Volume 2, Issue 17--Published: Wednesday, May 17th, 2023

Getting to Know the Center:

At the Center for Teaching Excellence, our intention is to support faculty as they create the classroom and learning environment that our students deserve. To do this, the Center aims to provide faculty the support they need when they need. This year, the Center’s team has:

  • Cultivated ongoing relationships with over 1,000 faculty to support excellence in teaching
  • Eased the transition and onboarding process for over 80 new faculty hires
  • Increased our meaningful professional development opportunities by 20% to support over 1000 faculty with nearly 1675 hours of FQAS-eligible programming in over 50 different training opportunities
  • Ensured that nearly 500 faculty have been supported in the important work of maintaining their Faculty Quality Assurance System 2023 cycle requirements
  • Created encouraging and timely communications with over 24,000 internal reads of the bi-weekly e-newsletter, Center Connections
  • Created a new, faculty-friendly website experience  
  • Played an instrumental role in creating positive cultural shifts at the college that recognize the wonderful and crucial work of faculty

The Center increased our efforts to encourage professional development best practices. The Center expanded its offerings beyond the traditional ZERD courses to diversify our professional development offerings, to vary our delivery so that faculty have the opportunity to learn in the same modalities as ours students (Virtual, Hyflex, Online, and Face-to-Face), and to provide responsive and timely professional development programming throughout the semester. The Center offered opportunities in the form of workshops, webinars, instructional sessions, cohort training, and community-building “Lunch and Learns”  as well as ZERD courses. Major themes of the sessions included: Chat GPT, Student-Centered Syllabus, COS Support, Linguistic Justice and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Classroom, Growth Mindset, Service Learning, and Modality support. All of this was made possible through your encouragement, support, and partnership--thank you!

Our Work--The Center and You!

It’s Turn-In-Your-TAP time!
If you are a Full-Time Post-Probationary faculty, you need to complete one TAP each year.  If you haven’t already, it’s time to take the final steps to complete the submission of your TAP:
  • List any additional actions you’ve taken towards your goals. 
    • If the actions are also FQAS activities then submit them into SumTotal as well.

  • Arrange for your final meeting with your Peer Coach, share your results and get written feedback and a signature from your Coach on your TAP form.
  • Save the completed form and submit it to SumTotal under “TAP: Teaching Action Plan”.
  • You are required to submit your completed form every year prior to June 30

If you are a Part-Time Post-Probationary, Part-Time Probationary, or Full-Time Probationary faculty, you only need to complete one TAP each FQAS cycle. Please see The Center’s website for your suggested timeline.

FQAS:

One of The Center’s most important responsibilities is to help faculty successfully navigate FQAS requirements. You can check your FQAS requirements and due date in Sum Total; helpful FQAS Submission and Support information can be found on the Center’s website. It is a requirement of employment to be in compliance with FQAS requirements, but if your cycle is due this year,  it is not too late to meet the deadline! The folks at the Center can help you brainstorm ideas and help you with the SumTotal submission process. Please do not hesitate to reach out to The Center's team if you have questions!

Looking for Some Summer Reading to Inspire You?
Don’t forget--the Center provides a free Magna Commons subscription to all MATC faculty! For information on MATC's free access to Magna Commons publications, please see the Center's website.  Each issue of Center Connections includes links that are meant to be engaging, thought-provoking, applicable to various classroom environments, and that are selected to help keep you informed about current best practices and pedagogical approaches. The links to previous issues of Center Connections can also be found at the end of each issue and on our website. We hope you enjoy going down the rabbit hole!

Collaboration Connection:

2022-2023 LPIC Accomplishments!

Your colleagues have worked hard this year! Throughout the 2022-2023 academic year, LPIC has created transparent processes to ensure a clear pathway to implementation for projects, collaborated with colleagues to have quality discussions about systems and processes to improve the academic experience for both students and faculty, created timelines to accomplish our goals, and communicated our progress frequently. Below are some of the highlights.

COS Process Review:

  • When provided with a timeframe that matched the faculty contract and aligned supports, 99.2% of the 120+ faculty developers met the requirements of the updated COS SOP in the Fall semester
  • Facilitated the  implementation of the COS Best Practices  and supported a culture of curriculum at MATC that encourages collaboration, robust curricular discussions, and a sustainable internal COS Review Process.
  • Supported training and advocated for additional faculty COS reviewers to decrease internal processing times

Student-Centered Scheduling:

  • Completed an inventory to inform student-centered decision making in the scheduling process
  • Created a recommendation and pathway to implementation for the correction of the discrepancy between the listed end date in Self-Service and the actual end date of courses, which is confusing and frustrating to students and puts a burden on instructors; the proposal allows the advertised and actual end dates to match.

21st Century Classroom:

  • Co-facilitated FQAS hours for Blackboard Ultra conversion
  • Created a more streamlined and obtainable Level 3 that provided the opportunity for faculty to receive QM training for free
  • College Closure Rapid Response Team
  • Increased transparency in scheduled and non-scheduled review process.

Linguistic Justice Academy /Ultra Data Insights Rapid Response Team:

  • Facilitated the college-wide joint effort to remove an unethical feature in the Ultra Data Insights that would have created an inequitable grading environment and caused biases in direct opposition to MATC’s vision, mission, and DEI values.
  • This feature was removed from Blackboard Ultra prior to implementation in order to preserve an equitable grading environment for our students.

Professional Development Standing Committee:

  • FQAS for Designated Apprenticeship Faculty
  • Co-facilitated FQAS for Blackboard Ultra conversion
  • Explored Credit for Prior Learning for FQAS for faculty
  • Professional Development Calendar integration
  • Part-time Pay Progression Rapid Response Team

Stormer Connect integrated within Holistic Coordinated Care Network (HCCN):

  • Created training for faculty for two NSCDs
  • Supported use of data by Academic Pathways to further operationalize Stormer Connect practices

Career Essentials:

  • The team completed its work in aligning career essentials with program outcomes
  • Provided documentation and essential support for the successful HLC review

Curriculum and Assessment LPIC Development:

  • Coordinated input from Academic Pathway Leaders on current and future vision
  • Investigated support for faculty involvement and leadership in curriculum and assessment
  • Anticipated structural framework on target for next year

Course Modality:

  • Explored increased support and training for the delivery of multiple modalities
  • Data exploration into efficacy of modalities

Program Viability:

  • Created checklist that identifies the components of a transparent and supported Program Viability process

Thank you to our 68 volunteers for making all of this happen! There was a 28% increase in LPIC volunteers from last year.  Want to raise your hand to be a part of the fun next year?  Look for the 2023-2024 LPIC volunteer sign-up  at the beginning of next semester!

Have an Idea for an LPIC Work Team that you would like to propose for 2023-2024?

The objective of the  Learn Pillar Integration Committee is to keep student success at the heart of all decisions and actions. LPIC provides a structure for faculty involvement and decision-making across all Academic and Career Pathways within the college. If you have an idea for an LPIC Work Team that you would like to propose, please fill out our form.

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.

Graduation!
Let’s celebrate our students together! The 2023 Spring Commencement will be held Sunday, May 21, 11 a.m., at Fiserv Forum.

Student Voices:

"This Isn't Over! An MATC Student's Message to Fellow Graduates"
by Xavier "Loki" Martin, Television and Production (eProduction)

This. Isnt. Over. 

We have faced similar challenges in our time here; cut from a familiar cloth. If I were able to give anyone here a piece of advice it would be to breathe, revel. Take a second to celebrate the moment; the accomplishment we’ve all achieved today that cannot be taken away. Tomorrow, the weight placed upon you in your first semester dissipates. And yet somehow, this– isn’t over. Relive the laughter, the relationships earned, the bus rides, the parking, the babysitters, the doubters, the semesters off, the sacrifices, the commitment, the trials, the tears, and the renovations…

Know of student work that would be a great add to the Student Voices section? Email the Center for more details and submission guidelines.

Friendly Reminders:

21st Century Classroom--Level 3
Faculty who have already obtained Level 1 and Level 2 badges can attain 21st Century Classroom Level 3  by attending the Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) course, which is an asynchronous online course through Quality Matters (QM).  The Center has allocated funding for faculty to attend this course for free! After you successfully complete the QM Rubric course, you will become part of a cohort of faculty who will have a Faculty Blackboard Liaison Mentor. In this team environment, you will apply what you have learned in the QM Rubric course through five 21st Century Classroom course reviews. Once the five course reviews are successfully completed, you will obtain a Level 3 badge and establish yourself as a leader among your peers in providing high quality courses for our students! More information on Level 3 can be found on the 21st Century Classroom webpage. 
 
Final Grades

Final grades need to be submitted in Self-Service for 8, 12, and 16 week courses by 5:00 PM CST on Wednesday, May 24th, 2023.  

There are many reasons why grades need to be in on time:

  • Missing grades are a huge and unnecessary strain on our students. Waiting is hard! Students can feel an extraordinary amount of relief when they know that their hard work has paid off. 
  • Students who need early interventions to succeed next semester are contacted by Academic Life Coaches based on the timely submission of final grades.
  • Students who need assistance in planning for classes for the next semester can get help from advisors. Advisors need the information provided by the timely submission of final grades to accurately guide students.
  • The determination of students’ eligibility to receive financial aid is based on the timely submission of final grades. Financial Aid runs reports based on specific dates after the grades are turned in; if students’ grades are not in the system by the due date, their financial aid status may be affected on these reports. 
  • When grades are not turned in on time, students’ academic standing can detrimentally change. If the grade is not in place when the registrar's office runs academic standing, it will be calculated as a non-completed course, which can change the students’ status to Warning or Suspended or Fail to meet academic standards for completion. 

If you want to double check to see if your grades have been submitted, you can follow these instructions. When you hit submit, the grade becomes final and cannot be changed in Self Service. If you notice that a correction needs to be made after you submit final grades, you need to complete a change of grade form to make the update. We’ve all been there, but here’s hoping that you get to use this form to help students who needed that extra support to get to the finish line! 

As a friendly reminder, the ILP Integration/Submit Grades tool to submit final grades from Blackboard to Self-Service is unavailable.

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.  

COS Reboot Workshop
June 7th, 11am-1pm
Virtual F2F-Flex-- Zoom or M201A (Downtown, Center for Teaching Excellence) 
 
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). Faculty, Developers, Department Chairs, and Instructional Chairs involved in the COS development process are highly encouraged to attend this workshop within the next two months. Workshops have been scheduled during a wide variety of days and times each week, and faculty can attend virtually or in-person at the Milwaukee campus, to allow for faculty teaching schedules. Upon completion, the COS Reboot workshop qualifies for 2 FQAS hours in the Student Success/Teaching Excellence category.

Summer OER Course--Exploring Open Educational Resources (ZERD 209-800)           1 credit, Online, 06/11-07/30/2023

This course will:

  • Introduce the participants to Open Education Resources (OER).
  • Explore the OER search engine tools and provide a roadmap to adapt existing courses to OER platform.
  • Provide a thorough examination of open pedagogical practices in making education affordable, innovative and student-centered for lifelong learning.
  • Analyze the role of OER in student equity and diversity.
  • Enhance the knowledge of participants including, but not limited to, the open resources available in the area of interest.
  • Examine the copyright practices in OER.
  • Introduce the participants to college, state, and national level resources to support OER innovations.

MATC Modality Lunch and Learn
Tuesday, June 13th noon to 1pm
Virtual F2F-Flex--Zoom or M201A (Downtown, Center for Teaching Excellence) 
MATC has 7 course modalities faculty may teach in. If you have been considering teaching in a new modality, or simply want to learn more details of teaching in them, the CTE is hosting Course Modality Lunch and Learns on March 29th, from 12pm-1pm or April 25th from 12pm-1pm. You may attend one of them either in person at the CTE (M201) at the Milwaukee campus, or virtually through Zoom. This is a text block. To edit the style of any text just highlight it to see the formatting options.

Workshop: Writing Learning Objectives for a COS 
Wednesday, June 14th
Virtual F2F-Flex--Zoom or M201A (Downtown, Center for Teaching Excellence) 
 
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? Then this workshop is for you! In this workshop, we will specifically address how to write these for WIDS submission.

Rescheduled Date! Lunch and Learn
 
On Thursday, June 15th  from noon to 1pm, Vida Cross, part-time faculty and writer, who specializes in writing pedagogy, will present "The Use of the Pronoun We."  She states, "As I complete a larger text, I challenge myself and students to consider how we as writers, readers, and listeners can evolve from 'I' and 'You' to 'We.'  How does community exist in our writing? How do we imagine and encourage community building in prose and poetry?"  This presentation, "The Use of the Pronoun We," was originally shared in November 2022 at The University of Central Arkansas's C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference. The C.D. Wright Conference is a conference for the multidisciplinary exploration of writing and writing pedagogy.  Vida Cross will share her approach to writing pedagogy, consciousness building, writing theory, and community.

MATC UndocuAlly (DACA) Training

You are cordially invited to join the CareerHub and DEI Office at this half - day training in supporting undocumented/DACAmented students and becoming an ally.

The workshop sessions, led by our UWM partners Alberto Maldonado and Mai Yer Yang, will focus on historical information, policy, and important terminology affecting undocumented/DACAmented communities. Participants will be able to:

  • Identify barriers and challenges affecting undocumented/DACAmented students and how to best support them.
  • Refer undocumented/DACAmented students to appropriate campus and community resources.
  • Understand the basic level of becoming an ally including benefits and risks.
  • Identify the five actions an ally can take to advocate for undocumented/DACAmented students.
  • Enhance knowledge of local resources, opportunities, and current strategies and best practices to support undocumented/DACAmented students.

Participants: MATC Staff and Faculty

Location: Downtown Campus, Room M605

Date: Thursday, June 22 | 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

In - person

Register below to save a spot and secure lunch. Feel free to share this form with other MATC staff and faculty members.

Blackboard Ultra--Coming Soon to All Courses!

The Online Learning Department is working hard to support the college’s transition to Ultra Course View for the Summer 2023 term, providing workshops, training courses, consultations, and web-based resources.

 

Faculty who will be teaching in Summer should check these resources out as soon as possible to learn about Ultra Course View.

Blackboard Anthology’s free Ultra webinars are also available live and on-demand.

Additional Professional Development Opportunities:

This unique, virtual learning series is designed to increase capacity for racial equity leadership among Wisconsin educators. Through an experiential learning strategy, the Education Equity Leadership Series supports a learning environment suited for authentic self-reflection and engagement, while...
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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!

The worst-case scenario came into focus almost as soon as ChatGPT was released: Students could feed a professor's prompt into the chatbot, collect its response, turn it in as their own, and get credit without doing any work at all.
If you have not heard within the last six months, ChatGPT is an advancement in artificial intelligence (AI) that is making waves in higher education. In simple terms, it is a web-based tool that can generate human-like answers to any question posed to it.

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