Stearns Center Events Calendar

Welcome to our events calendar page! Please bookmark this page to learn more about upcoming events and changes to events listed below.  Also, don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up with all SC events and support resources!

  • Digital Learning (DL) – Webinars blend information with a Q&A period. They are recorded for future viewing. Recording links will be published on our Trainings page.
  • Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) – Faculty Learning Communities and Webinars focus on writing and faculty development.
  • Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – CPD Workshops and Webinars help faculty to document their teaching over time. For more information on CPD credentials, click this link.

Spring 2024

March

Tuesday, March 12 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | via Zoom | Fostering Engagement and Belonging with Inclusive Classroom Techniques | CPD Level 1 Engage| Facilitator: Rachel Yoho  
 
*Formerly known as Anti-Racism and Inclusive Teaching: An Introduction to Developing More Inclusive Educational Spaces 
 
Are you ready to integrate inclusive teaching throughout your instructional spaces? Would you like to explore techniques and build tangible plans for your classes? This is where that journey begins. In this workshop, we will explore some of the definitions and terms often found in conversations about creating more inclusive classrooms. We will work together to advance our individual abilities in broadly inclusive teaching and learning to support all students. At the end of the workshop, we will have developed familiarity with concepts and terminology, explored deliberately inclusive classroom activities, and set one or two manageable goals for our classes. Register here.

Tuesday, March 12 | 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | via Zoom | Supporting Student Learning through Self-Awareness and Reflection to Navigate a Complex, Global Society | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho 
 
*Formerly known as Exploring Positionality and Intersectionality in the Mason Core Context 
 
Are you interested in incorporating techniques to help students develop their own self-awareness and navigate a complex, global society in your field, discipline, and course?  Or are you (re-)developing a course for one of the new Mason Core designations of Just Societies or Global Contexts?  This workshop is designed to support your teaching around helping students develop their self-awareness, particularly related to your discipline.  This workshop includes the concepts of positionality and intersectionality broadly, but particularly for the new Core areas. At the end of the workshop, we will have explored the concepts and applied them to potential activities and assignments in our courses. Register here. 

Wednesday, March 13 | 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | via Zoom | Successfully (Re-)Designing and Proposing a Mason Core Course | Facilitators: Rachel Yoho, Shelley Reid, and Laura Poms

*Formerly known as Course Proposal Workshop

Mason Core Committee is seeking course proposals for courses in the revised Global Contexts category and the new Just Societies flag. Courses planning to run in the inaugural Fall 2024 semester will need approval by Fall 2023, so it’s not too early to start! Faculty interested in proposing a course for QEP-Community Engaged Learning status are also welcome!  
 
Join us for a review of the new learning outcomes, a guide to the proposal process, and the opportunity to compose a first draft of your proposal and get some early feedback. Come on your own or bring colleagues who will help design or teach the course. And watch for announcements about upcoming course design and student engagement workshops, especially to support JS courses. Register here. 
 
See more about Mason Core courses or contact Mason Core for more information (masoncor@gmu.edu).

Fridays, March 15 and 29 | ~9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | In-person CEC building | STEM Inclusive Excellence in Teaching Academy | Facilitators: Rachel Yoho, Shelley Reid, Laura Poms, and Laina Lockett 

In March, the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning in collaboration with the College of Engineering and Computing, with support from The Mason Core, will be hosting a special two-day STEM Inclusive Excellence in Teaching Academy designed specifically to support faculty from the STEM disciplines. This workshop is focused on helping STEM faculty create inclusive classrooms, activities, syllabi, and discussions to support all students across identities and experiences as they develop into STEM professionals.  

The workshop will be on campus in the College of Engineering and Computing.  Each day’s activities will include a blend of information, guided individual work time, and collaboration and feedback from peers. Lunch will be provided for all on-campus participants.  Seats are limited, so please register early to reserve your space!   

Please reach out to Dr. Rachel Yoho (ryoho@gmu.edu) with questions about the workshop or to Christi Wilcox (cwilcox6@gmu.edu) for the link to register. 

March 19 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Get Your Class Back on Track: How to Make a Mid-Course Correction | CPD Level 1 Engage | Zoom | Facilitator: Crystal Anderson

Did you try something new this semester, but it did not turn out as you expected? Would you like to combat student disengagement to increase student attendance and assignment completion? In this workshop, you will learn strategies to apply during the semester to get your class back on course and reach your learning goals. This workshop counts for the CPD Level 1 Engage category. Register here

Wednesday, March 20th | 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Zoom | Honorlock Demonstration | Digital Learning | Facilitator(s): Kim Pulda (Honorlock) and Debasmita Giri Jana (GMU)

Honorlock provides remote proctoring software and services for higher education institutions and professional education organizations. It combines live proctors with AI proctoring software to protect academic integrity and improve the assessment experience. 
Honorlock revolutionizes the way academic and enterprise institutions enable equity in online courses and exams by upholding honesty and integrity and focusing on reaffirming the trust placed in learners while ensuring integrity for the institution, the instructors’ knowledge and value, and the exams themselves.  Register here

Wednesday, March 20 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | via Zoom | (Re-)Designing Syllabi for Inclusive Classrooms that Support Learners & Instructors | CPD Level 1 Design | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho   

*Formerly known as Syllabi That Support Learners and Instructors: Designing and Redesigning Syllabi for Inclusive Classrooms 
 
Are you ready to align your courses with university commitments to inclusive teaching? Or are you developing a new course or submitting an existing one for the new university-wide tags (like Mason Core)? In this workshop, we will work to advance our understanding of inclusive course design and how to improve syllabi to be more inclusive for everyone in the space (including instructors!). During the session, we will have specific discussion time to focus on connecting these ideas with your course and your discipline. At the end of the workshop, participants will leave with a greater understanding of the potential considerations for designing and redesigning inclusive course syllabi and aligning with broader institutional initiatives and expectations. Register here.  

April

Tuesday, April 2 | 10:30-11:45 am | Zoom | Promoting Academic Integrity in STEM Classrooms | CPD Level 1 Assess| Facilitator: Laina Lockett 

It seems like academic integrity has always been a concern of STEM faculty, but now with so many new technologies available to students, this topic may seem overwhelming. So, what can be done about this ever-evolving issue? In this workshop, we will discuss ways that faculty can prevent cheating on various types of assessments including exams, projects and papers. We will also discuss what the literature says about how faculty can promote ethical discussion making in their students and what you should know about the currently available detection software. The strategies discussed in this workshop can be applied to in-person and online courses of any size so please join the workshop and join the discussion. Register here

Wednesday, April 3 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Zoom | Surviving to Thriving: Incorporating Trauma-Informed Instructional Practices | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho 

Whether individual or collective, trauma can have a significant impact on lives and how students (and instructors) show up and are able to engage in the classroom.  In this workshop, we will explore the concept of trauma and how it applies to the classroom, recognize a few common trauma responses, investigate several educational best practices, expand our thinking with resilient pedagogy, and begin to apply these concepts to our own teaching.  Together we will move beyond minimum legal requirements or accommodations to design and implement evidence-based instructional strategies in university education. Register here. 

Friday, April 5 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | via Zoom | Fostering Engagement and Belonging with Inclusive Classroom Techniques | CPD Level 1 Engage| Facilitator: Rachel Yoho

*Formerly known as Anti-Racism and Inclusive Teaching: An Introduction to Developing More Inclusive Educational Spaces

Are you ready to integrate inclusive teaching throughout your instructional spaces? Would you like to explore techniques and build tangible plans for your classes? This is where that journey begins. In this workshop, we will explore some of the definitions and terms often found in conversations about creating more inclusive classrooms. We will work together to advance our individual abilities in broadly inclusive teaching and learning to support all students. At the end of the workshop, we will have developed familiarity with concepts and terminology, explored deliberately inclusive classroom activities, and set one or two manageable goals for our classes. Register here.

Tuesday, April 9 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | via Zoom | Hands-on Syllabus Workshop: (Re-)Designing Syllabi for Inclusive Classrooms that Support Learners and Instructors | CPD Level 1 Design| Facilitator: Rachel Yoho
 
Are you ready to align your courses with university commitments to inclusive teaching? In this hands-on and collaborative workshop, we will create one specific action for increasing inclusion in your syllabus that works for you, your course, and your context.  Participants are asked to bring a syllabus that they would like to focus on during the session.  At the end of the workshop, participants will leave with a syllabus ready to go for the next time they offer the course. Register here. 


Friday, April 12 | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | via Zoom | Gradescope Demonstration | Facilitator(s): Lyn Riverstone (Gradescope) and John Schell (GMU)  

Gradescope helps you seamlessly administer and grade all of your assessments, whether online or in-class. Save time grading and get a clear picture of how your students are doing. Gradescope is a tool designed to streamline and standardize the grading of paper-based, digital, and coding assignments. It allows for handwritten assignments to be graded digitally, and for multiple graders to collaboratively develop and implement their grading rubrics. It supports problem sets and projects, worksheets, quizzes, exams, and papers. Please reach out to John Schell (dschell@gmu.edu) with any questions. Register here
 

Tuesday, April 16 | 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | via Zoom | Preparing Your Course and Yourself for Difficult Classroom Discussions and Situations | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho  

*Formerly known as Important Conversations in the Classroom:  Preparing Your Course and Yourself 
 
Do you have strategies to prepare yourself and your students to handle difficult conversations? This could be when you are having difficult conversations about topics like race, sexuality, religion, politics, or similar. These situations also could result from a discussion comment that makes a student or group uncomfortable or might even be about grades. In this workshop, we will discuss how to design (or redesign) your course and prepare yourself to facilitate important or “hot topic” conversations in the classroom.  Background information on how to design the course and prepare for facilitating important conversations in the classroom will be provided.  This workshop is applicable to instructors across all disciplines for facilitating important conversations, whether or not their designed course topics include socially pressing issues. This workshop is part of a two-part series for Mason faculty to engage in anti-racist and inclusive education across all disciplines. Register here.

Wednesday, April 17 | 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | via Zoom | Successfully (Re-)Designing and Proposing a Mason Core Course | Facilitators: Rachel Yoho, Shelley Reid, and Laura Poms 

*Formerly known as Course Proposal Workshop 
 
Mason Core Committee is seeking course proposals for courses in the revised Global Contexts category and the new Just Societies flag. Courses planning to run in the inaugural Fall 2024 semester will need approval by Fall 2023, so it’s not too early to start! Faculty interested in proposing a course for QEP-Community Engaged Learning status are also welcome!  
 
Join us for a review of the new learning outcomes, a guide to the proposal process, and the opportunity to compose a first draft of your proposal and get some early feedback. Come on your own or bring colleagues who will help design or teach the course. And watch for announcements about upcoming course design and student engagement workshops, especially to support JS courses. Register here. 
 
See more about Mason Core courses or contact Mason Core for more information (masoncor@gmu.edu). 

Tuesday, April 23 | 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | via Zoom | How to Handle Difficult Classroom Discussions and Situations in the Moment | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho 

*Formerly known as Important Conversations in the Classroom:  Handling Situations in the Moment 
 
Are you prepared to handle difficult discussions and charged situations in the classroom in the moment? Do you usually think of things later that you wish you would have said or done?  In this workshop, we will prepare and practice how to handle important and potentially tense classroom conversations in the moment.  Our focus will be on how to support everyone in the classroom – including yourself – during tense times.  We will discuss and practice several teaching approaches.  This workshop is applicable to instructors across all disciplines for facilitating important conversations, whether or not their designed course topics include socially pressing issues (like race, gender, religion, politics).  Please note, this is the second in a two-part workshop series on important conversations.  However, participants are welcome and encouraged to attend this session even if they were not able to attend part one. Register here.

Wednesday, April 24 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Zoom | Introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar 

You tried a new pedagogical approach or curricular innovation and it seemed to work! If you had studied the impact of that teaching change on your students’ learning, you would have been engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), which invites you to examine your classroom practices systematically, improve your teaching based on your findings, and then share your findings with others. In this introduction to SoTL, you will reflect on how and why you might want to design and implement a SoTL project in your class, and explore SoTL practices, methods and tools to help you get started. Attendees will be eligible for a drawing to win a copy of Nancy Chick’s Book, SoTL in Action. Register here.  

Monday, April 29 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Zoom | SoTL Project Planning Workshop | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar

Already have a SoTL project idea? Join us for a 90-minute virtual working session to plan your SoTL study and draft an IRB application for your research! Following a brief review of SoTL project components, attendees will brainstorm potential research questions and methods, draft plans for collecting and analyzing data, consider challenges of human subjects research, and use an IRB application template to develop application materials. Attendees will be eligible for a drawing to win a copy of Nancy Chick’s Book, SoTL in Action. Register here.

May

May 14 | 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Accelerated CPD Level 1 for Mason Core: Part 1 | CPD Level 1 Required and DEA | Zoom | Facilitator: Crystal Anderson

Are you teaching an exploratory course in Mason Core? Would you like to participate in professional development that allows you to document your growth as an instructor?  Whether you are new to college teaching or an experienced instructor, we invite you to take advantage of Part 1 of this accelerated opportunity to earn a Level 1 Teaching Essentials Credential as part of the Stearns Center’s Continuing Professional Development program. Part 1 features two workshops: Fundamentals of Effective Teaching and Relate to the Real World: How to Make Your Assignments Relevant. If you complete Part 1 and Part 2 of Accelerated CPD Level 1, you will earn the CPD Level 1 Teaching Essentials Credential in two days. Register here

May 16 | 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Accelerated CPD Level 1 for Mason Core: Part 2 | CPD Level 1 Design and Assess | Zoom | Facilitator: Crystal Anderson 

Are you teaching an exploratory course in Mason Core? Would you like to participate in professional development that allows you to document your growth as an instructor?  Whether you are new to college teaching or an experienced instructor, we invite you to take advantage of Part 2 of this accelerated opportunity to earn a Level 1 Teaching Essentials Credential as part of the Stearns Center’s Continuing Professional Development program. Part 1 features two workshops: Make Room for the Good Stuff: How to Avoid the Tyranny of Content and Teaching and Reduce Your Workload: How to Grade Efficiently. If you complete Part 1 and Part 2 of Accelerated CPD Level 1, you will earn the CPD Level 1 Teaching Essentials Credential in two days. Register here

Friday, May 17 | 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | via Zoom | Successfully (Re-)Designing and Proposing a Mason Core Course | Facilitators: Rachel Yoho, Shelley Reid, and Laura Poms 

*Formerly known as Course Proposal Workshop 
 
Mason Core Committee is seeking course proposals for courses in the revised Global Contexts category and the new Just Societies flag. Courses planning to run in the inaugural Fall 2024 semester will need approval by Fall 2023, so it’s not too early to start! Faculty interested in proposing a course for QEP-Community Engaged Learning status are also welcome!  
 
Join us for a review of the new learning outcomes, a guide to the proposal process, and the opportunity to compose a first draft of your proposal and get some early feedback. Come on your own or bring colleagues who will help design or teach the course. And watch for announcements about upcoming course design and student engagement workshops, especially to support JS courses.  Register here. 
 
See more about Mason Core courses or contact Mason Core for more information (masoncor@gmu.edu).

Monday May 20 – Friday May 24, 2024 | 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Zoom | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Inspired Pedagogies | CPD Level 2 | Facilitator: Laina Lockett  

By now you’ve probably heard of ChatGPT or one of the other various new large language models (LLMs) that have taken the world by storm. But do you know how to deal with the ever-evolving artificial intelligence technology as it relates to your teaching? In this mini course you will be exposed to the basics of redesigning your course as it relates to learning outcomes and instructional activities. We will also explore how to get feedback from students regarding the changes that you make. (This is the same program as the program offered January 24-February 21.) Register here

Tuesday, May 21 and Wednesday, May 22, 2024 | ~9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Hybrid | Mason Core Inclusive Excellence Two-Day Academy| Facilitators: Laura Poms, Shelley Reid, and Rachel Yoho  

*Formerly known as Mason Core Just Societies/Global Contexts Two-Day Academy, Inclusive Excellence in Teaching Academy, and Mason Core ARIT Academy 

In May, the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning in collaboration with The Mason Core will be hosting a special two-day Mason Core Inclusive Excellence Academy designed specifically to support faculty who are revising courses to meet new Mason Core outcomes–with particular focus on supporting faculty who are developing a course for the Just Societies flag.  Helping students in Core courses explore questions of belonging and opportunity, identify structural needs and seek more just outcomes in each field and discipline, and converse with peers about difficult topics all pose challenges in both the design and implementation of a curriculum.  This Academy will also support the Global Contexts Mason Core designation.  

The workshop will have options to participate on-campus (strongly recommended) or live-remote via Zoom; like our Proposal Workshop, each day’s activities will include a blend of information, guided individual work time, and collaboration and feedback from peers. A stipend may be available for faculty (any status) who complete the two-day workshop. Coffee, snacks, and lunch will be provided for all on-campus participants. Seats are limited, so please register early to reserve your space! Register here

Thursday, May 23 | 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | via Zoom | Fostering Engagement and Belonging with Inclusive Classroom Techniques | CPD Level 1 Engage| Facilitator: Rachel Yoho 

*Formerly known as Anti-Racism and Inclusive Teaching: An Introduction to Developing More Inclusive Educational Spaces 
 
Are you ready to integrate inclusive teaching throughout your instructional spaces? Would you like to explore techniques and build tangible plans for your classes? This is where that journey begins. In this workshop, we will explore some of the definitions and terms often found in conversations about creating more inclusive classrooms. We will work together to advance our individual abilities in broadly inclusive teaching and learning to support all students. At the end of the workshop, we will have developed familiarity with concepts and terminology, explored deliberately inclusive classroom activities, and set one or two manageable goals for our classes. Register here.

Thursday, May 23 | 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | via Zoom | Preparing Your Course and Yourself for Difficult Classroom Discussions and Situations| Facilitator: Rachel Yoho 

Do you have strategies to prepare yourself and your students to handle difficult conversations? This could be when you are having difficult conversations about topics like race, sexuality, religion, politics, or similar. These situations also could result from a discussion comment that makes a student or group uncomfortable or might even be about grades. In this workshop, we will discuss how to design (or redesign) your course and prepare yourself to facilitate important or “hot topic” conversations in the classroom.  Background information on how to design the course and prepare for facilitating important conversations in the classroom will be provided.  This workshop is applicable to instructors across all disciplines for facilitating important conversations, whether or not their designed course topics include socially pressing issues. This workshop is part of a two-part series for Mason faculty to engage in anti-racist and inclusive education across all disciplines. Register here. 

Friday, May 24 | 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | via Zoom | (Re-)Designing Syllabi for Inclusive Classrooms that Support Learners & Instructors | CPD Level 1 Design | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho  
 

*Formerly known as Syllabi That Support Learners and Instructors: Designing and Redesigning Syllabi for Inclusive Classrooms 
 
Are you ready to align your courses with university commitments to inclusive teaching? Or are you developing a new course or submitting an existing one for the new university-wide tags (like Mason Core)? In this workshop, we will work to advance our understanding of inclusive course design and how to improve syllabi to be more inclusive for everyone in the space (including instructors!). During the session, we will have specific discussion time to focus on connecting these ideas with your course and your discipline. At the end of the workshop, participants will leave with a greater understanding of the potential considerations for designing and redesigning inclusive course syllabi and aligning with broader institutional initiatives and expectations. Register here. 

Friday, May 24 | 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | via Zoom | How to Handle Difficult Classroom Discussions and Situations in the Moment | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho 

*Formerly known as Important Conversations in the Classroom:  Handling Situations in the Moment 
 
Are you prepared to handle difficult discussions and charged situations in the classroom in the moment? Do you usually think of things later that you wish you would have said or done?  In this workshop, we will prepare and practice how to handle important and potentially tense classroom conversations in the moment.  Our focus will be on how to support everyone in the classroom – including yourself – during tense times.  We will discuss and practice several teaching approaches.  This workshop is applicable to instructors across all disciplines for facilitating important conversations, whether or not their designed course topics include socially pressing issues (like race, gender, religion, politics).  Please note, this is the second in a two-part workshop series on important conversations.  However, participants are welcome and encouraged to attend this session even if they were not able to attend part one. Register here. 

Wednesday, May 29 | 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | via Zoom | Supporting Student Learning through Self-Awareness and Reflection to Navigate a Complex, Global Society | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho  

*Formerly known as Exploring Positionality and Intersectionality in the Mason Core Context  

Are you interested in incorporating techniques to help students develop their own self-awareness and navigate a complex, global society in your field, discipline, and course?  Or are you (re-)developing a course for one of the new Mason Core designations of Just Societies or Global Contexts?  This workshop is designed to support your teaching around helping students develop their self-awareness, particularly related to your discipline.  This workshop includes the concepts of positionality and intersectionality broadly, but particularly for the new Core areas. At the end of the workshop, we will have explored the concepts and applied them to potential activities and assignments in our courses. Register here.

Thursday, May 30 | 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | via Zoom | Helping Students Learn in Difficult Classroom Conversations and Situations | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho 

Are you ready to take your next steps in engaging successfully in difficult classroom conversations and situations?  In this leveled-up workshop, we will explore the elements of free speech in an educational context, investigate types of disruptions and situationally appropriate teaching responses, and analyze scenarios with colleagues.  This workshop is applicable to instructors across all disciplines for facilitating important conversations, whether or not their designed course topics include socially pressing issues (like race, gender, religion, politics).  Please note, this is the third in a four-part workshop series on important conversations.  Participants are encouraged – but not required – to engage with parts 1 and 2 before joining this session. Register here.  

Wednesday, May 29 | 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | via Zoom | Surviving to Thriving: Incorporating Trauma-Informed Instructional Practices | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho 

Whether individual or collective, trauma can have a significant impact on lives and how students (and instructors) show up and are able to engage in the classroom.  In this workshop, we will explore the concept of trauma and how it applies to the classroom, recognize a few common trauma responses, investigate several educational best practices, expand our thinking with resilient pedagogy, and begin to apply these concepts to our own teaching.  Together we will move beyond minimum legal requirements or accommodations to design and implement evidence-based instructional strategies in university education. Register here.

Friday, May 31 | 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | via Zoom | Teaching Through Difficult Conversations Using the Perspectives Framework | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho 

Do you wish there were tools ready to implement in the classroom to help students discuss difficult topics?  In this workshop, we will explore the elements of teaching through conflict, controversy, and around difficult topics.  We will provide an overview of the instructional tool, Perspectives, from CDI, and how you might apply this in your classes.  This workshop is applicable to instructors across all disciplines for facilitating important conversations, whether or not their designed course topics include socially pressing issues (like race, gender, religion, politics).  Please note, this is the fourth in a four-part workshop series on important conversations.  However, participants are welcome and encouraged to attend this session even if they were not able to attend the other three yet. Register here.