Volume 4, Issue 4--Published: Thursday October 17th

The Center and You!

Collaborating with colleagues, finding inspiration, and broadening our capacity for growth and courageous conversations are just a few of the reasons we love professional learning. At The Center, we are dedicated to the art and craft of quality teaching, so that our students continue to receive the quality classroom experience that they deserve. If you are looking for opportunities to participate in meaningful professional learning with your colleagues, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We have quite a few offerings coming up in October–join us!

Racking up FQAS hours? Good for you!

Did you know that you don’t have to wait to update your FQAS hours in Sum Total?  The suggested best practice is for you to keep track of your Professional Development activities by submitting your hours in SumTotal as you complete them throughout the cycle. We hope you see this as a win-win; faculty are able to easily input and keep track of their hours, and The Center’s wonderful Faculty Development Coordinators have a more manageable work flow from a more even distribution of submitted hours. We’ve created the FQAS Hours Tracking Chart to help you.

The requirements for completion and length of the cycle are dependent on your probationary or non-probationary status. For more information, please see the FQAS page on the Center’s website.

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.  

Incorporate Cultural Awareness into the Syllabus
In this Lunch & Learn you will identify methods that foster an inclusive academic environment the Instructor Self-Assessment Tool (ISAT) assists instructors to reflect on course design, pedagogy, teaching methods and relationships with students. Embedded in this comprehensive 11 domain tool are many concrete ideas for improving practice. The project manager for this study, Dr. Sobia Iqbal from the Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, will guide participants through main elements of the ISAT and provide examples that can be incorporated in any field and any subject of study.
 
Friday, 10/18/24, 9am-10am, Virtual

AI: Come and Play with Me!
Join us face to face at Milwaukee Campus Room M201 or virtually through this Zoom link for this 2-hour workshop where we examine AI tools, specifically ChatGPT. The workshop will start with one hour of exploring AI tools and applications to enhance the educational experience. Participants will discover how ChatGPT can support classroom activities and help instructors most efficiently utilize their time. In the second hour, we will have hands-on practice with ChatGPT. We will have opportunities to collaborate, share our experiences, and discuss integrating AI. Come for one or two hours, and let us embark on this fascinating technology together.
 
Friday, 10/18/24, 11am-1pm, Virtual & Face-to-Face (M201A Downtown)

HyFlex Workshop
Are you considering teaching in the HyFlex modality in the future? Attend the HyFlex training scheduled in two parts. Attend Part A on 10/22/24 from 4pm-6:30pm in M201A Downtown or virtually through Zoom. Then, you must attend Part B in-person at the Milwaukee campus on 10/29/24 from 4pm-6:30pm.
Tuesday, 10/22/24, 4pm-6:30pm  (Pt A) Virtual or Face-to-Face (M201A-Downtown)
 

AI in the Classroom
Get ready for an exciting Lunch & Learn session all 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.
 
Wednesday, 10/23/24, 12pm-1pm, 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. 

Thursday, 10/24/24, 12pm-2pm, Virtual or Face-to-Face (M 201A–Downtown)

Online Course Types Lunch & Learn

In this Lunch & Learn we'll examine teaching in the Online course modalities. We'll explore scheduling, attendance, 8 & 12 week lengths, contact hours, student engagement, and other topics as we collaboratively discuss teaching in this modality. 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, 10/25/24, 12pm-1pm, Virtual  or Face-to-Face (M201A-Downtown)

Collaboration Connection:

Conexiones Latinos

You're invited! MATC'S HSI Steering Committee is hosting a gathering for faculty, staff, and students to come together and celebrate our Latinos on Campus at Conexiones Latinos! This event brings Latinx food to the community and creates a communal space for students to ask questions, gather resources, connect with bilingual/bicultural supports on campus, play games, and sincerely feel their worth and belonging in the MATC Campus spaces. We encourage you to stop by, or better yet, lend a hand and volunteer with the team! All are welcome and all are invited! 

MATC's Downtown Campus on Monday, October 28th from 10:30 - 1:00 pm 
MATC's Oak Creek Campus on Wednesday, October 30th from 10:30 am - 1pm

Join us at one or both of the events. FQAS hours are available for volunteering. We look forward to seeing you there!

Online Campus News You Can Use October 2024 Edition Now Available

In the October 2024 edition of Online Campus News You Can Use, advises you of the important tool updates, tasks, and upcoming events to help faculty deliver high quality online instruction.

Friendly Reminders:

A Message from the Community Engagement & Service-Learning Team

Thank you for all you do to engage with our students and support our community, especially through courses involving community engagement and service learning. Your dedication makes a significant impact on both our students' learning and the communities we serve.

The MATC Community Engagement and Service Learning faculty have created a short activity sheet to help us better understand and highlight the work being done at our institution. Please complete the MATC Community Engagement and Service Learning Project/Activity sheet by October 31st. Your insights are invaluable in helping us continue to grow and support these vital initiatives.

Thank you again for your commitment to our students and our community. We truly appreciate your time and participation! If you have any questions, please contact us.

 
MATC Giving Campaign
and the Fast Fund

MATC Giving Campaign and the Fast FundThe MATC Giving Campaign has begun. There are many worthy organizations that you can choose from. Please consider the Local 212 Believe in Students FAST Fund. It provides financial assistance to MATC students experiencing economic emergencies because we know that students don’t succeed when they are homeless or hungry.  

If you would like to donate, note that the FAST Fund is not listed as a Giving Campaign organization. To contribute, log in via the MATC Giving Campaign, locate the option to list other organizations, and write-in “Local 212/MATC Believe in Students FAST Fund.”

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.

Commencement Student Speaker

Encourage students graduating this December to apply for the following competitions:

Outstanding Graduate Associate Degree (Graduation Speaker) – Eligible students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
 Outstanding Graduate Technical Diploma – Eligible students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. 
President’s Award Competition – Eligible students must have 52 credits (associate degree) or 12 credits (technical diploma) from MATC and have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher.

Deadline to apply is November 15 at 4 p.m. Contact honors@matc.edu for more information.

Faculty Textbook Adoptions

Please submit your Faculty Textbook Adoptions for winter and spring courses by Friday, November 1st! Adoptions must be completed for all courses including "No Text" sections. There is not an automatic roll-over of course materials.

Online adoptions are made through signing in to the bookstore website. If you have questions or need more information, please email textbooks@matc.edu.

Additional Professional Learning Opportunities:

2024 WTCS Faculty Summit 

The Wisconsin Technical College System Office is excited to host the second WTCS Faculty Summit. This fully virtual, free event is focused on innovations throughout the system, and is intended for faculty, presented by faculty, with topics that impact faculty!

 Join us for this event to learn about new ideas that have been implemented in the classroom that resulted in positive impacts on students and performance.  The sessions will address the core Faculty Quality Assurance System (FQAS) focuses of:

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

The summit is being held over two days, offering different times to support both full and part time/adjunct faculty:

  • Wednesday, November 13, 6:00 - 8:00 pmFriday, November 15, 9:00am - 12:00 pm

Please join us for this professional learning opportunity to learn from and connect with your colleagues from across the System! This is a great opportunity to support ongoing FQAS professional development requirements! Register by Friday, November 8! 

Thursday, October 24
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. Through an innovative approach, participants...

November 14, 2024

In a hybrid world, teaching online is harder than ever. To keep learners engaged, teachers must innovate and create an environment that meets changing learner expectations while also delivering more personalized experiences.
Tuesday, October 29, 12:00 PM CT and  Wednesday, October 30, 3:00 PM CT
Join our panel of educators with extensive experience developing in-person and online courses as they discuss how they use AI in their...

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!

Looking for a comprehensive source on belonging? Look no further than The Belonging Lab by Terrell Strayhorn . Expert insights + actionable steps = results.
Collaborative learning is an educational environment where students work together in smaller groups to achieve a common goal.
When preparing for a new term, there is much to consider. Textbooks and course materials to review, syllabi to update,

created in Publicate