Academy News - June 12, 2019
Continue Your Growth as an Online Teacher
The interest in online courses continues to grow. Harper College recognizes the importance of providing faculty with training and resources for developing and delivering quality online courses. The Academy provides training, support, and resources for both new and experienced faculty teaching online or hybrid courses at Harper.

Learn more and see some fun facts about online learning at Harper!
online teaching
Looking for a great resource for online teaching? The Chronicle of Higher Education created a comprehensive guide to help you grow as an online teacher. Check it out!
The Harper College Syllabus Template, syllabus examples, and all related resources on the Harper College syllabus webpage have been updated for Fall 2019. You are encouraged to use these updated versions going forward. Did you know the webpage also includes grab-and-go verbiage for copying and pasting into your syllabus? Visit the syllabus webpage to copy and paste required college policy verbiage, optional statements, and student support services information.

Whether your project is to work on chapters in a book, a dissertation, a grant proposals, an article or review, OER, or a curriculum project...you can get it done! All you need is a solid block of time for sustained focus, in a quiet, supportive environment. The Academy will be holding Writing Camp, July 8 - July 12 from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. in the Academy, F317. Please register if you are interested.

Harper has created PASO (Project Achievement Surpassing Obstacles) to provide support and resources for parents of Latinx students. Through PASO, programming will be provided in the families' native language, and they will be connected to a human being to give them a sense of belonging.

Dan likes to say he has never been out of college. Dan has been at Harper since 1982, first as a student then as a wrestling coach and a mathematics instructor. He's been at the College so long, he is now teaching and coaching the children of some of his former wrestlers.
Student Learning Showcase
11th Annual Assessment Conference: Call for Presentation Proposals & Save the Date
Harper's Learning Assessment Committee and the Academy invite you to submit a presentation proposal and save the date for the 11th Annual Assessment Conference and Share Fair!

  • What is the Assessment Conference and Share Fair?
  • Why should I consider presenting?
  • How do I submit a presentation proposal?
  • Why should I save the date now? (And who should save the date?)
  • What is unique about this year's conference?
assessment conference
The Faculty Lounge
Reflections on Student Success
Submitted by Jasmine Coleman, Chemistry

A large part of my goals as an instructor involve the person that my student is becoming rather than solely the knowledge that my students seek to gain from the course. These goals include my students recognizing the way they learn new information and how my students help others both in and out of the class. When we as teachers consider these ideas, we naturally remain engaged enough to be ready to take on the concepts. I noticed that there is sometimes a student that hopes to just get by on their own, and sometimes that student gets left behind because they don't know how to learn the information.
jasmine coleman
As instructors we often judge our students that aren't successful. We think that maybe they aren't spending enough time on the topic independently. This is a harsh point of view for us to have, and I, admittedly, had this point of view in the past. Sometimes the student that is failing may be trying their best! In some form or another, there may be an unsuccessful attempt to learn. I had a student a year ago who made me reconsider this point of view.

What's Up with That: Things You May Be Wondering About on Campus
Teaching Consultations through the Academy
Submitted by Kendra Uhe, Medical Office Administration

The Academy staff are available for informal teaching consultations in which a faculty member makes an appointment or drops in for some brief assistance with any issue related to teaching, typically related to classroom interactions, instructional design, technology, or Blackboard. The Academy also offers a formal observation in which a faculty member works with the Academy over 1-2 semesters on some more long-term goals. You may be wondering what a formal teaching consultation through the Academy looks like, so I will share my experience with you on how I utilized this process to redesign my lectures from the initial consultation to implementation and finally reflection in order to provide a sense of how a more extended consultation works.
I requested a teaching consultation with the Academy in order to find ways to make my lectures more interactive and interesting for my students. I believe this to be a common problem--especially for those teaching in disciplines that require a common exam and/or certification as certain material must be covered. What is the best way to cover all this material and still keep the class engaged and attentive? This was the question I wanted to answer through my consultation.

Upcoming Programs & Workshops
July 1 - July 14 (GECs: 1)
registration deadline: June 17

July 8 - July 12

September 27, 8 a.m.
presentation proposal deadline: June 28
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Faculty Photos
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What's Happening @ Harper?
aerial view
Academy for Teaching Excellence | 847.925.6174 | Building F, Room F317
Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The mission of the Academy for Teaching Excellence is to create a vibrant teaching and learning culture for full-time and adjunct faculty that cultivates professional development in support of student success.
Accessibility: Individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation or who have questions about physical access may contact the event host or Access and Disability Services at ads@harpercollege.edu, 847.925.6266, at least two weeks in advance of the event date.
Harper College enriches its diverse communities by providing quality, affordable, and accessible education. Harper College, in collaboration with its partners, inspires the transformation of individual lives, the workforce, and society.