Professional Development Credit Offerings Spring 2021 |
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Please watch the Academy website during the semester for the most updated list of opportunities.
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Graduate Equivalency Courses |
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Teaching Online Successfully
GECs: 1 (per course)
Create: January 25 - February 7
Facilitate: February 15 - February 28
Enhance: March 8 - March 21
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There are three course options to choose from based on your needs:
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Create: you're developing an online or blended course for the first time
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Facilitate: you're teaching an online/blended course for the first time
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Enhance: you're looking for tools & techniques to enhance your online or blended course to encourage student engagement
These courses are fully online.
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Registration Deadlines:
Create: January 18
Facilitate: February 1
Enhance: February 22
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Race and Education
GECs: 3
February 2 - March 9
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The course, Race and Education, explores the centrality of education in the social construction of race in the U.S. and schooling as one of the primary institutionalizing sites in the production of race as a cultural phenomenon. This course, conceptualized through a critical race theoretical (CRT) lens, is structured by its own set of principles and assumptions that guide the questions raised and course of study. The knowledge claims that ground CRT lay in the self-determining resistance of enslaved Africans. Its epistemological origins are in critical legal studies expanded into educational discourse through the works of Richardo – Delgado Derrick Bell (1990), Gloria Ladson Billings (1998), Joyce King (1991), Sylvia Wynter (1992).
This course is online with synchronous sessions.
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Registration Deadline:
January 19
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Incorporating Games and Play Into Online Classes
CEUs: 0.1
January 13, 11 a.m. (today!)
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Are you and your students struggling to stay motivated in our new online environment? Join the Teaching with Games Community of Practice to learn how to incorporate games and play into your classes to improve motivation and inject joy and fun into the learning experience. Members of the CoP will present several examples of games that can be adapted for use in a broad range of disciplines.
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Become an Ally Advocate: Improve the Accessibility of Course Materials with Ally for Blackboard
CEUs: 1.0
January 13, 3 p.m. (today!)
January 28, 2 p.m.
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We’re excited to announce a new tool called Ally that is now available in Blackboard. Ally provides you guidance on how to correct accessibility issues with your digital course content, which means your learning materials will work better on mobile phones and tablets as well as with assistive technologies. Ally provides visual indicators (that only you can see) next to your course files for detailed feedback about how to correct the accessibility issues with your files. Your students will also be able to download “alternative formats” of your files by clicking the drop-down icon next to the file name, and choosing a version of the file most appropriate for their device and need. During this workshop we will demonstrate the features of Ally and guide you through the workflow for identifying and correcting accessibility issues.
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Diminish the Distance: Conference and Connect
CEUs: 0.1
January 15, 9 a.m. (Friday!)
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Connecting with students isn’t easy in the virtual environment, but it’s even more important than ever. This workshop, facilitated by the Making Connections Community of Practice, explores how individual conferencing with students provides the interaction that supports their success. Our goal is to explore technologies to initiate and facilitate different types of conferences such as student-initiated, teacher-initiated, feedback seeking, curricular related, community building and more. This workshop will also touch on strategies to encourage students’ participation and skills for having difficult conversations, when necessary. Join us – we need your input for this session.
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Creating Argument Mapping Assignments
CEUs: 0.3
February 5, 9 a.m.
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In this workshop, participants will create or refine at least one argument mapping assignment for students. A growing body of research shows that argument mapping significantly improves critical thinking skills. In fact, meta-analyses find that courses that use argument mapping yield 5 or 6 times the gains of a standard semester at college! Do you assign argumentative essays to your students? Must students write position papers or deliver argumentative speeches in your classes? Are discussion or debate central features of your classes? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then this workshop is tailor-made for you!
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Conducting Guided Mid-Semester Surveys
CEUs: 0.4
February 9, 1 p.m.
February 10, 10 a.m.
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In this new, online environment, it is more important than ever that students and faculty take advantage of opportunities to communicate with one another, give and receive feedback, and work to ensure the voices of all students are heard. The Guided Mid-Semester Survey process provides this opportunity. Participants in this workshop will work in pairs to administer a research-based survey in their classes, review the results, and using peer-coaching strategies to help interpret and act on the findings within the semester.
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Staying Centered in Trying Times
CEUs: 0.05 (per session)
February 11, 10 a.m.
March 11, 10 a.m.
April 8, 10 a.m.
May 13, 10 a.m.
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For many of us, it is increasingly difficult to maintain focus and to find the ability to ground ourselves in the middle of stressful times. What energy we do find is likely spent on our students or our families. After a lifetime of studying meditative martial arts, one teacher would like to offer a few ways that mindset and staying centered can help. The four sessions focus on the principles of Zanshin/Awareness, Mushin/Duende, Success/Accomplishment, and Path/Destination. Join Dr. Sunderbruch for any or all of these sessions.
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What 5 Strategies Can Help Students Improve Their Information Literacy Skills in Your Classroom? Find Out More, From Jennifer Kelley
CEUs: 0.1
February 16, 12 p.m.
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Jennifer Kelley, Librarian and Faculty Chair of Professional Development at the College of DuPage, will present “Teaching Information Literacy in an Era of Lies: Why and How to Include Information Literacy in Your Courses.” This session will be beneficial for faculty from all disciplines, especially those whose courses map to the Information Literacy General Education learning outcome. Learn tips to help you effectively teach students how to critically evaluate and navigate information. Find out what small changes can be made to an assignment or activity to help students improve research skills, avoid plagiarism, and practice engaging with information through analysis and examination.
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Understanding and Supporting Our Growing South Asian Student Population
CEUs: 0.15
February 16, 3 p.m.
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Have you noticed our growing South Asian student population? Are you wondering how their various cultural and educational frameworks may affect their classroom experience? Please join us to learn more about the backgrounds and perspectives of some of our larger South Asian student groups so that we can increase our awareness and capacity to support all students’ learning needs.
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The 5 Ws of Group Work
CEUs: 0.3
February 17, 2 p.m.
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In a recent Harper survey, students reported experiencing some challenges while participating in group work. Due to the continued online format of most courses this term, as well as the true value of student collaboration, let’s discover ways to best plan our group work activities to eliminate some of our students’ challenges. After the workshop, faculty members will have the option to create a complete plan for a group activity in one of their academic courses.
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Captioning Methods for Ensuring Accessibility of Instructional Videos
CEUs: 0.1
February 23, 4 p.m.
March 5, 11 a.m.
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To ensure that all students can access and learn appropriately from online instructional content and materials, including multimedia and videos, the access to transcripts and captioned videos is essential. This workshop will explore methods for how to create your own captions and transcripts for your instructional materials.
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Are Your Assessments Auditing or Educating? Creating Authentic and Educative Assessments
CEUs: 0.1
April 6, 1 p.m.
April 16, 10 a.m.
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Assessments, including assignments, tests, and informal knowledge checks, allow instructors to measure student learning in their classes. Many traditional assessments focus on auditing students’ knowledge, rather than enabling students to apply and expand their understanding of course material. This workshop introduces the concept of educative assessment and gives participants a chance to transform an assessment into a more authentic and educative learning experience. Participants are encouraged to come to the workshop with a course assignment or test they would like to rework.
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Simpler Times: An Afternoon of Reflection and Connection
CEUs: 0.4
April 9, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., virtual
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Life may never actually have been simple, but hopefully there was a time in your early years when the demands of your daily life were lighter and your responsibilities were fewer. For one afternoon, join us for a relaxed program with low key interaction inspired by a typical primary school schedule. Explore some of the common issues we face through activities that include a motivational opening about how to engage students amidst chaos, story time with a popular podcaster in higher education, rest time for restoration and contemplation in the style of your choice, and play time in which you can join in one of several activities designed to leave you with ideas for your own virtual classroom.
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Watch for more information about these opportunities soon!
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February 24 - February 26: Tech Week 2021
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February 26: Tech Expo
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Academy for Teaching Excellence | 847.925.6174 | Building F, Room F317
Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
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The mission of the Academy for Teaching Excellence is to create a vibrant teaching and learning culture for full-time and adjunct faculty that cultivates professional development in support of student success. |
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Accessibility: Individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation or who have questions about physical access may contact the event host or Access and Disability Services at ads@harpercollege.edu, 847.925.6266, at least two weeks in advance of the event date.
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Harper College enriches its diverse communities by providing quality, affordable, and accessible education. Harper College, in collaboration with its partners, inspires the transformation of individual lives, the workforce, and society. |
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