CTL Newsletter - April 2024

News + Updates

Registration Open: Summer Institute + AI Symposium

We invite you to CTL’s second Summer Institute on Teaching and Learning, on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 14-15, 2024.

This year's Summer Institute will be offered alongside an AI Symposium, sponsored by RIT Research Division, with the theme "Teaching the 21st Century Student". The combined event promises to be a dynamic exploration of teaching, learning, and the transformative impact of artificial intelligence in education.

We are pleased to announce two exceptional speakers will be headlining the Summer Institute this year. Kendra Evans, director of RIT’s Spectrum Support Program, will talk about fostering student success. Christina Katopodis, a senior postdoctoral research associate at City University of New York’s Humanities Alliance, will discuss taking student engagement to the next level with inclusive, collaborative learning.

This event is free and open to the entire RIT community. Whether you are a seasoned educator, new to the field, or curious about these topics and their impact, we encourage you to participate and contribute to this vibrant exchange of ideas. View the schedule on the Summer Institute website.
    Register by April 29
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    Propose a Teaching Circle for Fall Semester

    A teaching circle is a small group of teachers who meet regularly on-campus and/or via Zoom to discuss a specific teaching and learning topic. Facilitators may pre-schedule meetings or poll interested participants on their availability. Circles typically meet for an hour 4-7 times over a semester.

    CTL is seeking RIT faculty and other instructors of record (e.g., adjunct, postdocs, GTAs) who are interested in proposing a topic and facilitating a teaching circle in Fall semester 2024. Visit our website to learn more about teaching circles, including the names of facilitators and topics of previously offered circles.

    Please submit your proposal by August 13. 2024. Applicants will be notified on a rolling basis.

    We will announce the roster of Fall teaching circle facilitators and topics to the RIT community on August 20 and 27. Interested participants are encouraged to contact circle facilitators by September 3. 
    Propose a Teaching Circle
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    Share Your Pronouns in myCourses

    Students, instructors, and staff can now share their pronouns to others in myCourses by editing their Account Settings. Pronouns display in the Classlist and by hovering over a profile picture in places such as Discussion threads/replies. Review Pronouns in myCourses for instructions and other information about this feature.

    For more information about creating an inclusive learning environment, review Supporting Transgender and Nonbinary Students in the Classroom.
     

    Classroom Reminder

    Turn off the Classroom AV

    To help RIT become a greener campus, please remember to turn off all AV equipment at the conclusion of your class. We have been observing an increased number of AV systems left on throughout the day and into the evening.

    By turning off the AV equipment at the conclusion of your classes, we will extend the lifetime of the AV technology, along with reducing our energy consumption and carbon footprint. This is a small step that can make a big difference in helping to protect the environment.
    Read more about Sustainability at RIT

    Tools for Teaching

    The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) supports faculty in using a variety of academic technologies. These three tools can be used in courses as well as for general RIT purposes. Learn more visit our website.

    Google Workspace
    A suite of file creation and digital collaboration tools. Can be used for group projects, peer review, and other course work. Learn more >

    Microsoft 365
    A suite of file creation and digital collaboration tools, and other productivity apps. Can be used for group projects, peer review, and other course work. Learn more >

    Qualtrics
    A robust online survey platform for collecting and analyzing data. Can be used for research, polling, evaluations, and more. Learn more >

    Looking for more?
    See our Technology for Teaching Overview, or come meet with us.

    Upcoming Events

    Vist the CTL Events webpage to see our full listing.

    Teaching Strategies

    May 14-15 Summer Institute + AI Symposium | SHED & Wallace
    Summer Institute will be held in conjunction with the AI Research Symposium, with the overarching theme of Teaching the 21st Century Student. Session tracks will include Helping Students Succeed, Engaging Learning Experience, Harnessing New Technologies, and Research on AI. Registration is open! Visit the Summer Institute website to view keynote speakers, schedule, and other details.

    Stay tuned for additional Summer events!
     

    Tool Tip

    Peer-reviewed Video Assignments

    Do you want to have students give each other feedback on their video assignments? Have students record using Panopto and post their videos to the myCourses Discussion tool. Review the instructor setup tutorial and student completion tutorial for details.

    Their classmates can use the Panopto discussion (comments) feature to write text comments on each other's videos. Comments are time-stamped so students reading their feedback know what part their classmate is referring to. Note that comments are visible to all who can view the video.

    Questions - Need Help?

    email us
    ctl@rit.edu

    visit us online
    rit.edu/teaching

    call us
    475-2551

    meet with us
    rit.edu/teaching/consultations