and READI Equity Fellow

Hello, Fellow Faculty! 

If you are anything like me, the winding down of one semester serves as a sort of cue to begin planning for the next semester. This planning normally begins with a review of the scope and goals of the courses I am preparing to teach as well as reflection of my previous experience with teaching the courses’ content. During my reflection, I think about any lessons and/or activities that students engaged with and responded favorably too. Next, and this part is my favorite, I take a look at The UDL Guidelines to identify any areas in which my lessons and activities align to Universal Design for Learning (UDL). From there, I can pinpoint any areas that I may want to focus on or increase my implementation. Here is an example; In the fall I am teaching a ChicoFlex course that I will be facilitating via Canvas. In my previous teaching of this content, I noticed that students appreciated the opportunity to review and provide feedback on each others’ work as this practice fosters collaboration and community (UDL Checkpoint 8.3). As this course is new to the Canvas platform, I am currently working on creating a module and assignment in Canvas wherein students can submit their work for peer review and feedback. This module, launching in the coming semester, uses the Canvas platform to facilitate the peer review and because I promote the use of Kurzweil in all my courses to support reading and writing, I am now using multimedia for communication (UDL Checkpoint 5.1) and multiple tools for composition and construction (UDL Checkpoint 5.2). As my example suggests, the implementation of UDL begins with reflection and recognition – consider what it is that you do in your teaching that works and review the principles, guidelines, and checkpoints to determine where those practices align with UDL. From there, challenge yourself to select an additional principle, guideline, or checkpoint to focus on for future implementation. 

Interested in implementing UDL within your teaching? In true UDL fashion, here are three options for you to start your UDL journey:

  1. Adapt and apply the above example to your own teaching practice and review the UDL Guidelines.
  2. Check out the UDL Teaching Guide on the FDEV website for tips, ideas, and more UDL-focused resources.
  3. Recommended Option – Join us on Thursday, 5/11/23, in Colusa 100A from 12:30 – 2:00 PM, to see examples of UDL implementation and chat with faculty who are participating in the UDL Faculty Learning Community!

For more tips, resources, or to geek out on all things UDL, please contact Jamie Linn Gunderson: jlgunderson@csuchico.edu. 

STEM-Specific Teaching Guides

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Sent on behalf of Tina Hanson-Lewis, lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and READI Equity Fellow.

Over the past year, your Equity Fellows have been hard at work serving as liaisons between each college and FDEV’s Hub for Research in Equity, Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (also known as the READI Hub). Based on the needs identified by each college, we developed, compiled, and/or organized resources in a manner that we hope will reduce barriers and increase access to resources. Some of these resources were in the form of new Teaching Guides. I particularly appreciate the Teaching Guides, as I find them concise, comprehensive, and extremely helpful. Each guide begins with a background information section, a list of peer-reviewed resources, and then a brief list of application ideas. The second half of the guide consists of resources in a variety of formats (text, videos, podcasts, etc.) about the topic from credible sources.

As liaison for the College of Natural Sciences (CNS), I was informed that many faculty members in CNS wanted STEM-specific guidance, since STEM course designs often differ from those in other fields. I would like to briefly introduce you to four new STEM-specific teaching guides that have been developed to meet this need.

These resources are provided in the hope that they will be helpful to you, even if you teach outside of the CNS. However, if you have any additional questions, concerns, or unmet needs, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Earth Day and Climate Change Faculty Learning Community

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Dear faculty, 

To celebrate Earth Day, Faculty Development is excited to announce that in Spring 2024 we will be offering another faculty learning community on teaching climate change and resilience! We will send a call for applicaitons in Fall 2023, so we do not have any details yet, but I want to share the good news as you consider opportunities for professional development next year. The faculty learning community is sponsored by the President’s Office and the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences and will be led by Dr. Mark Stemen. 

This program is based on last year’s CSU-wide FLC, which received recognition by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and was awarded the Campus Sustainability Achievement Award. 

The FLC and Mark’s efforts were also featured in a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, part of their Future Trends in Higher Education, so this project has received recognition beyond just sustainability circles. 

As as you prepare to discuss climate change in your classes, as a way to recognize Earth Day, I also want to remind you that FDEV has created a webpage where resources from the FLC are collected. We hope these resources will be useful to you, and we invite you to stay tuned for more information about the FLC in the Fall! 

Chiara Ferrari, Ph.D.
Faculty Development Director

Spring into Canvas (…for Fall!)

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Dear faculty, 

I want to use this Tuesday Tip to remind you about the Spring into Canvas for Fall day, which will be held on Thursday April 20th both in person and via Zoom. 

You can access the program here for more details about the sessions. 

The Technology and Learning Program is planning a whole day to help faculty learn about Canvas and start getting familiar with the new learning management system. 

Spring into Canvas for Fall 
April 20, 9am – 4pm 
Colusa Hall 116, 114, 111 

Have a lot on your plate? TLP is  breaking Canvas down into bite-sized tasks. Come for 10 minutes, a single session, or the entire day. Or just come have pastries and coffee and/or lunch. This day is all about you.  

TLP Instructional Technology Consultants are hosting structured sessions and available to help you personally in a dedicated workroom. Join in-person or on Zoom. Our Canvas workroom will provide “10-Minute Tasks” that will help you get started.

  • If joining us in-person, bring your laptop, your coffee mug, and TLP will help you get started with your transition to Canvas.  
  • If joining on Zoom, you’ll arrive in the TLP Lab when you click on Zoom link and will then be directed to a Zoom breakout-room. 
  • Can’t come at all? You haven’t missed the boat. We are here all summer and will continue to offer sessions and consulting to assist you before the fall semester starts when over 600 faculty will be using Canvas for the first time. 

I also want to remind you that Faculty Development released a Zine last week focusing entirely on Canvas. In the Zine, you can read longer pieces about the transition to Canvas but you can also access practical tips about specific tools in Canvas. 

TLP will offer more opportunities for training and support, both in person and via Zoom, later in April and in May, as well as during the summer. 

I hope you will take this and future opportunities to learn more about Canvas and I particularly want to encourage faculty teaching in summer to attend the Spring into Canvas for Fall Day and other workshops this Spring to make sure you have the proper support for your summer courses!