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Creating Learner-Centered Environments (LCTR)

NSU educators will create environments that meet learners’ needs and maximize their academic success and professional development.

NSU educators will:

  • Develop relationships with learners that facilitate deep and meaningful educational experiences.
  • Employ a variety of learning experiences (e.g., learning communities, active learning, blended learning, interprofessional learning, didactic, self-directed) that are most appropriate and effective in given situations.
  • Guide learners in the development of lifelong learning skills and academic and professional goals.
  • Encourage learners to participate in their own learning and cultivate a culture of personal responsibility.
  • Model professionalism and critical thinking skills.

The following sessions are intended to support NSU educators in creating environments that meet learners’ needs and maximize their academic success and professional development.

INTG – Acting with Integrity 
BEDI – Embracing BEDI 
LCTR – Creating Learner-Centered Environments
DSGN – Designing Effective Learning Experiences 
TECH – Using Innovative Teaching Strategies and Technology

Creating Meaningful Social Presence in Online Classes (LCTR) 
Using Garrison, Anderson and Archer's (2000) Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework, this interactive presentation will focus on ways to create meaningful and lasting social presence in your online classes, meetings, and/or virtual conference.

Leveraging the Flipped Classroom Paradigm for Effective and Efficient Outcomes (LCTR, TECH)
The flipped classroom is a type of blended learning design where students prepare online by interacting with new material through recorded lectures, readings, videos, etc. prior to their face-to-face class session. The face-to-face class time is designed for discussion, idea sharing, and application of new knowledge and skills. In this session, participants will learn more about the flipped classroom paradigm including its advantages and disadvantages, how it can be used in various contexts, and what needs to be considered in order to adopt and execute this paradigm. 

Using Virtual Escape Rooms to Engage Your Students, Colleagues, and Staff Part 1 (LCTR, TECH)
Looking for fun ways to engage your students, colleagues, and staff? Try a virtual escape room! This is part one of a two-part workshop on how to create your own virtual escape room. In this session, you will participate in Escape NSU!, a virtual escape room created for students participating in FCE&SCJ’s Summer Institute. Learn the basics of creating a virtual escape room and collaborate on how to incorporate virtual escape rooms into your classroom or organization.

Using Virtual Escape Rooms to Engage Your Students, Colleagues, and Staff Part 2 (LCTR,TECH)
Do you want to develop your own virtual escape room? This is part two of a two-part workshop on how to create your own virtual escape room. Participants will bring their own escape room concept/idea they want to implement and work on developing the escape room components with hands-on support to guide them through the process.

Technical Consideration of Artificial Intelligence, Learning Design, and Cognition (INTG, LCTR, DSGN, TECH)
This session will cover the potential/current impact of artificial intelligence on cognitive load, learning design, and student development. We will explore the intersection of how students learn, the capabilities of AI in mitigating and minimizing unnecessary cognitive load which can foster student development and achievement while highlighting the ethical and academic implications of the future of education and machine learning. 

Foundations of Teaching Online: Humanizing Approaches to Teaching with Technology (LCTR, TECH, INTG, BEDI) 
Education is a caring practice. As such, it is important to consider the effectiveness of the technologies we use for promoting productivity, supporting student engagement, and facilitating a student’s acquisition of disciplinary knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Using Non-CRN Canvas “Courses” to Provide Targeted Academic Content to Students (LCTR, DSGN)
People most often use Canvas as a home for formal course content, but it has an even broader capacity to support students' learning when we think outside of the box. In this presentation, Susan Landrum will demonstrate how non-CRN Canvas "courses" can be used to create targeted academic content for students, such as supplemental modules that can be assigned to multiple courses; orientation mini-courses introducing students to the basic academic skills they will need for their program; and other types of academic skills instruction.

Active Learning and the Measurement of Learning Outcomes in Higher Education (LCTR)
Active learning modalities of teaching are instructional undertakings involving students participating in an engaged manner in their education. Approaches that promote active learning focus more on developing students’ skills instead of transmitting information through a traditional didactic lecture setup which can be relatively, a more passive level of participation for the student. Active learning sessions require students to indulge actively (read, discuss, write, analyze) that requires higher-order and critical thinking, and emphasis is placed on the students’ explorations of their own attitudes and values. This presentation explores the different modalities which practice an active learning format, insights into the facilitation of these sessions and measurement of student outcomes of these sessions.

Plagiarism and Using Turnitin for your Online Course (LCTR, TECH, INTG) 
If you have writing assignments in your course, then you already know that plagiarism can be a problem. This workshop will present the tool, Turnitin, which helps identify instances of potential plagiarism. During the workshop, you will learn about the various ways in which Turnitin can be used in your Canvas course, so that you can begin screening writing assignments for plagiarism, as well as grammatical errors.

Teaching During a Pandemic or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Teaching Online (LCTR, BEDI, LCTR, DSGN) 
Everyone’s lives were turned upside down during quarantine in 2020. Traditional face-to-face lectures were out of the question and teachers everywhere were forced to adapt to provide for their students. This presentation will review some of the skills and technologies that help to enhance student learning while socially distanced and as we transition back to the classroom for our “new normal.” Tutorials will also be provided for free resources to help incorporate more technology into your lectures including livestreaming to YouTube and using virtual sticky notes.

Effective Use of Teams for Project-Based Learning (LCTR)
Project-based learning (PBL) has been shown to be a powerful tool in the classroom. This method can also be used effectively in the online teaching environment. In this presentation, we will discuss how PBL can be used in today’s environment to enhance students’ learning engagement, improve their academic performance, and teach them to apply course knowledge to the real world.

Preparing Your Online Course a Canvas Summer Road Trip Session 3: What Do We Need Along the Way?  Planning Learning Experiences & Instruction Part 1 (Welcoming Your Students) (LCTR, BEDI)
One of the most impactful things you can do to get your course off to a good start is welcoming your students. In this session, we will discuss strategies you can use to welcome your students and make them feel part of your online learning community.

Connecting Faculty and Student (Re-)Engagement with Relationship-Rich Education: Opportunities for Fall 2022 (LCTR, BEDI, INTG) 
This conversation will provide participants with an overview of relationship-rich education (Felton and Lambert, 2020) and how it can have a positive impact on faculty and student (re-)engagement this fall. This workshop is being offered only for undergraduate department chairs and faculty developers at this time.

Creating Engaging Video Paths in Shark Media (LCTR, DSGN, TECH) 
Lights, Camera, Action! Would you like to create an interactive video? Sharkmedia has been enhanced with an exciting feature from Kaltura called Interactive Video Paths. Interactive Videos enables you to create a more personalized, "choose your own adventure" learning experience by adding choice-based learning paths to your videos. Interactive videos are well known for their ability to increase viewer’s participation, reduce cognitive overload, maximize retention, and provide real world learning experiences. This workshop will explore pedagogical tips and technology tools for assembling an engaging interactive video path through a step-by-step process that will help you to make your own interactive video learning experience for students.  

Canvas Mastery Paths Quick Take (LCTR, TECH, DSGN) 
Canvas Mastery paths allows you to deliver specific pieces of course content to students based on performance on a graded assignment, discussion, or quiz. It is particularly useful for asynchronous courses where you want to restrict access to content until a student can master prior content. Mastery Paths can also allow you to present remedial content to students who did not perform well on a graded item and can also be used to provide students with a choice of assignments as they pursue course learning objectives. Join us as we guide you through Mastery Paths for Canvas.  

Getting Started with Poll Everywhere for Classroom Engagement (DSGN, TECH) Engaging students at a distance and in the classroom can present challenges. Poll Everywhere provides a way to interact with your students with activities designed to ask questions, drive participation in group activities, and encourage students to share thoughts and insights from their phones or computers. 

The workshop will use a blended flipped type of experience where the participants will first go into the Canvas course to view the course material that explains the procurement of a Poll Everywhere account, how to download and install the Poll Everywhere app to PowerPoint, and short videos introducing the Poll Everywhere software. After completing the Canvas portion, the participant will be granted access to the zoom link for the live Zoom session.  

Beyond Plagiarism Detection: Cultivating Ethical AI Engagement in Student Projects (INTG, DSGN, TECH)
Generative AI is fast becoming an interesting student-facing tool to explore for coursework. There are many creative ways to engage students and provide learning opportunities using tools such as ChatGPT and Bing’s Image Creator. In this session, faculty at NSU who have been using generative AI for coursework, will share their experiences so far. The panel will share what worked well and what they learned for future experiences. The session will provide insights for other faculty members who are considering, or already using, generative AI in their courses.

That’s Debatable! How to Create Better Writers Using Micro-Debates (LCTR, DSGN)
That's Debatable! is a student-centered approach to academic literacy, discourse, and writing. Using the Claim Evidence Reasoning (CER) Framework, participants will explore a topic by examining a research article, preparing arguments both in support of and opposed to a proposed claim, and engage in academic discourse during the presentation phase by engaging in a micro debate. In this session, I will guide participants through the CER Framework and the micro-debate format. Participants will leave this session with the knowledge and resources required to engage their own students in micro-debates related to the topics currently being pursued in their courses.

Next Stop, Employment: Integrating Career Readiness in the Classroom with Graduate Students (LCTR)
Though many students seek graduate degrees to increase their level of employability and career opportunities within the workforce, the earned degree alone is not always sufficient for them to obtain employment or promotions post-graduation. Generations of college graduates have encountered challenges and barriers to employment in their field of study post-graduation (Abel et al., 2014). Despite the frequency of school-to-work transitions, job search can be a nonintuitive and tedious process for many individuals (Liu et al., 2014). In addition, it is common for job seekers to lack confidence in adequately conveying their learned competencies, transferrable skills, and graduate experiences, a critical component for job search (Smith, 2015). While the Center for Academic and Professional Success (CAPS) supports students with general career readiness, graduate students may require additional aid surrounding specific guidance for their unique profession’s expectations. As a result, this presentation focuses on three primary career readiness tasks that instructors can tailor and integrate within their classrooms to prepare graduate students for the job market post-graduation: (a) elevator pitch, (b) interviewing, and (c) project-based experiences. The objective for integrating these career readiness strategies is to prepare graduates with the tools to effectively convey their learned concepts and skills from their programs to future employers within their industry/profession. Further, intentional focus on career readiness with graduate students may aid graduate programs with increasing their graduate-to-work statistics, thus increasing the value of their programs. Finally, in this presentation, practical implications and cultural and ethical considerations are provided to address diverse student needs.

Learning in Motion: Incorporating Movement to Facilitate Learning and Engagement (LCTR, DSGN)
Traditional classrooms often confine students to desks, promoting sedentary behaviors that can harm health and hinder focus. However, integrating movement into learning offers numerous advantages beyond academic achievement, spanning neurological, physiological, and mental health benefits. This session explores dynamic learning experiences at the intersection of movement and collaborative learning, demonstrating practical and fun strategies for both educators and learners. Participants will learn strategies to incorporate movement into the classroom through collaborative learning strategies. The presenter will showcase three different strategies used in college courses: concentric circles, jigsaw, and speed “dating.” Specific assignments used with each strategy will be discussed, providing practical insights for implementation. Participants are encouraged to bring a current assignment from their course to discuss opportunities to integrate movement. The session will culminate in an interactive Q&A and discussion, enabling participants to address questions and share their experiences. The session aims to empower educators to foster physical activity and engaging learning environments.

Packing our Bags for Inclusive Classroom Engagement: Strategies for Actively Engaging Students to Explore Diversity (BEDI, LCTR, DSGN)
Today’s college students are on a journey to grow knowledge, skills, and competence in the profession of their dreams. The landscape of the learning environment requires faculty to adjust their teaching styles as students respond to changes in societal norms. Creating a curriculum to meet the needs of multiple learning styles and a diverse student population must include various teaching methods. In addition to developing new teaching methods, it is essential to consider the growing cultural profile of our nation. As future professionals serving diverse populations, students benefit from a robust curriculum that exposes them to various populations and promotes cultural competence. Many strategies enhance learning about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Active learning is an instructional method that engages students with the curriculum through discussions, classroom activities, problem-solving, and other methods. Creating activities and discussions around diversity can foster an inclusive classroom environment while providing opportunities for students to relate to real-life problems. Encouraging students to work together to provide feedback to faculty regarding course content can promote a sense of belonging. The proposed presentation addresses how faculty can engage students using active learning methods in physical and virtual classrooms. Faculty can benefit from packing a bag of ideas, activities, and creative strategies that include topics, terminology, and principles of diversity in their course content. How faculty might consider inclusivity when creating course assessments and activities will be discussed. Attendees will engage with learning content and activities exemplifying diversity, inclusion, and belonging principles.

Developing a Podcast Assignment Workshop (LCTR, DSGN, TECH)
Podcasts are a creative and fun way to engage with important concepts and course-based knowledge. They offer a different approach to foster and demonstrate learning and can engage students who may otherwise have a low level of interest. In this workshop, we will show you how to develop an assignment where your students create a podcast. We will cover the equipment and software needed (spoiler alert: it’s free and easy), podcast formats, how to guide your students through the steps, and how to publish or share the results.

Professional Development Offerings

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