Having trouble reading this email? View it in your browser
Grand Valley State University

Faculty Conference Travel Grant Changes

Beginning on July 15, you will see some changes with the Pew FTLC Faculty Conference Travel Grants as follows:

The amount of the Pew FTLC Faculty Conference Travel Grants will be raised by $100 to $700!

To avoid holidays, the application dates have been changed to the 15th of the month (starting at 8:00am).
July 15 (for travel Oct. 1 – Dec. 31)
October 15 (for travel Jan. 1 – Mar. 31)
January 15 (for travel Apr. 1 – June 30)
April 15 (for travel July 1 – Sept. 30)

Due to the dramatic increase in demand of the Pew FTLC's Faculty Conference Travel Grant, funding will be limited to one trip per faculty member every other academic/fiscal year (retroactive to FY 13/14).  This new policy has been adopted in order to disseminate the funds more widely among the faculty.

Questions? Contact Kathryn Stieler at stielerk@gvsu.edu or 331-8716.

We are switching up our August calendar, so please take note of these new opportunities:


Monday, August 17, 1 – 4pm
Faculty Teaching Institute: Focus on Essentials 
For new (or newer) faculty, focus on syllabi, active learning, classroom environment. more...

Tuesday, August 18, 12 – 4pm
Teaching Innovation Workshops
For all faculty interested in interactive sessions related to ongoing GVSU initiatives (see call for proposals below)

Wednesday, August 19 & Thursday, August 20
New Faculty Orientation

Tuesday, August 25, 8:30am – 4pm
Integrated Course Design Workshop,
Dr. Stewart Ross

A hands-on workshop based on L. Dee Fink’s Designing Significant Learning Experiences framework that develops meaningful learning goals, active learning and teaching techniques, and quality assessments. more...

Wednesday, August 26, 8:30am – 1pm
21st Annual Fall Conference on Teaching & Learning: Reflection on Transformative Teaching Practices at GVSU 
In support of our theme, we will hear a keynote by Dr. Stewart Ross, “Five Transformative Teaching Practices” and then hear faculty examples of how these practices are being applied on our own campus. more...

Call for Proposals:
Teaching Innovations Workshop

We have moved the faculty-led sessions that previously accompanied the Fall Conference on Teaching & Learning to allow a bit more time before the semester begins consider applying what you learn from your colleagues. Please join us on Tuesday, August 18 for an afternoon of sharing ideas, approaches, and outcomes. We will begin with a light lunch and networking, followed by three 50-minute concurrent sessions.

Faculty and staff are invited to lead sessions related to GVSU University Initiatives. Whether your innovation is large or small, sessions can take one of three formats: (i) demonstration of teaching strategy, (ii) roundtable discussion regarding teaching innovation and initiative (iii) hands on active learning methods.

We particularly welcome proposals for sessions related to:

  • Global GVSU: course integration
  • Design Thinking: examples and structure
  • Civic Engagement: application of community engagement pedagogy and/or evaluation
  • General Education: innovative teaching practices related to new skills goals
  • Digital Studies
  • Strong Start Initiative: best practices in first-year, introductory undergraduate courses
  • Pew FTLC Grants: approaches and results from Pew FTLC funded projects
  • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: approaches, methods, findings

Session proposals should include:

  1. Presenter Name(s)
  2. Session Title
  3. Abstract (80 words or less)
  4. Session Description (500 words or less): rationale, session activities, how session will engage participants, participant outcomes

We welcome your comments and questions. Please submit session proposals to ftlc@gvsu.edu by Wednesday, June 17.

Integrated Course Design: Creating Significant Learning Experiences

Tuesday, August 25
8:30am – 4pm
L. William Seidman Center, Room 2001
Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Creating significant learning experiences for students is perhaps the most beneficial way for faculty to improve teaching and learning for themselves and their students. An integrated course design approach develops significant learning experiences, with meaningful learning goals, active teaching and learning techniques, and quality assessment. In this workshop, participants will learn the foundational knowledge necessary to design quality courses using the integrated course design model. They also will learn to use the model through application exercises and problems. By focusing on meaningful learner goals, teaching and learning activities, and assessment of learning, participants will develop a template they can use to design their own courses that integrates these three areas.

Registered participants will receive workshop materials, lunch, and refreshments. This workshop will be facilitated by Dr. Stewart Ross of Dee Fink & Associates, our keynote speaker for the Fall Conference on Teaching and Learning. Dr. Ross is the founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU). He holds a Ph.D. in Music Education from Northwestern University and is the senior member of Dee Fink & Associates.

21st Annual Fall Conference on Teaching and Learning

Wednesday, August 26, 2015
8:30am
1pm
Eberhard Conference Center
Pew Grand Rapids Campus

SCHEDULE
8:30 – 9am
Breakfast & Informal Conversation
9 – 10:30am
“Five Transformative Teaching Practices,” Dr. Stewart Ross, Dee Fink & Associates
11am – 12pm
Faculty Panel: Transformative Teaching Practices at GVSU
12 – 1pm
Lunch & Conversation

Resource Fair Eberhard Conference Center – West Lobby

Whether deep, significant, transformational, or transformative, teaching and learning are about growth and perpetual change. How can faculty create learning environments and craft activities that foster change in students and promote learning that transcends the classroom? This conference will describe a framework for designing significant learning experiences and provide concrete examples of the framework’s application. The opening presentation will be given by Dr. Stewart Ross, currently a senior member of Dee Fink & Associates, and the founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU). He holds a Ph.D. in Music Education from Northwestern University. The opening session will be followed by examples and discussion of how transformative teaching practices are being applied on our own campus.

Join us for these presentations, conversation, and an exhibit of campus resources for faculty. As always, we will raffle several new teaching and learning books and announce our fall programming, including book discussion groups. Please register at https://www.gvsu.edu/sprout/.