Getting to Know the Center for Teaching Excellence:
Do you love Professional Development? We do too!
If you find yourself in full hibernation mode in the last weeks of February, no worries! CTE, the DEI Committee, and other MATC events are offering a wide range of Professional Development opportunities over the next two weeks, and–most if not all– are offered virtually, so you can take advantage of these amazing offerings from your MATC office, your home office, or your warm and cozy den. MATC’s commitment to quality professional development, offered at no cost to faculty, is a wonderful benefit, and at The Center, we believe this to be one of the biggest gems of our college community.
Our Work--CTE and You!
Lions and tigers and FQAS, oh my–not with the Center’s help!
The Center appreciates everything that you do for your students. We know that uncertainty when it comes to the FQAS renewal process can be an added stress, but it doesn’t have to be! CTE can help–we are here for you during every step of the process. Below are some questions that you can ask yourself to determine where you are in your cycle, and what help–if any– you need.
Question 1: Do I know what FQAS is?
Not yet? Please see the FQAS at MATC page.
Question 2: Do I know when my FQAS cycle ends?
Not yet? Please see the FQAS Requirements page for a general timeline; your specific dates can be found by logging into SumTotal and then clicking on your FQAS button.
Question 3: Do I know what qualifies for FQAS hours?
Not yet? Please see the Approved FQAS Professional Growth Activities. For information about currency hours, please see: What are FQAS Currency Hours?
Question 4: Have I completed any or all of my FQAS hours?
If yes, way to go! You can verify this by logging into SumTotal, clicking on your FQAS button, and then opening up your FQAS cycle to see if your slider is at 100% for all of your required activities. If it is - you are done! It will be marked as “completed” after the end of your cycle - this is a manual process done by the CTE team.
Not yet? Please see MATC’s and our partners' wonderful course offerings in today's CTE Connections (links to previous issues can also be found at the end of every issue).
Question 5: Do I know how to submit my FQAS hours?
Not yet? I don’t know how.
Please see the Submitting an FQAS Renewal Activity in SumTotal video or SumTotal FQAS Navigation written directions.
Not yet? I’m waiting until closer to the renewal date.
Please don’t wait or hesitate! The suggested best practice is to submit your Professional Development activities as you complete them because then you don’t have to worry about tracking down information, sometimes years later. Plus, SumTotal will keep a “running total” of your hours for you. If you need to catch up on your submissions, please do CTE a solid and submit them as soon as you can!
We hope you see this as a win-win; faculty are able to easily input and keep track of their hours, and CTE has a manageable work flow from a more even distribution of submitted hours. CTE is working hard to streamline its processes, while maintaining the official record that you need to complete your renewal. But we need your help to foster and cultivate this new approach to professional development–one that gives you the flexibility and professional respect to take the courses you need, when you need them. Together, we are building a fair and transparent process that benefits all of us.
MATC Professional Development Opportunities:
“A Line Meant" Poetry Project with Dasha Kelly Hamilton:
Thursday, February 24, 12:00pm – 1:30pm via Zoom
"One line of poetry can work like a spell, conjuring a memory for one person and pulling gospel from someone else. As Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Dasha Kelly Hamilton is employing poetry lines to connect the creativity of neighbors and the humanity of strangers. Her project, A Line Meant, will be a statewide poetry exchange for traditional Wisconsin residents, to include residents of Wisconsin prisons. During the session, participants will have the opportunity to write a poem and share it on the project website. Every poem shared receives a poem from elsewhere in the state. Once activated, participants will receive new poems for a season and have access to view pieces uploaded from across the state."
Using Racial Memorabilia To Teach Social Justice
Friday, February 25, 12:00pm – 1:15pm
American history has a long tradition of creating images and memorabilia based on stereotypical and sometimes racist notions. In his 75 minute presentation (45 minute talk with 30 minutes for questions), Dr. David Pilgrim will discuss how we can use racist memorabilia to teach about race, race relations, and social justice. Dr. Pilgrim is the author of Understanding Jim Crow: Using Racist Memorabilia to Teach Tolerance and Promote Social Justice (PM Press, 2015). He is also the founder and Director of the Jim Crow Museum, the nation’s largest, publicly accessible collection of racist objects, located at Ferris State University where he serves as Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion.
This Train Is Bound for Glory: The Joshua Glover Story and the Significance of Wisconsin in the Anti-Slavery Movement-BHM
Monday, February 28, 12:00pm – 1:30pm
In this presentation, MATC History professor Milton Dockery examines the Joshua Glover story, its significance to Wisconsin, and how it impacted the anti-slavery movement nationally. Enslaved in St. Louis, Missouri, Joshua Glover sought freedom in Wisconsin, only to be recaptured after a friend betrayed him. Defying the Fugitive Slave Act, Sherman Booth and other abolitionists helped Glover escape via the Underground Railroad, and he later settled in Canada as a free man. Prof. Dockery will also provide updates on a project twenty years in the making, to install historical Underground Railroad markers in the city of Racine.
Event is virtual and in person at MATC's Cooley Auditorium.
The DEI Committee’s Events Calendar has several opportunities for professional development posted for the remainder of the semester. For more information and links to register, please see
DEI Committee’s website.
CTE 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 these courses are free to MATC faculty and eligible for FQAS hours, so that you can plan and develop your own professional development goals and outcomes.
8-Week Course Conversion Workshop this Friday!
When: February 25, 2022, 9am-12:00pm, Virtual
The 8-Week Course Conversion Workshop (awards 3 FQAS hours) will guide you through the process of converting 16-week (and 12-week) courses to an 8-week format. It also includes teaching tips to help when students are adjusting to an accelerated format for the first time.It's best to have a course in mind to convert because if you convert it according to CTE guidance and it meets review standards, you may be awarded an additional 12 FQAS hours.
For more information or to sign-up, please email John Futterer, CTE’s Instructional Designer, and include the course you will begin converting during the workshop. For more information, please see CTE’s website.
The Center’s Virtual Lunch and Learn Series–New Date!!
"How Can I Use Everyday Interactions to Instill a Growth Mindset in Students?"
BYOLunch and join us at CTE's Virtual Lunch and Learn on Tuesday, March 1st noon-1pm. The session will include a viewing of the 20-Minute Mentor presentation followed by a guided discussion. There is no deadline to register, so feel free to pop in when you are hungry! FQAS hours are available for this session (and each session in the Lunch and Learn series).
21st Century Classroom Level 3 Cohort Workshop
CTE has a 21st Century Classroom Level 3 Cohort Workshop (awards 3 FQAS hours) scheduled on March 4th, 11am-12:30pm and March 11th, 11am-12:30pm. In two interactive virtual sessions , faculty will examine and discuss advanced-level best practices that can be implemented in your courses, regardless of modality. FQAS hours apply! Since it is fast approaching, please email John Futterer to sign-up and learn more.
Operationalizing Equitable Teaching and Learning Practices:
Wednesday, March 9, 2022 noon - 1:00pm
In this webinar, panelists will share components/tenets to purposefully embed equity, social justice, and inclusion into innovative teaching and learning in face-to-face and virtual spaces.
Designing Assessments through a Culturally Responsive Lens:
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 2:00pm - 3:00pm
This workshop will provide examples of successful innovative and digital assessment approaches that center students and allow for authentic and culturally responsive measurement of student learning.
Democratizing Learning Environments:
Wednesday, May 4, 2022 12:00pm - 2:00pm
In this webinar, participants will engage in dialogue and discourse with panelists as it relates to co-creating environments that support and humanize students’ academic experiences while affirming their strengths and potential in the classroom.
Registration is free--you can attend as few or as many sessions as you would like!
To make these webinars even more applicable, CTE will have follow-up sessions for each event. In a facilitated discussion, faculty will be encouraged to self-reflect after each webinar, to consider how they might apply the knowledge that was discussed, and to share out their responses, ideas, or questions that were generated based upon the webinar.
Chats with Colleagues: Operationalizing Equitable Teaching and Learning Practices
Friday, March 11 · 12:00 – 1:00pm
Chats with Colleagues: Designing Assessments through a Culturally Responsive Lens
Wednesday, April 13 · 12:00 – 1:00pm
Chats with Colleagues: Democratizing Learning Environments
Friday, May 6, 2022 · 12:00 – 1:00pm
Join us for as many conversations as you would like!
3/20/2022 - 5/15/2022 (Online)
Join faculty leader Milton Dockery. This course will enhance faculty's cultural competence and provide a foundation to build upon regarding African American students, social justice issues, and how it impacts learning. This course delves into the psychological health of African American college students in the age of the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM). The course will balance a discussion of issues facing African American college students as well as offer research-based strategies and best practices for working with students of color.
ZERD 011 Preparation for Online Teaching 3/20 -5/15/2022
ZERD 100 Peer Support 3/03 -5/05/2022
ZERD 101 Understanding Classroom Environments 3/06-5/15/2022
ZERD 103 Course Design 3/20-5/15/2022
ZERD 209 Exploring Open Education Resources 3/20 -5/15/2022
Additional courses may be offered later in the semester based on faculty interest and need.
CTE Collaboration Connection:
WIDS Information Sessions Hosted by the Curriculum Department
The Curriculum Department is hosting two types of sessions:
WIDS Demonstration Sessions via Google-Meet
This demonstration is a showcase for the web-based WIDS software. Covered in the session will be common terms, roles and statuses, course outcome summary (COS) creation/modification process, approval process, and a tour of the software itself.
WIDS Drop-In Sessions via Google-Meet
Drop-in sessions provide one-on-one help to individuals already using the web-based WIDS software to work through any problems you are encountering with your course outcome summaries.
Email Curriculum@matc.edu to see which dates and times work best for you. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact Lucila Rodriguez for assistance.
Friendly Reminders:
Self-Service Attendance Tip:
Good news! You have the ability to export and review the attendance for a given section to date in Self-Service. This is a great tool if you have been notified of missing attendance.
How? In Self Service > Open the Faculty tab (where you can view active classes and submit grades) > Select the course you'd like to review> Open the attendance tab:
Keeping You Posted:
- A new MATC OER Grant of $750 for up to seven MATC faculty in each Pathway to replace a traditional textbook with an existing open textbook, OER, and/or other materials that are free for students. Complete an application by February 25, 2022!
- MATC OER Fest March 7 - 11 (global Open Education Week): throughout the week there will be lunch time virtual events celebrating the significant cost savings and educational benefits of Open Education Resources (OER) at MATC.
- The 2022 MATC OER Champion Awards: nominations will be accepted through March 4, 2022 and awards announced at the conclusion of MATC OER Fest. Nominate yourself or a colleague!
Additional Professional Development Opportunities:
Inspiration, Research, and Best Practices
Part of CTE’s mission is to keep you informed about current best practices and pedagogical approaches. Each issue of CTE 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 CTE's website.
