Volume 4, Issue 7--Published: November 27, 2024

The Center and You!

Your dedication to our students is something that deserves acknowledgement. It takes an incredible amount of work and bravery to try something new and innovative, to co-create classroom experiences with our students, to advocate for student-centered change, to develop relationships, to give transformative feedback…and so much more.  For all that you do, you are appreciated--thank you!

A little goes a long way…email and text templates to encourage student completion.

Many students utilize the Thanksgiving break to catch up on assignments. Your flexibility at this crucial time often makes the difference for the completion of this semester’s courses, and it can also be the piece of encouragement that students need to continue on their journey to achieving their academic and career goals.  Your efforts at this time of year are  important and have a high impact on 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. Many of our students may feel like they have fallen down or may not even be aware of how close they are to completing. Collectively, in our final push, we can make a huge difference for our students. Feel free to use or modify  these templates to connect with your students and encourage their completion. 

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.  

AI in the Classroom Lunch & Learn
Join us for an exciting Lunch & Learn session about AI! Dive into the world of artificial intelligence and its game-changing impact on higher education. Whether you're new to AI or looking to expand your knowledge, this session will offer an opportunity to explore and discuss how AI is transforming how we teach and learn. Don't miss out on this opportunity to be part of the future of learning! Please register at the link below to attend virtually.
 
Wednesday, 12/4/24, 12pm-1pm, Virtual Only

Grading & The Syllabus Language Lunch & Learn
Join us for a one-hour Lunch & Learn on mastering the art of grading structure. As the Center of Teaching Excellence coach, Natasha Librizzi brings experience and expertise to guide you through the intricacies of percentage and point-based grading structures. You can learn how to implement these grading structures in your class and optimize your grading process for student success. With a particular focus on setting up grades in Blackboard Ultra under both methods, you'll gain practical, hands-on skills to enhance your teaching effectiveness. Don't miss this opportunity to revolutionize your approach to education and create a more equitable learning experience for your students. Tools from the Student-Centered Syllabus Toolkit will also be utilized to help you include what you learn directly in your syllabi. Please register at the link below to attend virtually.
  Friday, 12/6/24, 12:30pm-1:30pm, Virtual Only

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, 12/6/24, 10:30am-12:30pm, Virtual or Face-to-Face (M 201A–Downtown)

COS Reboot Workshop

This workshop is intended for those who edit (the Developer) the Course Outcome Summary (COS) in WIDS and would like to learn more about writing Learning Objectives, Course Competencies, and Criteria. The CTE is hosting a workshop to address the proper way to write these. Register through the Zoom link provided. Use that same link to attend virtually, or you can attend in-person at the Milwaukee campus in M201 (CTE).

Friday, 12/13/24, 11am-1pm, Virtual  or Face-to-Face (M201A-Downtown)

Collaboration Connection:

New Grant Opportunity
 
Faculty who have OER courses are invited to apply for the few remaining $500 state-sponsored OER Maintenance Grants and use winter break to update their courses. 
 

Friendly Reminders:

Blackboard Downtime Scheduled for November 29, 2024

Blackboard will be temporarily unavailable on Friday, November 29, 2024, from 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM CDT for scheduled maintenance. During this time, you will not be able to log into Blackboard and the login page will show a message that the site is down. This work is needed to improve performance and security. Online Learning will announce when Blackboard is back up and available for logins after maintenance is complete.

 

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.

Giving Tuesday is December 3rd–Support the FAST Fund

The FAST Fund helps students overcome unexpected financial hardships, so they can stay focused on their education and continue pursuing their dreams. Every donation, no matter the size, helps a student stay on track with their education. Please consider making a gift today and help us continue to provide critical financial assistance to those who need it most. Together, we can make this Giving Tuesday a day of transformation for our students.

Additional Professional Learning Opportunities:

2024 WTCS Faculty Summit Recording Now Available!

The Wisconsin Technical College System Office hosted the second WTCS Faculty Summit, featuring MATC faculty, Levi Cook, Tom Vollman, Anna Varley, Krystia Nora, Amarilis Martinez, and Traci Clark. 

View the recordings to learn about new ideas that have been implemented in the classroom that resulted in positive impacts on students and performance.  The sessions addressed  the core Faculty Quality Assurance System (FQAS) focuses of:

  • Curriculum & Assessment
  • Diversity,Equity & Inclusion
  • Student Success Teaching Methods

This unique series was crafted to support educators to foster a sense of belonging across all learning environments. The program is dedicated to nurturing inclusive learning experiences that encourage authentic self-reflection and active engagement. In the Winter Institute,  Dr. Shakti Butler will guide participants through a deep exploration of the systems that perpetuate racial inequities. Drawing from her extensive expertise,Dr. Butler will offer practical tools and strategies for identifying and disrupting these inequities in everyday practices, supporting participants to create meaningful change in their communities and organizations.

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!

That's not a new finding, and it's something most instructors already know, but it's the size of the difference that's often underestimated.
Students often underestimate how much study time is required to master course concepts for an exam (Chew, 2014). Weaker students in particular tend to be grossly overconfident about how quickly they can learn.
For over a decade, I taught a course titled biomedical ethics, a subject teeming with complex moral dilemmas and deeply held convictions. The course provided an introduction to decision making within the realms of public health, medicine, and healthcare, focusing specifically on bioethical concerns.

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