Summer with the OTL

As the spring term draws to a close, we understand you are eagerly anticipating a well-deserved summer break. Thank you for your dedication and hard work on behalf of our students. We wish you a restful and rejuvenating summer.

The OTL is available all summer to support you! Starting June 17, the OTL is open for in-person and virtual support on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00–3:00. On Mondays and Fridays, all "walk-ins," support requests, and consultations will be held virtually. Contact us directly or reach out to otl@du.edu.

If your summer plans involve pursuing professional growth or enhancing your teaching practice, the Office of Teaching and Learning will be offering several short courses and institutes, which are highlighted below.

We are very proud of all that we have accomplished in the OTL this past year. As we reflect upon and prepare our annual report for the 2023-2024 academic year, review our 2022-2023 OTL Annual Report to see how we have supported faculty and positively impacted teaching and learning at DU. As we plan for the next academic year, we want to hear from you to help the OTL understand your needs and wants for programming. Please take a moment to complete our brief needs assessment survey:

OTL Faculty Survey

Teaching and Learning Online Short Courses This Summer

Registration is live for Summer 2024 asynchronous short courses in the OTL! Access the direct registration link for each course or read more in our OTL Short Course catalog.

Creating Community Online begins June 17

Digital Accessibility begins July 15

T eaching with Technology begins August 12

Faculty are invited to participate in as many short courses as their interest and schedule allows. If you are interested in receiving a digital badge for completing multiple courses, consider signing up for the Teaching and Learning Online (TLO) Badge Program prior to completing a course. Please reach out to Lexi Schlosser (lexi.schlosser@du.edu) with any questions.

Faculty Write-in-Place Community

Are you interested in dedicating time to your writing projects this summer?

If writing in community with colleagues from across campus would support your writing process and goals, consider adding Write-in-Place (WiP) faculty writing groups to your schedule. WiPs are co-writing sessions that meet multiple times a week and offer space for you to focus and write alongside other faculty.

June 24 – August 23

Mondays – 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Zoom only

Tuesdays – 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – CCOMM 2800 & Zoom

Wednesdays - 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – CCOMM 2800 & Zoom

Faculty are welcome to participate in WiP sessions at any time. You can drop in whenever your schedule allows. Write for a short 30-minute sprint or stay for the whole 3 hours! We meet in the Faculty Lounge in the Community Commons (CCOMM 2800) or you can join via Zoom.

If you would like more information about faculty writing groups, please contact Megan Kelly, Program Coordinator for Faculty Writing Support: megan.j.kelly@du.edu.

Registration Now Open for Summer Course Design Institute!

Will you be designing a new course for the coming academic year, or are you wanting to make big changes to an old one? The Couse Design Institute, which takes place July 29-August 2, supports faculty in designing learning experiences that result in significant learning – that is, learning that has the potential to change students’ lives in lasting and important ways.

Learn more and register for this summer’s Course Design Institute!

Neurodiversity Institute (NDI)

The Neurodiversity Institute (NDI), scheduled for August 13-14, offers insights into the challenges encountered by neurodiverse learners. Through this training, faculty members gain the tools to foster inclusive learning environments for all students by incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and educational technology into their teaching practices. Visit our Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) report to see how the Neurodiversity Institute impacted previous participants.

Apply for the NDI by June 21:

Neurodiversity Institute Application

Please reach out to Jasmine Yap, jasmine.yap@du.edu, with any questions.

Workshop Opportunity: Teaching to Support Well-Being

Research shows that academic achievement and student well-being go hand in hand. In recent years, students have faced increasing challenges with mental health, and have high expectations of support from faculty. DU's 4D experience highlights well-being as one aspect of holistic student education, but faculty often feel under-prepared to support student well-being.

We invite you to join us on August 22 from 8:30-12:30 for a half-day workshop on "Teaching to Support Well-Being" led by Dr. Kateri McRae, Professor of Psychology and 4D Faculty Fellow of Well-Being. This workshop will focus on actionable teaching practices which are likely to support student learning via student well-being. The session will include a brief review of the empirical literature on what contributes to student well-being, resilience, and thriving; an introduction to best practices for supporting aspects of student well-being in the classroom; and time to brainstorm and workshop ideas about how to apply this knowledge to an upcoming class. We will also acknowledge the boundaries of the instructor's role in supporting student well-being, and provide resources for how instructors can support student well-being without sacrificing their own.

Join the ePortfolio Innovations Circle (ePIC) for AY24-25

We recognize that this end of quarter period can be quite busy, so to enable all those who are interested to apply, we've decided to extend the application deadline for the ePortfolio Innovations Circle (ePIC) to August 1st. Through this initiative, you'll join a community dedicated to enriching student learning, gain insights that may support your teaching, and contribute to best practices in ePortfolio implementation across DU.

ePIC Application

And for more information on ePortfolios, check out the second part of our four-part blog series on ePortfolios and assessment in which we explore the use of ePortfolios for formative assessments. Be on the lookout for Part 3, where we will explore using ePortfolios for summative assessment!

Please contact Kellie Ferguson, kellie.ferguson@du.edu, with any questions.

Thriving with AI Faculty Learning Community Call for Applications

The OTL is excited to offer a new Faculty Learning Community (FLC) specifically focused on AI in education for the 2024-2025 academic year. For the Thriving in AI FLC, we will be covering topics related to AI in higher education including AI literacy, addressing bias in AI, accessibility considerations, ethics, creative/innovative use cases for AI in teaching and learning, and more.

Learn more and apply to participate:

Thriving with AI FLC application

Please direct any questions related to this application or participating in this program to facilitator Lexi Schlosser, lexi.schlosser@du.edu.

Also, check out our recent blog post in which we feature a faculty member's thoughts on using generative AI as a part of his teaching: Faculty Feature: Dr. Richard Colby Discusses Teaching with AI. If you are interested in sharing your AI teaching experiences, tips, or assignment ideas, please contact the OTL at otl@du.edu.

Highlighting Career Competencies FLC: Fall and Winter 2024-2025

The Highlighting Career Competencies Faculty Learning Community (FLC) is a two-quarter, collaborative Faculty Learning Community centered around the career-relevant competencies that DU undergraduate and graduate students develop in our liberal arts and professional programs. Co-facilitated by Rachel Walsh and Andrea Stanton, this FLC will focus on helping ourselves as faculty and our students to better understand the competencies they develop in our courses and majors or graduate programs, to be able to effectively articulate them to themselves, to parents, and to future employers.

Learn more about the Highlighting Career Competencies FLC.

Apply for the Highlighting Career Competencies FLC by September 15:

Highlighting Career Competencies FLC Application

Are you interested in this FLC but have questions? Please email either Andrea, andrea.stanton@du.edu or Rachel, rachel.walsh@du.edu - we’d be happy to hear from you!

Upcoming Events and New Event Registration Process

As part of the DU-wide Event Management and Venue Management project, the OTL will be transitioning our event registration into CrimsonConnect.

The OTL and Office for Faculty Affairs will be piloting CrimsonConnect through the spring and early summer. For now, the OTL event system will still be in use. By fall, all OTL events will be in CrimsonConnect.

Learn more about CrimsonConnect:

Reach out to the OTL at otl@du.edu if you have questions about CrimsonConnect and registering for our events!

Upcoming Events

The Office of Teaching and Learning is hosting several events throughout this summer. Visit the OTL Events Calendar or log-in to Crimson Connect and visit our OTL group to discover other upcoming events.

Creating Community Online Short Course

June 17-July 1

Asynchronous online in Canvas

(If you would like to try Crimson Connect, you can register for this event there: Creating Community Online Short Course Crimson Connect page)

Digital Accessibility Short Course

July 15 – July 29

Asynchronous online in Canvas

(If you would like to try Crimson Connect, you can register for this event there: Digital Accessibility Short Course Crimson Connect page)

Course Design Institute

July 29 – August 2

AAC 301

COIL Summer Institute

Tuesday, August 6, 9:00 – 3:00 p.m.

The Loft (AAC 340)

(If you would like to try Crimson Connect, you can register for this event there: COIL Summer Institute Crimson Connect page)

Teaching with Technology Short Course

August 12-26

Asynchronous online in Canvas

(If you would like to try Crimson Connect, you can register for this event there: Teaching with Technology Short Course Crimson Connect page)

Teaching to Support Well-Being

Thursday, August 22, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

The Loft (AAC 340)

(If you would like to try Crimson Connect, you can register for this event there: Teaching to Support Well-Being Crimson Connect page)