Tag: class peer evaluations

Resources for Tenure, Promotion, and Dossier Writing

adminLeave a comment

Dear faculty,

I hope that your first week in class (virtually or in person) went as smoothly as possible and that you could all get re-energized by the interaction with your students!

This week, I want to encourage you to focus on yourselves for a moment, and to consider the resources available for retention, tenure, and promotion (RTP), and more general resources that can help with your dossiers (whether you are going through a performance or periodic review this year, and whether you are a T/TT faculty or a lecturer). Last year we offered a number of Friday Forums that provided insights into a variety of topics pertaining to RTP, and many faculty helped me explore concrete examples of successful practices. 

I want to share the recordings from those forums, as many of you have dossiers due on September 17th, and I hope that you can find valuable information there.

  1. How to Showcase Evidence of Teaching Excellence (Class Evaluations) – additional material available here
  2. How to Showcase Evidence of Teaching Excellence (in the RTP Dossier) – additional material available here
  3. How to Prepare for a Class Peer Evaluation – slides available here
  4. How to Approach Service Strategically – additional material available here

I want to encourage all faculty (T/TT and lecturers) to reach out to Faculty Development for questions about RTP, dossier writing, class evaluations, etc. We might not have all the answers, but we should be able to point you in the right direction. I am also happy to share my dossier with anybody who would like to see an example, just reach out to me!

Lastly, I want to send one more reminder about the Friday Forum on RTP. Join us for a discussion about tenure and promotion with the Office of Academic Personnel, Deans, Department Chairs, and newly tenured faculty on Friday, September 3rd, 12:00-2:00 p.m. The forum will be offered via Zoom and all sessions will be recorded.

Do not hesitate to reach out to me or Faculty Development for any questions!

Chiara Ferrari 
 
Faculty Development, Director 
Campus zip: 026 
Phone: 530-898-3094 
https://www.csuchico.edu/fdev
Professor 
Department of Media Arts, Design, and Technology 
Campus zip: 504 
Phone: 530-898-4647

Mobile Devices in Class?

adminLeave a comment

Should students be allowed to use smartphones and laptops in class? If so, they might get distracted and check e-mail or browse Facebook, although they could just as easily doodle on paper or daydream if mobile devices weren’t allowed. Technology is rarely the sole cause for students being disengaged. In fact, laptops and smartphones can increase student engagement and enhance the learning environment if leveraged properly. Here are five reasons to allow (and even encourage) mobile devices in your class…

  • Using iClickers Cloud, students can engage with you and their peers by responding electronically to questions (TLP can help you set this up).
  • Students can supplement lecture by following along with Blackboard content or searching the web to learn more about concepts presented in class.
  • Some students have illegible handwriting and laptops can create typed, well-organized, and searchable notes. Microsoft OneNote is a good example of this which also facilitates in-class collaboration.
  • Students with accessibility needs often rely on laptops and don’t want to be singled out by a classroom ban on mobile devices.
  • If you approve students to record lectures, they can replay them while driving or working out if that’s their preferred method of learning.

If you allow laptops but not cell phones, the Pocket Points app might benefit both you and your students. When a student locks up and puts away their phone during class, they earn rewards that are redeemable at local stores.

Whatever your policy, there is real value in educating students about mobile device etiquette both in and out of the classroom.

————————————————————————————————

As a reminder, please complete the 8-minute survey about the professional development programming you want from the FDEV office. Thank-you!