Mid-Terms - Grading and Student Feedback

It's hard to believe that we are halfway through the fall term. As you plan for mid-terms and grading, the OTL is here to support you! You can reach out to us with questions or schedule a consultation by contacting OTL staff directly or booking 1:1 time with the OTL Instructional Designers. We also have many asynchronous resources on our Ed-Tech Knowledge Base and our OTL website, including helpful articles in our OTL blog. Visit our post Addressing Bias in Assessment as you prepare to grade your mid-terms to learn strategies for reducing implicit bias in your grading.

Now is also a good time to start thinking about gathering feedback from your students so that you can assess how the class is going, discover any points of confusion, and evaluate aspects of the course that you might be able to adjust to benefit your students. Visit OTL's web page Gathering Student Feedback on Teaching and blog post Designing a Mid-Quarter Student Survey for tips on getting this feedback and following up on it.

Teaching Excellence: Apply for Department Action Teams!

The OTL and the office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs (VPFA) extends an invitation to participate in Department Action Teams (DATs), an R1 Our Way initiative that seeks to expand how we measure and reward teaching excellence at DU.

Each DAT consists of 3-5 faculty and staff who will work with a facilitator to guide the department through a 10-month program aimed at sustainable change. Participating departments/programs will determine ways to apply the Teaching Quality Framework and ensure three voices (self, student, peer) are reflected in teaching evaluation for annual and consequential review.

Proposal submission deadline extended: Friday, October 13

Learn more about Department Action Teams and apply.

COIL Community Connection

The Office of Internationalization is hosting a social gathering for those who wish to network and interact with others who are interested in using COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) in their classrooms.

COIL Community Connection

Wednesday October 18, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Community Commons 1800

Coffee, tea, and snacks will be served!

Share Your Teaching Memories as the OTL Celebrates 25 Years!

The OTL is collecting artifacts to celebrate our 25th anniversary as an office at the University of Denver. We are looking for artifacts and stories from colleagues across campus about the transformation of teaching and learning over the past 25 years.

Please fill out our OTL Artifact survey to share your memories! If you are not sure what to share, email [email protected] or drop by the OTL suite in AAC 350. We are looking forward to celebrating with you throughout this year!

UDL Your Course Workshop Series

The UDL Your Course Series was designed to support faculty members on their exploration and understanding of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Framework. UDL is an inclusive model for teaching that centers the needs of students with disabilities, with the overall goal of creating a learning environment that is accessible by all students without the need for accommodations.

Join us for our upcoming UDL Your Course sessions:

Designing in Canvas with Accessibility in Mind

Tuesday, October 17, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Inclusive Classroom Participation

Tuesday, October 24, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 26, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Flexible Assessment

Monday, October 30, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 2, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

All sessions are held online via Zoom and attendees do not need to attend the UDL Your Course Workshop Series in any particular order.

OTL Pop-Ups!

This fall the Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) will be popping up near you! Want to learn more about OTL services and programs, talk teaching, or have a quick Canvas troubleshooting question? You're always welcome to visit us in person in AAC 350 or reach out online at [email protected], and this year we're also excited to come to you.

The OTL's first-ever pop-up meet & greet event is this month in partnership with the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Join us on October 20th from 11:30 to 12:30 in Sturm Hall Room 286. A big thank you to our host, Andrea Stanton, for making this event possible!

More dates and locations will be announced soon!

Neurodiversity Institute This December

In partnership with the Learning Effectiveness Program (LEP) and the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs (VPFA), the Office of Teaching and Learning is excited to announce the fifth Neurodiversity Institute! This in-person, two day event focuses on exploring the critical themes of neurodiversity, accessibility, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

This winter's Neurodiversity Institute will be held on Tuesday, December 5th, and Wednesday, December 6th, 2023. Both days will run from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The purpose of this institute is not only to bring awareness to accessibility and the importance of UDL, but also to empower faculty in utilizing technology to create an inclusive environment for all students. Faculty will receive a $1000 stipend for their participation in this institute; $500 for attendance and $500 upon completion of the deliverables assignment. By joining, you'll develop the skills to articulate key concepts, apply UDL principles, and advocate for student needs in your department.

If you are interested, please fill out the interest form. This open invite is for faculty, and we will give preference to full-time faculty interest given that part of the deliverables includes engagement with the home department at a leadership level.

Please reach out to the Office of Teaching and Learning at [email protected] with any follow-up questions.

Teaching and Professional Faculty Learning Community This Winter

Teaching and Professional Faculty (TPF) Learning Community is a faculty learning community designed for teaching and professional faculty in the assistant rank at the University of Denver. The FLC will explore areas essential to the success of teaching faculty including community building, effective instruction, DU culture, promotion, national trends, and the roles of TPF. We will utilize one book in our sessions (Inclusive Collegiality and Nontenure-Track Faculty: Engaging All Faculty as Colleagues to Promote Healthy Departments and Institutions).

The FLC will be led by Dr. Laura Sponsler, Clinical Associate Professor, Higher Education, and Resident Scholar - Teaching and Professional Faculty. We will meet biweekly during winter term on Wednesdays from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

The dates for Winter 2024 will be:

January 10, 2024

January 24, 2024

February 7, 2024

February 21, 2024

March 6, 2024

Upcoming Events

The OTL and the VPFA are hosting several events throughout the next month. Join us to learn more about teaching strategies and academic technology, and visit our Events Calendar to discover other upcoming events this term!

Teaching with AI Workshop Series: Play with AI

Tuesday, October 17, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

OTL Conference Room (AAC 345)

UDL Your Course Series: Designing in Canvas with Accessibility in Mind

Tuesday, October 17, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Online

Heart of Higher Education Conversations

Thursday, October 19, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Hyflex - Join us online via Zoom or in the OTL Conference Room (AAC 345)

UDL Your Course Series: Inclusive Classroom Participation

Tuesday, October 24, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 26, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.