Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain: Science and Strategies to Energize and Enhance InstructionIt’s not what we know, it’s what we do that matters. This workshop series is designed to help educators reach diverse and struggling learners through a deeper understanding of underlying brain processes and science-based strategies. Huge gains in our understanding about how students learn best have been made in the last decade. However, many educators are still using outdated practices based on early brain research performed on rats. Multiple underlying brain pathways can be developed for more powerful learning. The facilitator models brain-compatible teaching practices in this energizing workshop series based on her book, Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain. Event Dates |
Redesigning the Learning Experience: Empathize, Ideate, and Prototype Like a Pro!Today’s changing world is influencing how we teach and engage students. It’s more than just moving from a face-to-face to virtual format; our changing world has shifted the entire learning experience. The need to rapidly innovate has never been greater, but finding implementable solutions in a remote environment can be challenging. What if we could co-create a more powerful learning experience by applying innovation tools and techniques used by technology leaders such as Google and Apple? Participants in this workshop innovate and design solutions and recreate learning experiences by using a proven learning technique grounded in the principles of human-centered design. Prior to the workshop, each participant receives a training video and handout outlining the power of design thinking. Event Dates |
Scheduling for Stability and Growth in Uncertain TimesThis workshop explores a range of innovative scheduling practices and strategies that provide greater clarity, consistency, and stability for students and faculty alike, particularly in times of uncertainty and institutional disruption. At its core, strategic scheduling seeks to bring campus stakeholders together to ensure that students have access to the courses they need for degree completion and advancement. While that sounds simple enough, in reality, scheduling remains a complex, highly decentralized process at most institutions, one often driven by operational needs rather than strategic or pedagogical priorities. Event Dates |
Teachin’ It! Tips to Facilitate Inclusive, Inquiry-Based Learning OnlineAre you feeling a sense of urgency to become an expert in equitable, inclusive instruction that amplifies students’ voices and builds on the strengths of learners from every background? Are you motivated to transition your in-person classes to distance education classes that incorporate high-leverage online moves? This series of three interactive Teachin’ It! modules offers practical strategies for delivering high-quality online instruction that disrupts larger systemic inequities at the classroom level. Participants receive strategies they can use to foster an online classroom where students from every background feel safe to experiment, take risks, and make mistakes; invited to communicate their unique approaches and perspectives; and free to develop their own identities as powerful lifelong learners. There is also a focus on synchronous and asynchronous learning using Zoom, iPhones, iPads, Google Docs, PlayPosit, and Canvas. Event Dates |
No More Boring Online Classes: Creating Exciting, Engaging, and Effective Live SessionsWith the advent of new technologies that make teaching via live, online (a.k.a. synchronous) sessions easier and more accessible, learning how to facilitate these types of sessions is a critical skill for all educators. Most of us have attended an online class, presentation, or webinar that was just plain boring. During this workshop, participants do some major boredom-busting! Are you ready to create and facilitate sessions that leave your learners wanting more? Do you want to boost your online presence? Are you ready to harness the power of learning sciences to create humanized, fun, and positive online classes? This three-part workshop provides you with the skills needed to become an excellent online facilitator. Each module includes opportunities to connect with the facilitators and your peers to ask questions and complete a hands-on activities. This workshop will benefit anyone who wants to facilitate a great online learning experience, whether for a class, office hours, meetings, or conference presentations. Event Dates |
Emotional Intelligence, Student Efficacy, and the Growth MindsetHave you ever wished you could change your students’ attitudes toward more positive engagement in their learning? YOU CAN! The secret rests in appreciating that all of us have a profound impact upon the emotional state of the students that we engage with every day. Whether interacting with individuals or groups, the neuroscience is clear: The affective domain powerfully impacts student cognition, persistence, motivation, and performance. During this multidimensional, highly-interactive, experiential, and fun workshop, participants explore ways to promote positive, enthusiastic, and engaged collaboration among students. They also explore how to encourage student learning in a manner that maximizes motivation, a sense of inclusion, and equity within the learning environment! Event Dates |
Everyone Communicates, But Few Connect: Engaging Today’s College LearnersInstructors set the tone in the classroom by how they approach their work and students. Through their actions, they communicate their character, credibility, and convictions. Today’s students need to be convinced about their instructor’s passion before they put passion into their own work. To be an effective instructor, you must learn how to connect with your students. And while it may seem like some people are just born with the skills to connect with others, anyone can learn how to make every communication an opportunity for a powerful connection. During this workshop, participants learn how to identify and relate to all types of students in a way that increases their influence in virtual and face-to-face environments. Event Dates |
Beyond the LMS: Using Free Digital Learning and Teaching Tools in the COVID AgeEven before the COVID-19 Pandemic changed the way higher education delivered instruction, EDUCAUSE’s 2019 Horizon Report stated that a significant development in higher education would be increased mobile learning. In March 2020, we all became mobile educators and learners, with the expectation that faculty members engage students in virtual environments as rich in relevant and meaningful experiences as are available in face-to-face classrooms. Event Dates |
Navigating Through New Instructional NormsThe recent pandemic has shaken the norms of instructors and students. Instructors have had to rapidly adapt to previously untapped technology that would normally be placed in the “try later” category. This technology is key to establishing new comfort zones in online learning and providing effective instruction to students. This workshop series provides instructional tools that help participants create their desired online or blended learning environment. Event Dates |
Presence, Surety, Joy: Gifts of Teaching in Times of CrisisTeaching and learning in the era of COVID is awkward (“I didn’t realize my video wasn’t on.”); apologetic (“I’m sorry, I couldn’t quite hear that through your mask.”); and elegiac (“Normally, I would do it this way, and maybe when all this is over…”). It is emotionally overwhelming serving students—at a social distance—who are often in need of help more than ever before. Event Dates |
Exercise Toolkit for Virtual Interactive Teaching and LearningDuring this two-part workshop, participants practice a series of exercises that can be used in remote teaching to engage students in interactive learning and exploration. The workshop helps faculty build a sense of community within the classroom and emphasizes dialogic approaches to teaching the whole student and engaged learning. Participants gain hands-on experience practicing the exercises and leave the workshop ready to bring new approaches back to the classroom. Together with the facilitator, participants consider questions, additional remote teaching ideas, and key take-aways from the two sessions. Event Dates |
Tiny Habits of Student SuccessOne size does not fit all! Understanding human behavior is key to designing and creating habits for student success. During this workshop, participants focus on behaviors that have the biggest impact on creating successful learning experiences. Participants learn and apply a simple and empirically proven method of behavior change that creates a powerful learning environment. They also learn the power of habit design and a step-by-step process for creating tiny habits. In addition, participants create actionable habit recipes applicable to students, faculty, and staff. Event Dates |
Developing Reflective PractitionersAs faculty developers, we have the opportunity to build our faculty’s capacity for reflective practice. But, with all the demands on their time, how do we effectively design meaningful learning experiences that make faculty come back to us? This question is especially relevant now because of the COVID-19-related changes to college instruction. Faculty are grappling with a new set of challenges in the typically solitary culture of higher education. This two-part workshop helps faculty developers design and facilitate collegial conversations to improve teaching practice and educational equity. Using equity as a foundation for the workshop, participants stay connected to the purpose of improving teaching practice to ensure learning for every student. budget time, and complete projects. But you can help! Workshop participants learn how to reduce these obstacles to achievement, whether they’re teaching in-person or online.Event Dates |
The Hidden Learning Disability of Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma: Science and Strategies for Improved LearningMental health issues are becoming a crisis in education due to the effects of the pandemic. In addition to impairing physical health, anxiety, stress, and trauma make it harder for students to do higher-order thinking, focus, regulate emotions, get to class, budget time, and complete projects. But you can help! Workshop participants learn how to reduce these obstacles to achievement, whether they’re teaching in-person or online. Event Dates |
Addressing Faculty AnxietyAre you experiencing trouble concentrating? Are you struggling to regulate your emotions or experiencing sleep disturbances? These behaviors are normal reactions to high stress and trauma. Unfortunately, it’s easy for your brain to form pathways in response to anxiety, stress, and trauma. The more these pathways fire, the more likely they are to fire again and become “hardwired.” It’s important to rewire these pathways into feelings of calmness, resilience, and happiness. Event Dates |
Exercise Toolkit for Virtual Interactive Teaching and LearningDuring this two-part workshop, participants practice a series of exercises that can be used in remote teaching to engage students in interactive learning and exploration. The workshop helps faculty build a sense of community within the classroom and emphasizes dialogic approaches to teaching the whole student and engaged learning. Participants gain hands-on experience practicing the exercises and leave the workshop ready to bring new approaches back to the classroom. Together with the facilitator, participants consider questions, additional remote teaching ideas, and key take-aways from the two sessions. Event Dates |
Is There Intelligent Life Online? Searching for Tangible Evidence of Critical-Thinking SkillsDo you ever feel like you are lost in space in your virtual classroom as you look for evidence of intelligent life? Workshop participants examine their own practices and learn what they can do to encourage critical-thinking skills. After watching videos of and participating in hands-on examples of critical-thinking exercises, workshop participants create their own exercises to ensure higher-level critical-thinking in their online students. Event Dates |
Meeting Students Where They AreAre you seeking more ways to connect with your students? Use your own learning experience and identity development to leverage powerful learning for students. Participants explore adult learning theories, strengths-based approaches, and cultivating a sense of belonging in the classroom. This workshop models interactive learning in the remote environment with an emphasis on practice and application. Event Dates |
Empathy, Innovation, and CollaborationThis highly engaging workshop reveals the intimate connection between empathy, innovation, and collaboration. Participant are led through an evolving series of game scenarios and facilitated discussions that lead to practical insights about building new levels of understanding, creativity, and cooperation in students. Empathy is an essential skill for all collaboration efforts and is particularly important when collaboration takes place online. This workshop provides participants with the opportunity to practice tangible skills for improving agility, resilience, communication, and collaboration to build better understanding among students. Event Dates |
Igniting the Light of Online Creativity: The Virtual Inspirational Six (The V-i6)“Going online” may be our modern purple prose to replace “It was a dark and stormy night.” However, not all is lost for in-person classroom teachers. Much can be gained by learning new strategies and methodologies while transitioning from in-person to virtual learning. The V-i6 are six strategies and methodologies that provide positive, effective teaching experiences focused on six key fundamentals: Animate, Originate, Rejuvenate, Stimulate, Deus Ex Machina, and Tell the Story. Event Dates |
Emergence, Not Exhaustion: Sustainable Teaching in Online Environments“Depleted.” “Just plain worn out.” As the COVID crisis caused a larger proportion of faculty members to teach remote courses than ever before, accounts of teacher fatigue and feeling overwhelmed are rife. Many professional development opportunities offer advice about the optimum use of technological tools, but most do not focus on ways to make online teaching less exhausting and more sustainable for teachers. Event Dates |
Designing and Delivering Inclusive CoursesInclusive courses require intentionality during planning and teaching. During Module One of this Virtual Workshop, participants explore integrated course design to create inclusive syllabi and assessments that center on course learning outcomes. Participants are encouraged to bring a current syllabus and assessment to revise. During Module Two, participants examine a variety of inclusive pedagogical practices and assess their own teaching using research on building community and validation. This workshop models interactive learning in the remote environment with an emphasis on practice and application. Event Dates |