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Sheridan Newsletter
December 2024
News from the Center
Sheridan's Interim Leadership
An October 3 all-campus announcement noted that Mary Wright, currently Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning and Executive Director of the Sheridan Center, will be departing Brown on January 10, 2025. In the interim, the Sheridan Center will use a team approach for leadership. Director of Operations, Matthew Goode (sheridan_center@brown.edu), will serve as primary point of contact, but Sheridan’s senior leadership team will work collaboratively to oversee Center activities. The search for a new Executive Director will be co-chaired by Emily Hipchen (Senior Lecturer in English and Director of the Nonfiction Writing Program) and Janet Blume (Deputy Provost). Please see this November 20 Today@Brown announcement for more details.
Save the Date for TC Invited Speaker: Lance Eaton on Generative AI
Writer and educator Lance Eaton will be coming to Brown to deliver a workshop on Teaching with Generative AI on February 5, 2025, from 4:00-6:00 PM. Lance was selected by the members of the Sheridan Center’s Teaching Consultant Program. More information and registration to follow - stay tuned!
Sheridan Executive Director Wins National Professional Association Award
Congratulations to Mary Wright, the winner of the 2024 Bob Pierleoni Spirit of POD Award. This is the highest honor that the POD Network – the U.S. professional association for educational development – bestows on a member, recognizing contributions through service to the organization and the field of professional development. Mary was recognized at the November 2024 POD Conference, with a citation recognizing “numerous field-shaping initiatives” and “generosity of spirit and visionary leadership.”
Call for Applications
Apply Now: Sheridan Course Design Seminar
Open to Brown graduate students and postdocs
Hybrid: 720 SciLi and Canvas
During this semester-long seminar, participants are guided through an integrated course design process to develop a syllabus, signature assignments, and teaching strategies for a semester-long course. As participants move through the five modules of the seminar, they engage with colleagues from a variety of disciplines workshopping their course plans with one another. Registration is open to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who have successfully completed the Sheridan Teaching Seminar (Certificate I). Registration closes on December 8, 2024; space is limited. For more information and to apply, please visit the Sheridan Center website.
Faculty Learning Community on Anti-Racist Teaching
Open to Brown faculty, postdocs, and staff in teaching roles
720 SciLi
For Spring 2025, Emily Kalejs Qazilbash (Education), Kellie Forrester (Economics), and Jordan Kostiuk (Math) will facilitate a faculty learning community on what it means to engage in anti-racist teaching and how faculty can work with intergenerational teams (i.e., with faculty and students) to leverage student expertise and experience to design anti-racist courses. Kishimoto’s (2018) article, “Anti-racist pedagogy: from faculty’s self-reflection to organizing within and beyond the classroom,” will serve as a jumping off point for the learning community.
The 2025 Anti-Racist Teaching Faculty Learning Community will meet in 720 SciLi from 2:30 - 3:50 PM on the following Thursdays:
February 6
February 20
March 20
April 10
May 8
All faculty, postdocs, and staff in teaching roles are invited to participate. Please register by Friday, January 17. Participants will be eligible to apply for funding to create an “action team” to redesign a foundational course. More details will be provided in the learning community.
Winter Dissertation and Thesis Writing Retreat
Open to Brown graduate students
January 13-17, 2025, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
SciLi 520
This week-long in-person writing retreat will provide dissertators with intentional structure and supportive community for productive dissertation writing. Brief information sessions will provide writers with strategies and resources for productive writing habits. A light breakfast, lunch, and coffee/tea will be served each day.
The retreat is co-sponsored by the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning and the Graduate School. Graduate students must apply by December 11 to participate. Please direct questions to graduate_writing@brown.edu.
Programs and Resources for New Instructors
For New Faculty and Postdocs: Teaching at Brown for the First Time
Tuesday, January 21, 2025, Noon - 1:00pm
SciLi 720 (lunch provided) and Zoom
In this hands-on, interactive workshop, Dr. Sara Misgen (Assistant Director, Interdisciplinary Teaching Communities) and Timberley Barber (Associate Director, Learning Technologies) will review strategies for creating a motivating, inclusive, and accessible learning environment; provide an overview of Sheridan’s digital teaching resources; and demonstrate how to get support from the Center and other campus partners throughout the semester. This session is designed for faculty and postdocs who did not have the opportunity to attend the Launch New Faculty Teaching Orientation or the 2024 session of this workshop. In-person attendees are encouraged to bring a wifi-enabled device (phone or laptop) for
interactive activities, and virtual attendees will be sent links during the session. Lunch will be provided to in-person attendees. Please register.
Checklist for Brown Instructors
The Sheridan Center is pleased to announce a checklist for instructors at Brown: 5 Key Steps for Instructors to Prepare for Teaching at Brown. This resource guides instructors through what to do after their course has been approved in preparation for teaching their course, including an overview of foundational tools and resources for teaching at Brown and access to a customizable version of the ‘5 Key Things’ checklist. The steps include: 1) Review course details, 2) Set up course materials, 3) Post your syllabus, 4) Learn about your classroom, and 5) Explore evidence-based, effective teaching practices.
Fall Programs
Webinar Series: Plans for DEIB in Federal Funding Research Proposals
Zoom
Are you submitting a federal grant proposal? The Research Strategy and Development team in the Division of Research is hosting a fall lunchtime mini-webinar series on incorporating diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) into proposals for NIH, NSF, and DOE grants. Each 30-minute session features expert insights from McAllister and Quinn, a grants consulting firm, followed by a Q&A. Don't miss this opportunity to strengthen your proposals! The Sheridan Center is part of Brown's Engaged Scholarship & Broader Impacts group. Please register:
Tuesday, December 3: [NSF] National Science Foundation - Broader Impacts and More
Gamification for Language Courses
Friday, November 22, Noon - 1:20 PM
SciLi 1004 (lunch provided) and Zoom
Register for a workshop on gamification with Naomi Pariseault (Senior Learning Designer in Sheridan Center’s Digital Learning & Design) and James Egan (Professor of English), sponsored by the Center for Language Studies. In this session, we will explore the principles of gamification design to engage and motivate students in language courses. Sharing an example, we will dive into learner personas, storytelling/world-building, and strategic selection of game elements. You will consider various entry points for starting to use gamification design. There will be a focus on asynchronous
online course experiences, but the design approach can be applied to any course format.
Preparing Final Grades in Canvas
Wednesday, December 11, 10:00 - 10:30 AM
Zoom
Join technologists from the Sheridan Center’s Digital Learning and Design hub to review best practices for finalizing your Canvas Gradebook. In this 30-minute workshop, we will cover topics including how to weight scores by assignment category, sync scores from third-party course tools, account for missing or late assignments, and export final grades for upload to Banner. Please register.
Fall & Spring Teaching and Learning Communities
Photo by Wilhelm Gunkel on Unsplash
Faculty Writing Group
10:00 AM-Noon on Fridays
Zoom
Open to all faculty and staff
Faculty of any rank and any staff are invited to participate in a Faculty Writing Group. Writing groups can be an invaluable source of motivation and accountability, and the Faculty Writing Group is a “guilt-free” group that prioritizes spending time in community and goal-setting together. Each group meeting begins with a brief goal-setting exercise and concludes with a short reflective conversation. Writing projects can be any works in progress, and historically have ranged widely from articles to conference presentations to letters of reference.
Register to receive the Zoom link for the sessions here. Questions can be directed to Annie Gjelsvik (Public Health; Provost’s Faculty Teaching Fellow) at annie_gjelsvik@brown.edu.
STEM Ed Fridays
Select Fridays, Noon - 1:00 PM
SciLi 720 (lunch provided) and Zoom
Are you interested in discussing STEM education at Brown? STEM Ed Friday is a vibrant learning community where STEM instructors and staff members share ideas, experiences, and challenges related to STEM education.
Please register for an upcoming session:
Photo by Martin Springborg
Large Class Learning Community
The Large Class Learning Community is an interdisciplinary group of faculty members that meets monthly to discuss issues surrounding the teaching of high-enrollment classes. If you are interested in joining these conversations, please contact Provost Faculty Teaching Fellow and Sociology Senior Lecturer Lisa Di Carlo (lisa_di_carlo@brown.edu) to be placed on the contact list. You'll also be added to the group's shared Google Drive, which contains notes from previous years' meetings.
CIRTL: Postdoc Teaching Practicum
Virtual, starting Thursday, December 5th
Register now to take part in this 5-month mentorship program where you will work with an experienced instructor in your discipline to enhance your understanding and experience of teaching a university course. This is hosted by University of British Columbia as part of the CIRTL Network, which Brown affiliates have access to free of charge. Visit the CIRTL website for more information. Registration is limited to 40 participants!
Brown Learning Collaborative
The Brown Learning Collaborative provides opportunities for undergraduate fellows to collaborate with faculty and peer partners in key academic areas: Data Science, Problem Solving, and Writing.
Writing Fellows
Host a Writing Fellow in Your Spring Course
Applications Due November 22
Are you interested in hosting a Writing Fellow in your Spring 2025 Semester course? Writing Fellows are trained peer tutors who provide one-on-one writing support in courses across the curriculum. In a ‘fellowed’ course, Writing Fellows comment on students' written drafts and hold individual conferences with students, where they discuss revision strategies. Faculty who partner with the program also receive support on how to integrate draft writing into their course designs. The program’s interactive, collegial approach reinforces the conviction that writing is a communicative process best accomplished in active dialogue with other people. If you are interested in hosting Writing Fellows in a course this Spring 2025 semester, please complete the Writing Fellow Faculty Application Form here by Friday, November 22, at 11:59 pm. Questions? Please email writingfellows@brown.edu.
Problem-Solving
Fellows
Sign Up for a Problem-Solving Fellow Consultation!
Are you a UTA, tutor, or professor who wants a student perspective on your teaching? Especially as the Fall term is underway? Sign up for a Problem-Solving Fellow (PSF) Teaching Consultation! PSFs are undergraduate students trained to give feedback on any and all elements of teaching or assisting in teaching a course. If you are looking to increase the effectiveness of your assignments, lecturing, or general teaching strategies, consider reaching out! Each consultation is confidential, personalized, and led from a student-based perspective! Please fill out our interest form to get started. Questions? Please contact psf@brown.edu.
Asynchronous Resources and Programs
Creating a Teaching Portfolio
This online, self-paced Canvas workshop from the Sheridan Center guides participants through the process of writing a teaching statement and creating a teaching portfolio. For more information and to register, visit the Teaching Portfolio program website.
Photo by Colton Sturgeon on Unsplash
Designing and Teaching for Online
This online self-paced Canvas tutorial guides Brown instructors through the design or redesign of an online or hybrid course. There are three pathways (Developing an Online Course, Structuring an Online Course in Canvas, and Teaching an Online Course) that allow instructors to work through the sections at their own pace based on their own needs and interests. The tutorial can be accessed anytime with this direct link (you must be logged into your Brown Canvas account): Designing and Teaching for Online.
Planning Resource: Sheridan Calendars
Interested in knowing when Sheridan Center programs typically run during the year? Please see the calendars below.