Inspire. Innovate. Impact.
Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning (CTTL)
Newsletter Vol. 5, Fall 2021
And the beat goes on...
Opening Message frOM Dean Rolin Moe
The beat goes on, the beat goes on
Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain
Charleston was once the rage
History has turned the page
“The Beat Goes On” by Sonny & Cher, 1967
As we close the door on 2021 and focus the Spring 2022 semester, we look toward the horizon of a new normal, an opportunity to be the best at what’s next in ways to further our mission, vision and values. The first step is to reset, to take time not only to reflect on what has worked during the pandemic but to also think about what is possible in the multiple modalities our courses now exist. That is the refresh step, the opportunity to make incremental changes and apply lessons learned with historical practices. With that foundation, we can re-engage with our students in-person, online, at the same time, across time and space, and a mixture of all of those modalities.
The Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning (CTTL) is committed to ensuring that the new normal we step into is one where we can efficiently and essentially provide quality instruction and support for our community. Within this newsletter is a trove of resources and opportunities to continue to adapt and grow the practice of teaching and learning. These are launch points, opportunities for rethinking and renewing. The information shared here will be continued across the coming semester and beyond. Moreover, if there is information you seek that is not listed here, please reach out and we will work alongside you in sharing the knowledge and exploring the practice.
We look forward to seeing you all across modalities in 2022!
In this issue
Equity & Access
The this section features resources needed to support equitable learning for our students.
Open for Antiracism Program
The video features faculty perspectives on using open pedagogy to support antiracism in the classroom. The video was produced by The Open for Antiracism (OFAR) program – co-led by CCCOER and College of the Canyons. The OFAR program was developed in response to the growing awareness of structural racism in our educational systems and the realization that adoption of open educational resources(OER) and open pedagogy could be transformative at institutions seeking to improve.
Learn more at: https://www.cccoer.org/ofar/
ZTC Student Impact
Journey of a Skyline College ZTC Student Assistant
Video features a testimonial from our ZTC Student Assistant, Gloria Carbajal. Gloria shares a bit about her experience as a student advocate for the Zero Text Cost (ZTC) program and how it has influenced her student experience at Skyline College.
SMCCCD Antiracism Council - UPDATE
San Mateo County Community College District’s Antiracism Council’s goal is to create a culture of equity with a lens of antiracism, radically reimagine how we commit to antiracism and how we can transform the educational experiences of all students, especially hyper-marginalized students.
This coming Spring 2022 semester, the council will begin its inaugural session of the Initiative in Diversity, Equity, Equity, Antiracism and Leadership (IDEAL) Program is a comprehensive, Professional Development professional development program. The Program is designed to educate and inform district faculty, staff and administrators so that they are encouraged in their intercultural competence and are able to build the awareness, knowledge and skills necessary to create more inclusive campus and district spaces inside and outside of the classroom.
The IDEAL Program will include three levels of learning.
Foundational Level 1 - Equity Learner
Specialty Level 2 - Equity Advocate
Practitioner Level 3 Equity Practitioner
Sign up to participate in the IDEAL Program
Learn more about the work of the San Mateo County Community College District’s Antiracism Council.
Professional Development Opportunities for Equity
Register for the Spring 2022 Equity Training Series
Registration for participation in the 2022 Equity Training Series sponsored by the SESP Division and the CTTL is open now!
This upcoming Equity Training Series will be experienced in a hybrid modality, meaning the first and last session will be held in person, and both will be catered. The sessions in-between (with guest facilitators) will be held online.
The goal of the Equity Training Series is for all participants to incorporate the concepts and theories from their session experiences into the various campus cultures/workspaces here at Skyline College. We are encouraged by the work our campus creates to not only further our personal understanding of equity but also collectively in how we support our community of learners at Skyline College.
Feel free to reach out to Allen Ocampo if you have any questions regarding the Equity Training Series as we’re excited to start connecting with the 2022 ETS Cohort!
Grading for Equity Book Circle
You may not typically think of grading when talking about equity, but in the book Grading for Equity: What It is, Why it Matters, and How it Can Transform Schools and Classrooms, Joe Feldman lays out a case how grading is integral to pursuing equity for all students. He invites educators to engage in reflective practice, and to explore how traditional grading systems may inadvertently perpetuate achievement and opportunity gaps among our students. The book also offers practical alternatives, including authentic assessment strategies, to help students develop a growth mindset.
CTTL invites our faculty to join in a book circle to unpack the ideas in and around Grading for Equity, and to share our thoughts on making differences in equitable grading practices.
Our book circle meets monthly on Mondays beginning February 28, from 1 - 2 p.m. in the CTTL learning space. Calendar information is here. https://events.skylinecollege.edu/cttl/event/8172-book-circle-grading-for-equity-by-joe-feldman Contact our instructional designers Andrea Fuentes or Bianca Rowden Quince with any questions.
Excellence in Teaching
Adventures with a Jamboard
Professor Jesse Raskin participated in our Summer pilot of Quality Online Teaching & Learning (QOTL) - Level 2. During the pilot, Jesse experimented with using instructional tools to support student engagement. As a result, Jesse incorporated the tool Jamboard into his California Government Course course this Fall in response to the discussion prompt, "What do you think of when you think of California?"
Check out the Jamboard for the entire class.
Faculty Showcase - Highlights from the QOTL-Level 2 journey
Jessica Hurless
Jessica Hurless from the Communication Studies department highlighting her new grading scheme.
Nancy Kaplan-Biegel
Nancy Kaplan-Biegel from the Journalism Studies department highlighting exploration with Visual Interest, Student Interaction, & Grading/Feedback.
Jessica Belluomini
Jessica Belluomini from the English department highlights improving lecture videos, group work, and using FlipGrid for podcast project.
Professional development opportinites for excellence in teaching
Reconnect - New CTTL Learning Opportunities
Welcome to 2022! CTTL is pleased to offer more learning opportunities, both virtual and on-campus. Visit our calendar to find out more about Brown Bags, Workshops, and Open Labs. Our workshops include Panopto, Designing a Hybrid Course, and Creating Engaging Canvas Pages. Let’s connect and share around technology and teaching practices.
Our first Open Labs will be offered January 6, 10, 11 and 12 in the CTTL Learning Space (5-134)! Come by for help with Canvas, course design, accessibility, and more.
No time to connect? Follow us on Twitter or @CTTL_Skyline, or search our repository for resources.
The Teaching Professor Conference
The Teaching Professor Conference (TTPC), Atlanta, Georgia | June 3 - June 5, 2022
The Teaching Professor Conference is the place for educators who are passionate about the art and science of teaching. It’s an exhilarating three-day event focused on the latest research-based, classroom-tested best practices to enhance your knowledge and drive ever-better outcomes for the students you teach. Attend The Teaching Professor Conference.
NCORE - 2022
NCORE is the premier national resource for higher education institutions, providing an annual diverse and inclusive forum that attracts participants from more than 1,000 educational institutions and organizations. NCORE 2022 will be live from the city of Portland, OR. Register for NCORE.
Faculty Innovation
Article 13 - Innovation Funding Opportunities Available
Are you looking for ways to fund a budding idea or innovation project?
Article 13 long-term project funds continue to be here for you. Have an innovation project that you’d like to try out? The San Mateo County Community College District provides a fund equal to 1% of expenditures for regular faculty salaries to provide faculty professional development opportunities. Learn more about how to apply for funds on the updated Faculty Professional Development website. Have questions? Consider joining the Flex Day session, Applying for Faculty Professional Development Funding on January 13th.
Paper Reduction InitiativePaperless Campus
Skyline College has established a goal to go 90% paperless by 2025. Landon Smith, our Sustainability Coordinator, is leading a project with the help of CTTL. Look for workshops on using Google Drive, DropBox, Adobe Sign, and more as alternatives to paper, and of course using Canvas and electronic textbooks for student learning materials. You can review Landon’s slide presentation below. For more information, contact Landon Smith at smithlandon@smccd.edu.
ASCCC OERI Request for Proposals
The ASCCC OERI is pleased to announce that the submission portal for another round of Open Educational Resources (OER) funding will soon be available. In order to ensure that applicants have all the information they need before submitting their proposals, informational webinars and informal office hours will be held. The ASCCC OERI’s RFP IV can be viewed at tinyurl.com/OERI-RFP4. Applicants should review relevant webinars and ASCCC OERI collections prior to developing a proposal. Please see ASCCC OERI Request for Proposals IV – Timeline and Events for the latest information. If you want to learn more, please attend an informational webinar or our office hours (details below).
Requirements:
Successful proposals must fill an unmet OER need.
Collaboration across at least three districts is a required component of all proposals.
All projects should incorporate IDEA Framework principles and/or culturally responsive pedagogy.
Publish Request for Proposals – November 29, 2021
Submission portal will be made available by December 14, 2021
Informational Webinars/Office Hours – December 1-13, 2021 (see below)
Informational Webinars/Office Hours – Week of January 10 or 17, 2021
Proposal Response due January 31, 2022, 5 pm.
Evaluation of Submissions February 7 – February 8, 2022
Awards Announced by February 18, 2022
Online Learning
Online Learning - Refresh, Remix, Reconnect
Do you need to refresh your page?
Breathe, Refresh, and Restart. Many faculty have shared that their teaching practices have evolved with the shift to remote learning, and that some of these changes will continue even across different modalities of teaching.
Instructional designers are here to help you reflect, remix, and refresh your courses and course materials, or even adapt them to work in various modalities. Did you know CTTL now has 2 full-time faculty instructional designers? An instructional designer can be a thought partner, collaborator, or even brainstorm as you refine your courses, materials, and teaching strategies. Consider a friendly consultation with instructional designers around how to address equity gaps through learning design or assessment strategies. We can also help with hands-on course design that meets your unique subject and teaching style.
When is a good time to refresh with an instructional designer?
Building a new course or shifting modality for existing course
Pre-semester fine-tuning design or beautifying visuals
Mid-semester reflection and retooling
Wrap up - looking at outcomes and revising
Working with colleagues on signature assessments or rubrics
It’s always the right time! (well maybe not at 2 a.m. but otherwise…)
QOTL 2, Let the Ed-Venture Begin
Are you ready to enhance your online teaching and learning? It is evident that online learning will be an integral part of higher education for the foreseeable future. Planning, preparing, and polishing your teaching in the online modality is key to maximize student success as we continue to educate a global community of learners. SMCCD’s Distance Education Advisory Committee (DEAC) and the District Academic Senate (DAS)-Taskforce on Teaching & Learning recommends keeping current with training relevant to online teaching every three (3) years (either from the district or an equivalent). The Quality Online Teaching and Learning 2 (QOTL 2) is an opportunity to move forward with this recommendation.
QOTL 2 is an advanced online teaching training that builds on QOTL 1 and goes beyond the content in that course. The goal is to invite you to look at one of your existing courses and re-imagine any components that you feel could be improved upon and/or enhanced. This training is designed to fit each of your individual needs by utilizing a Choose Your Own Adventure format. The course begins with a Module 0 that everyone completes, followed by the three modules (Category A, B, C) where you choose your professional learning journey. Category A focuses on Course Structure & Navigation, with choices of content delivery, course facilitation, and visual interest. Category B explores Interaction and Communication, with choices of student interaction, instructor interaction, and honoring student voice. Category C dives into the wonderful world of Assessment, with choices of authentic assessment, active learning, and grading and feedback. The culmination of the QOTL 2 training is a final activity where you display the artifacts you created throughout the course and how you plan to utilize them in your future online and hybrid classes.
If you’d like to join us for the Spring 2022 or Summer 2022 QOTL 2 adventure, please fill out the QOTL 2 Interest Form. Space is limited to 25 participants. Interest forms will be reviewed on a first come-first serve basis. Participants will engage in 25 hours of training and will be compensated at the applicable special rate. We will follow up with interested participants within two weeks of the training. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for professional learning adventure.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to your campus facilitator(s): Andrea Fuentes, Bianca Rowden-Quince, and Chris Collins (ABC)
Sign up for Spring 2022 | Course begins Tuesday 2/22-Sunday 3/27
Sign up for Summer 2022 | Course begins Monday 6/6- Sunday, 7/11
CVC-OEI Update
Skyline College is officially part of the California Virtual Campus – Online Education Initiative (CVC-OEI) Consortium! We are looking for faculty to submit courses to the exchange for the Fall 2022 semester!
What is the CVC-OEI Consortium?
The CVC-OEI is a collaborative effort among California Community Colleges (CCCs) to ensure that significantly more students are able to complete their educational goals by increasing both access to and success in high-quality online courses. Skyline College’s entrance into the CVC-OEI Consortium, allows approved courses from Skyline College to be offered in the statewide course exchange. The CVC Exchange is an innovative tool that allows students currently enrolled in a California Community College to instantly enroll in online courses offered at eligible colleges without filling out a separate application. This directly links to our mission at Skyline College to empower and transform a global community of learners.
How can I get my online course into the exchange?
Getting your course into the CVC-OEI Exchange is actually not that difficult. We are looking for fully online asynchronous courses to submit to the Exchange. To submit a course you have to ensure that your course aligns with CVC-OEI Rubric. Once you submit the aligned course, it will be reviewed by Skyline College’s Peer Online Course Reviewers to provide feedback. This is part of the process to ensure our classes get approval from the Consortium. After receiving feedback and making the requested and recommended changes the course you submit will be sent for final approval to the CVC-OEI Exchange. If this interests you or you would like more information contact DE Coordinator Chris Collins (collinsc@smccd.edu) or set up an appointment.
Professional Development Opportunities for Online Learning
Professional learning opportunities exist beyond the borders of Skyline College. The CTTL has compiled a list of amazing opportunities you can use as a way to travel away for your professional development.
Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Innovate, Dallas, Texas | March 28 - April 1, 2022
Challenge the teaching and learning paradigms, reimagine the learning experience, and ideate on how disruptions in education today will shape the innovative classroom of tomorrow. Attend the OLC Innovate 2022.
Online Teaching Conference, Long Beach CA | June 29-July 1, 2022
The Online Teaching Conference is a premier gathering of faculty, staff, and administrators who are leading the way in developing innovative and effective online education. As an inter-segmental conference focused on curriculum, pedagogy and technology to improve online instruction, learning, and student success, the Online Teaching Conference is an opportunity for educators to network with colleagues, connect, share knowledge, impart and receive best practices, and develop professionally. Attend OLC 2022
The Most Effective Way to Eliminate Barriers to Student Learning
3 Thing to Love about the New Rich Content Editor
3 Foolproof Tips for Using Images in Canvas
Suggested Winter Reading List
Winter is great time for hunkering down and warming up your inner bookworm. Whether you’re relaxing on a beautiful beach, climbing snow-covered mountains, or taking some self time in front of a fireplace, the CTTL team is excited to share some winter reading recommendations!
Books