Volume 4, Issue 8--Published: Wednesday, January 29th, 2025

The Center and You!

Ready for your beginning-of-the-semester pep talk? If Week 2 of the semester feels more like day 10 of Week 1, you’re not alone! The hard work that you are putting in at the beginning doesn’t go unnoticed, and your students will benefit from it now and throughout the semester. The investment you are making with building relationships will help sustain our students and give them the support they need to successfully complete the course, their program, and their academic and professional goals. The extra that your putting in now will pay off–well done!

And speaking of our awesome students, have you seen MATC’s updated  Fast Facts? Reviewing this vital information may be helpful in your work to create classroom environments, curriculum, and best practices that engage and encompass the experience of our wonderfully diverse students.

Beginning-of-the-Semester Student Engagement Best Practices:

Some students may need a little extra support at the beginning of the semester. If a student hasn’t attended yet or hasn’t completed assignments, a best practice is to send a friendly check-in message. The email and texting student engagement templates can be used to create a dialogue with students that can foster their engagement in the course at the beginning and throughout the semester.

Want to make your Student Support Hours feel less like Office Hours? 

Did you know you can use Google Calendar to set up an Appointment Calendar, so that your students can directly book a time with you during your Student Support Hours  or other times that you have available during the week. If you haven’t used this function before, it only takes a couple of minutes. 

MATC Professional Learning 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.  

Using Blackboard AI Tool for Discussions Workshop
Blackboard Ultra AI Design Assistant uses artificial intelligence to streamline the course building process, giving instructors a head start on creating engaging, effective courses. In this workshop you will learn how to use BB Ultra AI Design Assistant to generate assessment prompts for Discussions. Informed by Bloom’s taxonomy instructors can choose the desired cognitive level for the task, as well as provide keywords and instructions to tie the suggestions to their course content and desired outcomes. You mat attend in-person in M201 (CTE) or virtually. Either way, please register at the link below. Space is limited to 25 participants, so it is best to register ahead of time.
 
Wednesday, 2/5/25, 12pm-1pm, In-Person or Virtual

Ally Workshop

Ally is a tool integrated with Blackboard Ultra that helps improve the accessibility of documents, images, text, and tables for students. In this session, you will learn how Ally benefits students, practice using Ally to address common file accessibility barriers, and explore Alternative File Download formats, such as speech-to-text MP3 audio, and text translation to over 71 languages. Note: this workshop is limited to 15 participants, so please register at the link below early to reserve a seat if you would like to attend

Thursday, 2/7/25, 10:30am-12:00pm, Virtual or Face-to-Face (M 201A–Downtown)

Yuja Training Part 1
Yuja is MATC's video creation and editing tool. This Yuja training (Part 1) is facilitated by the Yuja company trainers because the Yuja software was updated recently and this training will provide a better understanding of how to work within the new software. Please register at the link below to attend virtually.

Friday, 2/7/25, 9am-10am, Virtual Only

Yuja Training Part 2
Yuja is MATC's video creation and editing tool. This Yuja training (Part 2) is facilitated by the Yuja company trainers because the Yuja software was updated recently and this training will provide a better understanding of how to work within the new software. Please register at the link below to attend virtually.

Friday, 2/21/25, 9am-10am, Virtual Only

Workshop: Using Blackboard AI Tool for Rubrics
 Blackboard Ultra AI Design Assistant uses artificial intelligence to streamline the course building process, giving instructors a head start on creating engaging, effective courses. In this workshop you will learn how to use BB Ultra AI Design Assistant to generate Rubrics. Informed by Bloom’s taxonomy instructors can choose the desired cognitive level for the task, as well as provide keywords and instructions to tie the suggestions to their course content and desired outcomes. You mat attend in-person in M201 (CTE) or virtually. Either way, please register at the link below. Space is limited to 25 participants, so it is best to register ahead of time.

Wednesday, 2/12/25, 12pm-1pm, In-Person or Virtual

Ally Workshop

Ally is a tool integrated with Blackboard Ultra that helps improve the accessibility of documents, images, text, and tables for students. In this session, you will learn how Ally benefits students, practice using Ally to address common file accessibility barriers, and explore Alternative File Download formats, such as speech-to-text MP3 audio, and text translation to over 71 languages. Note: this workshop is limited to 15 participants, so please register at the link below early to reserve a seat if you would like to attend

Friday, 2/14/25, 12pm-1:30pm, Virtual or Face-to-Face (M201A-Downtown)

Collaboration Connection:

Blackboard Ultra Drop-in Workshops

Have questions about Blackboard, Regular & Substantive Interaction, or online teaching? Join Online Learning's faculty liaisons at our drop-in workshops for expert guidance and hands-on training. Explore the Spring 2025 Drop-in Workshop Schedule for topics, dates, and times!
 

Friendly Reminders:

Registration is now open for the 2025 WTCS Assessment Conference at Mid-State Technical College! Join us as we explore innovative approaches to assessment in higher education. We’re thrilled to welcome C. Edward Watson, Ph.D., Vice President for Digital Innovation at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and founding director of AAC&U’s Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum. Dr. Watson is the author of Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024). His expertise in AI’s impact on teaching and learning makes this a keynote you won’t want to miss! He will follow up his keynote with a one-hour hands-on workshop, so plan to bring your laptop. 

Date: Friday, February 28, 2025

Time: 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM (Registration & Breakfast at 8:00 AM)

Location: Mid-State Technical College, Stevens Point Downtown Location

Theme: The Assessment Highway – Exploring New Avenues in Higher Education

 Cost: $100 per participant 

Virtual Option Available (But we’d love to see you in person!)

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.

M-Cubed Details:

What to Bring: Your electronic device and course outline        
Takeaway: A lesson plan incorporating AI, ready to use in your class        
Date and Time: Tuesday, February 18, 2025, 8:00–11:00 AM        
Location: Alexander Hamilton High School. 6215 W Warnimont Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53220

Additional Professional Learning Opportunities:

Join educators from around the globe in this dynamic webinar series designed to transform the way you teach, engage, and inspire.
The Wisconsin Technical College System received $3 million for the 2023-2025 biennial budget to create, scale, and advocate for open educational resources.

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!

While there is no right answer for all situations, we offer some ideas that may create the best possible atmosphere in a classroom.
The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) examine generative AI tools’ current and future impacts on teaching and learning. This research, detailed in the report Leading Through Disruption, explores the challenges, opportunities, and sweeping transformations AI is bringing to campuses nationwide.
Over half of students believe their professors are at least somewhat responsible for being a mentor to them. Faculty weigh in on the feasibility of this effort. A May 2024 Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab found over half (55 percent) of students believe their professors...

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