Each Friday, UCITE offers CWRU teachers--faculty, staff, post docs, and graduate student teaching assistants--opportunities to gather in an interdisciplinary space for conversations of pedagogical discovery and for the exchange of ideas. Register to reserve your spot!
Spring 2025
UCITE Fridays will be held from 11:40 AM to 12:30 PM in our newly renovated Herrick Room on the first floor of the Allen Memorial Medical Library.
For the Spring Semester, we'll have three major series and a few other interesting topics. In our Successful Student Mentoring Series, we'll be inviting faculty from across campus to join us and discuss their tips and techniques for developing a successful mentoring relationship with graduate and undergraduate students. For Effective Teamwork in the Classroom, we'll facilitate conversations with faculty who encourage students to work as a team as part of the active learning in their classrooms. And if you're a graduate or postdoc student, stop by to attend our Graduate and Postdoc Student Series, where we'll discuss structuring your course, navigating students' perceptions of "young professors," and have a personalized chat with the Career Center to help you with your academic job search.
Facilitator: Jennifer Hadingham, PhD, Instructor and Associate Director, UCITE
Guest: Rachel Stott, Team Leader, Research and Engagement Services, Kelvin Smith Library
Have you heard about Open Educational Resources (OERs) and want to learn more?
Join KSL’s Rachel Stott and the UCITE team to explore the world of OERs. Conversation topics will include:
- What are OERs? Rachel will share some examples of these digital resources.
- Who has access to OERs? Learn how to access grant funding to support classroom use of OERs.
- How can faculty use OERs? Uncover how digital tools can be adapted to meet your course needs.
Participants are encouraged to bring or have access to a tablet or laptop to engage with OERs.
Spend an hour on YOU and join us for board games and relaxed conversation! Open to faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students.
The Career Center joins UCITE for this specialized workshop for graduate students and postdocs.
To all graduate students and postdocs: Are you considering a future career in academia? Join UCITE and Aysegul Keskin Zeren from the CWRU Career Center for an interactive session on preparing for the academic job search. We'll begin with an exercise to help you clarify your career goals and explore the diverse landscape of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the U.S. This session will subsequently cover the research and teaching expectations across different HEIs, and provide strategies to make your job application stand out to future employers in the higher education sector.
This session is designed for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars interested in careers in higher education—whether in research, teaching, or leadership. Come with your questions and gain insights to navigate the academic job market with confidence!
Open to all UCITE participants and supporters! Mingle and reconnect with your colleagues. A great way to decompress at the end of the semester!
Are you an instructor of record who has been assigned a teaching assistant? Do you want to learn how best to engage with your TA? At this UCITE Fridays, we'll discuss how best to make the most out of this unique relationship.
Facilitator: Jennifer Hadingham, PhD, Instructor and Associate Director, UCITE
We will use Chapter 2 from Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom by Hogan, K.A. & Sathy, V. (2022) as a basis for discussing ways in which we can intentionally structure our courses to foster and strengthen student learning.
In order for this session to add value to your teaching practice, it is important for you to have read the chapter beforehand. This is necessary for a rich discussion. You can access the chapter here and the questions to consider while reading here.
Facilitator: Jennifer Hadingham, PhD, Instructor and Associate Director, UCITE
Guests: Ashley Nemes-Baran, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neurosciences
Jessica Fox, PhD, Associate Professor, Biology
Join us for part one of our Mentor Series, where we'll chat with faculty members who have had successful mentoring relationships with their undergraduate students.
Facilitator: Jennifer Hadingham, PhD, Instructor and Associate Director, UCITE
This session is part of our Graduate Student and Postdoc Series! We'll be reading chapter 2 of Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom (Hogan & Sathy, 2022) and discussing how creating structure in your course design benefits student learning and promotes an equitable classroom.
Access the chapter here.
Facilitator: Matthew Garrett, PhD, Professor of Music Education and Director, UCITE
Guests: Kurt Rhoads, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Engineering
Colin Drummond, PhD & MBA, Professor, School of Engineering
In this session, we'll have faculty from the School of Engineering lead a conversation on how they have incorporated teamwork into their classes. Come for ideas, discussion, and to share your own experiences!
Facilitator: Jennifer Hadingham, PhD, Instructor and Associate Director, UCITE
Guests: Philip Cola, PhD, Professor, Weatherhead School of Management
Christine Duval, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Engineering
Join us for part 2 of our Mentoring Series, where this time we'll focus on successful mentoring of graduate students.
Happy Spring Break!
Facilitator: Jennifer Hadingham, PhD, Instructor and Associate Director, UCITE
In this session, part of our Graduate Student and Postdoc Series, we'll talk about first-day active learning exercises for young and/or minority professors -- or, essentially, how to establish credibility with students. We'll be discussing Chapter Four of Picture a Professor: Interrupting Biases about Faculty and Increasing Student Learning (Neuhaus, ed., 2022).
If you participated in our TOTEs week as a host or an observer (or you'd love to learn more!), you're invited to our special UCITE Fridays TOTEs Week Recap. Relax, have lunch, and discuss your experiences with the TOTEs program with other colleagues from across campus.
UCITE Fridays Topics, Fall 2024
September 6, 2024 | 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Collaboration Commons in the Freedman Center, Kelvin Smith Library
Starting the Semester Successfully: Syllabus and Course/Class Sequence
Matthew Garrett, Professor and UCITE Director
Jenny Hadingham, Instructor and UCITE Associate Director
Join UCITE to explore the role(s) of a course syllabus in helping students to learn. What is a syllabus, anyway? Do you want to create syllabi that are more useful for, and used by, your students? Do you want your syllabus to reflect your student-centered or active learning teaching approach? Are you beginning to feel like the central purpose and goals of your course are getting lost in a growing list of policies and minor details? Does your work involve supporting instructors with designing or redesigning their courses or syllabi? We'll also consider a class "template" to help students better organize taught knowledge and skills in the context of one class period.
September 13, 2024 | 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Collaboration Commons in the Freedman Center, Kelvin Smith Library
Civil Discourse: Part 1, Planning Ahead
Matthew Garrett, Professor and UCITE Director
Jenny Hadingham, Instructor and UCITE Associate Director
UCITE presents a series of three Friday seminars to explore strategies for constructive class conversations and civil discourse. In the opening session, we’ll walk through planning strategies for constructive conversations including identifying connections between course learning objectives and discussion activities as well as exploring ideas for establishing ground rules. Participants who complete all three Civil Discourse seminars will receive a free resource to use in planning and facilitating discussion-based classes.
September 20, 2024 | 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Collaboration Commons in the Freedman Center, Kelvin Smith Library
Who and What? GenAI in Teaching and Learning
Razan Badran, Teaching and Learning Designer, [U]Tech TLT
Indra Wangsawiredja, Instructional Designer/Technologist, [U]Tech TLT
UCITE collaborates with campus partners to present a series of three Friday seminars on GenAI tools in teaching and learning. [U]Tech Teaching and Learning Technologies staff members facilitate our opening session intended for those new to Generative AI. Participants will gain a general overview of generative AI technology, practice the art and science of "prompting" generative AI Chatbots (i.e., Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, etc.), and consider ethical questions around using generative AI. Participants are encouraged to share tools and ideas that have been meaningful to them and to students.
UCITE staff are away at conferences to bring more resources back to the CWRU community, so there will be no Friday programming on 9/27. In the meantime, we encourage you to take time with one, two, or more colleagues to inquire how the semester is going so far and to talk about your teaching and your students' learning. We'll see you again on October 4!
October 4, 2024 | 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Collaboration Commons in the Freedman Center, Kelvin Smith Library
Student Feedback: Collecting, Acknowledging, and Learning from Student Perceptions
Jenny Hadingham, Instructor and UCITE Associate Director
UCITE provides suggestions about the most effective way of soliciting student insights and feedback about their experiences of learning in your class. Our key aim in this session is to remind instructors that checking in with students at about the halfway mark of the semester can yield some constructive commentary about the course, and your teaching of it.
October 11, 2024 | 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Herrick Room, First Floor, Allen Memorial Library
Civil Discourse: Part 2, Facilitating Student Conversations
Matthew Garrett, Professor and UCITE Director
Jenny Hadingham, Instructor and UCITE Associate Director
UCITE continues with its series of three Friday seminars to explore strategies for constructive class conversations and civil discourse. In the second session, we'll identify specific tools that might be helpful in establishing and maintaining a respectful environment during class discussions.
October 18, 2024 | 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Herrick Room, First Floor, Allen Memorial Library
When and How? Assessing Student Writing in the Age of AI
Martha Schaffer, Instructor and Associate Director of Composition
UCITE collaborates with College of Arts and Sciences English faculty to explore academic writing assignments and assessments in the age of generative AI technology. Participants are encouraged to share assignments and assessment ideas that have been received well by students.
October 25, 2024 | 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Herrick Room, First Floor, Allen Memorial Library
Context Matters: What You Need to Know Before You Start Teaching a Course
Jenny Hadingham, Instructor and UCITE Associate Director
Jenna Bagley, Graduate Teaching Assistant, UNIV401
Context matters. Rarely is this more true than when you start your teaching career in higher education, from what you will teach, to the type of institution at which you will be teaching, to the number of students in your classes and their year of study, and so much more. Join us for an interactive session aimed at unearthing some of the fundamental knowledge that will help you to navigate the start of your teaching career.
November 1, 2024 | 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Herrick Room, First Floor, Allen Memorial Library
Civil Discourse: Part 3, Managing Discourse in Crisis
Matthew Garrett, Professor and UCITE Director
Jenny Hadingham, Instructor and UCITE Associate Director
UCITE concludes its series of three Friday seminars to explore strategies for constructive class conversations and civil discourse. In the third session, we'll focus on strategies to manage discussions that spin out of control or that threaten democratic learning.
November 8, 2024 | Time TBA | Herrick Room, First Floor, Allen Memorial Library
Faculty Peer Teaching Observations: Celebrating TOTEs Participants and Considering What's Next
Matthew Garrett, Professor and UCITE Director
Jenny Hadingham, Instructor and UCITE Associate Director
TOTEs Hosts, Fall 2024
UCITE invites TOTEs Week hosts and faculty observers to meet and share experiences over coffee, tea, and snacks.
November 15, 2024 | 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Herrick Room, First Floor, Allen Memorial Library
Why and How? Why Engage with AI and How Will AI Tools Continue to Impact Higher Education?
Matthew Garrett, Professor and UCITE Director
Jeff Capadona, Professor and Vice Provost for Innovation
UCITE collaborates with campus leadership and faculty to facilitate a final session intended for those planning to use Generative AI tools or already using Generative AI tools in their learning spaces. Participants consider the current and potential future landscape of GenAI in higher education.
November 22, 2024 | 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Herrick Room, First Floor, Allen Memorial Library
Teaching Matters: Start Writing Your Teaching Philosophy Statement
Jenny Hadingham, Instructor and UCITE Associate Director
Join us for an engaging conversation designed specifically for graduate students about to enter the academic job market. Aimed at developing a compelling teaching philosophy, this session will explore the key elements of a strong teaching philosophy, including how to reflect on your teaching beliefs, methods, and goals in such a way that you stand out from other job applicants. You will learn strategies to help you to articulate your pedagogical approach clearly and convincingly, with practical tips for integrating your personal experiences and academic insights. Be sure to come with questions!
December 6, 2024 | 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Herrick Room, First Floor, Allen Memorial Library
Reunion and Reception in the New Herrick Room
Matthew Garrett, Professor and UCITE Director
Jenny Hadingham, Instructor and UCITE Associate Director
Have you participated in a UCITE program? Do you want to collaborate with colleagues from around campus? Come to the UCITE reunion for lunch, conversation, and to admire our newly remodeled Herrick Room!