TechXpo 2024: Explore, Engage, Evolve
This year's TechXpo "Explore, Engage, Evolve" will take place on February 16 in the Academy (Building F, Room F317) as well as virtually through Webex. CEUs are available for attending.
A few highlights include:
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Keynote by Dr. Sabba Quidwai, “Our Human Advantage: Designing Schools in the Age of AI”
- Breakout sessions featuring a spotlight on AI and other innovative technology ideas presented by our faculty
- Breakfast and snacks available for in-person attendees
- Raffle prizes
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Give Small Group Instructional Feedback (SGIF) a Try this Semester
- Voluntary, non-evaluative process for collecting feedback from your students on their experiences and perceptions of your course during the semester, allowing you and your students an opportunity to make positive changes during the course.
- Available on-demand, without the need to attend a workshop.
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Fill out an interest form to request SGIF to be conducted in one of your courses (deadline to submit interest is March 15).
Learn more about SGIF and hear what faculty and students think about it.
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Including Banners in Your Blackboard Courses
A course banner can be an effective tool to enhance the overall presentation of an online course. A banner serves as a visual anchor, aiding learners (and faculty too!) in navigation and orientation within Blackboard. Users can be sure they are in the intended course quickly and easily. A banner can also provide essential information such as the course title and key themes, helping learners quickly understand the course’s focus and relevance. A visually appealing banner also serves as a welcoming and engaging introduction to the course, creating a positive first impression for learners. It sets the tone for the content and can generate initial interest and excitement.
Continue reading for a quick 1-minute video about how to upload a banner into your Blackboard course, as well as instructions on how to create a banner.
Looking for more tips on Blackboard tools? Visit the Faculty Blackboard Support page on the Academy website and find the heading "Blackboard Tips, Tools, & Resources for Faculty". Click the toggle to view a list of topics with a quick write-up and/or short video for each topic.
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Connect More with the Academy & Win!
The Academy invites you to connect with your students, fellow faculty, and professional development opportunities this spring. To celebrate faculty who Connect MORE, teaching tech-themed prizes are available to all faculty who participate in at least four highlighted Academy workshops, Graduate Equivalency Courses (GECs), or events between August 2023 – May 2024!
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Provide Students Early Feedback and Connect Them to Critical Campus Resources
Shared by Advising Services
Student success is at the heart of Harper’s mission. Our early alert tool, Starfish, is used to facilitate communication among students, faculty, and advisors regarding students’ academic achievements and areas for improvement. In addition to awarding Kudos to acknowledge excellent performance, Starfish is also used by faculty to raise concerns and to direct students to free resources such as the Academic Support Center and Hawks Care Resource Center.
All credit students are in the Starfish system. This allows faculty to give a Kudo or raise a flag for any of their students at any time of the semester.
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Upcoming Lunch & Learns
Join us for a lunch & learn session this semester. All sessions are offered once a month in a flexible format, so you can choose how you would like to attend. In-person attendees will be provided with lunch. Registration is required.
Four Connections
- Four simple yet effective practices to increase connection with your students and promote student success in your face-to-face or online classroom.
- Learn More & Register
Ally for Everyone
- A powerful tool designed to enhance the accessibility and usability of course content.
- Learn More & Register
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Academy & Blackboard Support for Faculty: 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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Harper Happenings is filled with information and links to many Harper events, activities, programs, resources, and services for our students and community. Learn more using the link above.
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New EBSCOhost Interface: EBSCOhost is a research platform that hosts many of the Library's databases, including Academic Search Complete, ERIC, PsycInfo, and more. The new interface features many functionality improvements, personalized dashboards, and accessibility additions. Check out the new interface here.
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Library Workshops: The Library is offering 45-minute workshops (both online and on campus) this semester and they are an excellent way to extend student learning outside the classroom. Topics covered include: Citing in MLA and APA, Avoiding Plagiarism, Using AI Ethically and Effectively, and Fact or Fake? Identifying Real News and Science. For more information and to register, visit the Library's Spring 2024 Workshops page.
The Academy team has developed some resources to help you as you prepare for the semester, including Blackboard course templates. Learn more and view resources using the link above.
Join the Office of DEI’s Intentionally Making Progress with Accountability and Critical Thought (IMPACT) professional development series. These workshops provide faculty and staff the opportunity to increase their understanding of topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion by examining day-to-day practices and offering practical tools and resources. Virtual and in-person sessions available. Learn more and register using the link above.
Harper Alumni Relations, Student Engagement, and the JPRC will host Career Connections with Harper Alumni on March 6-7, a program featuring opportunities for students to learn from alumni in a variety of careers and backgrounds. 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.
The RFE Grant application is now open. Harper faculty and staff are encouraged to apply for these grants funded through the Educational Foundation. Up to $100,000 will be available for projects that are innovative and creative, promote equity and inclusion, and support Harper's strategic goals. The deadline to submit your application is March 4.
Use the link above to view important dates and deadlines from the Registrar's Office.
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27th Annual Illinois Community College Assessment Fair
Shared by the Learning Assessment Committee
You are invited to attend the 27th Annual Illinois Community College Assessment Fair – Beyond Compliance: Creating and Sustaining an Authentic Culture of Assessment. Hosted by the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois, the Fair will take place in person on February 23, and will feature keynote speaker, Dr. Ryan Gower, Chancellor of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges. After the keynote, various breakout sessions will be offered throughout the day.
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Date: Friday, February 23, 2024
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Time: 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
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Location: College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
Registration is open and the fee is $100 to attend. However, your registration fee may be reimbursable by the Office of Outcomes Assessment. If you are interested in attending, please contact dsurdo@harpercollege.edu for more information.
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Fair Game: Professor Rebecca Scott Combines Play and Philosophy
You might say that it’s all fun and games for Dr. Rebecca Scott. A lifelong fan of board games, the associate professor uses games and play-based learning in her philosophy courses. She plays guitar and sings lead in the indie rock band Panda Riot. She’s a devoted Survivor fan.
Scott is also a 2023 recipient of the American Philosophical Association’s Prize for Excellence in Philosophy Teaching who encourages engagement with her students through games and breaks down barriers between educators and learners via the magic circle of play.
“Play and playfulness is at the heart of who we are as social beings,” said Scott, referencing Dutch historian Johan Huizinga and his works that influenced the idea of the magic circle of play. “When we enter into this magic circle, we suspend the normal rules and it helps us to try out new ways of being. We need students to unlearn or suspend certain ideas and beliefs – question things that they’re not used to questioning. Games offer one way of loosening up assumptions about school: ‘It’s hard’ or ‘I’m not a philosophy person’…”
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"Thriving in Online Teaching"
As we are well into the busyness of the semester, this short article by Noura Badawi, EdD, serves as a positive reminder of how to ensure we, as faculty members, stay healthy in our careers.
In the article, Badawi encourages us to consider six suggestions she offers based on her first-hand experiences.
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Upcoming Professional Development Credit Opportunities |
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February 9, 11 a.m. (CEUs: 0.2)
February 16, 9 a.m. (CEUs: up to 0.30)
February 20, 12 p.m. (CEUs: n/a)
February 23, 11 a.m. (CEUs: 0.15)
February 26 - March 10 (GECs: 1) register by February 12
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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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