TLC’s Mid-Winter Institute: January 23-24, 2023

On January 23-24, the Teaching and Learning Center will host a Mid-Winter Institute to assist GC students and faculty in preparing to teach their Spring 2023 courses. The Institute will be in two parts. On Monday the 23rd we will offer five online workshops throughout the day. On Tuesday the 24th, we will meet in person at the GC.

The schedule for the Institute is below, and registration for the the event is here http://cuny.is/tlc-winter-23.

Attendees are welcome to come for all or individual parts of the institute.

Monday, January 23rd

10-11:30am: Universal Design for Learning and Accessibility

Şule Aksoy and Shima Houshyar

This workshop provides an introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines. UDL enables educators to develop instructional materials, activities, assignments, and classroom experiences based on students’ diverse needs. Participants will learn about designing for accessibility and how to apply the UDL guidelines in their own courses.

12-1:30pm: Toward Generative Assessment: Challenging Punitive Systems of Grading

Kristi Riley and Molly Bauer

Grading often emphasizes critique in ways that inspire fear and disengagement. This workshop will explore how generative assessment can affirm students’ interests, development, and academic skills. We will also provide instructors with tools to tackle one of the most unpleasant and labor intensive aspects of teaching: grading!

2-3:30pm: Student Agency & the Labor of Grading

Pedro Cabello del Moral and Laurie Hurson

How can a critical approach to grading foster student agency and make grading a more meaningful, intentional process? This workshop will build on the ideas presented in the Towards Generative Assessment workshop and offer concrete practices to include students in the grading process in ways that offer multiple pathways for engagement and opportunities for self assessment. Attendees will learn how to make the labor associated with grading more purposeful and productive.

4-5:30pm: Lessons on Community Building

Chandni Tariq and Ana Flavia Badue

Students bring diverse perspectives, prior knowledges, and a range of abilities into our classrooms. Creating community with and among our students bridges these differences together. This workshop will explore how to build a classroom community around shared learning goals that can generate a transformative learning environment in both online and face-to-face classes.

6-7:30pm: A Practical Guide to Active Learning in STEM Classrooms

Şule Aksoy and Fernanda Blanco Vidal

This workshop will provide a practical guide for promoting student-centered teaching, and help instructors design for full participation and learning in their roles as science educators. Participants will discuss, explore and experience equitable active learning in the workshop. Finally, they will be able to design and share activities while receiving feedback from their peers.

Registration: http://cuny.is/tlc-winter-23.

Tuesday, January 24th, In Person

10am-12pm: Launching Your Class

Luke Waltzer, Laurie Hurson, and Şule Aksoy

In this in-person workshop, TLC staff will explore strategies for starting your semester off on the right foot. We will discuss first day activities, creative approaches to syllabus review, contract grading, building a class community, and more. Room 3317.

12-1pm: LUNCH, Sponsored by the Doctoral and Graduate Students’ Council

The TLC is grateful to the DGSC for hosting Mid-Winter Institute attendees in the Graduate Center’s Dining Commons for lunch and socializing. The TLC shares the DGSC’s commitments to revitalizing the Dining Commons, and bringing food and community back to the GC!

1-2pm: Syllabus and Assignment Feedback

TLC staff will be available for individual and small-group consultations on syllabi and assignments that attendees have prepared for the spring semester. Your plans can always be made stronger by sharing them for generous feedback from other committed teachers. Come and see us! Room 3317.

2-3pm: Abolitionist Pedagogy Roundtable

Throughout the fall semester, TLC staff have been exploring abolitionist pedagogy, and articulating how such commitments show up in the range of ways we teach at and move through CUNY. Come join us for an open dialogue about what we’ve learned, and help us think about where we can take this conversation during the Spring 2023 semester. Room 3317.