Tag: tools

SoTL Grants and Workshops!

adminLeave a comment

This is a reminder that FDEV is offering support for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). The application is not tedious, but it is due tonight at 11:59 p.m. One question we have received a lot has to do with the approved travel request. Ideally, you have something approved or in process already, but if you do not please apply anyway. We will evaluate all applications we receive. Full details are in the tip from last week and the application is here.

On Friday we are offering a workshop to faculty and staff on an introduction to AI. We brought in Dr. Brett Christie for this work, he has been a national leader in this space and we are fortunate to have him. The workshop is on Friday, March 8th from 12-1:30 p.m. in MLIB 045 and on Zoom. On Tuesday, March 12th we are offering another AI workshop about tools to help with your workflow. Full details are here.

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

Tools for Spring

adminLeave a comment

Faculty start work on their spring courses at different times and with different needs. For those of you preparing now, we want to highlight a couple of asynchronous faculty development resources.

We have a robust set of teaching guides developed by campus experts on everything from Teaching with Case Studies to Culturally Responsive Teaching. Check out the full, searchable and sortable, FDEV Teaching Guides list to get help with your prep for the spring semester. 

We also developed an asynchronous Canvas course with a step-by-step guide to course revision in the world of generative AI. The world has changed, and this will help you change with it. Enroll in the course at a time that works best for you.

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

Where Are Your Students?

adminLeave a comment

It is that time of year. Today is Halloween. Veteran’s Day and Fall Break are around the corner and students are disappearing. Some of them are sick, others are traveling for school or fun, and others may be homesick. Gazing out into a half-full classroom usually fills me with anxiety on a few levels. I’m wondering how the class is going to go, and I’m also dreading the deluge of emails about making up missed work and class time. 

One remedy to this annual tradition is to consider an alternative format for your classes. Hyflex classes, where a variety of modalities might be implemented, allow students to have more flexible learning experiences. In a recent episode of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast thought leader David Rhoads and Bonni Stachowiak made the point that flexible teaching front-loads instructional work and often saves you as the instructor time in the long run because you deal with far fewer edge-cases where students are not in class. 

You might have tried this during the pandemic and had a terrible experience, or maybe you tried it and loved it, but it seemed like the momentum on campus was back towards traditional face-to-face teaching. Regardless, we have the tools, experience, and now the research on what works and what does not. Join us for a workshop on Wednesday to explore the ChicoFlex modality and why it might be a good fit for you moving forward. 

Why you should attend this workshop and consider ChicoFlex:

  • Expand enrollment in your program by offering flexible arrangements. 
  • Utilize technology that is already available and in rooms all over campus. No need to write a grant to get what you need. 
  • Lower your workload by preemptively building flexibility for students who are sick or traveling. 
  • Research from our campus and around the country indicates flex arrangements maintain or even expand student success.

November 1, 12-1 p.m.
MLIB 045 or Zoom
Led by: Katie Mercurio, Tina Lewis, Kathy Fernandes, and Zach Justus

Professor leading a classroom of students with a chalkboard and computer resources

Figure 1: Professor leading a classroom of students with a chalkboard and computer resources

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

Changes in Artificial Intelligence Mean Changes in Our Classrooms

adminLeave a comment

In August we shared some basic information about what generative artificial intelligence is and what it means for your classroom. Since then, TLP has hosted a series of fantastic workshops organized by joshuah whittinghill. 

Today I want to share some AI news with you that has and will change how we teach and learn again. 

First, ChatGPT premium users now have access to a plugin that can browse the internet. When we first started our campus discussion of AI this program was limited by training data that was frozen in time and a year out of date. This was not the case for some competing programs like Google Bard, but asking students about current events was a useful way to work around the most popular model. That is no longer the case. This new development exacerbates the financial equity gap since only paid users get access to this new more powerful version of the tool.

Second, later this month ChatGPT will roll out “vision” which integrates visual and text tools together. This is part of a next-generation set of “multi-modal” models where the inputs and outputs can be in a variety of forms. I was not sure about the impact this would have on education until a recent episode of the podcast/YouTube channel “AI Breakdown.” You will be amazed by an example from beta-version user Pietro Schirano where ChatGPT draws meaning from a series of images that look like they were lifted from a textbook. I have included the image at the end of this message.

I prefer Tuesday Tips that have straightforward and actionable steps. This one does not. The tip is to try and stay abreast of developments because the assignments we have used for years and even some of the workarounds we developed a few months ago are suddenly out of date. 

This winter we will be offering an AI retrofit one week intensive to help faculty figure out how their content fits in this new world and we are also developing a self-paced Canvas course to accomplish some of the same goals at scale. Be on the lookout for those announcements in the coming weeks. In the meantime, look at the image below, whether you are a regular user or have never touched an AI tool before, it is likely to change your perception.

a group of individuals comparing their perspectives to reach a consensus through communication

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

Artificial Intelligence in Fall Classes

adminLeave a comment

Hey folks!

We have received quite a few requests for help with Artificial Intelligence (AI) policies for Fall syllabi. Faculty have had a wide variety of reactions to AI programs that generate language, solve problems, create images, and write code. There is no one-size-fits-all policy for the campus, and we have several workshops on the horizon to help faculty explore some of these new possibilities. For now, you have quite immediate and practical concerns—here is what we are suggesting.

Things to keep in mind

  • The “ignore” disposition with AI is not viable. The tools are here, accessible, and accomplish a wide variety of tasks.
  • You should play around with some of these tools. Google Bard is free. ChatGPT has a free and a premium version. There are a thousand other specialized tools.
  • Consider how AI will change your course overall and specific outcomes/assignments in your course. I (Zach Justus) created a guide with Nik Janos if you are interested in a systematic approach.
  • We strongly recommend you adopt a syllabus policy. Below you will find sample policies adopted from Bryant University by joshuah whittinghill. AI is prevalent with students so if you don’t adopt a policy, students will ask or will use it without knowing what your expectations are.
  • There are legitimate privacy concerns with ChatGPT and other programs. Requiring student usage requires careful consideration.
  • joshuah is developing a series of AI workshops starting with several on AI Syllabus Statements & Detection Tools. Workshop information is below. Some of these workshops are after the first day of the semester. It is okay to make syllabus adjustments during the first week of the semester as long as you notify students.
  • It is important to be aware the tools currently available to detect AI-generated work are inconsistent and may discriminate against non-native English speakers. Therefore as noted in the Chico State’s Integrity Policy, have a conversation with the student(s) before referring the student(s) for violation of Academic Integrity to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.  

Sample syllabi language

  • All Use: AI writing tools such as ChatGPT are welcome in this class, provided that you cite when and how you use the tool. You will be provided with examples of how to cite your use of this tool in your assignments.
  • Some Use: As an instructor I recognize there are a variety of AI programs available to assist in creating text, images, audio, and video. However, I want to stress that, AI programs are not a replacement for human creativity, originality, and critical thinking. Creating is a skill that you must nurture over time in order to develop your own individual voice, style, and view.  During our class, we may use AI  tools.  You will be informed as to when, where, and how these tools are permitted to be used, along with guidance for attribution.  Any use outside of this permission constitutes a violation of Chico State’s Integrity Policy and may result in you being reported to the Office of Students Rights and Responsibilities.
  • No Use: AI writing tools are not permitted for any stage or phase of work in this class. If you use these tools, your actions will be considered academically dishonest, and a violation of Chico State’s Integrity Policy and you may be reported to the Office of Students Rights and Responsibilities.
  • Example of attribution language: “The student generated this assignment in part with [enter tool used here]. Upon generating an initial draft or outline of ideas, the student reviewed, edited, and revised the work to their own liking and takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this assignment.”

Workshop Information

  • Wednesday, August 23 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, August 24 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • All workshops will be in the Zoom TLP Lab

Zach Justus
Interim Director of Faculty Development
Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences

Teaching Resources (and more)

adminLeave a comment

Dear faculty, 

Starting in Summer 2020, the Office of Faculty Development has produced a number of tools and resources “on demand” – so to speak – to ensure that faculty could receive support and access information whenever they needed, to mitigate the fact that the office was not physically available during the early stages of the pandemic. 

Since then our resources have grown exponentially, so I have begun a process of curation to ensure that every faculty can access and navigate our tools easily. After all, it is useless to have a lot of resources if faculty don’t know where or how to find them. 

In this Tuesday Tip, I want to introduce a new set of resources included in the FDEV website. The Teaching Resources page offers a number of tools specific to teaching and learning, organized in six main areas: 

  1. Course Design 
  2. Course Delivery 
  3. Assessment 
  4. Inclusive Teaching 
  5. Digital Learning 
  6. Evaluation of Teaching 

Each area has a dedicated page that offers resources for fairly specific needs, and each page (with the exception of “Evaluation of Teaching) is organized in three columns: 

  1. I need help with… 
  2. Ideas for implementation 
  3. Resources 

My goal was to identify specific needs, provide a few clear tips for implementation, and pair those tips with digestible resources and tools, including fillable templates. 

In addition to these new Teaching Resources, I also want to remind everyone of two additional resources page: 

New Faculty Resources: this is a page designed specifically for new faculty, and it offers broad resources, including links to faculty orientation and information on how to access our systems. 

FDEV Resources: this page includes a compilation of all resources and tools in FDEV so you can get a glimpse of the full menu available to you. 

We hope that these pages will make navigating resources easier for you, but feel free to reach out if you have any questions! 

Chiara Ferrari, Ph.D. 
Faculty Development Director 

The New FDEV Virtual Library

adminLeave a comment

Dear faculty, 

I am glad no one noticed that I missed the Tuesday Tip last week….. next time I miss one, you get extra credit if you notice and email me!! 

Overall, though, I think that this new tool we have in Faculty Development was worth waiting for… so let me unveil it (virtually) to you! 

The FDEV team worked incredibly hard last semester to turn our original FDEV Virtual library into a searchable tool that can provide a much more interactive experience to those faculty who are looking for some resources for their research or their classroom. 

The new FDEV Virtual Library allows you to search books by topic (assessment, curriculum, equity & diversity, etc.) or by title, and we have included a thumbnail photo for each book, in case you have more of a visual memory like me! 

In partnership with the Meriam Library, we have selected a list of electronic publications that cover key areas of faculty interests. The best part? all books are accessible to our campus community via the Ebook Central database so you can access them through a simple login (and the same applies to your students, in case you want to assign some readings in your classes). 

We hope you will take some time to explore these resources and let us know if there are books we should include in our virtual library! 

Chiara Ferrari, Ph.D. 
Faculty Development, Director 

Some News from FDEV!

adminLeave a comment

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! 

Tools and Resources for You

adminLeave a comment

Our jobs and our lives have changed significantly in the past two weeks.

Below are a list of resources to support your transition to alternative teaching formats. If you would like to share your thoughts about teaching resources you need, questions you have, or ideas you’d like to share with others, let us know here.

Resources for Chico State Faculty

 

  • Free Webinar on Equity-Minded Virtual Teaching on 3/26 at 10 a.m. hosted by CORA
  • Free Webinar on Equity and Inclusion in Online Learning on 3/27 at 10 a.m. hosted by AAC&U
  • Free Chico State Virtual Sustainability Conference 3/26 – 3/27 (may be a good event for your students to join)

How did they know that?

adminLeave a comment

Last year an accomplished professor came by the office for some grading help with a midterm which our students are sometimes able to provide (so long as we stay FERPA compliant). He noticed many students were getting the same answer wrong in the same particular way over and over. Perplexed, he wondered aloud what could be happening until one of the student staff members in the office remarked that the exam and/or study guide was probably on Quizlet. We both responded “What is Quizlet?”Image result for quizlet

Quizlet is one of a suite of websites leveraging crowdsourced content for study help for students. Study Blue is also popular and there are probably dozens of others I am not aware of. In most cases these sites offer study guides students have uploaded that can be turned into flash cards or practice exams. On the whole, the sort of thing we all hope students do. Of course there are also less than exemplary practices. In the case referenced earlier, someone had uploaded nearly an entire exam. Even further on the spectrum, there are many pay-for-essay sites online offering products of dubious origin. We have come a long way from file folders of essays and exams passed from friend-to-friend over years and are likely to go even further in the coming years.

We have tools at our disposal to help with academic honesty including digital products like turnitin and personnel with expertise in Student Judicial Affairs. These can be extremely useful, but I also want to direct you to the most valuable resource at your disposal: your students. Asking current and former students what tools they or their peers used in your classes can give you a baseline. You may like what you hear and decide to help curate the collections on Quizlet yourself or direct future students to especially valuable guides. You may find your students are utilizing out-of-date, incorrect, or unethical resources. Then it may be up to you to change your exams or teaching practices to accommodate. If you do talk to your students and find something interesting, especially a web service or a network, don’t keep it a secret, pass it along and let us know.

Dr. Sara Cooper has provided additional Book in Common Material. Check out this section of the 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 improved wordpress site here.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Caffeinated Cats podcast! Our second episode of the Fall is out now! Mary, Tracy, and I explore Chico traditions. Link to it on soundcloud, itunes, overcast, or follow the podcast on facebook.