Blog

Aftermath: Higher Education in a pandemic-altered world

The second annual Georgia Gwinnett College Teaching, Learning, and Research Symposium, co-hosted by the Business, Economic, and Applied Research (BEAR) Center and The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), invites submissions for a hybrid, regional conference to be held January 12-13, 2022. The conference theme is: “Aftermath: Higher Education in a pandemic-altered world,” and will feature a SoTL track and a non-SoTL empirical research track. Submissions that align with the theme are particularly encouraged, but other topics are also welcomed.

By submitting a work, authors are attesting that their work is unpublished at the time of submission. Submissions will be peer-reviewed by both internal and external faculty with subject matter expertise. Authors will present accepted submissions in a concurrent session format, either virtually or in person. The proceedings will be publicly available as abstracts on the CTE website, allowing authors to publish their full paper in a journal of their choosing.

The submission deadline is November 12, 2021. Please use the following link to complete the submission form: https://forms.office.com/r/HJhJwJsDmQ. A 250-word abstract and full contact information for all co-authors is needed to complete the submission. Corresponding authors are asked to consider serving as a reviewer and may indicate their willingness to serve on the submission form. Decision notices will be sent out by December 10, 2021. Individuals are limited to a total of 3 submissions, which includes single and co-authored work. All conference presenters and attendees will need to register and pay the $35 registration fee

Faculty wanting to volunteer to serve as a reviewer, who are not a corresponding author, may use the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/CQnjYTYWEk

Questions may be directed to Dr. Reanna Berry at rberry3@ggc.edu.

Program Co-Chairs:

Dr. Reanna Berry – Director of Accounting for the BEAR Center and Assistant Professor of Accounting

Dr. Rolando Marquez – Associate Director for the CTE and Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology

The Office of Student Success is pleased to introduce our online tutoring partner, Tutor.com. On Tuesday, September 7^th join us virtually at 2PM to learn more about this new resource with Client Services Manager, John Colhouer. Topics will include:

— Who is Tutor.com?

— What is Tutor.com? (Demo)

— Tutor.com Tutors, Vetting & Methodology

— Reporting & Data Services

— How Tutor.com Can Help

— Accessing the Faculty Dashboard

— Q&A

We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please reach out to Cassie Thomas @ cthomas30@ggc.edu

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/faculty-information-session-tutocom-online-tickets-168780722685?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

View the recording.

FYI, the CoHE has provided a series of free advice guides. These guides are written by teaching experts and offer concrete advice and resources about many of the key elements of good teaching, from how to create a thoughtful syllabus to how to be an engaging instructor.

How to Create a Syllabus, by Kevin Gannon

How to Teach a Good First Day of Class, by James M. Lang

How to Make Your Teaching More Engaging, by Sarah Rose Cavanagh

How to Hold a Better Class Discussion, by Jay Howard

How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive, by Viji Sathy and Kelly A. Hogan

How to Be a Better Online Teacher, by Flower Darby

Are you confused by MS Teams, and want to walk through the basics?
Do you have specific, non-basic questions about MS Teams?
Are you getting a Teams softphone and want to use it well?

The Office of Information Technology has planned training options for faculty and staff, to
• help everyone make better use of Teams
• help our new Teams softphone users adapt from their familiar GGC cell phones to this
unfamiliar, innovative softphone technology

Office hours: Teams and softphone coaching for faculty and staff, July 14-August 31:

Our technical trainer, Chris Robinson, will be available in Teams, Mon – Thu, 3-5pm, to answer your questions about Teams and/or softphones. Here is the link to join her office hours:

Drop-in office hours for Teams questions, Mon – Thu, 3-5 PM, July 14-Aug. 31

Teams 101 in-person workshop: Make Teams work for you

These in-person workshops will be offered for faculty and staff in Library room L-1119.
You may register in Eventbrite for the date and time you want.
• Tue 7/20, 10 AM
• Wed 7/21, 2 PM
• Mon 7/26, 2 PM
• Thu 7/29, 10 AM
• Tue 8/3, 11 AM
• Wed 8/4, 1 PM

Teams 102: Meet your new softphone
These sessions will be held in Teams. Registration is required. To register, click your desired date.
• Thu 7/22, 10 AM
• Tue 7/27, 1:30 PM
• Wed 7/28, 10:30 AM
• Mon 8/2, 1:30 PM
• Thu 8/5, 1:30 PM

Brightspace Guided Training webinars help you get started quickly with Brightspace. These webinars are designed to build your skills and your confidence with the D2L Brightspace platform. Spend some time with a D2L expert who will guide you through key tools and workflows with a special emphasis on Higher Education. You’ll have the opportunity to watch and learn before practicing on your own. Registration is required for the live webinars.

The schedule for upcoming Brightspace Guided Training (Live, Instructor-led) webinars is here, from the Brightspace Community.

Selected Webinar Recordings

Here are recordings from a recent series of Guided Training webinars.

• My Digital Classroom – recording of the May 20 Session
  Educators, are you asking these questions? How do I create and manage my virtual space so my students can learn? How do I communicate with my students? How do I post content that I have already created? How do I create a place for students to hand in their work so I can assess it and give them feedback? In this introductory session we will explore the essential tools for creating your virtual learning environment and getting ready for students the next day.
• Session 1: Getting Started with Brightspace – recording of the May 25 Session
  This introductory session provides a live demo of key tools used in Brightspace. We will explore
  Announcements, Content, Discussions, Assignments, Quizzes and Grades.
• Session 2: ABC’s of Content – recording of the May 25 Session
  Wondering how to add content to your course? Join us as we explore how to copy existing content into courses and learn to create new materials within your course using the HTML Editor.
• Session 3: Assess: Assignments – recording of the May 26 Session
  Need a place for students to submit papers and projects? In this session, we will share effective practices for creating assignments.
• Session 4: Assess: Discussions – recording of the May 26 Session
  Whether peer-to-peer or student-to-instructor, discussions are a great way for students to share what they are learning. In this session, we will create discussion forums and topics within a course.  
• Session 5: Assess: Quizzes session – recording of the May 26 Session
  Comprehension check. Midterm. Final Exam. What do they have in common?  They can all be
  created in Brightspace Quizzes. Join us as we explore how to build a quiz in your course.
• Session 6: Evaluate: Grades – Curious how to set up a new gradebook in Brightspace? In this session, we will explore setting up your gradebook and grade items to support course evaluation requirements.

Are you enjoying your time off this summer but looking for a way to brush up on your skills and knowledge? There are several great development opportunities available over the summer, including:

Brightspace Guided Training Webinars: Brightspace Guided Training webinars help you get started quickly with Brightspace. These webinars are designed to build your skills and your confidence with the D2L Brightspace platform. Spend some time with a D2L expert who will guide you through key tools and workflows with a special emphasis on Higher Education. You’ll have the opportunity to watch and learn before practicing on your own. Registration is required for the live webinars.

USG Office of Faculty Development: Summer 2021 Webinar Series – from 06/09 – 08/04

OLC Summer Webinar Series: Trending Topics in Online, Digital, and Blended Learning – Wednesdays from 06/23 – 08/11 @ 1:00 p.m.

Ongoing ProctorU Training

Ongoing Respondus Instructor Training

Poll Everywhere on-demand training and live webinars

Kaltura Training: if you missed this spring’s KAMP: Masterclass for Kaltura Users sessions, all six recordings are now available online

ICYMI: summer is a good time to check out the CTE Summer Institute sessions, D2L spring sessions, and some of the great webinars from the past year that you may have missed; links to recordings are available on our Events page.

Get to know Poll Everywhere with our new training courses designed for Enterprise. Whether you are learning more about audience engagement or onboarding faculty to your organization-wide account, we will walk you through the key features and workflows.

• Learn about tomorrow’s product release, the new organization system, with a step-by-step course covering the key updates like Folders and refreshed navigation.

• With our Poll Everywhere 101 and Poll Everywhere for administrators courses, you can explore a wide range of account features. Get an overview of the basics, including activity types and presentation controls, or dive deeper with advanced topics like custom branding — all at your own pace.

• Register for the Presenting in person course to learn best practices for engaging everyone, whether they are in the room or joining virtually. 

• Questions about Poll Everywhere? Sign up for a live webinar hosted by product experts. Upcoming webinars include Poll Everywhere for large teams.

Register for a course with your Poll Everywhere account, using your work email and SSO.

The CTE Summer Institute provides an opportunity for GGC faculty to strengthen and enhance their teaching skills through a series of workshops on a variety of innovative and effective teaching practices. Feel free to sign up for any or all of the workshops listed below.

For workshop descriptions and facilitator information, please go to the CTE 2021 Summer Institute website.

Monday 05/17

Critical Thinking Training (Day 1) – 9:30 – 3:30  pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cte-2021-si-critical-thinking-monday-tickets-150234542561

A Data Analytic Ecosystem to Drive First-Year Student Success – 10:00 – 11:00 am
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cte-2021-si-a-data-analytic-ecosystem-to-drive-first-year-student-success-tickets-152400486959

Engaging Students in Self-Care – 11:00 – 11:30 am
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cte-2021-si-engaging-students-in-self-care-tickets-153650008311

Tuesday 05/18

Critical Thinking Training (Day 2) – 9:30 – 3:30 pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cte-2021-si-critical-thinking-tuesday-tickets-150234843461

Turning Your Dissertation into Publication (Day 1) – 10:00 – 11:15 am
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cte-2021-si-turning-your-dissertation-into-publication-tickets-150972852867

A Data Analytic Ecosystem to Drive First-Year Student Success – 2:00 – 3:00 pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cte-2021-si-a-data-analytic-ecosystem-to-drive-first-year-student-success-tickets-152401786847

Wednesday 05/19

Turning Your Dissertation into Publication  (Day 2)– 10:00 – 12:00 pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cte-2021-si-turning-your-dissertation-into-publication-tickets-150972979245

What are we doing today? – 11:00 – 12:00 pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cte-2021-si-what-are-we-doing-today-tickets-153553591927

Tech Tools for Online Engagement – 2:00 – 3:00 pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cte-2021-si-tech-tools-for-online-engagement-tickets-153493813127

Thursday 05/20

Student Engagement with mmhmm – 11:00 – 12:00 pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cte-2021-si-student-engagement-with-mmhmm-tickets-150970985281

Stress Less – Plant-Based Cooking – 12:00 – 1:00 pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cte-2021-si-stress-less-plant-based-cooking-tickets-152903172505

We are happy to announce the Summer 2021 webinar series from the USG Office of Faculty Development. These workshops, offered by experts from your teaching and learning centers, will help prepare faculty to create meaningful, intentional learning experiences for their students. For workshop descriptions and registration, please go to:

https://www.usg.edu/facultydevelopment/centers/program_spotlight/summer21_webinar_series

We hope you’ll take in one (or all).  Please pass these along to any of your colleagues you think would be interested.

Workshops:
– Reflection-Based Classroom Activities – 06/09 @ 11:00 a.m.
– Free Technology Tools to Teach YOUR Way – 06/18 @ 11:00 a.m.
– Student Readiness: Returning to Campus – 06/22 @ 11:00 a.m.
– Designing ePortfolios to Support Student Learning: The Hows, Whys, and Some Stories – 06/29 @ 11:00 a.m.
– Motivation and Gamification – 07/07 @ 11:00 a.m.
– Documenting Effective Teaching Behaviors – 07/20 @ 11:00 a.m.
– Building a Certified Peer Observation Program: Improving Teaching and Removing Biases – 07/28 @ 11:00 a.m.
– How to Help Students Write a Resume – 08/04 @ 11:00 a.m.

Free Webinar – One Year Later – Higher Education Students, Faculty, and Institutions Reflect on Digital Learning Wednesday, April 28 | 2:00 p.m. ET   Nearly a year after the pandemic created a massive shift to online learning, how have students, professors, and institutional leaders managed the new academic normal? How have best practices and feelings toward digital learning changed throughout the past year? Starting in April 2020, Bay View Analytics, OLC, Cengage and other leading learning organizations began releasing the findings of quarterly surveys to understand the changing landscape of digital learning throughout the pandemic. The first three surveys, focusing on faculty and administrators, showcased the insights and needs of those two groups. This fourth installment reveals the student perspective as well. During this webinar, leaders from Bay View Analytics and OLC examine how the responses have shifted throughout the year and how the students’ perspectives compare to those of faculty and administrators. Additionally, one higher ed administrator and one student will describe their personal digital learning experience over the past year. Participants will: Hear how views and practices of digital learning have shifted throughout 2020 and 2021 Analyze predictions and optimism for the future Learn top strategies for the continuation of digital learning during and post-pandemic