Volume 2, Issue 15--Published: Wednesday, April 19th, 2023

Getting to Know the Center:

Welcome back–we hope you had a restful Spring Break!  Many of our students may feel like they just don’t have it in them to return after Spring Break…or they may just need a small boost of confidence to complete. In this issue, we’ve included some quick email templates that you can choose to use or modify to connect with your students to encourage their completion. Your efforts are at this time of year really pay off for our students. In a class of 20, helping one student cross the finish line is a 5% increase in completion--getting 2 students across is a 10% increase. Collectively, we can make a huge difference for our students. As always, just let us know how we can help.

Our Work--The Center and You!

FQAS
One of The Center’s most important responsibilities is to help faculty successfully navigate FQAS requirements. You can check your FQAS requirements and due date in Sum Total; helpful FQAS Submission and Support information can be found on the Center’s website. It is a requirement of employment to be in compliance with FQAS requirements, but if your cycle is due this year,  it is not too late to meet the deadline! The folks at the Center can help you brainstorm ideas and help you with the SumTotal submission process; it is our job to support you in the important work that you do. We are available in person at the Downtown campus  in room M201, virtually (via Google Meet), or over the phone. Please do not hesitate to reach out to The Center's team if you have questions!

Let's Finish Strong! End of the Semester Student Engagement Email Templates:

We know how challenging this time of year can be, so the Center  is providing email templates that you use to connect with your students–feel free to modify or copy and paste.

We hope this takes something off your plate at this busy time of year.

Collaboration Connection:

LPIC and You–Another Big Win!
 
MATC’s Faculty Academy for Linguistic Justice worked  in conjunction with the Learn Pillar Integration Committee and 212’s Racial and Social Justice Committee to address an unethical feature that created an inequitable grading environment and caused biases in direct opposition to MATC’s vision, mission, and DEI values.  Together, we were able to get this aspect removed from Blackboard Ultra and preserve an equitable grading environment for our students!
 

Many of you directly supported the removal of the problematic Data Insights from Blackboard Ultra during our coordinated campaign or served on a Work Team that helped to navigate the removal. Special thanks to the members of  the Faculty Academy for Linguistic Justice, 212’s Racial and Social Justice Committee, the 21st Century Classroom Work Team, LPIC, and LPIC’s Champions for their advocacy, and facilitation of this crucial work. 

This is a wonderful example of how our students benefit from our collective teamwork–we truly are stronger together!

Have an Idea for an LPIC Work Team that you would like to propose for 2023-2024?

The objective of the  Learn Pillar Integration Committee is to keep student success at the heart of all decisions and actions. LPIC provides a structure for faculty involvement and decision-making across all Academic and Career Pathways within the college. If you have an idea for an LPIC Work Team that you would like to propose, please fill out our form.

MATC Professional Development Opportunities:

MATC offers a wide-range of professional development courses in a variety of delivery modes and durations as part of our efforts to design meaningful professional development that provides just-in-time training opportunities for you to explore what you need when you need it. All of our offerings are free to MATC faculty and eligible for FQAS hours, so that you can plan and develop your own professional development goals and outcomes.  

Mindsets--Session Three

Friday, April 21st, 2023, 12 - 1 pm

MATC’s strategic plan prioritizes a goal related to Growth Mindset. A Growth Mindset is the foundation for resilience and persistence. This online course, with Nancy S. Blair, PhD, Professor Emerita at Cardinal Stritch University, will describe what a Growth Mindset is (as compared to a Fixed Mindset), the effects a Growth Mindset has on the brain and learning, application of mindset to self, and finally strategies for developing a Growth Mindset classroom.

Session Three will focus on:

Reflection on experiments with self and students from previous NSCD sessions. How to continue and sustain your efforts to shift to growth mindsets for yourself and your students. What commitment are you willing to declare and sustain?

Speaking Up--Creating Belonging Through Interrupting Microaggressions
Learn to speak up and safely interrupt microaggressions during an interactive training session hosted by MATC’s DEI Committee Friday, April 21, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Room M605, or virtually on Zoom.

Virtual F2F-Flexible Workshop:

Are you considering teaching in the new Virtual F2F-Flexible course modality in the future? The next Virtual F2F-Flexible Workshop is scheduled on Tuesday, 4/25 from 11am-1pm. To learn more about the Virtual F2F-Flexible Workshop, visit the Flexible Modality page on the Center's website, and email us to sign up. FQAS hours apply.

HyFlex Workshop Part A and Part B:

Are you considering teaching in the HyFlex modality in the future? The next HyFlex Workshop is scheduled from 4:30 to 8pm on Tuesday, 4/23  (Part A) in M201A  or Blackboard Collaborate and on Tuesday, 5/2 (Part B) F2F Only in M201A. To learn more about the HyFlex Workshop, visit the Flexible Modality page on the Center's website, and email us sign up. FQAS hours apply.FQAS hours apply.

COS Reboot Workshop:

Are you a Developer for a Course Outcome Summary (COS) that needs to be reviewed and/or edited? The Curriculum Department is offering a Course Outcome Summary (COS) Reboot Workshop. This workshop is designed for COS Developers (those who create/edit COSs) who would like a refresher in learning the current requirements of a COS and the most efficient way to create/edit them. It is also designed for newly assigned developers. This workshop is scheduled so you can attend virtually (through Zoom) or in-person at the Center for Teaching Excellence (room M201 of the Downtown Campus). Upon completion, the COS Reboot workshop qualifies for 2 FQAS hours in the Student Success/Teaching Excellence category.

Join us on Wednesday, 4/26 from 11am to 1pm.

 

Blackboard Ultra--Coming Soon to All Courses!

As you know, in Summer of  2023, the college will update all Blackboard sections to the ULTRA COURSE VIEW. All courses offered in Summer 2023 and in the future will be run as ULTRA COURSES, offering a streamlined user interface that provides a student-centered course experience with more efficient instructor workflows. See the April 2023 Online Campus Newsletter for faculty Blackboard Ultra training workshops, webinars, and an "Intro to Blackboard Ultra'' faculty training course.

Upcoming Lunch and Learn!
On Friday, May 12th  from noon to 1pm, Vida Cross, part-time faculty and writer, who specializes in writing pedagogy, will present "The Use of the Pronoun We."  She states, "As I complete a larger text, I challenge myself and students to consider how we as writers, readers, and listeners can evolve from 'I' and 'You' to 'We.'  How does community exist in our writing? How do we imagine and encourage community building in prose and poetry?"  This presentation, "The Use of the Pronoun We," was originally shared in November 2022 at The University of Central Arkansas's C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference. The C.D. Wright Conference is a conference for the multidisciplinary exploration of writing and writing pedagogy.  Vida Cross will share her approach to writing pedagogy, consciousness building, writing theory, and community.

 
How Can We Leverage AI (specifically ChatGPT) for All?
 
Video and Google Slides are now available!

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all around us, and it continues to show us new ways it can be used. Access to AI varies for all populations, and Higher Education and K-12 educational systems continue to learn more about the potential of AI and the instructional shifts that may occur as a result of the increased use of this technology.

Justin Nies, from the Advancing Leadership in Learning and Service program at Cardinal Stritch University and current Principal in the Kettle Moraine School District, presents; he was recently featured in a CBS 58 segment on AI use by students. This 60-minute collaborative learning session addresses:

  • How can we deepen our understanding of AI?
  • How can AI nurture our intelligence?
  • How can we leverage AI in our teaching and learning?
  • How can we collectively dive into A.I. in our day-to-day practices?

The video and Google Slides are now available from this Lunch and Learn! 

Faculty Academy for Linguistic Justice
Lunch and Learn Videos Now Available!

Faculty members Tom Vollman, Anna Varley, and Traci Clark  give an overview of the Faculty Academy and how you could potentially use this model in your own department to form a community of support to innovatively address curricular, instructional, and assessment practices for current issues in your discipline related to cultural wealth and social justice, in alignment with MATC’s mission, vision, and strategic plan. 

Anna Varley and Traci Clark also give elements from their presentation, “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Writing Instruction: Reclaiming Faculty Ownership of Professional Growth and Development to Foster a Sense of Student Belonging,” which was given at the International Society for the Advancement of Writing Research’s Writing Research Across Borders Conference that took place in Trondheim, Norway in February 2023. In the recording, you will hear the exciting findings of their qualitative research study that addresses the application of DEIB Professional Development in the classroom and the sustaining and sustainable ecosystem of professional development model that created a community of support for faculty renewal, innovative instruction, timely and collegial feedback, curricular outcomes, assessment best practices, and student benefits and yields.

 

Faculty members Diane Jefferson, Liana Odrcic, and Krystia Nora  present on Teaching Practices to Promote Linguistic Justice in the Classroom. Diane Jefferson and Liana Odrcic share their presentation, “Learning of the Things We Do Not Know From the Things We Do Know; Teaching Practices to Promote Linguistic Justice in the English Classroom,” which was given at the Two-Year College Association Conference that took place in Chicago, Illinois in February 2023. The theme of the conference was “Growing Down to the Roots” an homage to W.E.B Du Bois who urged teachers to grow and expand their practices in ways that respect and honor students. Liana and Diane will share their growth as teachers as a result of participation in the Faculty Academy for Linguistic Justice and other MATC DEI activities, discussing among other things practical teaching applications of what they have learned. Krystia Nora shares “Cookbooks and Hopefulness: Building Community Rhetorical and Linguistic Awareness while Fostering Writing Development in a Post-COVID Basic Writing Classroom” that was presented at the College Composition and Communication Conference in Chicago, IL in February 2023. The presentation demonstrates how cookbook writing in a post-COVID first-year class fosters cultural awareness, linguistic diversity, community development, and generative hopefulness. It does this by sharing experiences of teaching this first-year assignment, testimonies of students, and examples from students' publications.

Keeping You Posted:

Our goal with Center Connections is to keep you informed, not only about Center’s work, but to help you navigate other college-wide initiatives that directly impact faculty.

Supporting People in Pain through an Interfaith Lens

Interfaith & Belief Affinity Group will be hosting a "Supporting People in Pain Event through an Interfaith Lens" Presentation on campus Downtown Room 616 on Thursday, April 27th from 12:30-1:30 pm.  Come and learn how to support fellow coworkers and students who have lost a loved one.

Friendly Reminders:

Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Visit

MATC’s next regularly scheduled visit from our accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), is later this month. Our accreditation gives value to the credentials our students earn and helps ensure we can offer federal financial aid. MATC has been accredited by the HLC since 1959, and each planned HLC visit helps identify strengths and opportunities.

Specifically, the college submitted its self evaluation in March. This month, a team of visitors will join us in person to review the self-evaluation and to validate the information provided as it pertains to our academic programs, internal processes such as budgeting, learning assessments and services. The resulting findings will identify ways to maintain our commitment to continuous quality improvement.

Additional Professional Development Opportunities:

Leading Through the Challenges of a post Covid Work-Life World:

WTCS welcomes Dr. Jacqueline Kerr, a behavior scientist and burnout survivor. Dr. Kerr will share behavior science tools, evidence-based frameworks, and strategies to help communities become healthy.Dr. Kerr’s work helps leaders at every level of organizations move beyond the status quo to build the thriving, diverse workforce of the future. Previously a public health professor, Dr. Kerr works with leaders on training and peer learning collaboratives around transformational organization change. 

Dr. Kerr will address the following questions: What leads to burnout? Why are people not thriving? How do solutions look different for individuals, teams and organizations? What strategies support colleagues who are dealing with burnout?

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Inspiration, Research, and Best Practices

Part of The Center’s mission is to keep you informed about current best practices and pedagogical approaches. Each issue of Center Connections includes links that are meant to be engaging, thought-provoking, and applicable to various classroom environments. For information on MATC's free access to Magna Commons publications, please see The Center's website.   Enjoy the rabbit hole!

One of the most foundational books I've read as an online educator of nontraditional adult learners is Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Why? In her book, Carol Dweck posits that all people are of two mindsets: a growth mindset and a fixed mindset.
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