Podcasts and Teaching/Learning

This tip pulls together several recommendations connected by a common theme: podcasting. I love the format of podcasts because it allows me to learn something while I am doing chores or walking the dog. 

First, Dr. Jamie Gunderson from the School of Education has started the fifth season of our own Rise, Teach, Learn podcast. I was happy to join Jamie along with two of my favorite campus colleagues, Assistant Vice President Mary Wallmark and Dean Tracy Butts to discuss Caffeinated Cats – the first Faculty Development housed podcast at Chico State. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode and exploring the wonderful library of work Jamie has created. 

Second, think about exploring podcasting as a tool for teaching and learning. Faculty Development has a whole workshop series on the topic in our archive. This can be an alternative format for student work and for distribution of your own course content. When I teach I often assign podcasts. Students have traditionally responded well to the change of pace. 

Third, I continue to think the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast with Bonni Stachowiak is an industry leader in exploring key topics related to our work in the classroom. She interviews an excellent guest every week and covers nearly every topic related to teaching and learning. Recent episodes on Equity and Social Justice in STEM Education and Assignment Makeovers in the AI Age have been especially good. 

Finally, I want to remind you that we have purchased an institutional membership to the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. Last week we sent out the simple steps needed to activate your individual membership (look for them below). In each Tuesday Tip I will be trying to highlight a resource or upcoming event through NCFDD. On Thursday of this week they are hosting an interesting webinar on How to Engage in Healthy Conflict hosted by Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha. It is an area of potential growth for many of us. 

1) Go to http://www.FacultyDiversity.org/Join
2) Choose your institution from the drop-down menu. 
3) Select “Activate my Membership” 
4) Complete the registration form using your institutional email address (i.e. @InstitutionalEmail.edu) 
5) Go to your institution email to find a confirmation email. Click “Activate Account” in the confirmation email.

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

Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Dear faculty,

I want to use this Tuesday Tip to promote an event organized by the WellCat Counseling Center.

The center will be offering a free faculty and staff training to learn how to serve students who are on the Autism Spectrum and improve their college experience.

The training will be held via Zoom, on March 24, from 9:00 am-11:00 am. Please register here if you plan to attend. More information is available in the attached document.

I also want to take this opportunity to share a couple of resources available in Faculty Development to support neurodivergent students:

  1. You can listen to an episode of the Rise Teach Learn podcast that focuses on Neurodiversity in Higher Education to learn about information and data about neurodiversity in academia, but especially at Chico State
  2. You can access the corresponding Teaching Guide on Neurodiversity in Higher Education to learn about practices to adopt in your classes to make neurodivergent students feel more comfortable, including communication tips.

We hope you’ll find these resources useful!

Chiara Ferrari, Ph.D.
Faculty Development, Director
MLIB 458A
Campus zip: 026
cfferrari@csuchico.edu
FDEV: https://www.csuchico.edu/fdev/
READI: https://www.csuchico.edu/readi/
Professor
Department of Media Arts, Design, and Technology
Campus zip: 504

Resources and Support for Neurodiversity

Sent on behalf of Dr. A. Josephine Blagrave, Associate Professor of Kinesiology and READI Equity Fellow

As we continue to improve access, equity and a sense of belonging for our students, and work to improve student retention, it is important to include our students with disabilities. Previous resources from FDEV include a teaching guide and a podcast on neurodiversity in higher education and the work Jaime Gunderson is engaging in with Universal Design for Learning. Helping our disabled and neurodivergent students, faculty and staff connect and engage with each other in shared community is important. Here are some new resources that are currently available or coming soon to improve connections and support.

Neurodiversity and Disability Symposium (September 23, 2022): Formerly the Northern California Autism Symposium, this year’s keynotes include Steve Silberman and Alycia Anderson.  

Neurodiversity Student Club  

Chico State Neurodiverse club is established to support students who identify as neurodivergent and their allies, through networking, educational activities, and events. This student group will work with the Chico State Neurodiverse Task Force, to help improve student success and support for neurodivergent students at California State University, Chico. The purpose of this club is to allow all neurodiverse students and allies to engage in social activities that help build a sense of belonging and community. Additionally, this club will host group discussions on several topics within their college career and adult life. Outside the school, the club will engage in helping neurodiverse campus and community members by participating in several events throughout the year.  

Chico Autism Spectrum Empowerment (CASE): open to all CSUC students who identify as being on the autism spectrum.  “Let’s Talk About…” sessions are held the second and fourth Mondays of each month starting at 4:00pm.  This semester’s topics include Career Preparation, Communicating with Faculty, Choosing a Major/Courses, ASD and Accommodations, etc.  Additionally, each session will provide time for open discussion regarding topics of interest related to being on the autism spectrum.  Students that are interested in getting more information can contact Terry Quinto at Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) 530 898-5959. 

Wellcat Counseling Center, ADHD Support Group: Going through college with ADHD can be challenging at best! Learn how to work with your brain’s natural strengths and get support around its obstacles. This group is designed to be a comfortable space to unmask, share some skills, gain psychoeducation about ADHD, and have some comfort in a chaotic world. Feel free to bring lunch, fidgets, drinks, and wear comfortable clothing for floor sitting if you choose! Clients do not need a formal diagnosis to be eligible to participate in the support group. All genders and types of students are welcome. 

Neurodiversity Task Force (Faculty & Staff): in Fall 2021, President Hutchinson established a Neurodiversity Taskforce to explore ways to raise awareness and acceptance and to better serve neurodivergent members of the campus community. This group continues to meet and partner with other programs on campus to improve supports, services and community for our neurodivergent students.  

Neurodiversity and Disability Affinity Group (coming soon!) 

Universal Design for Learning FLC

Dear faculty,

I am excited to promote a new faculty learning community (FLC) focusing on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which will be offered during the 2022-2023 academic year! Dr. Jamie Linn Gunderson and Dr. Kathryn Mercurio will co-lead this FLC. 

 In this FLC, participants are invited to think about UDL in the design of their assignments, assessments, and activities to promote inclusion, accessibility, and student success. During the FLC, participants will be guided through the creation of interactive lessons, activities, and assessments that align with the principles, guidelines, and checkpoints of UDL. This is the first FLC offered under the auspices of READI, the new hub for Research in Equity, Antiracism, Diversity and Inclusion, housed in Faculty Development. We will use this FLC to pilot an assessment model of FDEV programs as they impact student success, to fully understand how faculty’s professional development can improve equitable student learning.

 Please review the full call for applications (Google Doc), and read more about the UDL guidelines(opens in new window). I also want to share an episode(opens in new window) of Rise, Teach, Learn (the FDEV podcast) that focuses on UDL. In our next podcast episode(opens in new window) (to be released on September 8th) Jamie, Katie, and I will sit down to discuss some aspects of the FLC in more detail, so stay tuned if you want to learn more!

 Applications to the FLC will close on Monday September 12th, at 5:00 pm. Please fill out this google form(opens in new window), if you plan to apply.

 FLC meetings times

The FLC will meet monthly on Thursdays from 12:30 -2:00 PM. The meetings will occur in person and/or via Zoom using Chicoflex technology.9/29/22 Introduction and Exploration of UDL

10/27/22 Culturally Responsive Learning Environments & Inclusive Syllabi
11/17/22 UDL: Designing Relevant and Rigorous Assignments & Assessments
12/15/22 Inclusive & Accessible Syllabi Showcase
2/16/23 UDL: Designing Engaging Lessons and Activities
3/23/23 UDL: Accessible Learning Materials and Resources
4/13/23 Collaborative Work Session – Model Course Design Portfolio
5/11/23 Course Design/Redesign Symposium

Please contact Jamie Linn Gunderson (jlgunderson@csuchico.edu(opens in new window)) for questions related to this FLC or Chiara Ferrari cfferrari@csuchico.edu(opens in new window), Director of Faculty Development, for broader questions related to FDEV. 

Upcoming Opportunities to Help Faculty Navigate Research.

This Tuesday Tip brings to you some resources in relation to research and the opportunity to grow as both a teacher and a scholar! 

Faculty Development(opens in new window) is working on a number of resources that can help faculty navigate research at Chico State. Below you find links and information for upcoming opportunities: 

“Join us for a conversation about interdisciplinary research opportunities! We will hear from faculty who are currently collaborating across Departments and Colleges on various research projects, we will discuss examples of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and we will look at possible funding opportunities for collaborative research projects!” (The description will be added to the website soon) 

I also want to take this opportunity to share the link to the Co-Teaching & Community Engagement page(opens in new window) hosted by the Office of Civic Engagement(opens in new window). Here you find tips and ideas on how to consider possibilities for teaching and research collaborations!  

We hope that these resources and events will be an opportunity to learn more about support for research on campus and a chance to hear about innovative research projects at Chico State! 

Stay tuned! 

Chiara Ferrari, Ph.D. 

Faculty Development, Director 

Some News from FDEV!

My last Tuesday Tip on December 15th included a teaser about some news brewing in Faculty Development. I am excited to share them with you today as you prepare to come back tomorrow to start the Spring semester. 

New FDEV website design 

First of all, we made a few changes to the main FDEV page and we restructured the way you can access our offerings by identifying four major areas: Programs, Workshops, Tools, and Resources. Under each main title you find the list of the specific resources included in each page. You can access those pages by clicking on the corresponding photographs. We also added some icons that will take you directly to a some interesting new resources (and I will speak more about these below). 

New FDEV Faculty Fellows 

Dr. Jamie Linn Gunderson was selected as the FDEV Faculty Fellow for Spring 2021. Jamie will work with three other faculty fellows, Paul Bailey, Dustin Bakkie, and Dr. Chris Crews, to produce content for the FDEV website. I am excited to be working with this group of faculty and to increase what FDEV can offer. 

New FDEV Resources 

FDEV is excited to launch an FDEV Podcast and FDEV Zine (these pages are currently under construction, but save these links for the future). The FDEV Podcast will be hosted by Dr. Jamie Linn Gunderson and will be released twice a month, on the first and third Thursdays, starting February 4th. The FDEV Zine will be released on the first Monday of each month, starting on February 1st. The Zine was designed with the hope to attract some artistic work from faculty, students and staff. I will reach out to specific departments to see if we can establish some collaborations, or you can reach out to me directly (cfferrari@csuchico.edu). These new resources allow us to have an official FDEV Week now, since every day we are excited to be offering faculty some resource or opportunity for development: 

The FDEV Week: 

Monday: FDEV Zine (first Monday of each month) 

Tuesday: Tuesday Tip (every Tuesday) 

Wednesday: GO Virtual Community (every Wednesday 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Zoom

Thursday: FDEV Podcast (every first and third Thursday of the month) 

Friday: Friday Forums (twice a month) 

New FDEV Tools 

FDEV is also excited to launch two new tools that we hope will provide valuable help to faculty. We created a Model Course Design 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. Similarly, we created a page to search for Teaching Guides that 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). More instructions on how to access these tools are available on the respective pages. 

New Teaching Climate Change & Resilience Series 

In collaboration with the Campus Sustainability Curriculum Subcommittee, FDEV is happy to offer a new Teaching Climate Change & Resilience Series. The campus community will also have access to a number of books on climate change and resilience that are available on the series’ page. I want to take this opportunity to also promote our Teaching Racial & Social Justice Series. The next workshop, “Data displays and interpretation: linking the practices of our fields to social justice issue” (led by Dr. M.E. Matthews), will be held on Tuesday, February 2nd, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The schedule for the other spring workshops will be finalized next week. 

Upcoming Events 

Lastly, I want to promote a couple of events happening this and next week. Tomorrow we will have a chance to come together as a community for the third Tipping Point Summit. The focus this year is on Virtual Realities, and I hope that everyone will join us to learn about our virtual experiences and share your own. Next week (Friday, January 29th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) FDEV will organize a Friday Forum on How to Showcase Evidence of Teaching Excellence. Faculty will discuss their experience in class evaluations (both synchronous and asynchronous) and will share how to showcase evidence of teaching excellence in the RTP dossier. 

We hope that you will find these resources useful and we encourage you to reach out to FDEV for any questions you might have. 

We wish you a wonderful start of the Spring semester! 

Podcasting for Teaching & Learning

As a film scholar in love with Orson Welles, I remember the first time I listened to the controversial 1938 War of the Worlds: I was fascinated by both the concept (a Halloween prank that turned into mass hysteria) and the content (the narrative of aliens attacking Earth). And of course, by Orson Welles’ incredible voice (seriously, just listen to it if you haven’t yet).  

Since then, radio technology has evolved significantly, and now we all have our favorite podcasts saved on our phones. But a core element has not changed: good storytelling. And I’ve always loved to think about teaching as a form of storytelling. Podcasts have been used very successfully for both teaching and learning, at various educational levels. As one podcaster reminds us, “students listen for longer than they’ll watch or read,” podcasts are easily accessible, and promote better learning for students with mental and visual disabilities. EdTech offers some recommendations about Higher Ed podcasts, this article even discusses the benefits of podcasts for faculty development, and this podcast offers great pedagogical resources for instructors.  

If you want to learn more about podcasting for teaching and learning, the Office of Faculty Development will hold a Friday Forum on December 4th via Zoom, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  

A panel of faculty will share their experience with podcasts, discuss tips and best practices, and offer ideas on how you could use podcasts in your own classes.  

Lastly, I want to remind everyone about the call for applications for FDEV Spring 2021 programs, see below: 

Closing the Equity Gaps Faculty Learning Community 

Digital Pedagogy Faculty Learning Community 

Faculty Writing Community 

Quality Learning and Teaching Workshops 

All calls for applications will close on Monday, December 7th, at 5:00 p.m. You can also find a list of all open calls in the FDEV Programs page

We look forward to receiving your applications and being able to offer you continued support! 

Visit Live Podcast on Giving Day

Podcasts are the new radio. You can listen while commuting, working out, or eating lunch. They can be informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Below are some popular podcasts related to higher ed and learning. If you prefer to hear the local beat, tune in to Caffeinated Cats featuring Chico State faculty, staff, and students. Hosts Zach Justus, Tracy Butts, and Mary Wallmark cover campus initiatives, teaching stories, and interviews with campus guests. They’ll be doing a live podcast on 11/28 from 8-9am in the BMU atrium with a focus on Chico State’s Giving Day. Guests are encouraged to drop in and say hi or donate to a cause.

Happy listening!

    • Teaching in Higher Ed
    • Inside Higher Ed
    • Higher Ed Happy Hour
    • Times Higher Education
    • Higher Ed Live
    • The Anthill
    • The Torch: Great Courses
    • TED Radio Hour

L.E.A.R.N.

Welcome Back!

This week you will have a flyer entitled L.E.A.R.N. in your mailboxes from the Campus Incident Response Team. The flyer is a quick-start guide for managing contentious classroom discussions. It is designed for you to keep in a notebook, post it outside your office, or clip it to the board in a classroom. As a companion the team has also produced an extended guide which you can find on the new “Our Democracy” page off the University main page. To save you a click, we are also posting it here as today’s teaching tip. Good luck out there!

Contentious classroom discussions can be difficult for everyone involved. As an instructor you are often balancing the roles of teacher, peacemaker, and arbiter. This is the extended version of the L.E.A.R.N. quick-start guide distributed to campus.

Listen to what your students are saying. Listening can be hard, especially if someone is saying something with which you strongly disagree. However, it is a precondition to everything that should come next. Listening allows us to understand, find meaning and agreement, and opens the possibility of reaching a better solution.  In the same way that you want your students to listen to you, be open to being challenged by your students.  If you make a mistake, apologize.  Learn from it.  Unsure how to get started? Watch this short informative video about active listening.

Empathize with their position, especially when it is difficult. In the contemporary political environment this is often the missing piece. In the moment of a contentious classroom discussion it can be difficult to fully grasp why students feel the way they do, but making an effort is important. Try to consider why people feel the way they do rather than just focusing on what was said, but do so without casting judgment.  Assume the best of others.  If a student says something alarming or seemingly out of place, ask about it.  Listen for the subtext; sometimes the most important thing is under what is said.  Or, offer a tentative interpretation about the student’s feelings and intentions.  Question in a manner that requests more information or attempts to clear up confusions.  This part of the process can also be taken off-line with an email expressing empathy or a follow-up office hour visit. Empathy is a powerful teaching tool. This recent podcast is a great primer on why teaching with empathy is so effective.

Assess what to do. Take a minute compose yourself. We have been conditioned to respond immediately and avoid silence, but you need to fight the impulse to act immediately. If things get heated, take a time out.  Spend five minutes writing about what you feel.  Then resume the conversation. This can be awkward, but it is okay to tell your class everyone should take a moment to process what was said and consider how to move forward. This tactic will be helpful for them and it gives you a minute to compose yourself. Your solution does not have to be perfect, but taking a minute will make it better.

Respond directly, redirect the conversation, or end it. There is no one path forward from a difficult classroom conversation. Instead of having a go-to tactic, try being aware of the options at your disposal in a contentious classroom. You can respond directly and engage the topic at hand. This is a great option if you feel well equipped for the conversation and you feel the conversation can be productive for the class. You can redirect the flow of the classroom, frequently toward the usual classroom content. This is a good tactic if you feel a conversation is headed in an unproductive direction and it does not shut you off from following up later with a Blackboard or in person announcement to start the next class. The last resort in a contentious class period is to end class early. This should only be reserved for situations where the rest of class will be unproductive and/or people in the class feel like they might be at risk. This tactic re-centers your control in the classroom. If you end class, you should follow up with any student who may feel isolated, with an explanation to the class, and consult with your department chair.

Negotiate how to move forward. You have so many options as you consider what should happen next. You can seek advice from your chair or from colleagues. You can communicate through Blackboard or in person to start the next class period. You can follow up with individuals or groups from the class. In some situations you may want to contact Student Judicial Affairs to get a better understanding of your options. Writing down what happened for your own purposes is a useful exercise regardless as you can make a note of details you may not remember later. The most important thing you can do is seek advice. You may be shaken up following a contentious classroom incident and getting guidance from someone with a clear head and a different perspective is the best thing you can do for yourself and your students.

Dr. Sara Cooper has provided additional Book in Common Material. Check out this section ofthe CELT page for regular synopsis updates, discussion questions, and other resources.

Got feedback on this tip? Got an idea for a tip? Send it along. Check out our new and improvedwordpress site here.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Caffeinated Cats podcast! Our fourth episode of the Fall is out now! Mary, Tracy, and I discuss the election with Juni Banerjee-Stevens and Mike Pence (not really, just checking to see if you were still reading). Link to it on soundclouditunesovercast, or follow the podcast on facebook.