Faculty Learning Community – Faculty Development Tuesday Tips Archive

Teaching Climate Change & Resilience

October 17, 2023October 17, 2023 adminLeave a comment

The main portion of this tip is brought to you by Dr. Mark Stemen, from Geography and Planning.

Over Spring 2022, 65 CSU faculty redesigned over 75 courses to include greater engagement of climate change and resilience, immediately affecting the education of thousands of students across the CSU the following year, including over 900 students on our campus alone.

The CSU Teaching Climate Change & Resilience (TCCR) Faculty Learning Community (FLC) was first offered in Spring 2022 through the Office of Faculty Development.

Since then, the FLC has been featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education and has received the Campus Sustainability Achievement Award by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), and most recently received recognition from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

In Spring 2024 the FLC will be offered again, with the support of Chico State’s Office of the President, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and the Office of the Chancellor’s Innovative Teaching & Learning Programs. The FLC will be open to all 23 CSU campuses and aligns with the California State University Sustainability Policy, which “is intended to position the nation’s largest university system as a leader in the teaching and use of applied research to educate climate literate students.”

This FLC is designed with busy and burdened faculty in mind. The five sessions are only 90 minutes long, and each will help faculty step by step to easily incorporate climate change and resilience into a course they teach. Our goal is to connect faculty with a broad range of approaches and ideas, as well as resources that are well-researched, relevant, and relatable to their discipline; lots of resources. 

The five Zoom sessions on Tuesdays from 9:00-10:30 a.m.

This FLC also offers the rare opportunity to connect with colleagues across the system. The FLC will be entirely over Zoom, allowing us to organize breakout rooms based on discipline. We found when we used disciplinary breakout rooms, the sessions became more productive and transformative for faculty. As one participant remarked, “It felt like the department I always wanted. Everyone believed in climate change and they all wanted to help.”

The FLC application is due by December 15, 2023. All faculty are welcome to apply.
Additionally, we in FDEV want to point you toward a timely NCFDD resource. Many faculty have been personally impacted by the tragic situation in Israel and Gaza. In addition, many faculty are encountering conversations about this situation in the classroom. In 2020 Dr. Chavella Pittman was featured in a webinar on Preparing for Difficult or Controversial Conversations as part of their Empowered Teaching Toolkit. You have to sign up for NCFDD (which you have free access to for this year), but once you do you will have access to an incredible catalog of useful resources for your classroom and professional development.

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

FDEV Fall 2021 Programs, Resources & Events

August 25, 2021November 27, 2023 adminLeave a comment

Dear faculty, welcome back!

I bet you have missed our Tuesday Tips over the summer, and so we are back! And technically, this is less a “tip” per se and more a chance to remind you what FDEV has to offer and what resources and programs are available to you this year.

This email includes information about this semester’s faculty learning communities, series, and events, in addition to links to important resources and tools. Please read this email carefully and save it for your future needs.

While the transition back to in-person classes and services is still complex, I am excited that I will get to see many of you on campus, and I hope that these resources will remind you that Faculty Development is always here to support you.

Faculty Learning Communities
The Office of Faculty Development (FDEV) is excited to offer two faculty learning communities (FLCs) this semester, focusing primarily on equity, inclusion, and antiracist work.

Closing the Equity Gaps
FDEV encourages all faculty (tenured, tenure-track, and lecturers), and especially those who have not participated in FDEV programs yet, to apply for the Closing the Equity Gaps faculty learning community. In this FLC, participants are invited to think about the effects of equity and inclusion on our primary goal of student success. During the FLC, participants will be asked to access the Faculty Grades and Equity Gaps Dashboard and engage with data from their courses. The goal is to create a space for faculty to understand the meaning of this data, discuss best practices for increasing elements of equity and diversity in their classes, and design assignments and activities that promote inclusion. The FLC meetings will be offered virtually via Zoom.
Read full call for proposals here (Google Doc). Deadline for applications is Tuesday, September 7th.

Raising Critical Consciousness: Working Towards Establishing Anti-Racist Learning Environments
FDEV invites all faculty (tenured, tenure-track, and lecturers) to participate in a new Raising Critical Consciousness faculty learning community. In this FLC, participants are invited to critically examine systems of power in order to explore their own racial literacy and begin to plan concrete steps toward developing and nurturing anti-racist learning environments. Possible strategies include removing barriers to opportunity for diverse student populations, improving representation in curricula, and revising assessment practices to reduce inequities. The FLC workshop meetings will be offered virtually via Zoom, while the team meetings can be scheduled either virtually or in person based on the team member’s preferences (but according to the University Covid-19 guidelines).
Read full call for proposals here (Google Doc). Deadline for applications is Tuesday, September 7th.

Quality Learning & Teaching (QLT) Workshops
The Office of Faculty Development is partnering with the Technology & Learning Program (TLP) to offer a series of workshops created around the Quality Learning and Teaching instrument.
These workshops will be held on Zoom and are designed to meet core standards in the QLT instrument and are associated with deliverables that will allow you to fully redesign a course (or design a new course).
Visit the QLT workshops page for details on how to apply. Deadline for applications is Tuesday, September 7th.

FDEV Series
The Office of Faculty Development is excited to offer a number of series starting this semester and continuing into Spring 2022.

Podcasting for Teaching and Learning Series
In collaboration with TLP, FDEV will offer a series on podcasting for teaching and learning in Fall 2021. The series will be offered in a hyflex classroom (Glenn 302), so participants will be able to attend in person or via Zoom. Participants are welcome to attend individual workshops or the whole series, based on availability and interest. In Spring 2022, we will offer a similar series focusing on the use of videos and other media in the classroom.
Visit the series page to learn more and to register for the four workshops.

Teaching Racial & Social Justice Series
FDEV is proud to sponsor the second annual Teaching Racial & Social Justice Series for 2021-2022 and is calling for six workshop proposals. Proposals should identify the workshop’s outcomes, deliverables/tools, ways of participant engagement, and address resources that will be shared. Visit the series page for more details. Deadline for applications is Tuesday, September 7th.

Upcoming Events: Friday forum on Retention, Tenure, and Promotion (9/3, 12:00-2:00 p.m.)
FDEV will be offering a Friday forum on Retention, Tenure, and Promotion (RTP) on Friday, September 3rd, from noon to 2:00 p.m. The forum will be offered via Zoom and is open to the entire campus community. Mark your calendars for this important conversation!
The forum will be recorded and all sessions will be available in the FDEV media channel (and linked in the Friday forum page).

FDEV Tools
FDEV is also excited to promote a number of tools that we hope will provide valuable help and resources to faculty.

Grades and Equity Gaps Dashboard: the data in the dashboard is intended to generate thoughtful reflections and discussions, leading to pedagogical adjustments that may decrease equity gaps.
Model Course Design: a database that allows searching concrete examples of course design. If you click on the blue icons you will be able to access individual course portfolios created by Chico State faculty.
Teaching Guides: offer tips in a variety of areas of instruction. Modeling Universal Design for Learning (UDL), we made the teaching guides brief, clear, easily accessible and applicable, and we organized the resources in four areas (explore, listen, watch, and read), offering additional information in various formats (websites, podcasts, videos, and articles).
FDEV media channel: FDEV uses a Kaltura media channel were most workshops are recorded and archived. Visit the channel to see what we offered last year!
FDEV podcast – Rise, Teach, Learn: the podcast is hosted by Dr. Jamie Linn Gunderson and is designed to engage in timely conversations with faculty, staff, and students at Chico State. The podcast is released on the first and third Thursday of each month.
FDEV Virtual Library: in partnership with the Meriam Library, the Office of Faculty Development has selected a list of electronic publications that cover key areas of faculty interests and responsibilities. Explore these resources and send us suggestions on additional titles!
FDEV Zine: it is released on the first Monday of each month (first issue this year will come out on October 4th) and contains news from the Advisory Board, updates about the faculty learning communities, and timely discussions about the faculty experience at Chico State and in higher education more broadly.

FDEV Office and Rose Garden Room
Lastly, we want to let all faculty know that the FDEV office (MLIB 458) and the Rose Garden Room (MLIB 459) are open and we hope you will visit us often!

The FDEV Office is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 pm. I, together with admin support coordinator Rebecca Nelson and the FDEV student assistants, will be happy to welcome and assist you with our website or any questions you might have in relation to faculty development, training, and resources. The Rose Garden Room is available for faculty Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 pm. With the exceptions of the FDEV Advisory Board(opens in new window) meetings (scheduled in the Rose Garden Room on the first Friday of each month, 8:30-10:00 am) the room is open for faculty to write, grade, read, etc. However, following Meriam Library policy and guidelines, FDEV will not provide any beverages or refreshments this semester.

I truly hope that you will find these programs and resources useful and that you will count on faculty development for the support you need to thrive as both a teacher and a scholar. Please reach out if you have any questions.

Welcome back, dear faculty! We sure have missed you!

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

How to Benefit from Your FDEV Office

August 22, 2017November 27, 2023 adminLeave a comment

Dear colleagues,

In my first e-mail to you as Faculty Development Director, I’ll share what this office provides to faculty. First off, this is your office and the programs we offer are tailored to your needs. Our mission is to deliver programming that enhances your professional lives as teachers and scholars. We team up with you to enrich the faculty experience so that you can provide world-class instruction to your students. All of the professional development programs are free and, in many cases, we pay you to participate.

What your FDEV office offers you

Faculty Learning Communities (e.g. Improve your Pedagogy, Article in 12 Weeks)
Academy e-Learning institutes
Annual CELT conference (Oct 5-6 this year)
Bb training workshops including one-on-one consultations you can schedule with TLP staff
Tuesday Tip e-mails
Mentoring program for new faculty
Internal campus grants and access to many CSU grant opportunities

What you can offer your FDEV office

Volunteer your expertise as guest presenters in workshops
Send ideas to us for “Tuesday Tip” e-mails that would strengthen our campus

We’re stronger as a campus community when we leverage our expertise to help each other. I look forward to collaborating with you this year!

—————————————-

Josh Trout, Ph.D.

Faculty Development Director

MLIB 458A

(530) 898-3094

—————————————–

Take the long view

May 10, 2016 adminLeave a comment

This is not the time in the semester when we usually think about planning ahead. We are usually pushing through those last few portfolios, finalizing our cumulative exam, or wondering how much coffee the human body can consume during 24 hours and still function normally. I want to encourage you to take 15 minutes to take a longer view of your work at Chico.

I want you to think about teaching and learning in relation to three events/deadlines this week and invest in yourself by taking advantage of them.

How many great student ideas find their final destination on your desk or in gradebook and never see the light of day? One solution that helps showcase student ideas while also helping us with assessment and content management are ePortfolios. The ePortfolio assessment team is bringing vendors to campus on Wednesday and there will be examples of current ePortfolio work on campus. These platforms can be powerful in promoting teaching and learning, they can also help students transition to the workforce. Find out more about the event here. If you are unable to attend, but want more information visit http://www.csuchico.edu/eportfolios/.

One of our most popular programs in Faculty Development is the article in 12 weeks faculty learning community. Chris Fosen leads interdisciplinary groups through encouragement and mutual accountability toward publication. This program is popular because it works. The participants in the past three semesters have almost all met their goals and some have utilized the lessons learned to publish multiple articles. The deadline for Fall 2016 participation is this Friday (5/13).The application process is straight forward and brief. Writing can be a real challenge during the semester, take advantage of this proven program to get the work done.
The CELT conference submission deadline has been extended to 5/13 at 5pm. The conference is a great opportunity to share your own innovations and learn from others. There is no cost to participants and the audience numbers (we averaged 14 per session in 2015) are solid. We welcome submissions from faculty, students, and staff. Take a few minutes to submit an abstract or coordinate with colleagues on a topic, it will be worth your time.

One last reminder, the Faculty Grading Oasis will be available to you again this semester. We will have fresh coffee, snacks, and our student staff will be available to you to help with grading as long as schedules and FERPA guidelines permit. Come see us in MLIB 458 next week and get some help!

Got feedback on this tip? Leave a comment or email it to us. Got an idea for a tip? Send it along.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Caffeinated Cats podcast! The newest episode is on the strike that wasn’t. Link to it on soundcloud, itunes, overcast, or follow the podcast on facebook.

If Only I…

March 1, 2016 adminLeave a comment

We often have complaints and ideas in the middle of the semester.

If only I had a tablet to keep track of attendance I would remember that student’s name.
If I had a course release to work on this redesign it would make a difference, I just need some time.
If my colleagues and I could get together and talk about this over the summer, we could solve this problem.

Then when opportunity knocks in the form of budget to be spent down or a request for proposals we find ourselves saying “I’m fine, I don’t really need anything.” Sometimes we say this because filling out another form seems like an insurmountable obstacle. Sometimes we cannot remember what we wished we had. Sometimes we figure other people have real needs and what we would ask for is not that important.

Stop it.

Not just one of those behaviors, stop all of them. Take the time to fill out the form, most of the time it is easier than it seems. Make a note to yourself using Evernote, google docs, or an old fashioned sticky note when you have an idea that would improve learning. The needs of your students are real and if you have a good idea, don’t let it linger in the back of your mind, get it done.

Investing a little time and energy into improving learning environments is almost always worth it.

On an immediate note take the time to apply for a Learning Enhancement Grant (announcement on Wednesday) to get course release, create a Faculty Learning Community, or buy needed materials, etc. This is our most flexible internal grant and one that can make a real difference for you and your students. You may have noticed that we have been working to streamline the application process for our programs and this is no exception. Have a look at the google form when it is published on Wednesday and the included directions to see just how easy it can be to apply for funding to increase student learning.