Getting to Know the Center:
Our Work--The Center and You!
Are you and your MATC colleagues looking for volunteer opportunities for MATC Day on March 15th? Although not required, MATC Day is a great way to connect with your colleagues while helping out the community. The Community Engagement and Service Learning (CESL) Team invites you to search ideas and register on the United Way volunteer sites listed below.
- Volunteer Opportunities in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington Counties
- Volunteer Opportunities for United Way of Northern Ozaukee or for details on specific volunteer opportunities, please contact Executive Director Barbara Bates-Nelson at 248-613-7855
The first March Lunch and Learn will be hosted by the Faculty Academy for Linguistic Justice (formerly known as the Center for Cultural Wealth and Social Justice Academy) on Friday, 3/10 from noon to 1pm. Come and listen to faculty members Tom Vollman, Anna Varley, and Traci Clark as they 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 will 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. Come 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.
Join us (via Zoom) on Friday, March 10th from noon-1pm!
Friday, March 17th Lunch and Learn--Faculty Academy for Linguistic Justice: Teaching Practices to Promote Linguistic Justice in the Classroom
On Friday, March 17th (from noon to 1pm), the members from the Faculty Academy for Linguistic Justice (formerly known as the Center for Cultural Wealth and Social Justice Academy), Diane Jefferson, Liana Odrcic, and Krystia Nora will present on Teaching Practices to Promote Linguistic Justice in the Classroom. Diane Jefferson and Liana Odrcic will 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 will share “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.
Join us (via Zoom) on Friday, March 10th from noon-1pm!
Friday, March 24th Lunch and Learn– How Can We Leverage AI (specifically ChatGPT) for All?
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.
Join Justin Nies, from the Advancing Leadership in Learning and Service program at Cardinal Stritch University and current Principal in the Kettle Moraine School District, who was recently featured in a CBS 58 segment on AI use by students. He will provide a 60-minute collaborative learning session addressing:
- 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 session will take place virtually on Friday, March 24th from 12-1 PM.
Collaboration Connection:
COS Process Improvements Keep Rolling In!
The Center and the Curriculum department would like to congratulate the Culinary Arts program Faculty and their Lead Faculty, Paul Carrier, in their concerted efforts to make 100% of their Course Outcome Summaries (COS) Active. They spent considerable time working on COSes that were Work-in-Progress (WIP) to ensure they are reflective of an updated, quality curriculum for their students.
The Curriculum Department will need the continued help of faculty developers to ensure that COSes that are in WIP move all the way through to Pending Approval and finally Approval. Please continue your timely response to inquiries and emails–we’d like to get as many COS’s into Approval status prior to the HLC’s visit as possible. The Center and the Curriculum Department are partnering to offer timely workshops to further help facilitate this.
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 Thursday, 3/16 from noon to 2pm.
Lunch and Learn: Writing Learning Objectives on a COS
Wednesday, 3/22/2023 from noon- 1pm
Are you a Developer and edit the Course Outcome Summary (COS) in the WIDS and would like to learn more about writing Learning Objectives, Course Competencies, and Criteria? The Center is hosting a workshop to address the optimal way to write these.
You can attend Face-to-Face at Center (in Room M201 of the Milwaukee campus) or virtually through Zoom.
Quality Matters and 21st Century Classroom Level 3 and You!
Have you been thinking about signing up for Quality Matters (QM)? Now is the time because…drum roll please…it’s free for MATC faculty! QM can be quite expensive at $220 a class, so the Center is taking that barrier off of your plate and is supporting faculty who want to take the first of the two recommended Quality Matters courses Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR). We are doing so in partnership with the 21st Century Classroom LPIC Work Team, who is developing adjusted Level 3 criteria so that the successful completion of QM’s Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) and participation in a self-paced, QM-focused Faculty Learning Community with your colleagues will help you to earn the Level 3 badge.
More details on QM and the Level 3 badge will be coming soon, but faculty who are interested in taking the QM course for free can go QM and set up their account–when you do this, be sure to link yourself with MATC and then you can decide on a session for the APPQMR course that will work with your schedule. After you do this, email The Center (at least 2 weeks in advance) to let us know which session you want to attend, and we will sign you up! The QM Course is eligible for FQAS hours.
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.
Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Day of Engagement on March 10, 2023--Register Now!
Would you like to learn more about where MATC stands with HSI? Are you interested in contributing to this important initiative? Join us on March 10, 2023 from 8 am to 1 pm at the Milwaukee Downtown Campus. Guest speakers include Dr. Antonio Flores, President of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) and Dr. Margarita Melendez, U.S. Department of Education HSI Program Specialist. This professional development opportunity is free! More details and registration information will be available soon. This event is eligible for FQAS hours.
Blackboard Ultra--Coming Soon to All Courses!
In addition to attending the training sessions, consider utilizing the March NSCD to get started on your Ultra Conversion. Contact the Online Learning Department to request the Ultra Course Preview Mode either in a past semester course or a Ultra Personal Master Shell.
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.
Attend the Online Learning Department's 1-hour workshops or register for the new training course ZERD-190 "Introduction to Blackboard Ultra" to learn about Ultra Course navigation, content design, communication tools, and the Gradebook. Support resources for faculty are available at the Blackboard Faculty Support Website for Ultra. See our Understanding the Changes Guide for an annotated example of the new course layout and tools. Faculty who will be teaching in Summer 2023 can get started with their transition to Ultra by reviewing the Ultra Migration Guide and contacting the Online Learning Department to request either Ultra Course Preview Mode in a past semester course or a Ultra Personal Master Shell. Ultra Course student support resources are now available at the Student Support Website; additional training for students will be provided through our Online Readiness Module and Student Blackboard Orientations starting in late April.
Friendly Reminders:
Keeping You Posted:
MATC Open Access Team March 2023 Announcements:
- March 6 – 10 is Open Education Week (#oeweek) by Open Education Global. Available for FREE online are 228 live sessions from 27 countries in 15 languages, along with 134 openly licensed educational resources to reuse, remix and adapt. We encourage everyone to attend and try out the handy event planner. Some events will occur throughout March.
- The MATC Open Access Team also wants to remind everyone of its shared folder for faculty, including a list of OER facilitators, resources, handouts, and more.
- The Summer OER Faculty Grant Application deadline has been extended to March 24, 2023.
- SAVE THE DATE: The MATC Open Access team will, on March 16 at 11 am, be presenting “Over $1 Million Dollars Saved: Celebrating 3 Years of OER at MATC” live via Zoom through SumTotal. Deans, faculty, OER facilitators, and students will showcase the college’s progress in moving toward zero textbook costs and MATC experiences of OER adoption. Look for an upcoming MATC announcement with more details.
Additional Professional Development Opportunities:
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!
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Milwaukee Area Technical College
The Center for Teaching Excellence
