FCTL Blog

Here’s What’s Happening at the FCTL

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FCTL Faculty Teaching Awards – Nominations are due January 21, 2022
The FCTL Advisory Council wants to recognize faculty contributions in areas that are important to the mission and long-term goals at Missouri State University. Submit your nomination now!
Nominations will be accepted in the following categories: 

  • Equity and Inclusion 
  • Teaching with Technology 
  • Per-Course Teaching

More information and link to online nomination form

Showcase Fridays
Showcase Fridays are an extension of the annual Showcase on Teaching and Learning providing an opportunity to learn and discuss with colleagues a variety of topics and issues surrounding the science and art of teaching. These may include teaching with Zoom, service-learning pedagogy, strategies for assessment and student feedback, or inclusive teaching.  

These sessions will be 11:00 a.m.-11:50 a.m. on Fridays.  

Links will be available on Blackboard’s Academic Community and will be emailed to faculty each Monday for the sessions that are virtual. 

“It’s Showtime!” Take your video recordings to the next level!
Date: November 5, 2021
Time: 11:00 a.m.– 11:50 a.m.
Facilitator: Eric Taylor
Location: Virtual 

Join Eric Taylor with the FCTL and learn how to improve the quality of your videos with intermediate to advanced editing techniques. In this workshop, we’ll explore basic workflow, transitions, titling, keyframing, and color correction among other elements designed to improve the look and feel of your presentations. 

Finding and competing for local, state, and federal grants in your discipline
Date: November 19, 2021
Time: 11:00 a.m.– 11:50 a.m.
Facilitators: Rachel McGinnis and Keri Franklin
Location: Virtual 

Did you know assistance is available to pursue grant funding opportunities? Join Rachel McGinnis, Director of Research Administration, to learn about resources available for finding grant opportunities and help with submitting a grant. Dr. Keri Franklin, Associate Provost for Public Affairs and Assessment, and a professor in English will discuss tips and resources she found useful in her successful pursuit of $5 million in education grants.

Unlikely Allies in the Academy: Women of Color and White Women in Conversation Book Talk
Join Dr.’s Marjorie Shavers & Nancy Gordon for a discussion about Dr. Karen L. Dace’s Unlikely Allies in the Academy: Women of Color and White Women in Conversation.
Date: Friday, February 25, 2022
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: The Ozarks Room, Meyer Library Room 302 

Interested faculty should use the QR code to download the eBook, which requires BearPass login.
Please contact FCTL@MissouriState.edu if you prefer a printed copy of the book.

You Can Help A Student
Attend this training to learn more about supporting students struggling with mental health concerns, including how and where to refer students when necessary. This 120-minute session uses interaction and conversations to teach audience members actionable ways they can support students in distress. This training is open to all Missouri State Faculty and Staff. 

One-day training offered on the following dates:

Monday, November 8                 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, November 18             8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Friday, December 10                  10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Register today through My Learning Connection on My Missouri State.
If you have any questions, contact the MSU Counseling Center at (417)836-5116 or ChiaraCitterio@MissouriState.edu 

Public Affairs Talks! breaking barriers to good mental health
Breaking Barriers to Good Mental Health 

Date:  Thursday, November 11, 2021
Time:  4:00 p.m. – 5:00p.m.
Location:  In-person event at PSU Theater.
All faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend as important information is shared regarding good mental health practices.  Free and open to the public.   

Questions? Contact Stacey Trewatha-Bach at StaceyTrewatha@MissouriState.edu.

Magna Professional Development opportunities
Are You Interested in Participating in an Online Seminar Directly from Your Office?
MSU has an institutional license to the following on-demand resources.  

  • The Teaching Professor – access great articles and practical, evidence-based insights on strategies for creating a better learning environment.  This online newsletter has been a trusted guide for educators for more than 30 years.  Editor Dr. Maryellen Weimer has over 25 years of experience in college teaching.  She has authored several books and is a highly regarded proponent of effective teaching practices. 
  • Magna Commons – a content library of on-demand versions of many of Magna’s most popular Magna Online Seminars, covering a broad range of topics of interest to faculty and administrators. 
  • 20-Minute Mentor – a content library of on-demand versions of Magna’s popular 20-Minute Mentor programs, covering a broad range of faculty development topics. (See below).

Access these resources by activating your Magna subscription through the Academic Community located in Blackboard. Select the Academic Community from the Community tab in Blackboard, and from the Academic Community’s main menu, select Magna Subscriptions located under Professional Learning.  Follow the instructions provided to activate your subscription.

Monday Morning Mentor
These sessions will become available on Monday mornings.  Through your Magna subscription, the program will be available for on-demand viewing for one full week.  

Remaining Fall 2021 sessions 

November 1
How Can I Develop Opportunity-minded Learners?
It’s essential that students begin to think about value creation before graduating. When students graduate, they will ultimately be creating value for somebody in their careers. How can instructors best prepare these students for a meaningful career beyond skill-based content? 

November 8
How Can I Manage the Disconnect Between Faculty and Student Perceptions of Rigor to Increase Learning?
You can’t dispel students’ misperceptions about difficult coursework if you’re unaware of what these misperceptions are. This program discusses common mismatched definitions of rigor and strategies for bridging the divide between teacher definitions and student definitions. By leveraging these strategies, you’ll be better able to improve students’ motivation and build stronger classroom connections. 

November 15
How Can I Help Students Who Are Struggling with Online Learning?
While some students excel when taking online courses, many find online learning challenging and have difficulties keeping up with required readings, course activities, and assessments. Students may struggle in online courses because they mistakenly believe online education is easier than face-to-face, they have poor study habits, or they lack planning, organization, and time management skills. 

November 22
How Can I Grade In Less Time with Greater Impact?* – TBA 

November 29
What are the Differences Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Teaching, and How Do I Best Choose the Format for My Online Class?
Online instruction has become a multifaceted experience. Instructors can select their platform, course design, and now, their instructional format. Online courses can be taught either synchronously, where learning occurs at a specified time and date, or asynchronously, where students can complete course content on their own time. How do instructors know when to teach synchronously or asynchronously? 

December 6
What Can I Do to Manage and Reduce Academic Job Stress?
Faculty face a number of challenging and emotionally draining conditions in their work – troubled or angry students, reduced funding and cutbacks, and political conflict on campus to name a few. Explore ways that faculty (and others) can take care of themselves so that they can continue to do their work effectively. 

For information on all sessions for this semester, see Fall 2021 Schedule 
Go to the Academic Community to activate your subscription and view the complete schedule. Passwords will be provided weekly.

Online Learning Consortium™ Faculty Workshops in November and December
The OLC offers an extensive online learning opportunities for education professionals. Check out the workshops available in September and beyond. 

Fundamentals: Increasing Interaction & Engagement
November 8 – 14
Student engagement is an important indicator for a successful class experience. In this workshop, you will explore practices that foster student engagement in your own courses, including the use of multimedia feedback, discussion techniques, and group involvement. You will also learn about barrier to engagement, and you can address these challenges.

Learning Objectives: 

  • Describe strategies that help overcome obstacles to student engagement. 
  • Develop a plan to improve student engagement in your online course. 

Introduction to Online Presentation Tools
November 15 – 21
Presentations are an important method for delivering content in the online environment. In this workshop, you will explore web-based tools that leverage the potential to engage learners, build communities, and promote continuing dialogue. You will also explore techniques for making presentations more interactive. 

Learning Objectives: 

  • Evaluate various online presentation tools. 
  • Create a short online presentation. 

Adaptive Learning Fundamentals and Courseware Exploration
November 15 – 21  & November 28 – December 4
Adaptive learning is an emerging tech ology shown to increase student engagement and learning. These automated systems can assess student knowledge, give immediate feedback, and provide scaffolding to support learning. 

Learning Objectives: 

  • Identify how properties of adaptive learning increase student engagement. 
  • Evaluate the available adaptive learning tools in your discipline. 
  • Discuss how adaptive learning tools might work for your classes. 

Designing a Flipped Classroom
December 6 – 12
Flipped learning is a model of teaching in which the more passive learning activities such as watching lectures, happen outside of the classroom, saving more in-person class time for interactive activities. 

Learning Objectives: 

  • Discuss the benefits and challenges of flipped design models. 
  • Design a flipped learning plan appropriate for your course.

Curriculum Innovation Mini Grants
There is now additional funding available for Curriculum innovation mini grants. Awards are limited up to $1,200 per grant application.  Curriculum innovation mini-grants support faculty with ‘pivoting’ their courses during the ongoing Coronavirus. 

 Applicants must complete an application indicating: 

  1. What one change do you want to make to your course? i.e., better engage students with the content, create more engaging video lectures, determine better strategies for blended instruction. 
  2. What do you think might help you with this change? i.e., document camera or other video equipment, digital tools that will engage students, not sure. 
  3. How will you know if you were successful in creating this change? i.e., I will see better scores, I will have more engaging course materials online, my students will be more satisfied with their learning experience. 

Submit Curriculum Innovation Mini-Grant Application. 

Mini-Grants are one-time funding and faculty should consider ongoing costs such as annual subscription services. Applications will be considered until the funding is depleted.

Faculty Writing Retreats
Faculty Writing Retreats (in-person and virtual) will help you meet your writing goals for the year. Begin new articles, revise and resubmit, polish your book proposal, complete your last edits, and connect and collaborate with other faculty scholars. 

For Fall 2021, in-person Writing Retreats are back! Register for any of the following dates. If you register, you may also choose to write along in your office or at home and join our lunchtime roundtable via ZOOM. 

FCTL Conference Room, Meyer Library Room 204                             8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 

Fall 2021 dates: 

  • Friday, November 19  
  • Monday-Tuesday, December 20-21 

Please register through My Learning Connection by searching for “Faculty Writing Retreats Program” and choose the sessions you wish to attend. If you sign up, you are not obliged to stay all day if you have other obligations. Participants will be sent a form to log their goals and contacted prior to each event with a reminder. Lunchtime Workshops may feature special topics and/or guest presenters on writing and research productivity. Morning coffee and catered lunch provided by the Office of the Provost.
For more information or to be put on the mailing list, please contact facultywriting@missouristate.edu.

Course Video Sharing for Faculty
The Office of the Provost, the FCTL, and Information Services would like to share some information with faculty about uploading video to Blackboard. We are recommending video be shared via Microsoft Stream or YouTube. Please see How to Share a Video to Blackboard. As storage space is at a premium, you are encouraged to remove video files. Here is an article on how to do so How to Remove Video Files from Blackboard. 

Blackboard is not a video streaming service and storage is at a premium. Videos need to be stored on a video streaming platform such as Microsoft Stream or YouTube. The links to the videos can be shared within your Blackboard courses. Here is a list of Blackboard best practices Blackboard Best Practices for Faculty.

LinkedIn Learning – Professional Development Opportunity
LinkedIn Learning (LIL) is an on-demand e-learning library now available to all faculty, staff, and students to support your academic efforts.  The extensive library consists of course subjects, soft skills, software programming, technical training, hobby, and passion projects. 

For professional development:
If faculty and staff are interested in exploring personal career development opportunities or need CEU’s for professional certifications, LIL may also have what you need. LIL can be accessed on a desktop, tablet, and mobile phone with 24/7 customer service support.  Faculty/Staff can activate their free license through the MyMissouristate.edu portal on the Profile/Professional Development channel.  

For use with students:
Want to share refresher or rudimentary LinkedIn content with students?
LinkedIn Learning is available to all faculty, students, and staff. You can share LinkedIn Learning content with your students easily within your Blackboard course. Students will activate their license through the MyMissouristate.edu/Registration/Resources channel. For all IT-related questions, visit the Team Dynamics ticketing system available at https://missouristate.edu/helpdesk. 

Assessment Grants Opportunities
Faculty Assessment of Student Learning Grants are available.  The purpose of these grants is to support you, the faculty, in your innovative practices in the assessment of student learning.
Apply today for a $500 Program Assessment Grants to share how your program assesses student learning.

Self-Paced FCTL Course Development Boot Camps
The resources from the FCTL’s virtual online boot camps are available as a self-paced course development boot camp. This self-paced version will cover many of the same things as the virtual and on-campus boot camps, but you will be participating at your own schedule and can contact the FCTL Instructional Designers at any time during this process. Their contact information is listed in the meet your instructional designers area of the modules.  

What’s included in the self-paced course development boot camp  

  • Best practices related to online courses and teaching 
  • Different assessment options available in Blackboard 
  • How to remove potential barriers for students with disabilities. 
  • Strategies to foster community and engagement in the online classroom 
  • Strategies to prevent student cheating 
  • Copyright and fair use in distance education 

How to find the self-paced boot camp (access begins June 1, 2020)  

  • Log into Blackboard and select the Community Tab at the top of the page. 
  • select Academic Community from the My Organizations module. 
  • Once in the site, on the main menu, locate “self-paced course development boot camp” to access the boot camp materials. 

Upon completion of each of the activities within the module you will be able to print a certificate of completion.
Contact the FCTL@MissouriState.edu for additional information on any of these opportunities.

Here’s What’s Happening at the FCTL

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Curriculum Innovation Grants – Call is now open!

The FCTL Advisory Council is pleased to announce its Call for Proposals for Curriculum Innovation Grant funding. The purpose of this grant opportunity is to support faculty in advancing teaching and learning practices at Missouri State University.

The call for submissions for Curriculum Innovation Grants opened on September 20, 2021.  Submissions will be due on October 31, 2021.

Curriculum Innovation awards provide funding of up to $4,000 per grant. An itemized budget of expenses is part of the application process. Proposals smaller than $4,000 are encouraged to apply.

More information

FCTL Faculty Teaching Awards – Nominations are due January 21, 2022

Nominations will be accepted in the following categories:

  • Equity and Inclusion
  • Teaching with Technology
  • Per-Course Teaching

More information and link to online nomination form

Showcase Fridays

Showcase Fridays are an extension of the annual Showcase on Teaching and Learning providing an opportunity to learn and discuss with colleagues a variety of topics and issues surrounding the science and art of teaching. These may include teaching with Zoom, service-learning pedagogy, strategies for assessment and student feedback, or inclusive teaching.

These sessions will be 11-11:50 a.m. on Fridays.

Links will be available on Blackboard’s Academic Community and will be emailed to faculty each Monday for the sessions that are virtual.

October Sessions:

General Education Reports: Clear and Simple

Date: October 15, 2021
Time: 11:00 – 11:50 a.m.
Facilitators: Tracy Stout and Joseph Williams
Location: Glass Room 486

 Gen Ed report due? Have questions about your role as general education coordinator? Curious about the reporting form and evaluation of your course? During this session, members on CGEIP will cover the latest changes to the online form, clear up any misconceptions about what is expected to be reported, plus you will have the opportunity to work on your report before you leave.

Interested in joining an engaged group of scholarly writers? Then check out the Faculty Writing Retreats!

Date: October 22, 2021
Time: 11:00 – 11:50 a.m.
Facilitator: Jonathan Newman
Location: Virtual

Join Jonathan Newman and dedicated faculty authors during a live Writing Retreat. Jonathan and faculty participating in these events will provide a feel for what it is like to attend a Writing Retreat and share benefits of participating and collaborating with other faculty writers.

Integrating a student-centered syllabus to increase student engagement

Date: October 29, 2021
Time: 11:00 – 11:50 a.m.
Facilitator: Stacy Rice
Location: Virtual

Your syllabus will establish the first impression students have of you and your course. Research indicates that a student-centered syllabus which includes an overall tone of engagement and student success will lead to a more positive view of the instructor and the course among students over a traditional syllabus focused on content (Palmer et.al, 2015; Harnish & Bridges, 2011).

November Sessions:

“It’s Showtime!” Take your video recordings to the next level!

Date: November 5, 2021
Time: 11:00 – 11:50 a.m.
Facilitator: Eric Taylor
Location: Virtual

Join Eric Taylor with the FCTL and learn how to improve the quality of your videos with intermediate to advanced editing techniques. In this workshop, we’ll explore basic workflow, transitions, titling, keyframing, and color correction among other elements designed to improve the look and feel of your presentations.

Finding and competing for local, state, and federal grants in your discipline

Date: November 19, 2021
Time: 11:00 – 11:50 a.m.
Facilitators: Rachel McGinnis and Keri Franklin
Location: Virtual

Did you know assistance is available to pursue grant funding opportunities? Join Rachel McGinnis, Director of Research Administration, to learn about resources available for finding grant opportunities and help with submitting a grant. Dr. Keri Franklin, Associate Provost for Public Affairs and Assessment, and a professor in English will discuss tips and resources she found useful in her successful pursuit of $5 million in education grants.

Magna Professional Development opportunities

Magna Summer Enrichment Course

Time is running out on this opportunity! All courses end on September 18th and usually take 20 hours to complete.

Magna Publications is offering online courses on effective college teaching, online teaching practices, flipped instruction, and student engagement.  Available courses:

  • Developing and Teaching an Online Course
  • Start Teaching Online
  • Practical Solutions for Flipping your Classroom
  • Engaging Students

Complete course descriptions can be found at 2021 Summer Enrichment Courses.

Contact the FCTL@MissouriState.edu if you would like to register for one of these courses.

Are You Interested in Participating in an Online Seminar Directly from Your Office?

MSU has an institutional license to the following on-demand resources.

  • The Teaching Professor– access great articles and practical, evidence-based insights on strategies for creating a better learning environment.  This online newsletter has been a trusted guide for educators for more than 30 years.  Editor Dr. Maryellen Weimer has over 25 years of experience in college teaching.  She has authored a number of books and is a highly regarded proponent of effective teaching practices.
  • Magna Commons– a content library of on-demand versions of many of Magna’s most popular Magna Online Seminars, covering a broad range of topics of interest to faculty and administrators.
  • 20-Minute Mentor– a content library of on-demand versions of Magna’s popular 20-Minute Mentor programs, covering a broad range of faculty development topics. (See below).

Access these resources by activating your Magna subscription through the Academic Community located in Blackboard. Select the Academic Community from the Community tab in Blackboard, and from the Academic Community’s main menu, select Magna Subscriptions located under Professional Learning.  Follow the instructions provided to activate your subscription.

Monday Morning Mentor

These sessions will become available on Monday mornings.  Through your Magna subscription, the program will be available for on-demand viewing for one full week.

October sessions

October 11
How Can I Teach Soft Skills to Better Prepare Students for the Workplace?
This Magna 20-Minute Mentor discusses core power skills which include: teamwork, communication, positive attitude, critical thinking, professionalism, and time management. You’ll also learn a four-phase approach to integrating soft-skill education into a curriculum and how to design related activities to unleash the full potential of your students.

October 18
How Can I Encourage Students to Stay Connected with Course Content After Class?
Learn techniques you can use to deepen student understanding of course material—after class is over—that you presented in the classroom. These techniques include creating reflection videos and cartoon making, among others.

October 25
How Can I Effectively Move Peer Reviews Online?
For online teachers who need to engage students in a peer view of written assignments, this 20-Minute Mentor details specific instructions of how to accomplish this online, as well as what technology tools are best suited for this process.

November sessions

November 1
How Can I Develop Opportunity-minded Learners?
It’s essential that students begin to think about value creation before graduating. When students graduate, they will ultimately be creating value for somebody in their careers. How can instructors best prepare these students for a meaningful career beyond skill-based content?

November 8
How Can I Manage the Disconnect Between Faculty and Student Perceptions of Rigor to Increase Learning?
You can’t dispel students’ misperceptions about difficult coursework if you’re unaware of what these misperceptions are. This program discusses common mismatched definitions of rigor and strategies for bridging the divide between teacher definitions and student definitions. By leveraging these strategies, you’ll be better able to improve students’ motivation and build stronger classroom connections.

November 15
How Can I Help Students Who Are Struggling with Online Learning?
While some students excel when taking online courses, many find online learning challenging and have difficulties keeping up with required readings, course activities, and assessments. Students may struggle in online courses because they mistakenly believe online education is easier than face-to-face, they have poor study habits, or they lack planning, organization, and time management skills.

November 22
How Can I Grade in Less Time with Greater Impact? * – TBA

November 29
What are the Differences Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Teaching, and How Do I Best Choose the Format for My Online Class?
Online instruction has become a multifaceted experience. Instructors can select their platform, course design, and now, their instructional format. Online courses can be taught either synchronously, where learning occurs at a specified time and date, or asynchronously, where students can complete course content on their own time. How do instructors know when to teach synchronously or asynchronously?

For information on all sessions for this semester, see Fall 2021 Schedule

Go to the Academic Community to activate your subscription and view the complete schedule. Passwords will be provided weekly.

Online Learning Consortium™ Faculty Workshops in October and November

The OLC offers an extensive online learning opportunities for education professionals. Check out the workshops available in September and beyond.

October courses

  • Blended Learning: Applying Best Practices into Course Design – Oct 4 – Oct 30
  • New to Online, Essentials Part I: Getting Started – Oct 11 – Oct 17, Nov 8 – Nov 14, Dec 6 – Dec 12
  • Designing Courses with a Multimodal Approach – Oct 11 – Oct 17
  • Getting Started with Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) Course Design – Oct 11 – Oct 17, Nov 29 – Dec 5
  • Creating Infographics for Learning, Oct 25 – Oct 31
  • Designing Game-Based Learning, Oct 25 – Oct 31
  • Exploring Interactive Video Tool, Oct 27 – Oct 29

November courses

  • Fundamentals: Engaging Learners in Online Discussions – Nov 8 – Nov 14
  • Fundamentals: Increasing Interaction & Engagement – Nov 8 – Nov 14
  • Copyright & Fair Use, Part II: Court Decisions to “Best Practices” – Nov 9
  • New to Online Essentials
    • Part 1: Getting Started Nov 8 – Nov 14
    • Part II: Converting Your Course Nov 15 – Nov 21
    • Part III: Course Design Basics Nov 29 – Dec 5
  • Applying UDL Principles to Online Courses to Increase Accessibility & Engagement – Nov 29 – Dec 5
  • Creating Effective Assessment – Nov 29 – Dec 5

Curriculum Innovation Mini Grants

There is now additional funding available for Curriculum innovation mini grants. Awards are limited up to $1,200 per grant application.

Curriculum innovation mini-grants support faculty with ‘pivoting’ their courses during the ongoing Coronavirus.

Applicants must complete an application indicating:

  1. What one change do you want to make to your course? i.e., better engage students with the content, create more engaging video lectures, determine better strategies for blended instruction.
  2. What do you think might help you with this change? i.e., document camera or other video equipment, digital tools that will engage students, not sure.
  3. How will you know if you were successful in creating this change? i.e., I will see better scores, I will have more engaging course materials online, my students will be more satisfied with their learning experience.

Submit Curriculum Innovation Mini-Grant Application.

Mini-Grants are one-time funding and faculty should consider ongoing costs such as annual subscription services. Applications will be considered until the funding is depleted.

Faculty Writing Retreats

Faculty Writing Retreats (in-person and virtual) will help you meet your writing goals for the year. Begin new articles, revise and resubmit, polish your book proposal, complete your last edits, and connect and collaborate with other faculty scholars.

For Fall 2021, in-person Writing Retreats are back! Register for any of the following dates. If you register, you may also choose to write along in your office or at home and join our lunchtime roundtable via Zoom.

FCTL Conference Room, Meyer Library Room 204                      8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Fall 2021 dates:

Friday October 22nd
Friday November 19th
Mon-Tue Dec 20th-21st

Please register through My Learning Connection by searching for “Faculty Writing Retreats Program” and choose the sessions you wish to attend. If you sign up, you are not obliged to stay all day if you have other obligations.

Participants will be sent a form to log their goals and contacted prior to each event with a reminder.
Lunchtime Workshops may feature special topics and/or guest presenters on writing and research productivity.
Morning coffee and catered lunch provided by the Office of the Provost.

For more information or to be put on the mailing list, please contact facultywriting@missouristate.ed

Course Video Sharing for Faculty

The Office of the Provost, the FCTL, and Information Services would like to share some information with faculty about uploading video to Blackboard.

We are recommending video be shared via Microsoft Stream or YouTube. Please see How to Share a Video to Blackboard.
As storage space is at a premium, you are encouraged to remove video files. Here is an article on how to do so How to Remove Video Files from Blackboard.
Blackboard is not a video streaming service and storage is at a premium. Videos need to be stored on a video streaming platform such as Microsoft Stream or YouTube. The links to the videos can be shared within your Blackboard courses. Here is a list of Blackboard best practices Blackboard Best Practices for Faculty.

LinkedIn Learning – Professional Development Opportunity

LinkedIn Learning (LIL) is an on-demand e-learning library now available to all faculty, staff, and students to support your academic efforts.  The video content can be assigned to students as stand-alone or built into Blackboard and used as course prerequisites, student remediation, or supplemental material.  The extensive library consists of course subjects, soft skills, software programming, technical training, hobby, and passion projects.   If needed, LIL can even tailor content specific to your course based on learning objectives.

If faculty and staff are interested in exploring personal career development opportunities or need CEU’s for professional certifications, LIL may also have what you need.

LIL can be accessed on a desktop, tablet, and mobile phone with 24/7 customer service support.  Faculty/Staff can activate their free license through the MyMissouristate.edu portal on the Profile/Professional Development channel.

Students will activate their license through the MyMissouristate.edu/Registration/Resources channel.

For instructions in incorporating LinkedIn Learning content into your curriculum, please visit:
https://missouristate.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1931/Portal/KB/?CategoryID=19029

For all IT-related questions, visit the Team Dynamics ticketing system available at https://missouristate.edu/helpdesk.

Assessment Grants Opportunities

Faculty Assessment of Student Learning Grants are available.  The purpose of these grants is to support you, the faculty, in your innovative practices in the assessment of student learning.

Apply today for a $500 Program Assessment Grants to share how your program assesses student learning.

Self-Paced FCTL Course Development Boot Camps

The resources from the FCTL’s virtual online boot camps are available as a self-paced course development boot camp. This self-paced version will cover many of the same things as the virtual and on-campus boot camps, but you will be participating at your own schedule and can contact the FCTL Instructional Designers at any time during this process. Their contact information is listed in the meet your instructional designers’ area of the modules.

What’s included in the self-paced course development boot camp

  • Best practices related to online courses and teaching
  • Different assessment options available in Blackboard
  • How to remove potential barriers for students with disabilities.
  • Strategies to foster community and engagement in the online classroom
  • Strategies to prevent student cheating
  • Copyright and fair use in distance education

How to find the self-paced boot camp (access begins June 1, 2020)

  • Log into Blackboard and select the Community Tab at the top of the page.
  • select Academic Community from the My Organizations module.
  • Once in the site, on the main menu, locate “self-paced course development boot camp” to access the boot camp materials.

Upon completion of each of the activities within the module you will be able to print a certificate of completion.

Contact the FCTL@MissouriState.edu for additional information on any of these opportunities.

What’s Happening at the FCTL?

by

36th Showcase on Teaching and Learning

Thank you to all the presenters and the attendees who helped make Showcase a success!

If you were not able to attend, recordings of sessions are available in the Academic Community on Blackboard.

Magna Professional Development opportunities
Magna Summer Enrichment Course

Time is running out on this opportunity! All courses end on September 18th and usually take 20 hours to complete.
Magna Publications is offering online courses on effective college teaching, online teaching practices, flipped instruction, and student engagement. Available courses:

Developing and Teaching an Online Course
Start Teaching Online
Practical Solutions for Flipping your Classroom
Engaging Students

Complete course descriptions can be found at 2021 Summer Enrichment Courses.
Contact the FCTL@MissouriState.edu if you would like to register for one of these courses.

Are You Interested in Participating in an Online Seminar Directly from Your Office?
MSU has an institutional license to the following on-demand resources.

· The Teaching Professor – access great articles and practical, evidence-based insights on strategies for creating a better learning environment.  This online newsletter has been a trusted guide for educators for more than 30 years.  Editor Dr. Maryellen Weimer has over 25 years of experience in college teaching.  She has authored a number of books and is a highly-regarded proponent of effective teaching practices.
· Magna Commons – a content library of on-demand versions of many of Magna’s most popular Magna Online Seminars, covering a broad range of topics of interest to faculty and administrators.
· 20-Minute Mentor – a content library of on-demand versions of Magna’s popular 20-Minute Mentor programs, covering a broad range of faculty development topics. (See below).

Access these resources by activating your Magna subscription through the Academic Community located in Blackboard. Select the Academic Community from the Community tab in Blackboard, and from the Academic Community’s main menu, select Magna Subscriptions located under Professional Learning.  Follow the instructions provided to activate your subscription.

Monday Morning Mentor

These sessions will become available on Monday mornings. Through your Magna subscription, the program will be available for on-demand viewing for one full week.

September sessions:

September 13
How Can I Increase Exam Security with Custom Question Banks?
For faculty who want to increase their exam security, this 20-Minute Mentor demonstrates how to use question banks to create unique exams and improve academic integrity.

September 20
How Can Discussion Responses Give Narrative Shape to an Online Class?
For online teachers who are looking to create a more useful and engaging discussion board that ties to course content, this 20-Minute Mentor provides practical strategies to manage the discussion board and use it to frame course content.

September 27
How Can I Adapt My Teaching So Students Thrive in a Polysynchronous Classroom?
For teachers in any modality that are required to synchronously teach students in-person and virtually, this 20-Minute Mentor details how polysynchronous instruction can provide concrete tools for adapting teaching to both modalities to maximize through learning.

October sessions:

October 4
How Can I Ensure Academic Integrity in the Online Classroom?
TBA

October 11
How Can I Teach Soft Skills to Better Prepare Students for the Workplace?
This Magna 20-Minute Mentor discusses core power skills which include: teamwork, communication, positive attitude, critical thinking, professionalism, and time management. You’ll also learn a four phase approach to integrating soft-skill education into a curriculum and how to design related activities to unleash the full potential of your students.

October 18
How Can I Encourage Students to Stay Connected with Course Content After Class?
Learn techniques you can use to deepen student understanding of course material—after class is over—that you presented in the classroom. These techniques include creating reflection videos and cartoon making, among others.

October 25
How Can I Effectively Move Peer Reviews Online?
For online teachers who need to engage students in a peer view of written assignments, this 20-Minute Mentor details specific instructions of how to accomplish this online, as well as what technology tools are best suited for this process.

For information on all sessions for this semester, see Fall 2021 Schedule

Go to the Academic Community to activate your subscription and view the complete schedule. Passwords will be provided weekly.

Online Learning Consortium™ Faculty Workshops in September and October

The OLC offers an extensive online learning opportunities for education professionals. Check out the workshops available in September and beyond.

September courses:

Creating Effective Assessment – Sept 13–19
Fundamentals: Increasing Interaction & Engagement – Sept 20–26

October courses:

Blended Learning: Applying Best Practices into Course Design – Oct 4 – Oct 30
New to Online, Essentials Part I: Getting Started – Oct 11 – Oct 17, Nov 8 – Nov 14, Dec 6 – Dec 12
Designing Courses with a Multimodal Approach – Oct 11 – Oct 17
Getting Started with Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) Course Design – Oct 11 – Oct 17, Nov 29 – Dec 5
Creating Infographics for Learning, Oct 25 – Oct 31
Designing Game-Based Learning, Oct 25 – Oct 31
Exploring Interactive Video Tool, Oct 27 – Oct 29

Curriculum Innovation Grants

The call for submissions for Curriculum Innovation Grants will open on September 20, 2021. More information will be provided soon.

Submissions will be due on October 31, 2021.

Curriculum Innovation Mini Grants

There is now additional funding available for Curriculum innovation mini-grants. Awards are limited up to $1,200 per grant application.

Curriculum innovation mini-grants support faculty with ‘pivoting’ their courses during the ongoing Coronavirus.

Applicants must complete an application indicating:

What one change do you want to make to your course? i.e., better engage students with the content, create more engaging video lectures, determine better strategies for blended instruction.
What do you think might help you with this change? i.e., document camera or other video equipment, digital tools that will engage students, not sure.
How will you know if you were successful in creating this change? i.e., I will see better scores, I will have more engaging course materials online, my students will be more satisfied with their learning experience.

Submit Curriculum Innovation Mini-Grant Application.

Mini-Grants are one-time funding and faculty should consider ongoing costs such as annual subscription services. Applications will be considered until the funding is depleted.

Faculty Writing Retreats

Faculty Writing Retreats (in-person and virtual) will help you meet your writing goals for the year. Begin new articles, revise and resubmit, polish your book proposal, complete your last edits, and connect and collaborate with other faculty scholars.

For Fall 2021, in-person Writing Retreats are back! Register for any of the following dates. If you register, you may also choose to write along in your office or at home and join our lunchtime roundtable via Zoom.

FCTL Conference Room, Meyer Library Room 204 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Fall 2021 dates:
Friday September 17th
Friday October 22nd
Friday November 19th
Mon-Tue Dec 20th-21st
Please register through My Learning Connection by searching for “Faculty Writing Retreats Program” and choose the sessions you wish to attend. If you sign up, you are not obliged to stay all day if you have other obligations.

Participants will be sent a form to log their goals and contacted prior to each event with a reminder.

Lunchtime Workshops may feature special topics and/or guest presenters on writing and research productivity.
Morning coffee and catered lunch provided by the Office of the Provost.
For more information or to be put on the mailing list, please contact facultywriting@missouristate.edu

Showcase Fridays
Showcase Fridays are an extension of the annual Showcase on Teaching and Learning providing an opportunity to learn and discuss with colleagues a variety of topics and issues surrounding the science and art of teaching. These may include teaching with Zoom, service-learning pedagogy, strategies for assessment and student feedback, or inclusive teaching.

These sessions will be available via Zoom – 11-11:50 am on Fridays.
Links will available on Blackboard’s Academic Community and will be emailed to faculty each Monday.

September Sessions:

September 17, 2021
Encouraging student self-care in an online physiological psychology classroom: Can a modest effort make an impact?
Facilitator: Carly Yadon
Instructor support is associated with various positive outcomes for students, particularly for online learners. The concept of student well-being is becoming more widely recognized, yet the role of instructor is under explored. Students enrolled in an online physiological psychology course participated in a control or experimental group section that contained an integrated self-care blog and supporting communication and tools. The specific tools used as well as outcome measures will be shared. Integrated classroom discussions about self-care may serve to help students reduce stress, connect with their instructor and peers, ideally facilitating skills that could be carried with them into the future.

September 24, 2021
Student Experiences and Attitudes in an Online Interprofessional Education Module
Facilitators: Jeanie Skibiski, Tara Stulce, Jessica Willis
Interprofessional education (IPE) has been cited by the World Health Organization as a method to prepare health care professionals to enter the workplace as a member of a collaborative practice team. Using patient safety scenarios, 2 diverse groups of students interacted with the goal of increasing knowledge of patient safety in a Blackboard Community created for the project. An additional goal was to measure any changes in the student’s overall attitude regarding IPE using a standardized tool (IPAS). Qualtrics embedded data feature enabled anonymous data collection and comparison between the 2 groups of students.

Course Video Sharing for Faculty
The Office of the Provost, the FCTL, and Information Services would like to share some information with faculty about uploading video to Blackboard.

We are recommending video be shared via Microsoft Stream or YouTube. Please see How to Share a Video to Blackboard.
As storage space is at a premium, you are encouraged to remove video files. Here is an article on how to do so How to Remove Video Files from Blackboard.

Blackboard is not a video streaming service and storage is at a premium. Videos need to be stored on a video streaming platform such as Microsoft Stream or YouTube. The links to the videos can be shared within your Blackboard courses. Here is a list of Blackboard best practices Blackboard Best Practices for Faculty.

LinkedIn Learning – Professional Development Opportunity

LinkedIn Learning (LIL) is an on-demand e-learning library now available to all faculty, staff, and students to support your academic efforts. The video content can be assigned to students as stand-alone or built into Blackboard and used as course prerequisites, student remediation, or supplemental material. The extensive library consists of course subjects, soft skills, software programming, technical training, hobby, and passion projects. If needed, LIL can even tailor content specific to your course based on learning objectives.

If faculty and staff are interested in exploring personal career development opportunities or need CEU’s for professional certifications, LIL may also have what you need.

LIL can be accessed on a desktop, tablet, and mobile phone with 24/7 customer service support. Faculty/Staff can activate their free license through the MyMissouristate.edu portal on the Profile/Professional Development channel.

Students will activate their license through the MyMissouristate.edu/Registration/Resources channel.

For instructions in incorporating LinkedIn Learning content into your curriculum, please visit:
https://missouristate.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1931/Portal/KB/?CategoryID=19029

For all IT-related questions, visit the Team Dynamics ticketing system available at https://missouristate.edu/helpdesk.

18th ANNUAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONFERENCE 2021 – Bridging the Divide

Join campus and community as this year’s conference explores the facets of Bridging the Divide, September 27-30. View the entire schedule of in-person speakers and special events such as the President’s Local Spotlight and the film presentation Songs from the Street. Over 30 panelists from across the nation will provide numerous perspectives on topics covered by 18 live zoom webinar panel sessions. Most sessions reflect general class starting times. Free and open to the public, highlighted speakers include:

Keynote: John Quiñones, Tues., Sept. 28, 7:30 pm at Juanita K. Hammons Hall
Shereen Marisol Meraji, Wed., Sept. 29, 7:30 pm via live zoom webinar
Bill Doherty, Thurs., Sept. 30, 12:30 pm via live zoom webinar
Daryl Davis, Thurs, Sept. 30, 7:30 pm at Juanita K. Hammons Hall

For more information visit publicaffairs.missouristate.edu/conference or contact the Office of Public Affairs Support.

Assessment Grants Opportunities

Faculty Assessment of Student Learning Grants are available. The purpose of these grants is to support you, the faculty, in your innovative practices in the assessment of student learning.

Apply today for a $500 Program Assessment Grants to share how your program assesses student learning.

Self-Paced FCTL Course Development Boot Camps

Since June 1, 2020, the resources from the FCTL’s virtual online boot camps have been available as a self-paced course development boot camp. This self-paced version will cover many of the same things as the virtual and on-campus boot camps, but you will be participating at your own schedule and can contact the FCTL Instructional Designers at any time during this process. Their contact information is listed in the meet your instructional designers area of the modules.

What’s included in the self-paced course development boot camp

Best practices related to online courses and teaching
Different assessment options available in Blackboard
How to remove potential barriers for students with disabilities.
Strategies to foster community and engagement in the online classroom
Strategies to prevent student cheating
Copyright and fair use in distance education

How to find the self-paced boot camp (access begins June 1, 2020)

Log into Blackboard and select the Community Tab at the top of the page.
Select Academic Community from the My Organizations module.
Once in the site, on the main menu, locate “self-paced course development boot camp” to access the boot camp materials.
Upon completion of each of the activities within the module you will be able to print a certificate of completion.

Contact the FCTL@MissouriState.edu for additional information on any of these opportunities.

What’s Happening at the FCTL-36th Showcase on Teaching & Learning

by

36th Showcase on Teaching & Learning – Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Equity and the Higher Education Classroom

The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning annually presents the Showcase on Teaching Learning to bring together innovative teaching and learning principles developed and applied by the academic community.  Please register through My Learning Connection and links to the sessions will be provided.

Agenda  

8:30 a.m.: Opening and Welcome

9:00 a.m.- 9:50 a.m.: Jamboard: Not Your Ordinary Whiteboard

Presenters: Annice McLean and Ching-Wen Chang
Session description: Jamboard is a free Google app that offers the basic features of a whiteboard plus tools for interactivity. It is not just a simple-to-use whiteboard for the instructor to ‘show’. Jamboard can also help engage students and student groups in collaborative activities. It can be used to provide students with independent self-paced activities or used with ZOOM, ZOOM breakout rooms, or Google Meet to engage students in a synchronous learning environment. Join us as we explore the features of Jamboard and share some ideas and Jamboard templates that can be used to enhance virtual and classroom lessons.

10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.: When Business *IS* Personal: Convenient Methods to Show Students You See/Hear/Know Them!

Presenter: Carly Pierson
Session description: No matter your class size, delivery, or content, it’s harder than ever to foster a sense of connection and individual attention for each of your students. Students need recognition for their good work, and you can provide it in a scalable way. You don’t need a special (paid) platform to deliver meaningful interactions. Caring about your students and communicating such should be planned, structured, and methodical…or else it’s not likely to be happening. Through my experience and the advice of colleagues across campus, I’ll share my best tips for showing students you care through scalable, convenient methods.

11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. What’s Love Got to Do with It?

Presenter: Amy Artman
Session description: In times like our pandemic era of social and technological distancing, it is more important than ever to find ways to create a sense of wonder in our classes. Online, blended, or in a regular classroom setting, how can we not just impart information, but foster a desire in students to want to learn more about our subject? In other words, how can we help our students fall in love with our classes, no matter the modality? In this session, we will explore ways to draw students into the kind of class experience that fosters curiosity, improves retention, and stimulates the desire to take more such classes in the future.

11:50 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Lunch Break

12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Keynote and Workshop with Bryan Dewsbury, Ph.D.

About Our Keynote Speaker:
Bryan Dewsbury is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Rhode Island. He is the Principal Investigator of the Science Education and Society (SEAS) research program whereas a team they blend research on the social context of teaching and learning, faculty development of inclusive practices and programming in the cultivation of equity in education. He is also a Fellow with the John N. Gardner Institute where he assists institutions of higher education cultivate best practices in inclusive education. He was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago. He immigrated in 1999 and attended Morehouse College for his Bachelor of Science in Biology after which he attended Florida International University for a Master’s and Ph.D. also in Biology. From there he transitioned to URI where his research focuses on inclusion and equity. Among his many publications is his 2019 piece “Deep Teaching in the STEM classroom” (CSSE) that recentralizes dialogue as the basis for good teaching. He has conducted faculty development and given plenary addresses on this topic to over 50 institutions of higher education, corporations and K12 institutions across North America.

12:30 p.m. -1:20 p.m.: Keynote: Equity and the Higher Education Classroom

In this presentation we will revisit carefully what it fundamentally means to educate, and the power and agency that a truly inclusive experience grants its participants. We will explore a particular classroom that enacts this principle with a charge to consider our own journeys to deliver transformative educational experiences.

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Workshop: Teaching Students – Strategies for the Cultivation of the Individual

In this workshop we will consider specific strategies that transcends content delivery, and instead address the maturation of the civically engaged individual toward living for meaning and purpose. Regardless of content, we will unpack inclusive approaches with suggestions for their implementation in different contexts.

Faculty Summer Writing Retreat

Plan on attending the Summer Writing Retreat July 12-16.  Details are still being worked out and registration will be available soon on My Learning Connection.

Apply for a Curriculum Innovation Mini-Grants

The Curriculum innovation mini-grants provide tools and technology that can used with teaching online.

What faculty are saying about the Curriculum Innovation Mini-Grants:

Holly Holladay – MJF; COAL
Award: Camtasia (1 year license), USB Microphone
” . . . it’s been relatively quick to create my 20-minute lectures, and very fast to do my weekly updates since they’re all in one take . . . It has made such a difference in the quality of my course content, and I’ll be able to use the videos I’m recording now for classes this summer.”

Damon Bassett – GGP; CNAS
Award: Digital Camera and GoPro HERO9
“ . . . developing virtual field experiences, [the] desire to provide better online experiences for students, we quickly realized that these tools could be used to make the geosciences more accessible as well.”

Kayla Lewis – RFT, COE
Award: Wacom Tablet and Document Camera
“ . . . so helpful in my teaching!”

Awards are limited to $1,200 per grant application and are considered one-time funding. One-year software purchases are allowable, but faculty/department are responsible for any ongoing costs such as annual renewal or subscription services.

Mini Grant Application available beginning July 1, 2021.

Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning
Meyer Library Room 202
Voice: 417-836-3059
Email: fctl@missouristate.edu

What’s Happening at the FCTL?

by

36th Showcase on Teaching and Learning – Wednesday, August 18, 2021

 Equity and the higher education classroom

The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning annually presents the Showcase on Teaching Learning to bring together innovative teaching and learning principles developed and applied by the academic community.  Please register through My Learning Connection and links to the sessions will be provided.

The 2021 Virtual Conference,held on August 18, 2021, will host Dr. Bryan Dewsbury, Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Rhode Island.  Dr. Dewbury’s Keyote will focus on Equity and the Higher Education Classroom.  The afternoon workshop will address Teaching Students – Strategies for the cultivation of the individual.

Agenda  

8:30 a.m.: Opening and Welcome

9:00 a.m.- 9:50 a.m.: Jamboard: Not Your Ordinary Whiteboard
Presenters: Annice McLean and Ching-Wen Chang

Session description: Jamboard is a free Google app that offers the basic features of a whiteboard plus tools for interactivity. It is not just a simple-to-use whiteboard for the instructor to ‘show’. Jamboard can also help engage students and student groups in collaborative activities. It can be used to provide students with independent self-paced activities or used with ZOOM, ZOOM breakout rooms, or Google Meet to engage students in a synchronous learning environment. Join us as we explore the features of Jamboard and share some ideas and Jamboard templates that can be used to enhance virtual and classroom lessons.

10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.: When Business *IS* Personal: Convenient Methods to Show Students You See/Hear/Know Them!
Presenter: Carly Pierson

Session description: No matter your class size, delivery, or content, it’s harder than ever to foster a sense of connection and individual attention for each of your students. Students need recognition for their good work, and you can provide it in a scalable way. You don’t need a special (paid) platform to deliver meaningful interactions. Caring about your students and communicating such should be planned, structured, and methodical…or else it’s not likely to be happening. Through my experience and the advice of colleagues across campus, I’ll share my best tips for showing students you care through scalable, convenient methods.

11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. What’s Love Got to Do with It?
Presenter: Amy Artman

Session description: In times like our pandemic era of social and technological distancing, it is more important than ever to find ways to create a sense of wonder in our classes. Online, blended, or in a regular classroom setting, how can we not just impart information, but foster a desire in students to want to learn more about our subject? In other words, how can we help our students fall in love with our classes, no matter the modality? In this session, we will explore ways to draw students into the kind of class experience that fosters curiosity, improves retention, and stimulates the desire to take more such classes in the future.

11:50 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Lunch Break

12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Keynote and Workshop with Bryan Dewsbury, Ph.D.

About Our Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Bryan Dewsbury is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Rhode Island. He is the Principal Investigator of the Science Education and Society (SEAS) research program whereas a team they blend research on the social context of teaching and learning, faculty development of inclusive practices and programming in the cultivation of equity in education. He is also a Fellow with the John N. Gardner Institute where he assists institutions of higher education cultivate best practices in inclusive education. He was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago. He immigrated in 1999 and attended Morehouse College for his Bachelor of Science in Biology after which he attended Florida International University for a Master’s and Ph.D. also in Biology. From there he transitioned to URI where his research focuses on inclusion and equity. Among his many publications is his 2019 piece “Deep Teaching in the STEM classroom” (CSSE) that recentralizes dialogue as the basis for good teaching. He has conducted faculty development and given plenary addresses on this topic to over 50 institutions of higher education, corporations and K12 institutions across North America.

12:30 p.m. -1:20 p.m. Keynote: Equity and the Higher Education Classroom

In this presentation we will revisit carefully what it fundamentally means to educate, and the power and agency that a truly inclusive experience grants its participants. We will explore a particular classroom that enacts this principle with a charge to consider our own journeys to deliver transformative educational experiences.

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Workshop: Teaching Students – Strategies for the Cultivation of the Individual

In this workshop we will consider specific strategies that transcends content delivery, and instead address the maturation of the civically engaged individual toward living for meaning and purpose. Regardless of content, we will unpack inclusive approaches with suggestions for their implementation in different contexts.

Faculty Writing Retreats

In May, Faculty Writing Retreats are going live again! We look forward to our fellowship of academic writers sharing lunch and the struggle of writing in one place again. If you would like to attend a live socially-distanced writing event on May 19 and 20th, please complete this following form ASAP.

Summer Conference Opportunities

Interested in attending a faculty conference to recharge this summer? Many conferences are still being offered virtually and some are FREE!

Conference

Date

Virtual/In-person

Free/Fee-based

The Teaching Professor Conference

June 4 – 6

Virtual & In-person

Fee-based

REMOTE: The Connected Faculty Summit

June 9 – 10

Virtual

Free

Big 12 Teaching and Learning Conference

June 10 – 11

Virtual

Fee-based

EdMedia +Innovate Learning

July 6 – 8

Virtual

Fee-based

BbWorld

July 13-15 + July 20-22

Virtual

Fee-based and some free sessions

Equity & Excellence Access in Higher Ed

July 28 – 30

Virtual

Fee-based

Lilly Conference

Aug 2 – 4

In-person

Fee-based

Distance Teaching & Learning Conference

Aug 2 – 5

Virtual

Fee-based

Showcase on Teaching and Learning

Aug 18

Virtual

Free

Course Video Sharing for Faculty

The Office of the Provost, the FCTL, and Information Services would like to share some information with faculty about uploading video to Blackboard.  We are recommending video be shared via Microsoft Stream or YouTube. Please see How to Share a Video to Blackboard. As storage space is at a premium, you are encouraged to remove video files. Here is an article on how to do so How to Remove Video Files from Blackboard.

Blackboard is not a video streaming service and storage is at a premium. Videos need to be stored on a video streaming platform such as Microsoft Stream or YouTube. The links to the videos can be shared within your Blackboard courses. Here is a list of Blackboard best practices Blackboard Best Practices for Faculty. 

The FCTL Academic Community is on Yammer!

You may be asking yourself “what the heck is Yammer”? Yammer is essentially a social networking tool for organizations that helps facilitate conversation and sharing of ideas and resources. It is part of the Office 365 package here at Missouri State. 

The FCTL instructional designers have created a Yammer Community site as an extension to the resources available through the Academic Community in Blackboard. We want to use it as another way to collaborate with faculty through shared ideas and resources around the topics of Teaching and Learning. It is an open group so all you need to do is locate Yammer in your Office 365 apps, select Discover Communities, locate the FCTL’s Academic Community and select Join. We look forward to connecting with you on Yammer!

 LinkedIn Learning – Professional Development Opportunity

Are you interested in supplementing your academic programs?  LinkedIn Learning is an on-demand e-learning resource now available to all faculty.  Whether your students need prerequisites, remediation, or refresher courses, LinkedIn Learning has an extensive library of subject matter, soft skills, and technical training for use in your curriculum.  LIL can even recommend content based on course learning objectives or skills taught to help you get started. LIL is accessed on desktop, tablet, and mobile phone.  The LIL platform and customer service support are available 24/7.  A quick tutorial on using LIL can be found here: Advance your skills with LinkedIn Learning.  If interested in learning more, send an email to HRLIL@missouristate.edu

Public Affairs Conference 2021 – Bridging the Divide

The 18th annual Public Affairs Conference will be September 28-30, 2021.  The 2021-2022 public affairs theme will be Bridging the Divide.  The fall conference will be a mix of virtual and in-person panels, speakers, and events.  Conference schedule will be available mid-May at www.publicaffairs.missouristate.edu.  Plan now to attend and incorporate into your fall classes!   Questions? Contact Stacey Trewatha-Bach at StaceyTrewatha@MissouriState.edu.

Assessment Grants Opportunities

Faculty Assessment of Student Learning Grants are available.  The purpose of these grants is to support you, the faculty, in your innovative practices in the assessment of student learning.  Apply today for a $500 Program Assessment Grants to share how your program assesses student learning.

Magna Professional Development opportunities

Are You Interested in Participating in an Online Seminar Directly from Your Office?

MSU has an institutional license to the following on-demand resources.

  • The Teaching Professor – access great articles and practical, evidence-based insights on strategies for creating a better learning environment.  This online newsletter has been a trusted guide for educators for more than 30 years.  Editor Dr. Maryellen Weimer has over 25 years of experience in college teaching.  She has authored a number of books and is a highly-regarded proponent of effective teaching practices.
  • Magna Commons – a content library of on-demand versions of many of Magna’s most popular Magna Online Seminars, covering a broad range of topics of interest to faculty and administrators.
  • 20-Minute Mentor – a content library of on-demand versions of Magna’s popular 20-Minute Mentor programs, covering a broad range of faculty development topics. (See below).

Access these resources by activating your Magna subscription through the Academic Community located in Blackboard. Select the Academic Community from the Community tab in Blackboard, and from the Academic Community’s main menu, select Magna Subscriptions located under Professional Learning.  Follow the instructions provided to activate your subscription.

Take a break from Grading and Check Out these Magna Online Seminars

Contemplative Pedagogy for Purposeful Teaching
Were you frustrated with the rapid, “get-it-done” pivot to remote instruction? Michael Strawser, a professor from the University of Florida provides strategies and tactics to immediately incorporate contemplative pedagogy into your teaching practice that will provide more meaningful instruction and interactions.

Maximizing Student Engagement with Course Readings
Do you have difficulty getting students to complete required reading? Is it a challenge to get them to think more critically about the content? Fiona Hunt, Program Chair of Library and Information Technology at Langara College provides four methods for increasing your students’ engagement with course readings.

Teaching Strategies and Assignments for Blended and Flipped Classrooms
Are you interested in shifting your classroom from face-to-face to a blended or flipped classroom? Brenda McKee, Associate Professor of Biology and Neuroscience at Edgewood College shares actionable ideas, strategies, and assignments that can help you to effectively make the transition.

Online Program Design Strategies to Increase Program Graduation Rates
Online enrollments are on the rise, even as overall enrollments decline. But many universities are finding that online completion rates are lagging behind face-to-face classrooms. Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, program coordinator and professor from Pierce College explores how the Equity by Design and Delivery (EDD) model can be used to increase online program completion rates.

All these programs can be found in Magna Commons and are available at no cost.  Additional information can be found in the Academic Community. 

Magna Summer Enrichment Course

Magna Publications is offering online courses on effective college teaching, online teaching practices, flipped instruction, and student engagement.

Session 1 begins June 13th and ends July 31st. Session 2 begins August 1st and ends September 18th. Courses usually take 20 hours to complete. Complete course descriptions can be found at 2021 Summer Enrichment Courses.  Contact the FCTL@MissouriState.edu if you would like to register for one of these courses. 

Monday Morning Mentor

Beginning January 25th, a new 20-Minute Mentor will be available on Monday mornings.  Through your Magna subscription, the program will be available for on-demand viewing for one full week.

Here is the last session available for Spring 2021:  May 10, 2021 What Is the Best Leadership Advice I Ever Received?  Go to the Academic Community to activate your subscription and view the complete schedule. Passwords will be provided weekly.

FCTL Course Development Boot Camps – Virtual

The Online Course Development Boot Camp is now offered virtually!

The next session will be May 17 to 28, 2021.

All sessions will run from 10:00 a.m.– 12:00 p.m. and no cap on the enrollment.

You will have the opportunity to participate in the Boot Camp through an online experience much like students do when taking an online class.  The Boot Camp will include:

  • Best practices related to online courses and teaching
  • Technology tools that are used in online teaching (lecture capture, test proctoring tools, and others)
  • How to translate learning activities to the online classroom and create opportunities for student collaboration and engagement
  • Legal and ethical issues associated with online teaching such as copyright, accessibility, and academic integrity

The Boot Camp is an immersive-style experience providing you hands-on training and a structured process for developing an online course.

Throughout the two-week time frame, you will participate both synchronous and asynchronously to create an online course.   [All synchronous sessions will be recorded for later review. After you register you will receive an outline of Boot Camp sessions and activities.]  You will receive feedback and support from an instructional designer throughout the entire process.

Objectives: You will have the opportunity to participate in the Boot Camp through an online experience much like students do when taking an online class.

For more information contact the FCTL@MissouriState.edu or visit the FCTL website. Please register through My Learning Connection by searching for “Two Week Virtual Online Boot Camp”.

FCTL Course Development Boot Camps – Self-paced

Since June 1, 2020, the resources from the FCTL’s virtual online boot camps have been available as a self-paced course development boot camp. This self-paced version will cover many of the same things as the virtual and on-campus boot camps, but you will be participating at your own schedule and can contact the FCTL Instructional Designers at any time during this process. Their contact information is listed in the meet your instructional designers area of the modules.

What’s included in the self-paced course development boot camp

  • Best practices related to online courses and teaching
  • Different assessment options available in Blackboard
  • How to remove potential barriers for students with disabilities.
  • Strategies to foster community and engagement in the online classroom
  • Strategies to prevent student cheating
  • Copyright and fair use in distance education

How to find the self-paced boot camp (access begins June 1, 2020)

  1. Log into Blackboard and select the Community Tab at the top of the page.
  2. Select Academic Community from the My Organizations module.
  3. Once in the site, on the main menu, locate “self-paced course development boot camp” to access the boot camp materials.

Upon completion of each of the activities within the module you will be able to print a certificate of completion. Contact the FCTL@MissouriState.edu for additional information or if any questions.