Center for Teaching and Learning Blog

Author: Jeffrey Toorongian

Inclusive STEM Teaching Project

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Inclusive STEM Teaching ProjectThe Inclusive STEM Teaching Project is offering another 6-week course designed to advance the awareness, self-efficacy, and the ability of faculty, postdocs, and doctoral students to cultivate inclusive STEM learning environments for all their students and to develop themselves as reflective, inclusive practitioners.

The free, instructor-led course begins on October 2 and will require approximately 2-3 hours of participation per week. Instructors can learn more about the course by visiting the edX Inclusive STEM Teaching Project course page. Michigan Tech will not be facilitating a campus learning community this semester.

Contact the CTL if you have questions (487-3000, ctl@mtu.edu)

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iClicker Classic software transitioning to iClicker Cloud soon

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iClicker Cloud

iClicker has announced that the legacy iClicker Classic software will be retired and no longer supported or available at the end of 2023.  For several years now most instructors have used the more robust iClicker Cloud software to engage their students with classroom polls and other features.  iClicker Cloud offers additional polling question types (short answer, target question) not available in the legacy iClicker Classic software.  If you are still using iClicker Classic please make plans to transition to the iClicker Cloud software beginning in the Spring 2024 semester.  This iClicker resource has full details on iClicker Classic transition to iClicker Cloud

Don’t forget that Michigan Tech has a campus site license for iClicker, so instructors can use it as part of their teaching pedagogy at no extra cost to their students.  Please visit our CTL student polling resource page for more information on using polls to engage students in your classes.  A short knowledge base article also reviews the basics of getting started with iClicker Cloud.  Contact the CTL (elearning@mtu.edu) if you have questions or need help planning your transition to iClicker Cloud.

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Join a CTL book club this fall!

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The Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning invites MTU instructors to participate in a book club this fall focused on digital accessibility.  Join with your faculty colleagues as we read about the importance of addressing digital accessibility in your classes to ensure they are inclusive for all your students.  We’ll review related policies and laws, best practices for addressing digital accessibility issues in your course materials, and identify opportunities for additional professional development.

Details

Book: Guide to Digital Accessibility: Policies, Practices, and Professional Development, Edited by Rae Mancilla and Barbara A. Frey.  The book will be provided to all participants.

When:

The CTL Book Club will meet weekly (for six weeks) beginning the week of October 2 thru the week of November 13 (no meeting during the October 19 recess week). Specific dates/times will be determined based on feedback from participants.  A minimum of five people are required for the book club to proceed, with a maximum capacity of 12 participants.   Please submit your registration to our book club form no later than September 30 . 

Meeting Dates (chapter selections may be modified):

  • Week of October 2: Digital accessibility in higher education (historical perspective laws, standards)
  • Week of October 9: Quality Matters Standard 8 (accessibility & usability)
  • Week of October 23: Designing inclusive and accessible online & hybrid courses 
  • Week of October 30: Scenarios and solutions for accessible courses
  • Week of November 6: Digital accessibility awareness
  • Week of November 13:Technology tools to support digital accessibility

Contact the CTL (ctl@mtu.edu) with any questions or for more information.

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2023 CTL Instructional Awards Announced

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The Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) congratulates the following 2023 Deans’ Teaching Showcase members who have been selected to receive 2023 CTL Instructional Awards.  

  • Elham Asgari (College of Business)- Innovative or Out of Class Teaching:  
  • Tim Wagner (Mathematical Sciences)-Large Class Teaching
  • Pasi Lautala (CEGE), and Radheshyam Tewari (ME-EM)-Curriculum Development and Assessment

This year’s recipients will present an overview of the efforts that led to their teaching awards at a CTL Lunch and Learn event on Tuesday, September 12, at 12:00 in the MUB Alumni Lounge.  Each presenter will receive formal recognition and a cash award. 

Please register in advance to attend the luncheon.

The CTL would also like to thank previous instructional award recipients who were instrumental in the selection process.

We’re looking for nominations for the upcoming 2024 Deans’ Teaching Showcase during spring semester. Please consider suggesting (to your dean or chair) instructors whom you’ve seen make exceptional contributions in curriculum development, assessment, innovative or out-of-class teaching, or large class teaching.

Contact the CTL (ctl@mtu.edu) for more information.

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A great teaching resource for Michigan Tech instructors

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The Teaching Professor

As we begin the new academic year we want to remind instructors of the campus subscription to the Teaching Professor sponsored by the CTL. The Teaching Professor is a highly informative newsletter with a singular purpose: to provide ideas and insight to educators who are passionate about teaching. It’s a source of cutting-edge information and inspiration for more than 10,000 educators at universities and colleges worldwide.

To access the Teaching Professor visit teachingprofessor.com:

  • On campus you can obtain full access to all Teaching Professor content (including their extensive archive) if your computer/device is connected to the campus network (except the MichiganTechGuest network). It is not necessary to create an account or log in to access the subscription on-campus.
  • Off campus access is also available but does require you to create an account.

Take advantage of this resource and contact the CTL (ctl@mtu.edu) if you have any questions.

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