9th Annual Teaching & Learning Forum

Monday, June 1, 2020

8:45 - 9:30 AM | Session 1

• Transitioning between Delivery Models – Blended/Hybrid Teaching by Drs. Virginia Miori and Kathleen Campbell Garwood, Decision and System Sciences

Session description: As we continue working in a nebulous space, we are excited to share a few interesting tools used in class that have been very successful (such as break out rooms) according to student feedback with some examples. We will also consider some methods of dealing with the issues that may arise in the classroom should we need to continue in a space where some students are live and others are virtual.

• Cura Personalis in Pandemic Times by Dr. Greg Nicholls, Counseling and Psychological Services

Session Description: This presentation will address the impact of Covid 19 on college student mental health. The alarming trends in the mental health of college students prior to the pandemic will be briefly outlined, followed by a view of the deleterious effect a prolonged “shelter in place” mandate has on emotional well-being. Particular emphasis will be placed on how faculty can 1) increase their understanding of the relationship between mental health and academic success, 2) be alert to signs of emotional distress, 3) lessen stigma surrounding mental health and 4) encourage help-seeking.

• Taking it to the Next Level: Increase Student Engagement and Promote Collaboration by Dr. Janine Firmender, Teacher Education

Session Description: If you’re already using Zoom to facilitate class discussions, tools such as Padlet and Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings can be used to actively engage students, promote collaboration, and increase accountability during discussions. This session will provide the opportunity to explore these (and other) technology tools that can be used within and beyond breakout rooms.

9:45 - 10:30 AM | Session 2

• A Researched Pivot: Using Synchronous and Asynchronous Teaching for Cura Personalis by Dr. Aisha Lockridge, English

Session Description: Limited experience in online instruction and a desire to meaningfully educate students while supporting them through this pandemic, sent me to the (virtual) library. Overwhelmingly, pedagogical research suggests that relying solely on a single modality for instruction is not in students' best interests. Using available syllabus models, I revised my syllabus to utilize both synchronous and asynchronous modalities creating a flexible course reflecting cura personalis. In this session, we will briefly review the underlying research and talk through dual-modality models. Please bring a syllabus with you.

• Designing and Implementing an Online Course by Drs. George Sillup, Anthony DelConte, Thani Jambulingam, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing

Session Description: In this session, we will discuss how an online course should be constructed starting with the learning objectives, development of a syllabus, required computer technology and communicating course expectations, customization of the Canvas Dashboard using Announcements. We will then cover the delivery of contents and interactions by incorporating slides, innovative techniques to engage students, e.g., polling, and use of breakout rooms. Finally, we will show how assessment and measurement can be accomplished with emphasis on creating an online exam, implementing and grading the exam and reporting results to students.

• Creating and Sustaining Equity in the Online Classroom: Supporting and Empowering Diverse Learners by Dr. Nicole R. Stokes, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Session Description: This session is designed to be a supportive and content-driven space for discussion and skill development on designing (or redesigning) your course using an inclusive online course design framework. Session objectives (listed below) will be accomplished via presentation with guided discussion, activities, and reflective prompts that focus on creating and sustaining inclusive learning environments. Session objectives include the following: Learn and use best practices and strategies for inclusive online teaching pedagogy; Reflections on the implications of students' and instructors' social identities and lived experiences and how they manifest in the classroom; Developing an action plan for future teaching that incorporates inclusive online pedagogy for increased engagement and student empowerment.

10:45-11:30 AM | Session 3

• Supporting your Journey in Remote Instruction by Karen Pinto, Chontel Delaney, Lauren Adams and Fran DiSanti, Office of Information Technology

Session Description: This session will preview the Summer training for faculty via a Canvas course designed by the Office of Information Technology to provide you with actionable strategies to enact during an institutional move to temporary remote instruction of your traditional face-to-face course. This course will highlight tools such as Zoom, Turnitin, and Google applications as well as address Accessibility best practices, Ignatian principles, and Quality Matters standards.

• Son of Canvas/Daughter of Zoom: Tips for Advanced Users in the Classroom by Dr. Millie Feske, Theology and Religious Studies, and Andy Starr, Office of Information Technology

Session Description: Ideas and Q and A on doing more with Zoom and Canvas for online teaching and learning. Bring your questions or send in advance to mfeske@edu and astarr@sju.edu.

• Faculty Mental Health in the Time of COVID-19 by Dr. Jerry Hionis, Economics, and Dr. Greg Nicholls, Counseling and Psychological Services

Faculty, like our students, are living and working during a historic era. The pressures and demands to continue “academic normalcy” during this time can lead to a host of psychological pitfalls that may exacerbate current anxieties and, quite possibly, lead to serious forms of depression. Using both professional and personal experiences, this session with focus on methods and resources faculty can utilize in order to maintain their mental health while continuing to teach and research in the upcoming academic year.

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

8:45 - 9:30 AM | Session 1

• From In-Class Teaching to Online and/or Somewhere In-Between Teaching by Drs. Anthony DelConte, Thani Jambulingam, George Sillup, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing

Session Description: The transition from in-class teaching to online teaching requires thoughtful and practical reconstruction of the in-class course’s syllabus into dynamic and engaging components that need to stimulate students’ active learning, especially undergrad students, through the use of a multitude of learning delivery methods, such as threaded discussions. Pros and cons of in-class, online and hybrid models will be discussed. Due to the uncertainty COVID-19 imposes, classes may be in-between or a simultaneous combination of in-class and online. Presenters will make five minutes of introductory remarks and then assemble as a panel to address questions and share their transitional teaching experiences.

• Transforming Syllabus, Instruction, and Assessment: Coming to Know Something Familiar in Different Ways by Dr. Chris Heasley, Educational Leadership

Session Description: Despite the current climate of uncertainty, faculty are called to deliver course content in an innovative, agile, and continuous way. This session will illustrate how a course syllabus can be transformed from traditional, face-to-face content instruction to hybrid and online modalities, with focus on maintaining alignment between learning outcomes, curriculum, and assessment. Features in Canvas and Zoom (such as polling, break out rooms, assignment grouping, etc.) and use of a free external application (www.socrative.com) will be explored. Time will also be dedicated for open discussion among attendees for (1) sharing ingenuity of formative and summative assessment and (2) resources for content delivery and teaching.

• Supporting the Mental Health and Wellbeing of our SJU Students by Dr. Paul Aspan, Theology and Religious Studies, and Drs. Cheryl George and Mollie Sheppard, Special Education

Session Description: During pandemic times, it becomes even more important to maintain a "high touch" environment in our undergraduate and graduate classes. This session will discuss our responsibilities as educators and provide strategies for checking in on our students and assessing their wellbeing, as well as strategies for engaging them in online learning.

9:45 - 10:30 AM | Session 2

• Synchronous and Asynchronous Teaching as Complementary Methods by Dr. Kim Logio, Sociology

Session Description: The session will cover best practices for using both synchronous and asynchronous online methods for improving teaching and student engagements. Specifically, the difference between just substituting or augmenting an onground class to be online versus finding ways to make the online class experience truly transformative will be discussed.

• Level Up: Student Engagement and Collaboration within Undergraduate and Graduate Courses by Drs. Morgan M. Bryant and Janée N. Burkhalter, Marketing

Session Description: Taking student engagement and collaboration to the next level. Presenters will share live examples based upon courses that transitioned to online and those that were originally designed for online. Prior to the session, please identify one assessment you had challenges transitioning amid covid-19.

• Supporting Students with Disabilities in the Classroom by Dr. Chris Mecke, Student Disability Services, and Theresa McFalls, Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support

Session Description: This session will describe best practices to help support students with disabilities (SWD) in the classroom. The focus will be on describing strategies designed specifically for SWD but are also applicable to all students, creating an environment of inclusion for all.

• Transitioning between Delivery Models – Blended/Hybrid Teaching by Drs. Virginia Miori and Kathleen Campbell Garwood, Decision and System Sciences

Session description: As we continue working in a nebulous space, we are excited to share a few interesting tools used in class that have been very successful (such as break out rooms) according to student feedback with some examples. We will also consider some methods of dealing with the issues that may arise in the classroom should we need to continue in a space where some students are live and others are virtual.

10:45-11:30 AM | Session 3

• Supporting your Journey in Remote Instruction by Karen Pinto, Chontel Delaney, Lauren Adams and Fran DiSanti, Office of Information Technology

Session Description: This session will preview the Summer training for faculty via a Canvas course designed by the Office of Information Technology to provide you with actionable strategies to enact during an institutional move to temporary remote instruction of your traditional face-to-face course. This course will highlight tools such as Zoom, Turnitin, and Google applications as well as address Accessibility best practices, Ignatian principles, and Quality Matters standards.

• Session for Advanced Users of Technology-enhanced Teaching by Andy Starr, Office of Information Technology, and Dr. Thomas R. Martin, Health Services

Session Description: This session will cover two separate advanced topics. The first is the utilization of Canvas Outcomes to conduct student assessment and begin the reporting process for student learning outcomes. The second topic for review and discussion is the incorporation of virtual presentations into curriculum design. Key areas of focus will be on providing student guidance and feedback as well as an overview of technology platforms outside of Canvas to which to direct students.

• Work/Life Balancing and Managing Stress for the Faculty by Taba Pickard and Chris Brutsche, Human Resources

Session Description: The term work- life balance often seems like an oxymoron, especially while working through a pandemic. Finding a balance between work and everyday life can be difficult for faculty. Never-ending work expectations can often spill into personal time, blurring the lines of when work stops and personal time begins. In a time where higher education is more technologically driven, work-life balance seems to be harder to achieve than ever before. This lecture will provide helpful tips to help faculty members find balance.

• Taking it to the Next Level: Increase Student Engagement and Promote Collaboration by Dr. Janine Firmender, Teacher Education

Session Description: If you’re already using Zoom to facilitate class discussions, tools such as Padlet and Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings can be used to actively engage students, promote collaboration, and increase accountability during discussions. This session will provide the opportunity to explore these (and other) technology tools that can be used within and beyond breakout rooms.

Teaching and Learning Forum Google Drive