Volume 3, Issue 7--Published: Friday, December 1st, 2023

Getting to Know the Center:

At the Center, we know how exhausting and stressful this final turn can be. The Center provides support and motivation to help power you through to the end of the semester. Every course completion puts students one step closer to graduation and positively influences the trajectory of their academic and professional careers. The efforts that you are making to help our students are monumental; as you support our students, the Center is here to support you. Please do not hesitate to contact us. Let’s finish strong!

Our Work--The Center and You!

A little goes a long way…
The Center would like to offer a sense of hope and a reminder of how important and high impact your efforts are at this time of year for 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. To help you finish strong,  the Center is providing the following email templates that you  can choose to use or modify to connect with your students to encourage their completion. 

Community Engagement and Service Learning 

Faculty -- Thank you for your work with our students, especially in courses that contain community engagement and / or service learning. The MATC Community Engagement and Service Learning faculty have created a short survey to better identify and understand the work taking place at our institution.  

Please complete the MATC Community Engagement and Service Learning Project/Activity survey by Friday, December 8 if possible. If you have any questions, please let us know.

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.  

Blended/Hybrid Course Modalities Lunch & Learn

Friday,  12/1/23

10am-11am

F2F-Virtual

In this workshop we'll examine teaching in the Blended and Hybrid course modalities. We'll explore scheduling, attendance, 8 & 12 week lengths, contact hours, student engagement, and other topics as we collaboratively discuss teaching in these modalities.

COS Reboot Workshop

Friday, 12/1/23

11am-1pm

F2F-Virtual

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? CTE is hosting a workshop to address the proper way to write these. You can attend the workshop oeither in person at CTE (M201--  Milwaukee campus), or virtually through Zoom. 

Blackboard Ultra Training

The end of the semester is drawing near. Luckily you can get the Blackboard Ultra help that you may need. These sessions aim to provide you with assistance with the features and capabilities of Blackboard Ultra, which can greatly enhance your teaching and engagement with students.

Walk in clinics are still available:

Virtually/in person  from 3-5PM  Monday, December 4 in Room A247 (Oak Creek campus)

The Online Campus is planning to offer more sections of Blackboard Ultra training in Spring 2024. To help us understand faculty demand and availability for training, please complete our one-minute survey by December 22, 2023. Your valuable feedback will help us accommodate you in the Spring 2024 schedule.

Diversity in Higher Education: History and Practice

The history of diversity in higher education is multifaceted and has evolved since the 18th century. Higher education was initially established to serve the interests and goals of white men who cherished their ability to dominate and exert power over all “Others.” Decades of struggle and pressure from “Others” have forced higher education institutions to provide access, first to individuals from various racial and ethnic groups and later to expand access to include gender, religious, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation backgrounds. Yet, white domination, control, and power over higher education have been fierce against the avalanche of resistance and calls for access from all the “Others” who want educational institutions to live true to their vision and mission statements.

Tuesday, 12/05/2023 

12 -1 pm

Want “Just-in-Time” support for Ultra?

Next Session: Wednesday, 12/6, In Person from 9:00 - 11:30 AM  Wednesday 12/06/2023 in Room M203  of the Downtown campus

The Center for Teaching Excellence continues our support sessions in the use of Blackboard Ultra, which are designed to enhance your familiarity and proficiency with this platform.  These sessions aim to provide you with assistance with the features and capabilities of Blackboard Ultra, which can greatly enhance your teaching and engagement with students. Sessions include:

  • Navigating the Blackboard Ultra interface
  • Creating and managing course content
  • Facilitating online discussions and collaboration
  • Assessing student work and providing feedback
  • Utilizing interactive tools for a more engaging learning experience.

Whether you are new to Blackboard Ultra or looking to refresh your skills, these sessions will provide you with practical knowledge and hands-on experience. 

 
8-Week Course Conversion Workshop
Have you been considering converting your 16-week course to an 8-week format, but don't know where to begin? CTE has an 8-Week Course Conversion Workshop (virtual) scheduled for Friday, December 8th, 9:30am-11:30am. FQAS hours apply.

Flexible Course Modalities Lunch & Learn

Friday, 12/8/23, 12pm-1pm

F2F-Virtual

In this workshop we'll examine teaching in the HyFlex and Virtual F2F-Flexible course modalities. We'll explore scheduling, attendance, 8 & 12 week lengths, contact hours, student engagement, and other topics as we collaboratively discuss teaching in these modalities.

 

Hy Flex Workshop Part B

Friday, December 8th

1pm-2:30pm

F2F Only, M201A (Downtown)

Are you considering teaching in the HyFlex modality in the future? To learn more about the HyFlex Workshop, visit the Flexible Modality page on the Center's website. FQAS hours apply. Email to sign-up.

Spring ZERD Classes are now available!

As part of our state's Faculty Quality Assurance System (FQAS) requirements, faculty are asked to focus on improving the success of their students through development of teaching excellence. MATC supports that work by offering free Professional Learning (ZERD) courses. Consider enrolling in an 8-week online (asynchronous) course by registering in Self-Service using these instructions.

Collaboration Connection:

 
Missed LPIC? We missed you too!  Welcome to the AIC!
 
The wait is almost over! We know that you have been patiently waiting to receive the work team all-call, so you can raise your hand to be a part of the important work of the college, and we believe that the pause this semester will be worth the wait. The Work Team volunteer sign-up will come out next week!

From its inception, the Learn Pillar Integration Committee (LPIC) has asked for increased support from the college to build its capacity to advocate for student-centered initiatives, processes, and approaches, while maintaining its commitment to provide a clear pathway to implementation at the onset of all projects and work teams. The Academic Integration Council (AIC) will provide this support; LPIC will become fully integrated into this expanded shared governance structure that will continue to place students at the heart of our shared work and decision-making processes. 

More info about LPIC’s evolution and integration into AIC can be found in this week’s joint email from Phillip King, Executive Vice President of Student Success, Lisa Conley–Local 212 President, Dwayne Schlund–Local 212 Executive Vice-President, Traci Clark–Local 212 Vice-President, Full-Time Faculty and Shared Governance.

Friendly Reminders:

WTCS Faculty Summit Videos Now Available!

The videos from the WTCS Faculty Summit are now available, featuring MATC faculty. Nora Alvarado, Traci Clark, Liana Odrcic, Krystia Nora, Amarilis Martinez, Anna Varley, and Tom Vollman from the Faculty Academy for Linguistic Justice presented "Fostering a Sense of Student Belonging through Professional Learning Community Innovations." Liana Odric also presented "Writing to Belong: Using Writing to Create Belonging in the Composition Classroom," based upon her experience as part of the UPenn Inclusion Champion cohort.  The sessions address the core Faculty Quality Assurance System (FQAS) focuses of:

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

OER Update:
The recordings from the Fall 2023 MATC OER Faculty Feature are now available. MATC’s Prof. Paul Carrier was one of the keynote speakers and MATC OER facilitators Dr. Elaine Strachota and Dr. Krystia Nora also presented about marketing OER at MATC to help save students over $1,000,000.

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.

Donate to the Fast Fund!

The Local 212 FAST Fund is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to MATC students experiencing economic emergencies so they stay enrolled and graduate. Many of our students need help with tuition support, housing, food, books, childcare, transportation, laptops and internet access.

Last year we assisted 1,668 students with nearly $500,000. This academic year, we are on pace for an 80% increase in students helped. That's 3,000 students this year with $800,000 of aid. Please consider a one-time or a recurring contribution to help MATC students in need. All contributions are tax deductible.

Additional Professional Development Opportunities:

Innovative Teaching Techniques: Incorporating AI in Education.

Equipping Educators for the Evolving Educational Landscape

UW Stout:  2024 ChatGPT Webinar for faculty:  January 9th, 4-5 pm 

The objective of this session is to provide educators with insightful information on the use of AI in the field of writing. The goal is to equip educators with practical ideas on how to incorporate AI into your teaching approach, ultimately enhancing your students’ preparedness for the evolving educational landscape.

Faculty proposals: Impact of Equitable Digital Learning on Minoritized Students
 
Every Learner Everywhere is developing a resource that highlights how digital learning can improve learning outcomes for minoritized and poverty-affected students. Every Learner will pay up to 25 faculty an honorarium of $500.00 for narratives of evidence-based digital learning usage in class that improved engagement or grades or both specifically for Black, Latino, Indigenous, or students from low-income backgrounds. This form is to submit proposals only.  If your proposal is accepted for inclusion in the resource, we will inform you via the email you provided and send a contract for the work through DocuSign. Payment will be processed upon delivery of the narrative.

America's adolescents today are sadder, more anxious, and lonelier than previous generations. It's a long-term trend that has reached crisis proportions, according to mental health professionals. Schools have stepped up in response, adding mental health services and classes designed to foster...
The HyFlex (hybrid flexible) course format is an instructional approach that combines face-to-face and online learning and allows students to choose the modality that works for them. This flexibility offers students, particularly adult learners who are juggling multiple responsibilities, more...

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!

Like CliffsNotes, ChatGPT and other generative AI tools can be used by anyone looking for a quick summary or to synthesize information.
We're here to bring instructors and teachers inspiration, energy, and creative strategies that they can utilize in their everyday teaching.

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