Stearns Center Events Calendar

Wednesday November 8 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. | Zoom | Workshop: Syllabi That Support Learners and Instructors Follow-Up: A Hands-On Syllabus Workshop | 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. Please note, this is being offered as a follow-up workshop to the “Syllabi that Support Learners and Instructors” workshop, however interested individuals are encouraged to attend this workshop even if they were not able to join the previous workshop. Register here.

Friday, November 10 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Zoom | Workshop: Anti-Racism and Inclusive Teaching: An Introduction to Developing More Inclusive Educational Spaces | CPD Level 1 Engage| Facilitator: Rachel Yoho 
 
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 inclusive teaching and learning. At the end of the workshop, we will have developed familiarity with concepts and terminology, explored inclusive classroom activities, and set one or two manageable goals for their classes. Register here.

Monday, November 13 | 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Zoom | Course Proposal Workshop | Facilitators: Laura Poms, Shelley Reid, Rachel Yoho 

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.  

See more about Mason Core courses or contact Mason Core for more information (masoncor@gmu.edu).  Register here.

Friday, December 1 |  9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | Zoom | Workshop: 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

Friday, December 1 | 10:15 a.m.- 12:15 p.m. | Zoom | Workshop: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Project Planning Workshop | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar

Already have a SoTL project idea? Join us for a 2-hour virtual working session to plan your SoTL study and draft an IRB application for your research! Following a brief review of IRB expectations, attendees will brainstorm potential research questions and methods, draft plans, get feedback from fellow participants, and potentially find collaborators interested in the same topic. Attendees will be eligible for a drawing to win a copy of Nancy Chick’s Book, SoTL in Action. Register here.

Monday, December 4 and Tuesday, December 5 | ~9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Hybrid | Mason Core ARIT Academy | Facilitators: Laura Poms, Shelley Reid, and Rachel Yoho 

In December, the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning in collaboration with The Mason Core will be hosting a special two-day Anti-Racist and Inclusive Teaching 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 racism and other forms of discrimination, identify structural inequality 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.

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. And as a special thank-you for being part of our early cohort, we will also hold a drawing for some giveaways, including books and gear to help with your teaching. Seats are limited, so please register early to reserve your space! Register here.

Monday Topics in the Mason Core Instructional Context: Course proposal process review; developing more inclusive spaces in the Mason Core; positionality; assignment design; preparing for important classroom conversations; collaborative work time with colleagues

Tuesday Topics in the Mason Core Instructional Context: Facilitating important conversations in the moment; designing assignments to measure civic engagement skills; intersectionality; inclusive syllabus design; planning for longer-term course and instructional support

Participants who complete this two-day workshop will also be enrolled in one of our course implementation communities, to provide ongoing support and collaboration throughout the launch of the new courses.

Please reach out to Dr. Rachel Yoho (ryoho@gmu.edu) with questions about the workshop or to Dr. Laura Poms (lpoms@gmu.edu) with questions about the Mason Core.

Thursday, January 4 & Friday January 5, 2024 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time | Venue: Blend of in-person and on-video meetings | Course ReDesign Academy | Facilitators: E. Shelley Reid and Team | With final mini-portfolio due January 12, 2024 

Course ReDesign Academy helps faculty build or revise engaging, relevant, manageable courses based on matching the best research-based teaching practices with your goals and needs. Whether you’re designing a course for 20 or 200 students, to take place in a classroom or online, for a STEM program or a capstone experience or an introduction to the major, CRA offers faculty support, feedback, and community to enhance your work. 

For January 2024, we are aiming for a blend of in-person and on-video meetings. On-campus and remote participants should expect to work steadily through the day on specific redesign projects, 8:30 am – 4:30pm Eastern Time, on January 4 & 5, 2024. If you are selected for the Academy and require some accommodations to manage family commitments during those days, or you are joining from a different time zone, we would be happy to work with you ahead of time to ensure that you can complete tasks in time to participate in key group events. 

It’s also not too early to think a little further ahead: new course proposals for Mason Core’s “Just Societies” and “Global Contexts” categories will be sought in late Spring and Fall 2023, so that courses can launch in Fall 2024. The CECiL office is also starting to designate courses for Community Engaged Learning. Is your course ready for new outcomes and teaching approaches? We can help you think through the opportunities!  

Course ReDesign Academy provides a stipend to support faculty from all ranks, levels, disciplines, and modalities as they build or revise engaging, relevant, manageable courses. See our site for deadlines, dates, details, and FAQs. 

Monday January 8, and Tuesday January 9, 2024 | 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Hybrid | Mason Core ARIT Academy | Facilitators: Laura Poms, Shelley Reid, and Rachel Yoho 

In January, the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning in collaboration with The Mason Core will be hosting a special two-day Anti-Racist and Inclusive Teaching 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 racism and other forms of discrimination, identify structural inequality 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.  

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. We’re offering a stipend for faculty (any status) who complete the two-day workshop. Coffee, snacks, and lunch will be provided for all on-campus participants. And as a special thank-you for being part of our early cohort, we will also hold a drawing for some giveaways, including books and gear to help with your teaching.  Seats are limited, so please register early to reserve your space! Registration link coming soon. 

Monday, January 8 & Tuesday, January 9, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Hybrid | Faculty Writing Retreat and Panels (information forthcoming on the panels) | Facilitator: Partner event hosted by WAC and FA&D 

This multi-day event—co-sponsored by Writing Across the Curriculum, the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Office of Faculty Affairs and Development—offers an active approach to uninterrupted writing time, a chance to learn from our guest speakers, and a supportive and collegial community of peers to boost your writing productivity. All faculty are invited and are welcome to work on a variety of research and creative projects at all stages of completion. Registration link coming soon. 

January 8 – 11, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. | Zoom | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Inspired Pedagogies | 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 Mini Course offered January 24-February 21.) Register here.

January 24-February 21, 2024 (weekly) | 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Zoom | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Inspired Pedagogies | 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 Mini Course offered the week of January 8th.)  Register here.