WCU's Commons for Teaching and Learning Excellence

Using Summer for Renewal

We are getting close to wrapping up another academic year!

This quote seems particularly applicable at the end of the academic year as we hurtle toward graduation and finally, summer!

What will you begin after May 11th?  Summer always seems so full of possibilities: vacation, sleeping in a little, projects around the house, summer teaching, etc. 

What about taking some time to relax and dig into your teaching?  Exploring a new method in the company of your peers?  Join us for the Summer Institute for Teaching and Learning (SITL), May 22 – 24 in the UC.  Many of the sessions have already filled up, but we still have room in Laura Wright’s Cli -Fi - Using Literary Fiction to Teach Climate Change Science and Maurice Phipps’ Effective Skills for Cooperative Learning Groups.  We’ve also added a session on Capstone Projects: Tying It All Together with Amy Strickland (WCU Director of Assessment), Daryl Hale, & Windy Gordon.   

Sign up today as space is limited and registration closes April 30th! 

For more information, https://affiliate.wcu.edu/cfc/events/institutes/sitl/ 

I look forward to seeing many of you there! 

Books on my Summer Reading List 

If you can’t make the Summer Institute, you might consider reading one of the latest books on teaching and learning.  Here is my list: 

How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching 
by Susan A. Ambrose, Michael W. Bridges, et al 

The New Science of Learning: How to Learn in Harmony With Your Brain 
by Terry Doyle , Todd Zakrajsek , et al. 

Make It Stick 
by Peter C. Brown 

How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories behind Effective College Teaching (Teaching and Learning in Higher Education) 
by Joshua R. Eyler 

Dynamic Lecturing: Research-Based Strategies to Enhance Lecture Effectiveness (The Excellent Teacher Series) 
by Christine Harrington , Todd D. Zakrajsek, et al. 

Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses 
by L. Dee Fink 

If you only get through one book, you’ll be amazed at the ideas it will generate for you! 

Enjoy! 

~Eli

Eli Collins-Brown, EdD
Director, Coulter Faculty Commons
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC 28723
ecollinsbrown@wcu.edu
828-227-2093

If you have any questions about academic issues, please do not hesitate to contact the Coulter Faculty Commons at 828-227-7196 or call the ITHelp desk to at 227-7487.

For More Information About the Services of the Coulter Faculty Commons

A New Look & Feel for Blackboard Learn:
What it means for you

As we head into the new semester, we’ll be rolling out some exciting updates that will enhance your experience with Blackboard Learn https://wcu.blackboard.com. These updates – featuring an updated look and feel, and a better mobile experience - will be available starting May 31, 2019 at 5:00pm.

*Please note that there will be no access to Blackboard from May 28-31, 2019 while all Blackboard data is moved from manage hosting to SaaS hosting.*

Additional Systems & Tools that will not be available during this migration period:

• Blackboard Learn
• Panopto – Users cannot view existing sessions or upload new recordings, but users can still record offline.
• Respondus – Users cannot upload to Blackboard Learn, but can still create/edit tests

This upgrade is the same Blackboard Learn you already know and use, delivered on a modern cloud computing technology stack. With upgrade to SaaS, you get all the benefits of a cloud architecture combined with the power of the Original experience that is already familiar to you as faculty and students from Blackboard Learn 9.1.

Here are some of the key improvements that you can expect to see:

Modern Look & Feel: With updated colors, fonts, and spacing, you’ll notice a more modern and visually appealing look and feel. (see below)

Consistency Across Your Devices: Expect a more uniform experience across all your devices, making it easier for you to switch from your laptop or computer to your phone or tablet.  
*Please note that with this update, course themes will no longer be supported to further enhance consistency across courses for students

A Better Mobile Experience: With more tools and features optimized for your mobile browser, it’ll be easier for you to complete activities on-the-go from your phone or tablet. And, for quick and easy access to your courses, download the Blackboard Instructor app, available for iOS, Android and Windows devices.

Easier Access to Enhanced Student Resources: With this change in theme, it may be a great time for you to reacquaint yourself with the other services that we've built into our Blackboard environment including, especially, the Academic Toolbox, which is a centralized virtual location for all of the policies that should be included on your syllabus.  While the CFC Educational Development team works hard to update the "paper" version of the syllabus, a link to the Academic Toolbox is a simpler way for you to remain up-to-date with compliance needs and to send your students to the most recent resources for academic integrity, accessibility, and other support services.

More information.

If you have any questions about these updates or about using Blackboard Learn, please reach out to the LMS team at the Coulter Faculty Commons. Additionally, here are a few other resources we think you may find useful:

• Blackboard Help Site: Find detailed documentation on all the features and functionality in Learn on Blackboard’s Help Site.

·       Blackboard Community Educator Group: Connect with other educators across the world that are using Blackboard through Blackboard’s Community Site.

Regards,

WCU LMS Team

In this workshop you will learn the fundamentals of using Tableau to create data visualizations.

The workshop will be held in an e-classroom and the majority of time will be spent with participants getting guided, hands-on experience creating visualizations with Tableau. 

The most frequently used Tableau Charts will be covered, including:

• Bar Charts: Vertical, Horizontal, Grouped and Stacked
• Line and Area Charts
• Packed Bubble Charts
• Tree Maps
• Histograms
• Scatter Plots and Highlight Tables
• Figure and Fill Maps

Time permitting, we can also take a look at Tableau Dashboards and Stories.

This workshop should give participants a solid understanding of how to use Tableau for their data visualization needs. 

This year’s Summer Institute for Teaching and Learning is shaping up to be a wonderful event! This year’s theme, Hands on with High-Impact Practices, is all about helping faculty consider, develop, or redesign coursework and curricula based on George Kuh’s high-impact practices.  Faculty and staff from across WCU are involved in leading sessions.

Focus Team Sessions:
Team-Based Learning                                     
 Service Learning and Community Engagement

Extended Sessions:
Simulations in a Box                                         
Why Global Learning Cannot Wait
Project-based Learning                                   
Assignment Makeover
Effective Skills for Cooperative Learning Groups
SOTL What?                                                       

Single Sessions:
We Need to Talk about Common Reads
Bringing Authentic Research Experiences into Your Classroom 
Cli-Fi: Using Literary Fiction to Teach Climate Change Science

For more information about these sessions and to register for SiTL click here.

The next Third Thursday Brown Bag Session Topic - Course (Re)Design

May 16, 2019 from 12-1

This is an opportunity for faculty members at any stage of their careers to revise an existing course or plan a new course from scratch.

For more information, contact Jeanine Irons

WCU is a member of EDUCAUSE.  Our membership gives us access to a large amount of helpful resources.  The Higher Educational Horizon Report is available today.  click the link above for access.  For more information contact Jonathan Wade, your WCU Educause Ambassador.

The CFC has joined with the Distinguished Professors of WCU and the Office of Sponsored Research to launch a collaborative hub for thinking about efforts in Innovation at WCU.  We invite you to join us to share your thoughts about innovative practices, to suggest next steps, to point other members of our community to common resources, and to join in the mutual effort to continue to make WCU a vibrant part of the shaping of our region, nation, and our world.

Click the graphic above to join the Microsoft Teams Collaboration group for this effort or contact Lisa Bloom for more information.

This year, Ramadan and WCU’s final exams week begin at basically the same time. Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year for Muslims. Here are some things that it may be helpful to know about Ramadan: 

• Persons fasting during Ramadan eat after sunset. During daylight, they do not eat or drink anything, including water. 

• Breaking the fast is an important part of Ramadan and that time of sunset, and the hour leading up to it, may be the most disruptive times for any obligation like a final exam.  

• Ideally, fasting students themselves should be a part of the brainstorming of any appropriate accommodations.   

• A campus iftar (the meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan) may be something to consider for the future.  

• Muslims who fast do so because it provides meaning to their lives and year, not because it is a burden they are forced to endure.   

• It is doubtful that Muslim students would suggest no classes or exams during the month.  That is not the case in Muslim-majority countries.   

• Muslim men and women are subject to painful stereotyping.  Not letting actions or comments slide in our classrooms and on our campuses is something we all can commit ourselves to, to maintain a positive learning environment for students.   

Following are some common questions about Ramadan. The answers come from a blog called Teaching While Muslim: 

1. "Not even water?" 

Nope. Not even water. Let us use this as an opportunity to explain the very general basics of Ramadan. Muslims fast from dawn (fajr) to dusk (maghrib). This means no food, water, gossiping, etc. It is a month about growing closer to God and focusing on things like prayer, reading Qur’an, and charity. 

2. "Isn’t that unhealthy?" 

Please do not compare Ramadan to the very real struggle people have with eating disorders. Ramadan is about self-discipline, spiritual growth, and just becoming a more thoughtful human. And most importantly, Muslims are exempt from fasting if it interferes with their health for any reason. 

3. "What about gum? That's not food!" 

Gum makes you hungrier. And also, no. 

4. "You don’t eat or drink for 30 days?!" 

See number 1. Dawn to dusk. 

5. "I’m so sorry" 

When people look at Ramadan as an oppressive month about starvation it can put Muslims on the defensive. It’s intended to be looked forward to. 

6. "Will you be offended if I eat in front of you?" 

No. 

7. "What happens if you eat?" 

It happens. Ramadan isn’t about magically becoming a perfect human being overnight. It is about trying to grow and learn every day. 

 8. "Does that mean you don't brush your teeth?" 

No. The small bit of water that stays in the mouth after brushing the teeth is neither going to quench thirst nor break the fast.  

9. "Do you just eat all night?" 

Often, it becomes easier to get full as Ramadan goes on. A lot of Muslims head to the mosque after they break their fast or read Qur’an or go to bed because they still have to try their best to keep their energy up the next day. 

10. "You must lose so much weight!" 

Everyone’s body reacts differently to fasting. Some people gain weight, some lose weight, some stay the same. Regardless, Ramadan is not about extreme dieting or starvation. 

11. "Nobody’s watching... why don’t you just eat?" 

Ramadan is about individual growth. By the same token, Muslims who are not fasting for whatever reason shouldn’t be shamed as being bad Muslims. It’s hard. And everyone’s journey is different. Don’t stress out your friends, colleagues, random strangers by calling them out if they’re not fasting. You don’t know what’s going on in their life. 

 12. "What if you’re about to pass out? Can we give you water?" 

If fasting reaches a point that it is impeding one’s health, yes. You can safely assume that any human that has fainted will need water. But trust that anyone fasting can probably judge for him/herself before it becomes a health issue. 

13. "Why are you eating? Isn’t it Ramadan?" 

If someone you know to be Muslim is not fasting, please exercise discretion. People who typically do fast during Ramadan, may not fast for a few days or years for a range of reasons, including chronic illness, pregnancy, and menstruation, and so a question about why they are or are not fasting, which might seem small, could put them in the uncomfortable situation of either lying or providing a lot of personal information about their body.  This is an opportunity to let people initiate their own sharing. 

Sources  

Hasan, Luma. Co-founder, Teaching While Muslim   

Murphy, Jane H., Associate Professor of History, Colorado College 

More Resources:

CFC Automated Appointments
Quality customer service is our goal at the Coulter Faculty Commons (CFC).  So, in order to serve our faculty better, we have created a new form to request an appointment with any member of our team.  Please click here to request an appointment.

Blackboard Online Help
As the Learning Management System used at WCU, Blackboard enhances the quality of online and face-to-face instruction and is used to monitor, document, and manage online and classroom events and assignments.  The LMS Team at the CFC has put together a handy list of resources for Blackboard, tailored to meet the needs of the WCU Community.

Provost's List of Faculty Resources
The Office of the Provost provides a considerable amount of helpful information on this web page.