August 31, 2026 | Fall News | | |
In This Issue
- Go for the Gold with General Education Assessment
- Canvas Quick Tip — a fast, practical idea you can use right away.
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Plus important announcements and faculty resources. Keep reading!
| | Go for the Gold with General Education Assessment | | (Photos) Faculty engage in activities to strengthen student success in General Education during the Undergraduate Studies interactive workshops held on August 11. | | |
Undergraduate Studies (UGS) champions academic excellence that transcends degree programs, including General Education (Gen Ed), sustainability, writing, and civic literacy. Central to that work is General Education Assessment, a shared-governance process where faculty, staff, and stakeholders across campus review assessment data to inform continuous improvement of Gen Ed courses and competencies.
The 2025–26 General Education Assessment marked a milestone for FGCU and UGS. For the first time, a majority of Gen Ed sections contributed course-embedded assessment data in Spring 2026, including over 70% of sections in the two targeted competencies, Human Expression & Society and Quantitative Reasoning.
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Over the summer, eighteen faculty evaluators from across campus conducted a juried assessment of these competencies, providing a nuanced view of student learning in our foundational courses.
On August 11, UGS held two interactive workshops, giving twenty-three faculty, across all the disciplines in general education, a first look at the results and an opportunity to provide feedback on the process.
| The full assessment report will be presented at Gen Ed Palooza: Go for the Gold! on Wednesday, September 23 (12:30–2:30 p.m.) in Cohen 201. Faculty who earned gold, silver, and bronze medals for their participation will be recognized, and lunch will be provided. This event will also be the official kickoff for this year's assessment, which will focus on the Writing & Communication and Scientific Inquiry competencies. Contact Dr. Joe Ross at jross@fgcu.edu to learn more. | | Faculty Resources & Best Practices | |
Reduce repetitive emails and questions - Schedule weekly “Look Ahead” announcements
Canvas announcements can do more than share news and updates. They can be used to serve as a weekly roadmap for student success. Consider scheduling a brief “Look Ahead” announcement each week that highlights upcoming assignments, key dates, learning objectives, and direct links to course materials.
Students benefit from clear expectations and reminders that help them stay organized, while faculty can reduce repetitive emails and questions about what is due and where to find course resources. Best of all, these announcements can be reused and updated in future semesters, making them a high-impact, low-effort communication strategy.
Learn more about Canvas Announcements: Canvas Guide— https://community.instructure.com/en/kb/articles/660643-how-do-i-add-an-announcement-in-a-course
| Missed a tip? Bookmark Digital Learning's Canvas QuickTip Archive and access expert guidance whenever you need a refresh to use Canvas more efficiently and effectively. CLICK to browse the Archive. | |
Next Academic Affairs Newsletter Deadline
Content submission deadline for the next edition: Tuesday, 5 p.m., September 8. The newsletter will run on Monday, September 14.
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Curriculum Deadline Reminder: October 1
Academic & Curriculum Support (ACS) wants to remind academic units that October 1, 2026, is the deadline for college-level approved curriculum materials intended for implementation in AY 2027–2028.
This deadline applies to the following categories:
- Revisions to existing degree programs and existing program majors
- New minors and revisions to existing minors
- New certificates and revisions to existing certificates
- New courses and revisions to existing courses
- Revisions to Degree Maps
- New and revisions to existing Combined Programs
To be ready for review by the corresponding university-wide Standing Teams and Councils of the Faculty Senate, please be sure materials are complete before the academic unit’s Curriculum Liaison submits the proposal to ACS. Materials may include the revision proposal form and/or CMS course form, catalog copy, Degree Map updates, emails of support, and college/school approval documentation, as applicable. Incomplete submissions will be returned to the unit’s Curriculum Liaison.
Proposals received after October 1 will be reviewed in the next curriculum cycle (AY 2027-28) for implementation in Fall 2028.
Some proposals may require additional review, including General Education, CLWS, SCGR, new programs or majors, and CIP changes.
Questions? Please contact Academic & Curriculum Support to discuss your curriculum ideas before significant development takes place.
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Important Reminder: Service Learning Projects and Human Subjects Research
Faculty, staff, and students should be aware that some service learning projects may meet the federal definition of human subjects research and require Institutional Review Board (IRB) review before the project begins.
Projects that involve collecting information from living individuals through surveys, interviews, observations, or other interactions may fall under IRB oversight, particularly when a structured process is used to gather and analyze data.
A key consideration is whether project findings will be shared beyond the classroom. Presentations, posters, conferences, publications, or other forms of public dissemination may indicate an intent to contribute to broader knowledge, which can trigger human subjects research requirements. Projects involving children may also be subject to additional federal protections.
The determination of whether a project constitutes human subjects research is made by the IRB, not the instructor, student, or investigator. If you are planning a project that involves collecting information from individuals and sharing the results outside the classroom, consult the IRB early in the planning process to determine whether review and approval are required.
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Office of the Ombuds
FGCU's Office of the Ombuds is here to assist faculty, staff, and students! Students or Employees who may be experiencing a university-related concern or conflict are encouraged to reach out to the Ombuds Office as an informal and confidential resource. Visit the Ombuds’ webpage for more information.
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CALLING ALL FACULTY!
Join over fifty of your colleagues of Service-Learning Faculty Academy graduates and apply to the Fall 2026 Cohort!
The Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement welcomes all full-time and adjunct faculty members to apply today!
The Fall 2026 Cohort will be held October 9th, 16th, and November 6th. Faculty must apply by September 11, 2026. Participants will receive monetary compensation of $1000 for attending all in-person sessions along with integrating an approved Service-Learning assignment within their course.
What can Cohort members expect?
· Explicit instruction on Service-Learning best practices and terminology
· Exploration of Service-Learning methods and applications
· Panel discussion from past cohort members and community partners
· Assignment, project, and syllabus development
Application package includes:
· Current CV
· Description of course in which you propose integrating-service learning
· Letter of support from department chair along with confirmation of course
Questions and application materials can be sent to Jamie Wilson, Coordinator of Faculty and Community Partnerships at jawilson@fgcu.edu to be considered for the Fall 2026 Service-Learning Academy.
Cohort Criteria & Compensation
Faculty currently teaching course(s) with a Service-Learning attribute or those who are interested in integrating Service-Learning for the first time are encouraged to apply. $1,000 to be awarded after the completion of the Cohort Workshops and Spring 2027 syllabus assignment has been reviewed and approved by the Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement.
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Career Advancement Assistance Program
The Office of Academic Affairs is pleased to announce the Career Advancement Assistance Program. The purpose of the Career Advancement Assistance Program is to provide time for faculty members to engage meaningfully in activities that yield outputs and impacts enhancing FGCU’s scholarly impact and timely promotion of faculty members.
- Faculty categories included in this initiative are those on the professor and instructor tracks. The Career Advancement Assistance Program partially relieves teaching obligations to provide time for scholarly, research, or career development endeavors. During the Career Advancement Assistance Program, faculty teaching load and/or other assignments will be reduced, and no overload teaching will be permitted.
- The number of awards is contingent on the availability of funding through the Provost’s office.
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The deadline for the Spring 2027 Career Advancement semester is Tuesday, September 15, 2026. Please submit your application in its entirety to Julie Leyden (jleyden@fgcu.edu).
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The deadline for the Summer 2027 Career Advancement semester is Monday, November 16, 2026. Summer semester is now available for 12-month AND 9-month faculty. Please see the guidelines for details.
Access the application cover page and detailed information about the program here:
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SAVE THE DATE!
Graduate & Professional Schools Fair
Cohen Student Union Ballroom
October 13, 2026
10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.
The entire Eagle community is invited! Please include this in your
course syllabi.
This fair is open to all FGCU students interested in exploring graduate and professional school opportunities. Three easy ways you can help:
- Promote the event by adding it to your undergraduate course syllabi as an assignment, a class activity, extra credit, or an announcement.
- Encourage attendance by highlighting the value of early graduate and professional (law, medicine, etc.) school exploration.
- Showcase your graduate program by attending the fair and engaging with prospective students who are eager to learn more about FGCU’s graduate offerings.
Visit the event page Graduate & Professional School Fair for the latest information.
Questions? Contact Dr. Dawn Kirby, Shannon Acosta, and Jessica Rhea.
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The Global Engagement Office (GEO) invites you to design and implement -
Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)
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Office of Research & Sponsored Programs (ORSP) | | |
ORSP Office Hours
From September through December, ORSP will host open office hours twice each month in Sugden Hall, Suite 201, where attendees can drop in to learn about research administration topics, ask questions, and receive one-on-one assistance from ORSP staff. Whether you're preparing a proposal, navigating Streamlyne, managing a grant budget, submitting an IRB protocol, or learning about foreign travel and export control requirements, ORSP is here to help. The First Session will be: Friday, September 11.
Friday, September 11 | 9:30-11:30 a.m.
- ORSP Services Overview
- How to Read an RFA/RFP
- Foreign Travel & Export Control
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Notice of Hanover Grant Academy 2026-2027
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (OSRP) is soliciting nominations for the 2026-2027 Hanover Grant Academy. The goal is for eight faculty to undergo an intensive proposal development plan over a one year time frame. The Academy consists of approximately 4-6 in person meetings during the year and one on one meetings with the Hanover experts.
The requested information for application can be accessed here. A key factor in selection will be the goal of submitting a proposal for extramural funding. Hanover will provide grantsmanship training, proposal critique, guidance on project and alignment with grant opportunities, and proposal revision assistance. Faculty selected are expected to submit a proposal for extramural funding at the completion of the grant academy. Faculty are permitted to apply for an additional round of intensive proposal development assistance provided an application for extramural funding was submitted during their previous participation.
The application submission deadline is September 14, 2026 by 5 PM. Please submit the application as a single pdf to Dr. Rosemary Higgins rhiggins@fgcu.edu. Questions can be referred to Dr. Higgins.
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The next regular edition will run on September 14.
Submit your content by Tuesday, 5 p.m. September 8.
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