05/16/2022
By Julie Nash
The Center For Excellence in Learning and Teaching is inviting all UMass Lowell faculty members to sign up for its 2022 summer workshops. Our aim is to provide peer-led, relevant, just-in-time professional development opportunities for UML faculty. The hourlong sessions are developed to address faculty in any discipline, and questions and discussion are encouraged during the session and on the CELT Teaching Excellence listserv after the session. The workshops (except for the Curate-a-thon) will take place on Zoom and will be recorded for those who cannot attend live. CELT is excited to offer these workshops, alongside workshops hosted by IT and GPS, to enrich your summer.
Please REGISTER for each workshop below:
1. Principles of Universal Design (2 sessions)
June 1 & 9
The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching is excited to offer a special two-workshop series on the principles of Universal Design. The sessions are designed to inspire further adoption of course and material design concepts that benefit all students and help them achieve their educational goals.
Part 1: How Universal Design Supports Learning and Equity – Facilitated by: Jodi Rachins and Brandon Drake.
June 1, 10 a.m., Zoom
Participants in this workshop can expect to:
- Recognize and address challenges faced by students with disabilities related to access, success, and completion
- Articulate faculty roles in reducing barriers for students with disabilities.
- Identify the principles of Universal Design for Learning and opportunities to practice them in your class
Part 2: 8 Ideas to Incorporate Universal Design into Your Class – Facilitated by: Patrick Connell, Jill Pruett.
June 9, 10 a.m., Zoom
Participants in this workshop can expect to:
- Review key concepts of Universal Design for Learning
- Discuss the benefits and importance of UDL approaches to an equitable teaching practice
- Identify opportunities for incorporating Universal Design when planning your course
- Learn how simple changes to syllabi and course shells can improve accessibility
- Get practical guidance on how to write assignments that are clear and accessible
2. Curate-a-thon
June 7, 10:30 a.m.-1.p.m. UCC-260
The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching invites faculty members to join us for a fun, hands-on event that will help us kick-start the topical teaching and pedagogy resources on the CELT website. You’ll use your interest and expertise to gather content (e.g., articles, images, sample assignments, videos, etc.) on a particular topic to frame that subject for CELT’s digital collection.
Register early to claim your topic from our list!
This face-to-face workshop will include guidance from the CELT team as well as peer-to-peer consultation on your creation. Bring your passion and enthusiasm for sharing useful, practical teaching advice and tools, and together, we’ll turn them into a friendly, useful website for all UML faculty! Also, bring your laptop! Lunch will be provided.
Participants in the Curate-a-thon can expect to:
- Learn about CELT’s curation strategy and be guided through the collection process
- Consult with the CELT team and peers on selected topics
- Research and select digital resources for your collection
- Curate the selected resources to help peers navigate your collection (to be completed either during the session or with minimal follow-up in the two weeks following)
- Receive a $200 stipend for a complete, curated collection
3. Strategies for Teaching the Class of 2026 – Facilitated by: Julie Nash, Matt Hurwitz, Kelly Drummey
August 10, 11 a.m., Zoom
Every student has a unique set of experiences, interests and dreams that attracts them to UMass Lowell. The Class of 2026 is the epitome of resilience. These students have spent the last two years navigating through a pandemic which affected their education in a way no one thought was possible. Some engaged in remote learning, while others were in face-to-face classrooms. Many of the students maintained their academic excellence while being called upon to help at home with extra responsibilities. Some struggled and fell behind. This workshop will provide faculty with innovative teaching techniques that encourage intellectual exploration as well as an environment that supports overall well-being. Participants may want to read this helpful CHE article on this topic before attending the workshop.
4. Student Roundtable – 10 Ways Faculty Can Support Student Success!
August 11, from 11 a.m.-noon, Zoom
Students are eager to connect with their faculty and share their thoughts with them prior to the start of the academic year. Join us for this roundtable discussion to incorporate UML students’ voices in your syllabus and class planning.
5. Navigating Student Identity in the Classroom-- Facilitated By: Amy Liss, Stephanie Block
August 16, 11 a.m., Zoom
Conflict may arise when creating and/or trying to maintain a gender-inclusive classroom environment. In these challenging moments, faculty may feel uncertain about how to appropriately intervene, particularly when a student has been misgendered or when microaggressions occur. This workshop will address the common challenges to gender-inclusive teaching and provide participants with strategies to address and cultivate a gender-inclusive classroom environment.
Participants in this workshop can expect to:
- Articulate the basic concepts of sex, gender, and sexual orientation identities of students in classrooms (part 1)
- Identify tangible strategies to break down binaries in the classrooms by working through realistic classroom scenarios (part 2)
- Develop a greater level of confidence and comfort in addressing issues of gender inclusivity during class
6. Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Every Discipline — Facilitated by: Phitsamay Uy and Larissa Gaias
August 17, 10 a.m., Zoom. DATE AND TIME TO BE CONFIRMED
Culturallyresponsivepedagogy across disciplines plays an important role in increasing students’ sense of belonging in their classrooms and across campus. Students from less privileged and marginalized backgrounds are at higher risk of feeling unwelcome in their classes. Identifying and nurturing students’ cultural strengths creates spaces where thoughtfulness, mutual respect, and academic excellence are valued and promoted. This workshop will provide guidelines and concrete strategies to help faculty create a culturally responsive learning climate for all students across different disciplines.
Participants in this workshop can expect to:
- Appreciate the importance of inclusivity in the classroom
- Develop a working definition of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
- Identify concrete steps to make your own teaching more culturally responsive
- Benefit from additional resources for further reference
7. Using Metacognitive Learning Strategies – Facilitated by: Stephanie Tate
August 18, 11 a.m., Zoom
When students think about their own learning processes, they make better sense of course concepts as well as their academic experiences. Both of those outcomes put them on the right path to achieve at a higher level and to transfer their knowledge to new contexts. Teachers can implement metacognitive strategies in their classrooms to help students become self-regulating learners and to develop a strong sense of organization in their learning process. This workshop will provide suggestions on how you can easily incorporate, monitor, and evaluate students’ use of metacognitive strategies in everyday teaching.
Participants in this workshop can expect to:
- Understand the many roles and forms that metacognition takes in the classroom
- Grasp the importance of incorporating metacognitive strategies into instruction
- Gain examples of modeling, questioning, and reflective strategies as ways to embed metacognitive principles in your classes and assignments
- Learn about additional resources and references to help you adopt metacognitive strategies
For additional information, contact CELT@uml.edu.