Newsletter Archives

Each semester the CTE sends out newsletters to update the campus community on our events and services and to share helpful teaching-related resources. Below is an archive of all past newsletters. 

2023 Fall | November | Issue 11 (PDF)

“If we create a space where the only sickness we recognize is the one we can see, we are alienating so many of our students, making them feel like they’re not sick enough to ask for support, and they will suffer quietly” – Candice Price & Miloš Savić, Radical Grace

Announcements 

Please join the CTE in an in-person panel discussion on the rise of AI in higher education and how it will impact our faculty roles. This panel discussion will be led by Dr. Bruno Barreto de Góes (Management) and Dr. April Yoder (History).
Date: Friday December 8, 2023
Time: 11 am-Noon; then Lunch: 12-1 pm
Location: Alumni Lounge
Please RSVP here.

Upcoming Spring Events

The CTE is planning an early spring event on Radical Grace in Teaching in January 2024. Later events will cover designing team projects and gamification in education.

Open Classroom Program

The Center for Teaching Excellence implemented the Open Classroom Program from October 16 to October 31 2023. This program gives faculty the opportunity to visit classrooms to experience different teaching environments and practices. This Fall, the CTE facilitated 10 different classroom visits.

Thank-A-Prof

The University of New Haven students show appreciation to their instructors who had a positive impact on them this semester! Previous Kudos are posted on the CTE page. Fall 2023 Kudos from students will be posted there as well.

Get Involved

There are many ways for faculty to get involved with the CTE.

You can participate in our events and workshops or even propose a workshop that you might want to facilitate! Explore our site or contact us with questions/ideas. cte@newhaven.edu

Past Events

Sept 8: Supporting First Year Students Through Instruction

This workshop was centered around the discussion of diverse learning needs of post-pandemic first-year students and strategies that can support instructors meeting students where they are and helping cultivate active, engaged scholars.

Sept 22: Supporting Students With Accommodations

This workshop was a discussion session about strategies to make courses more accessible for students across a diverse array of learning needs and the benefits of universal design.

Cultivating Independent Learners and Student Success

This workshop was a discussion session on how faculty can partner with the Center for Student Success to help students grow as independent, self-directed learners and emerging professionals.

Terminology in Teaching and Learning

This workshop discussed many of the jargon associated with teaching, learning, and pedagogy. Presenters clarify commonly used terms in these areas.

Workshop Recordings

Teaching Consultations & Mentoring 

Do you wish to discuss teaching & learning one-on-one with our team? If so, please reach out to our faculty fellows: 

Cassandra Sedelmaier

CTE Faculty Fellow
CMSedelmaier@newhaven.edu

Nikolas Statsulli

CTE Faculty Fellow
nstasulli@newhaven.edu

Mehdi Mekni

CTE Faculty Fellow
mmekni@newhaven.edu

Resources

Resources for Active Learning (by Bonni Stachowiak, Teaching in Higher Ed Podcast) – From research through implementation, learn how to move from a passive to an active learning classroom.

Motivating Students (Compiled by Lois Rosen, Ph.D., Instructional Consultant for the Office of Faculty and Organizational Development, Michigan State University) – A list of annotated resources from theory & research to ready-to use strategies. 

Three Effective Ways to Engage Students (by J. Mark McFadden, Inside Higher Ed) – The suggestions in this article are sure to get students talking about & engaging with course materials. 

How to Hold a Better Class Discussion (by Jay Howard, The Chronicle of Higher Education) – If you’re looking to freshen up your approach to class discussions, this is the article for you; read about why discussions matter, how to grade discussions, how to respond to poorly developed responses and how to handle divisive topics. 

The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies (by Jennifer Gonzalez, Cult of Pedagogy) – Listen to the podcast or read the article, this post offers 15 different formats for structuring a class discussion. 

Motivating Students (Compiled by Lois Rosen, Ph.D., Instructional Consultant for the Office of Faculty and Organizational Development, Michigan State University) – A list of annotated resources from theory & research to ready-to use strategies. 

CTE Resources

Teaching Consultations. Schedule one-on-one, confidential appointments with CTE staff. Click to book an appointment. 

Workshops to Go. Request specialized pedagogy workshops for your department/program. Click here to request a workshop. 

Teaching Observations. Confidential, formative feedback on your teaching. Click here to learn more. 

2023 Spring | May | Issue 10 (PDF)

‘I cannot be a teacher without exposing who I am.’ –Paulo Freire

Announcements

UNewHaven Celebrates Teaching with Technology. The CTE in collaboration with the Provost Office and the Bucknall Excellence in Teaching Award Fellow, Dr. Bruno Barreto de Góes would like to encourage you to attend a faculty symposium that showcases how technology has empowered our faculty to become more effective teachers inside and outside the classroom. For the program, check the CTE page.
Symposium Format & Date: In-person in Bergami Center for Science and Technology; Wednesday May 3rd, 2023; 9 am- 2 pm.
Registration is open till April 24th, 2023. Click here to register. 

What I could do if I only had funding… Are you wondering what you could do if you had funding? Not to worry! The Center of Teaching Excellence is organizing a panel discussion on zoom, facilitated by our Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs, to give an overview of the grant process and resources available. The ultimate goal is funding success and project implementation benefiting you and your students.
Topics to be covered include

  • Funding opportunities related to teaching, assessment, evaluation, and curricular development
  • Matching your teaching and research needs with funders’ priorities
  • Steps to advance from concept to proposal development and submission. 

Location: Zoom
Zoom Link: https://unewhaven.zoom.us/j/8586271601 Date and Time: Friday, April 28th, 10.30-11.30 am

Upcoming Events

Open Classroom Program. The Center for Teaching Excellence, is running an Open Classroom Program from April 10 to April 21, 2023. This program gives faculty the opportunity to visit classrooms to experience different teaching environments and practices, encourage dialogue across departments/programs, and see how learners interact in different settings. The essence of this is to promote reflection and conversation about learning and teaching.
All classes continue as usual – these visits are not for evaluative purposes. Hosts and visitors are encouraged to discuss the experience after the class visits and share learning takeaways.

Thank-a-Prof. The University of New Haven students show appreciation to their instructors who had a positive impact on them this semester! Previous Kudos are posted on the CTE page.
To our students, please fill out this quick Thank a Professor form to share your thanks! This is open until April 30, 2023.

Click here to Thank-a-Prof

Past Events

Mar 9: Expanding Creative Power through AI:Distributed Cognition in the Classroom: This workshop was to challenge participants to question how to redesign classroom structure and pedagogy to allow for creative use of valuable tools like AI.

Mar 10: ChatGPT- A Discussion about the integration of AI and Education: The workshop covered the overview of ChatGPT by Open AI, AI capabilities, and assessments to preserve academic integrity.

Mar 23: Supporting Student Success Through the Learning Assistant Program: This panel discussion provided insights to these two questions: what are instructors who have paired with LAs doing? How can instructors integrate LAs into class structure effectively?
Recordings of all recorded CTE events & corresponding presentation slides can be found on the MyCharger Faculty Resources page, click below to access.

Workshop Recordings

Resources

Universal Design for Learning Checklist. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) curriculum is designed and developed to create equitable, inclusive, and accessible learning. The Universal Design Learning Checklist (National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum) mirrors the three principles and nine guidelines of UDL. This checklist provides examples of different ways instructors can follow UDL guidelines.
The checklist is a framework to optimize teaching and reduce barriers to learning.

Making Microsoft & Adobe Documents Accessible. Document accessibility is vital to audience engagement. CTE has provided a resource for your review: Accessibility via PowerPoint (by Dr. Michael Urban, University of New Haven). In this video, Professor Michael Urban demonstrates the tools to make PowerPoint presentations accessible to all learners. Dr. Urban has also made the presentation slides available to review.

CTE Resources

Teaching Consultations. Schedule one-on-one, confidential appointments with CTE staff. Click to book an appointment. 

Workshops to Go. Request specialized pedagogy workshops for your department/program. Click here to request a workshop. 

Teaching Observations. Confidential, formative feedback on your teaching. Click here to learn more. 

“When education is the practice of freedom, students are not the only ones who are asked to share, to confess. Engaged pedagogy does not seek simply to empower students. Any classroom that employs a holistic model of learning will also be a place where teachers grow, and are empowered by the process.”  – bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress

Announcements

Adjunct Faculty Liaison. The CTE is thrilled to announce Martha Dumas as our inaugural Adjunct Faculty Liaison (AFL). In this position Martha will elevate adjunct voices and work to create programming and services to support adjunct instructors across campus. Read more about the position & Martha’s goals on our website.

Chargers as Pedagogical Partners. Ever wish you could get a student’s perspective on an aspect of your course before “going live”? After running a pilot of 10 partnerships in Fall 2021, the CTE is officially launching the Chargers as Pedagogical Partners program. This initiative aims to encourage the growth of student-centered courses on campus. We will connect student consultants and instructors as co-developers of course materials and partners in improving and innovating student-centered teaching and learning across the University. Learn more and request a partnership on our website!

Open Classroom Week. Mark your calendars! Spring 2022 Open Classroom Week will be March 28 – April 1. Sign up by March 7th to open your classroom for visitors! We’ll put out a call for visitors in the coming weeks. Don’t forget to check out our website for more details and kudos from previous semesters.

CTE Website Update. As you may have seen, we relaunched the CTE website within MyCharger. We have included some new pages in addition to the previously offered content. Visit our site to learn more about our services, programming, and for teaching-related resources. See below for a brief tour!

Upcoming Events

Conference Announcement

  • The Connecticut Open Educational Resources Coordinating Council, is excited to announce the CT OER Summit. This virtual event will be held March 1st – 4th, 2022. It will provide faculty & departmental leadership the opportunity to learn effective practices in OER implementation, collaboration, strategy, and research. This year’s Summit will focus on the theme “Equity and Opportunity.” This is a free event! Registration is required.

Past Events

CTE Resources:

One-on-one Consultations. We are here for you! The CTE staff would love to help you with your syllabus, brainstorm ideas for your course, or direct you to helpful resources. Check our areas of expertise and book an appointment here.

Teaching Resources Pages. The CTE website has extensive resources on many teaching-related topics. We offer articles and sample materials on cross-disciplinary topics ranging from accessibility and assignment design to inclusivity and engaging and motivating students in the classroom.

Supporting Veteran Students. As a follow-up to our recent event related to supporting veteran students in the classroom, we have launched a resource page on the same topic. Visit our website for links to articles & tools to understand the veteran student perspective and support their success on campus.

Other Resources:

Attention Apple product users! Our Apple representatives are offering Apple Professional Learning Virtual Conferences. Topics include Keynote, creating compelling videos, graphic organizers and more. Check out their full listing & registration information.

Representatives are also available for free personalized coaching sessions.

Hello colleagues! As we  approach the last few weeks of the semester, the CTE is still abuzz with activity . See below for events on topics such as Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, FARs, open pedagogy, conflict resolution in the classroom, happy grading, and virtual pedagogy!  We hope to see you soon!

Upcoming Events

  • Nov. 9 – Intro to Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Workshop – Join CTE Faculty Fellow Houssein El Turkey & guest presenter Emilie Hancock (Central Washington University) for a workshop designed to help attendees create an outline for a research agenda in SoTL.
  • Nov. 9 – Faculty Activity Report (FAR) Process Refresher – New to the University or need a refresher on the FAR process? The Center for Teaching Excellence is sponsoring a review session to review the FAR process hosted by Lisa Scranton and Yevgeniya Rivers.
  • Nov. 10. – Open Pedagogy Fellowship Information Session – Join Matthew Wranovix and Mary Isbell to learn more about a grant-funded opportunity to create Open Educational Resources (OER).
  • Nov. 10 – L3’s with Dr. C: Listen, Learn & Laugh Sessions – Lead by CTE Faculty Fellow Danielle Cooper, come share experiences related to handling conflict in the classroom and discuss techniques for reducing the strain and stress that most likely lead to conflicts for instructors (i.e. grading, timelines, assessments, expectations). *This session will take place via Zoom*
  • Nov. 16 – Designing Mindful Assessments for Happy Grading – CTE Faculty Fellow Simon Hutchinson leads a discussion on how assessment design can lead to increased student learning and a more rewarding grading experience for instructors.
  • Nov. 19 – Purposeful Pedagogy Online: Setting the Virtual Tone -In collaboration with Digital Learning, CTE Faculty Fellow Mehdi Mekni will facilitate the first in a series of workshops related to online pedagogy.

Past Events

  • Sept. 23 – Everyone is More Anxious: Supporting Students’ Mental Health – Hosted by CTE Faculty Fellow Houssein El Turkey, panel members Helena Cole, Paige Bartels and Melissa Whitson held a conversation about student anxieties, campus support resources and techniques to reduce stress in the classroom.
  • Sept. 30–  L3’s with Dr. C: Listen, Learn & Laugh Sessions – Lead by CTE Faculty Fellow Danielle Cooper, instructors discussed challenges and successes related to activity & engagement.
  • Oct. 4– Navigating Navigate for Advisors – A session about the latest Navigate features for leveraging Navigate as an advising tool! 
  • Oct. 7– Answers for Advisors: Policy Updates and Campus Resource Q&A – Do your advisees have questions that go beyond their course schedules? Colleagues from resources across campus will answer your questions.
  • Oct. 14 – L3’s with Dr. C: Listen, Learn & Laugh Sessions– Lead by CTE Faculty Fellow Danielle Cooper, instructors discussed emotions in the classroom. 
  • Oct. 21– Intro to Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Workshop Series – CTE Faculty Fellow Houssein El Turkey & guest speaker Emilie Hancock discussed how to create an outline for a research agenda in SoTL. Part 2 coming November 9!
  • Oct. 28 –  L3’s with Dr. C: Listen, Learn & Laugh Sessions – Lead by CTE Faculty Fellow Danielle Cooper, instructors discussed challenges and successes related to skill-building for students & instructors. Final session will be 11/11 via Zoom the topic of conflict resolution.

Resources

Want to chat with a colleague about teaching? CTE staff and Faculty Fellows are happy to meet to talk about all aspects of teaching. Schedule an appointment with one of us on our website!

Are you interested in working collaboratively with students on course materials? Have you ever wanted to get student feedback on an assignment or activity before using it live in the classroom? The CTE is piloting a program called Chargers as Pedagogical Partners (CAPP). This program facilitates the partnership of student consultants and instructors as co-developers of course materials and partners in increasing student-centered teaching and learning across the University. Contact Devon Moore, Associate Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence (dmoore@newhaven.edu) for more information.

Hello and Happy New Semester! We hope your semester is off to a great start. We are excited to share our upcoming programing and some exciting news to kick off the new semester!

Welcome New Instructors! Many new colleagues have joined our community in departments across the campus. Learn a bit more about our new full-time faculty members in the New Faculty Bio Booklet. 

Exciting News at the CTE We are thrilled to have Yevgeniya Rivers take on the role of Interim Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence. Yevgeniya has been a math educator for 15 years. Her innovative and inclusive work will be an asset to the CTE. Learn more about Yevgeniya through her welcome letter and accompanying video.   

Faculty Fellows Teaching Consultations Danielle Cooper, Houssein El Turkey, Simon Hutchinson and Medhi Mekni, have begun their work as the CTE’s first cohort of Faculty Fellows. Upcoming events from the Fellows include topics such as activity and engagement, Scholarship of Teaching & Learning, supporting student anxiety, online course design, workshopping assignments and grading.

Faculty Fellows are also available for one-on-one meetings to chat with instructors on a variety of topics. Check out our Teaching Consultations page to view their individual areas of expertise and schedule a meeting.

Now Accepting Nominations for the Bucknall Awards! A $25,000 award supported by former University of New Haven Board of Governors Chair and distinguished alumnus Bill Bucknall ’63 A.S.,’65 to recognize exemplary teaching by full-time faculty at the University. Recipients will be recognized for outstanding instruction both inside and outside the classroom. 

Self and peer nominations now being accepted via cte@newhaven.edu.

Nominations Due: Wednesday 9/29 by 5pm.

Fall 2021 Open Classroom Week! The CTE is thrilled to announce our second Open Classroom Week November 1-5. This event will give instructors the opportunity to visit classrooms to experience different teaching environments and practices, encourage a dialogue across programs, and see how learners interact in different environments.

All classes will continue as normal – these visits are not for evaluative purposes and there is no expectation of ‘special classes’ or any additional work involved. We hope this exercise will promote reflection and conversation about learning and teaching.

Click below to become a “host,” or email us at cte@newhaven.edu with questions about the process. Be on the lookout for a registration form to be a “participant” coming soon!

Upcoming Events

Past Events

  • Sept. 2 & 16 – CTE Faculty Fellow Danielle Cooper hosted the first of six bi–weekly sharing sessions where instructors shared classroom successes and challenges as an opportunity for instructors to reconnect with their peers. Join the next session on September 30, for a discussion about activity & engagement. 
  • Sept. 10 – Representatives from the Veteran’s Association Visual Impairment Services Team met with instructors to share resources to support low-vision and blind students in the classroom. 

Resources

Want to help students keep their online research organized? PowerNotes is an online research platform designed to address three problems encountered by digital researchers – screen reading and comprehension; managing the flood of resources and information; and protecting the integrity of sources, especially citation, while avoiding patchwriting and plagiarism. With tools to help researchers read, analyze, and organize information more effectively, PowerNotes offers an easier transition to writing. Contact cte@newhaven.edu for more info!

Looking for a way to increase student-to-student interactions beyond discussion boards? Contact the CTE (cte@newhaven.edu) to learn more about the social annotation tool is. We provide an overview of the tool access to a Hypothes.is “playground” in Canvas. The “playground” offers asynchronous instruction and a chance to practice creating Hypothes.is assignments. We can also connect interested instructors with a Hypothes.is representative to set up a pilot.

Check out Microsoft Whiteboard for a way to encourage collaboration among students (or colleagues). See an example Yevgeniya created with Math Zone staff. 

The Appreciative Advising team at Florida Atlantic University offers resources on building a practice of resiliency to stay centered through chaotic times.

What’s Inspiring us..

This 2-minute clip from an interview with Maya Angelou offers a mantra for teaching (and learning!) from Roman African playwright Terence “I am a human. Nothing human can be alien to me.”

Thank you to each of you who have engaged with us over this past year! We have enjoyed working with you to build a community around teaching at the university. We are excited for what our future holds and look forward to connecting with even more of you this summer or fall.

In this final newsletter of the semester, you will find information about our summer hours, recaps of recent workshops, and more.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and productive summer!

Announcements

Summer Availability The Center for Teaching Excellence will have coverage Monday through Friday 9am- 4pm throughout the summer. We will be happy to meet with you at any point as you prepare for your fall courses. Check out our Teaching Consultations page to view our individual areas of expertise and schedule a meeting.

Needs Assessment Help us prioritize our programming for next year by participating in our needs assessment. Indicate interest for your preferred workshop topics & offer suggestions for new program offerings from the CTE. The survey will remain open until 5/24.

Thank-a-Prof Our spring 2021 Thank-a-Professor initiative ended last week. See notes of appreciation shared by students on our website.

Open Classroom Week Kudos In early April, we held our first “Open Classroom Week.” Instructors opened their classrooms virtually for friendly observations. These visits aimed to build connections across disciplines and facilitate opportunities for instructors to experience different teaching styles and classroom environments. Check out some of the participants’ thoughts on the experience.

Upcoming Events

 

Past Events

  • March 26 – Inclusive Grading – Maria-Isabel Carnasciali and Jenna Sheffield discussed how to avoid implicit bias in your grading standards, how to vary assignment types to accommodate various learners, and how to construct grading standards with students.
  • April 9 – Helping Students & Faculty Survive & Thrive in Group Projects – Presenters Mike Rossi and Nadiye Erdil shared their experiences related to arranging groups, assigning roles & responsibilities, creating rubrics for assessing contributions, and troubleshooting challenges.
  • April 16 – Building Empathy and Fostering Connection: How to Assign and Assess Reflections – Panelists Kevin Barnes-Ceeney and Ivan Tirado-Cordero offered two unique approaches to assigning and assessing student reflections to promote learning and knowledge transfer.

It’s hard to believe that we are nearly halfway through the spring 2021 semester! We at the CTE have enjoyed talking with many of you at our events and in teaching consultations, and we hope to see you at our upcoming events as well. Below, we share some announcements, information about past and upcoming events, as well as resources that are inspiring us at the moment.

Announcements

Introducing Open Classroom Week! The CTE is thrilled to host a virtual Open Classroom Week from April 5-9. This event will give instructors the opportunity to visit classrooms to experience different teaching environments and practices, encourage a dialogue across departments/programs, and see how learners interact in different environments.

All classes will continue as normal – these visits are not for evaluative purposes and there is no expectation of ‘special classes’ or any additional work involved. We hope this exercise will promote reflection and conversation about learning and teaching.

Click below to become a “host,” or email us at cte@newhaven.edu with questions about the process. Be on the lookout next week for a registration form to be a “participant.”

Presenting the Open Pedagogy Fellows 2021 Cohort. The CTE is thrilled to announce the first cohort of Open Pedagogy Fellows. The program is led by Mary Isbell and Jenna Sheffield and funded by a grant from the David Educational Foundation. The 2021 Cohort members are: 

  • Khadija Al Arkoubi
  • Edward Davis
  • Brian Marks
  • Yanice Mendez-Fernandez
  • Kevin Murphy
  • Sandra Palumbo
  • Laura Silva
  • Bradley Woodworth
  • Matthew Wranovix
  • Junhui Zhao

Look for an announcement with more details about their projects coming soon! In the meantime, join us in congratulating the team!

Re-Charge Reminder. There are still two more Re-Charge days to look forward to: Wednesday, March 30th and Monday, April 19th.

Workshops to Go. Did you know the CTE offers personalized workshops for your department or program? We are happy to develop a training on your topic of interest. We are now booking Workshops to Go through Summer 2021. 

Upcoming Events

Past Events

Resources

Finding it challenging to navigate Navigate? Tiffany Hesser and Joe Frederick led an information session about how to create alerts & progress reports.

Thanks to Professor Michael Urban, the CTE’s Accessibility Resources page now includes a tutorial on how to use PowerPoint’s accessibility checker to ensure course materials can be reviewed by all learners. The page also includes resources for assisting low vision/blind students, and suggestions for accessible syllabi.

Interested in learning more about the social annotation tool Hypothes.is? Contact the CTE (cte@newhaven.edu) to gain access to a Hypothes.is Playground in Canvas. The “playground” offers asynchronous instruction, and you can practice creating Hypothes.is assignments in the course.

Check out the newly re-launched Faculty Resources page on MyCharger.

In case you were unable to attend the University’s training “Pronouns 101: Trans Inclusive Practices in the Classroom” led by Kay Martinez, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Training, Education and Development at Lesley University, the recording is now available.

What’s inspiring us…

“Are Your Teaching Strategies on Autopilot?” – We love Stephen Brookfield’s “four lenses of critical reflection” strategies in this Harvard Business Publishing article.

“A Focus on Critical Feeling” – This recent Inside Higher Ed article is giving us all the feels.

“Ungrading?” – While it’s not for everyone, some faculty find “ungrading” to be a transformative pedagogical approach. Listen to a podcast on the topic with the author of Ungrading.

Welcome back! We hope each of you had a healthy and productive break. At the CTE, we’re looking forward to the programming we have scheduled for this semester, and we hope to see many of you at upcoming events.

Announcements

Open Pedagogy Fellows Deadline Review of applications begins on January 31 and will continue until spots are filled. This initiative, which is funded through the Davis Educational Foundation, will help faculty receive training on how to develop Open Educational Resources (OER) and use student input to shape their courses. Eight spots (with a summer stipend) are available! Read the website or watch this recording of a recent Q&A session for more information.

Thank-a-Professor In case you missed our last newsletter, check out students’ shout-outs to faculty here!

One-on-one Consultations Teaching consultations are ramping up! The CTE staff would love to help you with your syllabus, brainstorm ideas for your course, or direct you to helpful resources. Check our areas of expertise and book an appointment here.

Faculty Fellows Update The 2021-2022 CTE Faculty Fellows have been chosen! Be on the lookout for a formal announcement with bios and descriptions of the Fellows’ projects in early February.

Upcoming Events

Past Events

  • Jan. 13 – Flex & Hybrid Lessons Learned Conversation Starter – Faculty enjoyed informal conversations about the upcoming semester. Future events like this are in the works for later in the semester.
  • Jan. 15 – Josh Eyler, author of How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories Behind Effective College Teaching, was our first CTE guest speaker! He discussed why we should care about the science behind why and how students learn. Watch his presentation and the corresponding Q&A session below.

Resources

Trying to save time on grading this semester? Check out our recent series of blog posts on time-saving tips for efficient grading.

Maria Tcherni-Buzzeo has shared a brief tutorial on how she uses GroupMe, a group messaging app, during class to help increase participation.

As you work on your assignments for the semester, check out Prompt: A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments. The folks at Prompt recently released a compelling special issue on social justice writing assignments.

Trying to figure out how much reading to assign each week or how many discussion posts to ask students to write? Try out Wake Forest’s Workload Estimator 2.0.

The Association of College and University Educators offers free resources on inclusive teaching. Their top 10 list can serve as a helpful checklist to start the semester off well.

On your commute to work, consider listening to the Teaching in Higher Education Podcast–a CTE favorite! The recent episode, Caring for the Whole Person, is a must-listen.

Season’s Greetings from the CTE! While the fall 2020 semester has been incredibly busy, we are grateful to work with such dedicated, generous, creative faculty. We are thankful for the opportunity to facilitate conversations about teaching among our peers, and we look forward to expanding our offerings next semester. Wishing you all a productive, healthy, and restful holiday break.

Announcements

Welcome, advisory board members! The CTE is excited to have the following instructors join our advisory board: Yevgeniya Rivers (CAS), Goli Nossoni (TCOE), Mike Urban (SHS), Jestine Philip (PCOB), John DeCarlo (HCLC). Together, they will serve as CTE liaisons, and assist with strategic planning and assessment.

Thank-a-Professor Launch In December, we launched our Thank a Professor program to give students the opportunity to show appreciation for an instructor who has been particularly supportive. Check out students’ shout-outs to faculty here!

Faculty Fellows Update. We were thrilled to receive 15 very competitive Faculty Fellows applications. Be on the lookout for an announcement of the 3 selected appointees and their programming mid-January!

Open Pedagogy Fellows. The application for CTE Open Pedagogy Fellows is now open. This initiative, which is funded through the Davis Educational Foundation, will help faculty receive training on how to develop Open Educational Resources (OER) and use student input to shape their courses. 8 spots (with a summer stipend) are available! Read the page or watch an interview with the program leaders for more information!

Faculty Fellows Update. We were thrilled to receive 15 very competitive Faculty Fellows applications. Be on the lookout for an announcement of the 3 selected appointees and their programming mid-January!

Open Pedagogy Fellows. The application for CTE Open Pedagogy Fellows is now open. This initiative, which is funded through the Davis Educational Foundation, will help faculty receive training on how to develop Open Educational Resources (OER) and use student input to shape their courses. 8 spots (with a summer stipend) are available! Read the page or watch an interview with the program leaders for more information!

Upcoming Events

  • Jan. 13 – Conversation Starter: Hybrid & Flex Lessons Learned. Join Nancy Savage, Yevgeniya Rivers, Ligia Correia & Bradley Woodworth for a brainstorming session! In this new CTE format, faculty can circulate through Zoom breakout rooms to have informal chats about their plans for the upcoming semester.
  • Jan 15 – How Humans Learn author, Josh Eyler, will be conducting a workshop on The Science of Learning and Why it Matters for Teaching During a Pandemic.This interactive workshop explores the biology of learning and how it can help us to engage students in synchronous, hybrid, and flex environments
  • Jan 26 & 28 –FAR Process Refresher: New to the University or need a refresher on the FAR process? Join us for group sessions to review the Faculty Activity Report (FAR) process.
  • Feb. 5 – Leading Effective Discussions in Hybrid, Flex & Remote Environments. Faculty members share ideas about how to stimulate discussion and increase participation. 

Past Events

Resources

Teaching a hybrid or flex course in the spring? Check out our recent blog post for suggestions for how to maximize class time, facilitate multi-modal communications and more.

Looking for a new way to increase class participation or communication with your students? Check out Padlet, a virtual customizable, bulletin board. Laura Silva gives a quick tutorial in the video below.

Accessible Syllabus Project – As you start preparing your syllabi for the spring, check out this resource for practical tips about how to make a syllabus more engaging, interactive, and accessible for students.

How to Teach Using Group Assignments– In this free e-book, author Peter J. Mellalieu discusses how to successfully facilitate group work. Learn about the benefits of group work, how to implement peer feedback, and more.

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Center for Teaching Excellence newsletter. You can expect an edition of the newsletter each semester. We’ll be sharing events and programming sponsored by the CTE, as well as other resources for teaching and professional development opportunities. Learn more about what the CTE has to offer on our website at cte.newhaven.edu. Announcements Call For CTE Faculty Fellows! Consider joining us as a CTE Faculty Fellow. Fellows receive a stipend and course release to create programming and deliverables for the CTE to enhance pedagogy on campus. To learn more and/or apply, visit the Faculty Fellows page on our website. The CTE is also available for Teaching Consultations and Workshops to Go. The Best Teachers Institute has announced 2021 programming including an online series featuring presenters such as James Lang and Mindy Maris. Apple is offering workshops on various topics to support teaching & learning for Mac and iPad users. Upcoming Events Past Events Resources How to Help Students Get Through the Semester: This article from the Chronicle of Higher Education offers student perspectives on the challenges students are facing and offers suggestions for how instructors can help. Using Zoom to Engage Your Students: This information-packed webinar offers strategies for how to use Zoom to keep students interested and active in your synchronous class. Our CTE tutorial below offers a quick tip for how to use a word counter plug-in to quickly see discussion post and assignment lengths in Canvas.