Spring 2023 Opening Week
Spring Opening Week is here and kicks off with an abbreviated President's Address followed by the launch of the Campus Conversations Series. Some highlights for the week include:
- President's Address (January 11)
- Campus Conversations: Building Community and Equity Dialogues (January 11)
- Provost's Meeting (January 12)
- Equity and Pedagogy: Developing a Shared Vision (January 12)
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Spring Resources: Blackboard Course Template and More
The Academy team has developed some resources to help you as you prepare for the Spring 2023 semester, including a Blackboard Course Template.
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Register Now for Professional Development Credit Offerings (GECs & Workshops)
Register now for Graduate Equivalency Course (GEC) and credit workshop (CEU) offerings for the spring semester. All Harper College faculty (full-time and adjunct) can register for any of these opportunities at no cost.
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Perusall
If you incorporate class discussions revolving around readings in your courses, then Perusall could be a great tool to try out with your students! In short, Perusall is a group annotation tool, built into Blackboard, that can be used to increase stimulating conversations around course content.
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Resolve to Introduce Your Students to the Library this Year
Shared by Jennifer Lau-Bond, Coordinator of Library Instruction
This is one New Year’s resolution that’s easy to accomplish when you partner with the Library! Provide your students with the chance to learn critical library and information literacy skills they need here at Harper and beyond. We can work with your students in our Library classroom, in your own classroom, online (synchronous, asynchronous, HyFlex), or any combination of the above. Whether you have 20 minutes, 60 minutes, or even longer, we would love to help you and your students.
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How to Foster a Campus Environment Supportive of Wellness
Shared by Beth McPartlin, Wellness Manager
Harper Wellness recognizes that many of the conversations around student mental health and wellness take place outside of formal programs/events—instead, they often take place between students and professors, managers, and advisors. As faculty and instructors, you have an essential role in supporting student well-being on campus.
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Academy & Blackboard Support: How to Get Help
The Academy team is available on campus for drop-in support in Building F, Room F317, as well as available for remote support.
Not sure what to ask or where to start? We’re here for you! Just fill out the Academy Request Form, and an Academy team member will follow-up with you.
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There are two sessions available for New Adjunct Faculty Orientation this week - an on-campus session on January 9 and a virtual session on January 10. Learn more using the link above.
Four types of OER grants are available to replace textbook/course material costs with OER or free/low-cost course resources. Learn more using the link above.
Please contact the Service Desk with any technical issues or questions: 847.925.6199, servicedesk@harpercollege.edu. You can also visit the Service Desk HIP page for information about Office 365, take home software, Employee Technical Skills Training information, to Live Chat with the Service Desk, and more.
Use the links below to view important deadline and due dates from the Registrar's Office:
Have an idea for a new project? Want to develop or pilot a program or service, but lack the funding to support it? The Harper College Educational Foundation has up to $100,000 available through the Resource for Excellence (RFE) grant program which could be the answer. The application period is now open. Learn more using the link above.
Starting with all new Spring 2023 Blackboard courses, the “Student Support” menu item will be labeled as “Assist – Student Support” and will link to the Blackboard Assist page. For a visual explanation of this update, please view this short video.
Helping students develop a sense of belonging at Harper can be crucial to their overall success and retention. The Harper College Buddy System program is an initiative to help connect Harper students who would like to meet new friends or establish new connections whether they are taking in-person or virtual classes. Learn more using the link above and please encourage students to sign up by Friday, February 10.
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General Education Assessments - Coming Spring 2023
Shared by the Learning Assessment Committee
Our General Education Learning Outcomes state that students should be able to “Use evidence to develop arguments, make decisions, and evaluate outcomes” at the time they graduate from Harper. During the Spring 2023 semester, the Learning Assessment Committee and its Critical Thinking Work Group will lead an assessment of the Critical Thinking outcome. Those of you who teach a course that maps to this outcome may be asked to participate in the assessment. Courses are selected at random and faculty members will be notified by their dean beginning this month. Be on the lookout for more information about this assessment in early spring.
Information Literacy Learning Outcome Update
A large-scale assessment of the Information Literacy outcome was conducted in 2019-2020. A follow-up assessment will be conducted during Spring 2023. Courses that are mapped to this outcome may be asked to participate. For more information or to get involved, please contact Deann Surdo at dsurdo@harpercollege.edu, 847.925.6356.
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Harper's JEDI Faculty Fellows Are a Force for Change
When you hear the word JEDI, you might think of lightsabers and a galaxy far, far away. But Harper College’s JEDI Faculty Fellowship isn’t focused on “the force,” but being a force for change.
Harper’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Faculty Fellowship began during the fall semester as a leadership and professional development opportunity for full-time faculty to gain experience in the administrative realms of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice work at the college. The inaugural JEDI Faculty Fellows are Dr. Markenya L. Williams and Dr. Alina Pajtek.
Continue reading to learn about some of the fellows' projects and what inspires their work.
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Tips for Starting Strong Online in Spring 2023
Whether you are teaching online or blended, these tips will help you to start the semester strong!
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Provide a clear structure in Blackboard for organizing materials and assignments. Providing a clear structure in Blackboard can help your students easily access resources and assignments. If you’d like a head start, the Academy can provide you with a pre-built Blackboard template for Spring 2023 that includes orientation activities and a weekly folder structure. The template is built out for the entire semester.
- Send a clear welcome message to students by January 13 via a Blackboard announcement. Welcome students and provide clear instructions on how to access materials and engage in learning activities before the first week of class to have a strong start once classes begin on January 17.
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Podcast: Creating Pockets of Joy, Humor, and Positivity in Your Face-to-Face and Online Class
Including points of positivity and humor into your course can help to lower students’ stress levels and improve their memory and comprehension.
This 15-minute podcast (with an available transcript), hosted by Tierney King and practitioners Michael Cundall and Kris Roush, quickly provides simple ideas that you can incorporate into your course from the creation of your syllabus to the last day of the term.
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Upcoming Professional Development Credit Opportunities |
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January 23 - March 17 (GECs: 3) register by: January 9
January 30 - February 12 (GECs: 1) register by: January 16
February 1 - March 8 (GECs: 3) register by: January 18
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What's Happening @ Harper? |
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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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