Join us in the CTE conference room for a live broadcast of an online introductory group session to learn the basics about what self-compassion is, how it will benefit your life, and most importantly, how to practice being kinder and more supportive to yourself. These intro sessions are the perfect way to begin your self-compassion journey if you’re new or else to refresh and re-inspire your practice. This session is facilitated by one of the mentors in Dr. Kristin Neff’s Self-Compassion Community.
Join us in the CTE conference room for a live broadcast of an online introductory group session to learn the basics about what self-compassion is, how it will benefit your life, and most importantly, how to practice being kinder and more supportive to yourself. These intro sessions are the perfect way to begin your self-compassion journey if you’re new or else to refresh and re-inspire your practice. This session is facilitated by one of the mentors in Dr. Kristin Neff’s Self-Compassion Community.
The Governor’s Teaching Fellows (GTF) Program, hosted by the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia, invites applications for the May 2025 Symposium and the 2025-26 academic year program.
• The May 2025 Symposium will focus on “Artificial Intelligence in the Holistic Classroom.” Selected faculty will receive hotel accommodations and meals during the program, which takes place May 19-23, 2025, on the University of Georgia campus. Fellows will have the opportunity to work with experts to experiment with AI, craft classroom activities and homework, and explore bias and ethical issues around AI in higher education.
• During the 2025-26 Academic Year Program, Fellows will attend six three-day seminars while engaging in a course design/redesign or other instructional improvement project. The seminars focus on teaching practices, faculty development and course design. Selected fellows will receive hotel accommodations, meals and per diem funds to participate in the program. The program dates for the academic year are:
o Sept. 3-5, 2025 o Oct. 8-10, 2025 o Nov. 5-7, 2025 o Feb. 4-6, 2026 o March 11-13, 2026 o April 8-10, 2026
Per program guidelines, each institution can recommend two candidates for the academic year program and one for the May program.
For more details and application instructions, please read the program details and application instructions on the University System of Georgia (USG) website. Applicants should apply to either the May symposium or the academic year program. The portal will close 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.
GGC application timeline:
1. Interested faculty will submit applications to department chairs and deans for review and recommendation by Monday, Nov. 25, 2024.
2. Recommended applications, including the dean’s letter of support, should be sent to the associate provost for faculty, Dr. Mei Zhang, by Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. All application documents should be in one file.
3. The Collegewide Annual Award Committee will review the applications and make their recommendation to the provost by Friday, Dec. 13, 2024.
4. The provost will review and send recommendations to the president for letters of support.
5. Final recommended candidates will receive a letter of support from the president by Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, and submit their applications to USG by Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.
Refer to the flyer (PDF) for additional information.
…and all through the CTE, not a creature was stirring, except little old me.
So we actually have absolutely nothing on the CTE calendar today.
Tomorrow, however, is another story. In fact, it’s a little scary how much is going on:
The CTE Halloween Open House is tomorrow (in the CTE Conference Room and online) from 11:00 – 2:00 – or probably more like 1:45, as we’ll need to clear out to make way for…
Josh Morris’s workshop on Creating Impactful Videos, which is tomorrow at 2:00 in the CTE Conference Room
In other news: today marks the end of summer in Britain, and it’s also Create a Great Funeral Day, National Treat Your Pet Day, National Candy Corn Day, and National Checklist Day! And if that’s not enough for you, tonight is also Haunted Refrigerator Night and Mischief Night. Celebrate appropriately and responsibly.
You are cordially invited to join us for a Halloween Open House in the CTE. Bring a lunch if you like, and stop by for some tasty treats (no tricks, we promise!), delicious drinks, marvelous music, and casual conversation. Costumes are optional, but fun and relaxation are required.
If you are not able to come to campus, feel free to join in remotely!
The CTE’s 2024 Summer Institute will be held completely online, and will feature three learning tracks on topics that we feel are particularly relevant for teaching and learning today:
Inclusive Teaching (Monday) – In this track, you will hear from some of your peers about why inclusive teaching is so important and how you can begin to implement some of the best practices for inclusive teaching in both your course design and your pedagogy.
HHMI IE3 Team definition of inclusive teaching: Inclusive teaching is a pedagogical approach which aims to create a welcoming and engaging environment that affords all students an opportunity for a successful learning experience and sense of belonging. An inclusive instructor fosters learning environments which consistently recognize the diverse values, experiences, and knowledge of students as an asset.
(no registration necessary; links for each session are in the online program)
Generative AI (Monday) – In this track, you will hear from some of your peers about some of the policies on the use of generative AI that have been established in their schools and departments, how they may be encouraging the use of generative AI by students in their classrooms, and how they are using generative AI to develop and facilitate their courses.
A quick note about our view on the use of generative AI: Note that none of the panels listed below focus on whether or not we *should* be using AI in the classroom; we (the CTE as a whole) feel that that particular genie is already out of the bottle, and that trying to prevent the use of AI by our students is a fruitless endeavor. We also feel that not teaching our students how to use generative AI is an approach that really doesn’t serve them in the long run, and that our best response to AI as educators is to not necessarily embrace it whole-heartedly and without reservation, but to learn as much as we can about it and explore how we may be able to use it (and teach our students how to use it) as a tool for learning. We are not here to set policy, however (and have no wish to do so), but to support you in your teaching; these discussions are an attempt to help in that regard, given everything that we have learned about the current state (and likely future) of generative AI.
Please keep in mind that these panels are starting points for larger discussions, and that we don’t have to (and will not be able to) cover everything relevant to these topics in this handful of short sessions. We do plan to provide opportunities for more discussions like this moving forward, however.
(no registration necessary; links for each session are in the online program)
Critical Thinking (Tuesday / Wednesday) – This track provides a deep dive into the assessment of critical thinking and guided workshop time on how to integrate critical thinking learning activities into your courses. Trainers are from the Center for Assessment & Improvement of Learning at Tennessee Technological University, the developers of the Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT), the instrument GGC has used for assessing critical thinking since 2015.
The Assurance of Learning Committees (ALC), Kaufman Library, and the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) proudly sponsor two days of intensive critical thinking pedagogical training as part of the CTE’s virtual 2024 Summer Institute. This training provides a dive into the assessment of critical thinking and guided workshop time on how to integrate critical thinking learning activities into your courses. Limited spots are available.
Trainers are from the Center for Assessment & Improvement of Learning at Tennessee Technological University, the developers of the Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT), the instrument GGC has used for assessing critical thinking since 2015.
What You Will Be Doing on Day 1 and Day 2:
May 14th, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The first day of training is for faculty new to the CAT and critical thinking pedagogy. Day 1 participants will be introduced to the CAT as a gateway for learning how to build classroom activities and curriculum aligned with critical thinking skillsets assessed by the CAT. Then in workshops led by the CAIL training team and supported by GGC faculty, participants will workshop teaching activities suitable for their specific course needs and content.
May 15th, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The second day of training is workshop-intensive, where participants will develop classroom activities, consider how to embed them in their courses, and consider how to align them with more complex critical thinking skillsets – as creative thinking, problem solving, and evaluating information. Participants will collaborate with others, members of the CAIL team, and small group coaches from GGC, in preparation of sharing their activities at the end of the second day of training.
How to Reserve your Spot for Critical Thinking Day 1 and / or Critical Thinking Day 2:
Faculty who are attending Day 1 or who have previously completed CAIL critical thinking training may register and attend Day 2. Only faculty who have previously completed a CAIL critical thinking training are eligible to participate on Day 2.
To register or to verify your eligibility for Day 2 training only, contact Karen Perell-Gerson.
Registration for the Critical Thinking workshops is limited to 10 people per day, and closes on May 10th.
For more information (including the detailed schedule and session links), see the online program.
The CTE’s Teaching & Learning Day is an annual event that showcases the fresh thinking and innovative strategies of faculty and staff related to enhancing teaching and learning at GGC. Our eighth annual Teaching & Learning Day will consist of hybrid (physical and virtual) poster sessions that provide a visual forum for individuals and groups to showcase innovative work related to teaching, learning, and technology, including but not limited to:
These poster sessions provide an opportunity to reach a broad audience and initiate conversations with colleagues sharing similar interests.
The CTE is partnering with GGC’s School of Science and Technology this year to include the SST IE3 Inclusive Teaching Showcase as a part of Teaching & Learning Day.
Teaching & Learning Day will take place on Friday, April 12th, 2024. It will be a hybrid event, with an option to present in-person or virtually.
*** Participants will vote on the best posters in several different categories; the winning posters will be featured prominently in the CTE (and/or on the CTE website) over the next academic year.
Please see the letter below for information on the Governor’s Teaching Fellows (GTF) 2024-25 Academic Year Symposium. Note that each institution can recommend no more than two candidates, so please be sure to read all of the information below. The application deadline is March 15.
GGC internal application process and timeline:
1. Interested faculty submit applications to the Department Chairs and Deans for review and approval.
2. Deans provide letters of support for each candidate recommended by Friday, March 1st.
3. Applications are reviewed by the GGC Annual Award Committee, who will submit the nominations by Friday, March 8th.
4. Provost and President review and provide letters of support.
5. Recommended candidates submit their application packages to USG by Friday, March 15th.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Dr. Mei Miranda Zhang, Associate Provost for Faculty, mzhang@ggc.edu
Original letter from the Governer’s Teaching Fellows Program:
Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program
February 12, 2024
Dear Colleague,
The Governor’s Teaching Fellows (GTF) Program, hosted by the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia, invites applications for the 2024-25 Academic Year Symposium. Over the course of the academic year, Fellows will attend six unique three-day seminars while also engaging in a course design/redesign or other instructional improvement project. The highly interactive seminars, which are held on the University of Georgia campus, include a combination of structured instructional and faculty development activities as well as self-directed activities designed to meet their individual needs. Fellows receive a stipend for each day of full participation on campus to assist with travel expenses and meals. Lodging is provided by the Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program.
Program Dates: • September 11-13, 2024 • October 9-11, 2024 • November 6-8, 2024 • February 5-7, 2025 • March 12-14, 2025 • April 9-11, 2025
Location: • Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education, Meigs Hall, University of Georgia
Eligibility: The Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program is designed for full-time faculty members who teach at accredited public or private colleges or universities in the state of Georgia, except the University of Georgia. UGA faculty are not eligible for this program. Any full-time, regular faculty member regardless of rank may apply; preference will be given to faculty who primarily teach undergraduate students. Fellows are selected on the basis of their commitment to: • enhance their undergraduate teaching practice and professional development • disseminate the fruits of their fellowship experience with faculty at their home institution • secure the support of their institution’s President or Vice President of Academic Affairs (or equivalent).
Program guidelines stipulate that no more than two fellows from the same institution may participate simultaneously. Therefore, institutions are encouraged to limit the number of candidates submitted for consideration to no more than two per program.
Application Process:
To apply, submit the following items via the GTF Academic Year Application portal: • A concise description of the course that will be redesigned during the academic year. We believe Fellows will reap the most benefit from the Symposium by redesigning a course, but you may propose another project if you wish. (300 word maximum; PDF) • General demographic information about yourself and your classes • Brief letter explaining your interest in attending the GTF Program (300 word maximum; PDF) • Teaching statement with concrete examples of how your teaching is innovative and how you hope to improve it (300 word maximum; PDF) • A letter of support from your institution’s President or Vice President of Academic Affairs (or equivalent). A letter template is provided here for your convenience. • Current CV
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM, March 15, 2024. Applicants will be notified of their standing in the selection process by the end of April 2024.
Please share this opportunity with interested faculty members at your institution. The GTF Program will also contact your President and Vice President for Academic Affairs (or equivalent) for their assistance in identifying qualified faculty. Stay up to date on GTF news by visiting our website.
If you have questions regarding the Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program, please contact me directly at nnorman@uga.edu.
Sincerely,
Naomi J. Norman, PhD Director, Governor’s Teaching Fellow Program
Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences should not be viewed as deficits. Join Dr. Samantha Mrstik from the School of Education on the topic of neurodiversity on Thursday 2/8 @ 2:00 p.m. in Teams. She will be providing concrete examples for in-person and online classes that you can apply right away to work with our extremely neurodiverse student population to ensure inclusive classrooms and teaching styles. Jennifer Accerona, the Director of Disabilities Services, will also be there to answer questions.
