Goodbye and Hello

The end of Spring is such an incredible time at Chico State. It is a great moment to consider what worked and what needs improvement in your classes and workflow. We are reflecting on our year in FDEV and marking some changes in the Teaching Tip for this week. 

Goodbye. I am going to take a moment of personal privilege to say a fond farewell to our Academic Technology Officer, Kathy Fernandes who has served on our campus and in the Chancellor’s Office for over 30 years. She has had an outsized leadership impact on our campus from the founding of TLP to the online pivot during COVID. Kathy’s impact was possible because she had clarity of purpose. She always understood supporting students to be the job and found ways to do that through supporting faculty and using technology. Whether she was negotiating a contract, figuring out work schedules, or helping set up a camera in a room, she was always doing her job with faculty and students in mind. Kathy has been one of my most important collaborators on campus and will remain my friend. We will miss her leadership a great deal. 

We are also saying goodbye to our READI Hub funding cycle as we mentioned in March and this round of Teaching Climate Change and Resilience. These have been strong programs closely aligned to the mission of the campus and we will look for ways to continue this important work. 

Hello. As you reflect on where you might need additional support next year, we are offering a sneak peek at our likely offerings for the Fall. Applications will be live when we start the contract for next year. For now, have a look and see if you can find a match for where you might need support.

  • Quality Learning and Teaching (QLT)
    Lead: Allison McConnell
    Compensation: $500
    Format: Online and Primarily Asynchronous

    The Quality Learning and Teaching (QLT) Program is an asynchronous, self-paced Canvas course structured around the QLT evaluation rubric. This QLT course is designed to meet core standards in the QLT instrument through the completion of eight modules with associated deliverables that guide you to fully redesign a course (or design a new course). Topics and deliverables focus on backwards design, student engagement, authentic assessment, inclusion and accessibility, and more. This QLT course requires a final course review. While focusing on online learning, QLT provides a framework that is applicable to all modes of instruction.

  • Advancing Hispanic/Latinx Student Success
    Leads: Teresita Curiel and Gloria Lopez
    Compensation: $500-$1000
    Format: TBD

    This project is partially funded by a generous U.S. Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) grant from PI Ryan Patten, College of BSS.  We are happy to collaborate on this important work.  This FLC will feature connected workshops focused on better understanding Hispanic/Latinx university students and how Chico State can advance their success.

  • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Teaching (EDIT) (probable)
    Leads: Alisa Wade and Allison McConnell
    Format: Flex
    Compensation: TBD

    The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Teaching (EDIT) 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 in order to create more equitable and accessible learning environments. Each workshop explores–and models–a different facet of student-centered and inclusive teaching through tools, resources, and strategies: positionality in the classroom, antiracist pedagogy, backward design, accessibility of course materials, culturally responsive teaching and the hidden curriculum, and practices of classroom community building. Workshops are each paired with a teaching guide (and other materials) and offer the opportunity for faculty to complete deliverables that they will be able to incorporate into their course(s) moving forward.
  • Leadership Development (probable)
    Lead: Holly Nevarez
    Compensation: TBD
    Format: Flex

    The leadership development faculty learning community (FLC) will introduce leadership styles and strategies. This FLC is designed for you to lead from wherever you are. Perhaps you are not a formal leader on campus, but find yourself leading other staff or students; perhaps you would like to be a formal leader someday and want to start to develop skills; or perhaps you are going to be a department Chair next year and want to start preparing. In any of those scenarios, this FLC is for you. We will talk about staffing, collegiality managing difficult people, explore campus resources,  work to develop a leadership philosophy and more.
  • Grant Writing (probable)
    Lead: Julie Jessen and TBD
    Compensation: TBD
    Format: TBD

    This FLC will lead faculty members through the grant writing process. Julie Jessen from CSE will help faculty in the process of identifying grant opportunities and partners. Faculty writing support will also be there to provide writing structure and guidance. The goal is to have a grant submitted or ready to submit by the end of the Fall!

As the campus prepares for graduation, visit the Chico State Commencement webpage for 2024 ceremony and celebration information.  

Zach Justus
Director of Faculty Development
Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Google Voice/Text: 530-487-4150

All past Tuesday Tips are curated on the FDEV website.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *