Getting to Know the Center:
Welcome back–we hope you had a restful Spring Break! At the Center, we understand how important your efforts are at this time of year for our students. Many of our students may feel like they just don’t have it in them to return after Spring Break…or they may not even be aware of how close they are to completing.
In the Friendly Reminders section below, we’ve included some quick email templates that you can choose to use or modify to connect with your students to encourage their completion. 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. Collectively, we can make a huge difference for our students. As always, just let us know how we can help.
Our Work--The Center and You!
If you are at the end of your FQAS cycle, SumTotal recently sent you a really specific FQAS completion percentage–but hey, we want our Human Resources software to be precise right?
All levity aside, one of CTE’s most important responsibilities is to help faculty successfully navigate FQAS requirements.If you happen to be at 98.33% that most likely means that you just need to submit your Teaching Action Plan (TAP). This is a required part of the FQAS cycle. Please complete the TAP process, as outlined on the Faculty Support website prior to the FQAS cycle end date of June 30, 2022. If you are at 100% progress, but your cycle still shows "incomplete" in SumTotal do not be concerned! The Center for Teaching Excellence team will manually mark your cycle as complete after June 30, which will provide you with the opportunity to continue submitting activities that could potentially rollover into your next cycle (up to the maximum hours of 100 in Student Success and Teaching Excellence and 50 in Currency).
It is a requirement of employment to be in compliance with FQAS requirements, but it is not too late to meet the deadline! We can brainstorm ideas with you or help with the SumTotal submission process; it is our job to support you in the important work that you do. We are available in person downtown in M201, virtually (via Google Meet), or over the phone; just let us know how we can help you. Please do not hesitate to contact us!
Session 3, Friday, 4/22/2022, 12 - 1 pm
You can get ready for the upcoming seminars by watching the session recordings.
Session 1: An Introduction to the Universal Design for Learning Framework
Session 2: Harnessing the Power of WHY: Understanding Engagement in the UDL Framework
MATC Professional Development Opportunities:
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.
Join us for a Course Modality Information Session!
April 22, 2022, 1:30pm-2:30pm, Register on Zoom
May 6, 2022, 10am-11am, Register on Zoom
The Center’s Lunch and Learn Series
"What Are 5 Easy-to-use Technologies That Have a Big Impact on Learning in the Online Classroom?"
Real Time Presentation (Face-to-Face in M201(A) or Virtual via Google Meet)
BYOLunch and join us at CTE's Virtual Lunch and Learn on Monday, May 2nd noon-1pm. The session will include a viewing of a 20-Minute Mentor Commons 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).
Upcoming Workshops and Events:
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 the DEI Committee’s website.
The April HyFlex Workshops are now full! If you are considering teaching in the new HyFlex modality in the future, the next HyFlex workshop is June 9, 8:30am-3:30pm at the Milwaukee campus in room M201A. More information can be found on the HyFlex Modality page on the CTE website. Please email John Futterer, CTE's Instructional Designer, to sign-up.
CTE Collaboration Connection:
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: Designing Assessments through a Culturally Responsive Lens (New Date!)& Democratizing Learning Environments
Friday, May 6, 2022 · 12:00 – 1:00pm
Friendly Reminders:
Email Subject: Checking in...
Hello (insert student’s name here),
I just wanted to send a quick note to let you know that I am here to support a strong finish in our class! I noticed that you have been logging into the class, but you did not turn in your assignments last week. The weekly assignments are available until one week prior to close of the unit's major assignment. Please see the syllabus for the exact date as well as information on late work submissions. The finish line is just ahead--let's finish strong! As always, please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
Example for major assignments:
Email Subject: It's Not Too Late! You can still turn in (insert name of the assignment here)!
I just wanted to touch base with you to let you know that it is not too late to turn in (insert name of the assignment here); in order to be successful in the class, you will need to turn this in. Please contact me about this. The finish line is just ahead--let's finish strong! As always, please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
Keeping You Posted:
Additional Professional Development Opportunities:
April 22: Implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the Classroom
April 29: Equitable Assessments & Grading
The UW System’s Office of Professional & Instructional Development Spring 2022 Conference for Wisconsin Educators: The Joys of Teaching and Learning is on Friday, April 22 and Friday, April 29. Gather with faculty, instructors, and lecturers from UW System’s 14 universities to share experiences, knowledge, and innovative teaching and learning practices.
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. Below are three resources to get you started. Enjoy the rabbit hole!
