Share your Innovations!

 Are you or a colleague doing something new or creative in your teaching? Big or small, we want to hear about it! To help us learn from each other within our Lindenwood community, we are collecting accounts of the wonderful things you are doing to provide our students with a high-quality education. Examples could include a quick tip that enhances your experience as an educator, a piece of technology you’re using, an assignment or module you’ve developed that breaks away from a traditional lecture-quiz format, or a creative approach to a common issue. With this, we hope to build a library to help us answer the familiar question, “what is everyone else doing?” 

Complete this quick survey any time, as often as you like! 

RISE & Q2 Service Excellence 

Congratulations 2024 Award Winners!  

Congratulations to the 2024 RISE and Q2 Service Excellence Award Winners who were announced at the Staff and Faculty Recognition Ceremony on March 19. We thank you for your continued dedication to teaching and learning and to putting our students first. 

• 2024 RISE Faculty Award: Justine Pas 
• 2024 RISE Adjunct Faculty Award: Kathryn Barohn 
• 2024 RISE Accessibility Award: Michiko Nohara-LeClair 
• 2024 RISE Online Award: Jason Dude Lively 
• 2024 Q2 Service Excellence: Chris Rumsey 

Unlocking Accessibility

with Canvas Ally

As the university moves to improve accessibility across courses, Canvas Ally can assist you in creating an inclusive and accessible learning environment. Seamlessly integrated with Canvas, this software tool empowers you to make course materials more accessible, benefiting both educators and students.

1. Insightful Assessment: Ally scans your Canvas course, providing detailed accessibility ratings for every file, text, image, or content item. These ratings help prioritize issues based on severity and frequency, allowing you to focus on critical barriers.

2. Guidance and Remediation: Ally doesn't stop at identifying issues—it offers step-by-step instructions to improve content accessibility. Whether it's alternative formats, guidance on fixing barriers, or documentation, Ally ensures that everyone can engage with course materials effectively.

Remember, Ally isn't just about compliance; it's about creating an inclusive learning experience. If you would like to get started, but need assistance setting up the tool, or just have additional questions, reach out to Lindenwood Learning Experience Design Services by contacting Charles Green.

Lindenwood Learning

Academy

Staff and Coaches

Performance Evaluation Reminders

The month of April brings us halfway through the staff and coaches performance cycle. You can add evidence to your performance evaluation at any point through July 15. Self-evaluations are to be submitted to your evaluator between May 1 & June 30.

Resources Available for Performance Evaluation Process:

• New guide for staff and coaches accessible on the Useful Links page in Workday.
• Your supervisor is available for additional guidance beyond the guide.
• Lindenwood Learning Academy provides further assistance and information.
• Email inquiries to [email protected].

Upcoming Training Sessions:

• Lindenwood Learning Academy offers two Performance Evaluation for Staff and Staff Administrators sessions in April.
• Highly recommended for all staff and coaches.
• Register below!

Performance Evaluation Training

(For Staff & Staff Administrators)

This two-hour session is designed to train staff and administrators on completing final evaluations, which are due from July 16 until August 15, 2024. The first hour is designed to teach staff being evaluated on their responsibilities in the evaluation process. 

The second hour will train staff administrators on how to complete and review the final evaluation with their staff. The Learning Academy is offering in-person AND online sessions during April.

Balancing Work and Life

Learn how to have it all and enjoy all you have by balancing your life and work. In this 35 minutes LinkedIn Learning course, author and productivity expert Dave Crenshaw explores smart strategies to improve focus at work and give yourself time to enjoy your time at home. 

Tech Tip

Have you ever wanted to share a file with others, have the document easily accessible in your folder/OneDrive and theirs, AND have the document update in both locations when it’s edited?

Follow the steps below to do this!

1. Go to the new folder where you’d like your document to be saved
2. click “New” and “Link”
3. Then you can search for the document that is most likely saved on your personal OneDrive

Then it’s accessible in both areas and updates when you edit.

Over the past two years the CEL Corner of the Learning Log has covered the various initiatives, impact, and insights of the areas that the Center for Engaged Learning has focused on. From First Year Programs, to Career Services, to Study Abroad, to Service Learning, to Sustainability, to General Education, to the Student Academic Showcase, I hope that faculty have gotten a sense of how CEL can be a partner in teaching that is rigorous, inclusive, supportive, and engaging. 

What might not be apparent from the individual articles is the intentional cross-collaboration that is part of the culture of CEL, something I have had the privilege of living out with my colleagues day-in and day-out. While some universities will have career services housed within student affairs, study abroad within academic affairs, and service learning and community engagement in another area entirely, Lindenwood is in good company with other universities (like my alma mater, Vanderbilt: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/immersion/) that see the value of all of these units working together to support the academic core. To bring it down to the level of the individual student, she might come in to talk about internships, but then discover their true passion by doing a service-oriented internship abroad with an NGO. And when they return, they are able to reflect on that experience and be ready to tell their story as they embark on graduate studies and careers. 

Over the past three years I have had the privilege of serving the CEL team in its many manifestations and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with wonderful colleagues such as Elizabeth Ashcraft, Elizabeth Snell, Erika Hatfield, Bailey Hayes, Bayley Fowler, Abby McCracken, Justin Barton, Shannon Wright, Hadel Abdelkareem, Alyx Stewart, Sarah Rinker, Wendi Price, and Emily Huey. There are so many more across the university who amaze me every semester by their outstanding love for our students and their commitment to our students’ sense of belonging and their personal growth. It has been an honor to visit classes where psychology students present on their work with the senior community to learn about memory; where students learn about Japanese culture by participating a tea ceremony; where public health students present researched solutions to real community problems; presentations where students discuss the results of their portfolio management; virtual presentations where students work with community leaders in Honduras; and fashion shows put on by our very own students. The list goes on and on. I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned from each of you.

--by Dr. Mark Valenzuela, Associate Provost, Engaged Learning

Learning Academy

Professional Development Highlights

Training Highlights

April 9, 12-4 p.m.

Library and Academic Resource Center

The Student Academic Showcase is an event for students to display their scholarly and creative projects to Lindenwood faculty, staff, and fellow students. Students’ work will be featured in poster formats or as presentations in concurrent oral sessions. The Welcome Session and the Oral Presentations are livestreamed.  

GenAI Faculty PLC Team

Mondays, March 11 - April 22, 1:30-2:30 p.m. LARC 10

Tuesdays, March 14 - April 25, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m., Online

A Professional Learning Community (PLC) Team is a group of dedicated individuals who share an interest in promoting learning within the Lindenwood community. These teams will share an interest in Generative AI and will focus on providing actionable steps to help Lindenwood faculty learn about GenAI and how/when to use it. Teams will meet once per week. You may choose to meet either in person (Mondays) or virtually (Thursdays). You only need to register for one event per week. 

Neurodiversity Informational Session

and Autism Student Panel

April 16, 12-1 p.m.

Lindenwood Learning Academy, LARC 09 & Online

Join LU faculty and students in this panel to raise awareness of Neurodiversity & Autism and learn the means of support for faculty, staff and students at Lindenwood. Dr. Rebecca Panagos, Program Coordinator, MA in Early Interventions, Advanced Teacher Education, will speak during this session. The last half of each session will include a panel question and answer session, as well as provide time for the audience to ask questions.

To learn about professional development opportunities offered in April, click the box below to go to the Lindenwood Learning Academy's online training calendar or go to our webpage to learn more about LinkedIn Learning professional development opportunities.

Lindenwood Learning Academy

LARC 09 & 10

209 S. Kingshighway

St. Charles, MO 63301

636-949-4408