Student assistant – Faculty Development Tuesday Tips Archive

The Many Benefits of Community- and Civically-Engaged Pedagogy

November 28, 2023November 28, 2023 adminLeave a comment

Sent on behalf of Dr. Amy Magnus, Director of Civic Engagement, and Annie Layon, Civic Engagement Student Assistant

We start the Tuesday Tip today with a student’s voice. Annie Layon, a graduating senior, shares her experience with and desire for more community- and civically-engaged pedagogy at Chico State:

Hi there! I’m Annie Layon and I’m a Women’s Studies and Psychology student at Chico State – I’m excited to be graduating this semester! As an avid environmentalist, feminist, and activist, I’ve always been extremely passionate about environmentalism and sustainability. Yet, I’m leaving Chico State asking myself: How could my courses from all kinds of disciplines have been more intentional about helping me take what I learned in the classroom out into the world? In my 4.5 years at Chico State, civic and community engagement wasn’t a top priority in the course curriculum. However, I would have deeply appreciated the opportunity to actively connect what I learned in my classes to the world around me through community-engaged projects, civically-engaged pedagogy, and intentional opportunities to use my education to support my community. So, I encourage faculty to stay curious, ask questions, and consider incorporating community- and civically-engaged pedagogy into their courses!

The Benefits of Community- and Civically-Engaged Pedagogy

Community- and civically-engaged pedagogy marry the dissemination of academic knowledge, mutually beneficial collaborations between communities and students, and students’ application of their knowledge in a community. Courses that embed community- and civically-engaged learning as a high impact practice (HIP) prioritize both knowledge and action, helping students wield the skills and expertise they are developing to support their communities in helpful ways. At Chico State, we value the use of high impact practices (HIPs) as a key path to student success. Two stellar examples of this work on campus are the Town Hall Meeting and Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems.

HIPs continually demonstrate their positive impact on student retention and motivation, students’ sense of belonging and community, and their inclination toward civic responsibility. Trudeau and Kruse (2014: 25-26) articulate some of the key impacts of these approaches to teaching, highlighting their transformative potential:

“…students who participate in civic engagement are highly motivated and engaged in their learning. For some students, these experiences become formative moments in which they understand with greater clarity what they want to pursue in their working life or the kind of citizen they want to be… another important reason is that the learning which the students experience through civic engagement is personally – and socially – relevant, long-lasting, and sometimes transformative, and is thus more substantive than a lecture-discussion approach to learning.”

Taking the First Step: Support, Resources, and Future Programming

You might be thinking: “…this sounds awesome, but how will I find the time, resources, or capacity to add one more thing to my already-busy schedule?” The Office of Civic Engagement is here to help and support you! Incorporating engaged teaching and learning into your teaching routine is an approach that should be implemented slowly, carefully, thoughtfully, and with special care taken to ensure it is done ethically and in collaboration with communities. The Office of Civic Engagement, in collaboration with Faculty Development, is excited to share that we are in the process of developing new engaged teaching and learning programming that will be available to faculty starting in the 2024-2025 academic year. We will promote these programs and put out a call for applications in the upcoming spring semester, but feel free to reach out now with your ideas or questions!

Want to learn more? Check out these resources:

Alcantar, C. M. (2023). Civic engagement of Latinx students: The role of higher education institutions in serving the public good. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 22(3), 255-275.

Trudeau, D., & Kruse, T. P. (2014). Creating significant learning experiences through civic engagement: Practical strategies for community-engaged pedagogy. Journal of Public Scholarship in Higher Education, 4, 12-30.

Visit Collaboratory to see more examples of community-based research, community- and civically-engaged pedagogy, and more!

Questions?

Please reach out to Amy Magnus in the Office of Civic Engagement (ammagnus@csuchico.edu)

Our NCFDD recommendation this week is connected to civic work in the classroom: the concept of public scholarship. Writing for public audiences can be challenging after a life of academic orientation. Check out this webinar on the topic. You have to sign up for NCFDD (which you have free access to for this year) and once you do, you will have access to an incredible catalog of useful resources for your classroom and professional development.

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

Good-bye from FDEV Student Assistant

May 18, 2021November 27, 2023 adminLeave a comment

Sent on behalf of Ariana Singh, FDEV Student Assistant

In my four years as the Student Assistant for the Office of Faculty Development, I have learned many things and met many people. Fresh out of high school, this was my first and only job before starting my career – what a serious jump, right? All the experience and knowledge gained from a tiny office job – and by tiny, I mean with such a small team – all to get me to where I am today. I’m graduating this week, so cheers to that! I start with my career full time in less than a month with a prestigious law enforcement agency. With this week’s Tuesday Tip, I am offering a student perspective on Faculty Development.

FDEV has taught me a lot over the years, but it has mostly given me the rare opportunity to see things from the perspective of the faculty. I loved getting to know the cohorts of new faculty over the years, planning events for all faculty on-campus, and being able to provide resources. It’s truly been an honor, as I know that not as many students get to know faculty on the level I feel that I have. I mean, had I never worked for FDEV, I’d probably be that student that complains about grades not being posted fast enough, and so on.

Fortunately, I have been able to work with so many awesome faculty and other members of the campus community. Just last week, I was presenting FDEV Website Metrics data to the President and Provost, as well as many other VPs, and I realize that not many students may have that opportunity in their academic careers. I feel that this job has given me experience that I will hold near and dear, and it also has matured me in ways that I know will benefit me in life. Did I expect this assistant job to impact me this much when applying? Absolutely not! Yet, here I am. I always try to bring my best understanding of the faculty perspective into student conversions amongst my peers, and also I try to bring the student perspective to my work. This balance has helped myself and others think bigger, and more “outside the box.” It also brings me to appreciate the work that we all do together on this campus. I appreciate all the faculty I’ve had as professors, I’ve met through work, or haven’t met personally but have processed paperwork for. You are the fuel that keeps students going, so please keep working on your professional development because I can assure you that it helps! Take advantage of what the Office of Faculty Development has to offer you, your students will love you for it!

Tuesday Tip – Visit the Grading Oasis Starting Next Week!

April 30, 2019December 8, 2023 adminLeave a comment

Reminder – applications for the three Fall ’19 Faculty Learning Communities are open through this Sunday, May 5. You may apply to more than one. Details and application links are on the Faculty Development website.
The Grading Oasis will be open to all faculty, including lecturers, from May 6-17 from 8am-5pm in MLIB 459. Drop in at your leisure to grade, read, write, or just relax and enjoy the panoramic view of campus. We will have free hot coffee, decaf, hot tea, snacks and fresh fruit each day to support you. Our student assistant, Ariana, may be available to assist with some grading as long as student names are not visible.

Best wishes to you for a smooth finish to the semester!

Fall 2018 Grading Oasis

December 10, 2018December 8, 2023 adminLeave a comment

Another Tuesday Tip coming a day early to help…

Starting today, MLIB 459 will have free hot coffee, decaf, hot tea, snacks and fresh fruit for faculty (including T/TT and lecturers) from 8am-5pm Monday-Friday. Drop in at your leisure to grade, read, write, or do whatever you need to get done. We’ve updated the space with some new décor and the amazing view is always refreshing. Our student assistant, Ariana, may be available to assist with some grading as long as student names are not visible.

Best wishes to you for a smooth finish to the semester!

For more information, visit www.csuchico.edu/fdev.

Visit the Grading Oasis Next Week!

December 5, 2017December 8, 2023 adminLeave a comment

Want to grade papers in a large naturally-lit room? Interested in working in a space that includes colleagues from other department? Break out of your office and swing by the Grading Oasis next week in MLIB 459 (a dedicated space for all faculty including lecturers). This room has a top-floor scenic view of campus with a panoramic outlook over the rose garden (see flyer below). Next week (Dec 11-15), there will be hot coffee and snacks for you from 8-5. Additionally, you can request grading on-site assistance from our FDEV student assistant, Ariana, on Mon 8-5, Wed 8-11, or Fri 8-5 (as long as she doesn’t see any student names with grades).

Hope to see you next week!