UCITE First Fridays

UCITE First Fridays

Conversations with Colleagues about the Science and Art of Teaching and Learning

Join teaching colleagues from across campus to learn about the Science of Teaching and Learning through shared experiences. As part of the Faculty Advancement Fridays on the first and third weeks of each month, UCITE First Fridays offers CWRU teachers—faculty, staff, post-docs, and graduate teaching assistants—opportunities to gather for conversations of pedagogical discover and to exchange practitioner ideas.

 

2 February 2024 (11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
Laying the Groundwork for Civil Classroom Discourse

Creating space for civil classroom discourse begins by establishing appropriate ground rules and norms with students, early in the semester. Schmidt & Pinkney (2022) suggested a model for developing civil discourse, CUBED, through the fostering of courage, understanding, belonging, and empathy. Join UCITE Assistant Director Jenny Hadingham and CWRU teaching colleague participants (faculty, staff, post-docs, and graduate student instructors are all welcome) to curate ideas that might work with various disciplines, teaching preferences, and personal styles. To register for this event, please RSVP through Campus Groups today!

 

1 March 2024 (11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
Pace Yourself: Effective Instructional Pacing
PLUS
TOTEs Lunch Reception

Teacher Preparation Programs, designed to educate future Kindergarten through High School teachers, focus a great deal of effort on the development of effective instructional pacing. Pacing, in this sense, refers to the speed or tempo with which an instructor moves from one activity to another during a particular class (e.g., lecture to discussion). UCITE Director Matthew Garrett shares insights and tools from CWRU Teacher Preparation programs to help teachers design and implement effectively times, or paced, lessons in both short- (one class) and longer-term (multiple classes) contexts.
In addition to our pedagogical conversation, UCITE invites TOTEs Week hosts and faculty observers to meet and share experiences over lunch. To register for this event, please RSVP through Campus Groups today!

 
5 April 2024 (11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
Mindfulness: Maintaining Student and Faculty Wellbeing at the End of a Semester

CWRU researchers recently published an article suggesting "Brief classroom-based mindfulness activities led by faculty may have benefits for students in higher education settings " (Honksy et al., 2023). The last few weeks of a semester can be particularly stressful for students and faculty. How might we take time to reduce that stress to allow students to maximize opportunities for academic success? Join members from the CWRU Mindfulness Matters team to engage in mindful practice and to identify ways to help mitigate end-of-semester stress. Register through CampusGroups today!

 

3 May 2024 (11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
UCITE at 30: Celebrating a Community of Learners

Faculty and Staff who have participated in UCITE or Faculty Development programs are welcome to join us for a “class reunion!” If you have been a Learning Fellow, Glennan Fellow, Mentor Fellow, Nord Grant recipient, Assessment Learning Community Member, or if you have taken part in any of our past and ongoing programs, join us for a casual reunion to catch-up and re-connect. Director Matthew Garrett and Assistant Director Jenny Hadingham will also share information about UCITE's 30+ year history of empowering people to learn at CWRU. Register through CampusGroups today!

 

 


2021-2022 FIRST FRIDAYS

2 December 2022 - UCITE Reunion

4 November 2022 - Mindfulness Matters: [RE]Connecting to Learning with Focus and Purpose

7 October 2022 - Meet the OFD Staff: On Mentorship

2 September 2022 - Getting Your Semester Started Successfully!

6 May 2022 - UCITE Reunion!

1 April 2022 - Connecting to Community: Enhancing a Course with Service-Learning

4 March 2022 - Successful Teaching and Learning in Large Classes

11 February 2022 - [RE] Invigorating your Syllabus

3 December 2021 - UCITE Reunion!

5 November 2021 - Integrating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in CWRU Classrooms - Connecting with Students

1 October 2021 - Creating Community with CWRU International Students

3 September 2021 - [Re]-Engaging Students in Pandemic Learning Environments: People (Faculty) Teaching People (Students)