Announcements
Congratulations to UCLA's Inaugural CIRTL-Certified Scholars!
Congratulations to Jenny Link (top photo) and Elizabeth Reid-Wainscoat (bottom photo) for completing the Scholar Level certification for UCLA's Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) - a prestigious national program sponsored by UCLA Graduate Division in collaboration with CEILS supporting the professional development of UCLA graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. CIRTL Certification requires training and coursework in effective and inclusive teaching practices, culminating in a teaching-as-research project.
Jenny Link is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Medicine and also a current UPLIFT fellow . Her teaching-as-research project is titled: “Recurrent and varied in-class activities help students retain information in a lower division evolution, biodiversity, and ecology course.”

Elizabeth Reid-Wainscoat is a Masters candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Her teaching-as-research project is titled “Does temperament composition impact group dynamics in an upper division biology lab course?”. Both presented their work to the CEILS journal club this Spring.
UCLA Symposium: Exploring Practical Ways to Inspire & Reward Teaching Effectiveness & Instructional Innovation
Tuesday, June 12, 2018 | 8:00a - 5:15p | UCLA Faculty Center

View the UCLA Teaching Symposium page to view the event agenda, get to know our Keynote and Plenary Speakers, and RSVP today.
Apply by May 21 - UCLA Library Affordable Course Materials Initiative
This UCLA Library initiative encourages instructors to use low-cost or free alternatives to expensive course materials, such as open-access scholarly resources, library-licensed and owned resources in print or digital form, reformatted special collections items, and learning objects and texts that faculty create themselves. By more closely aligning Library collections, services, and expertise with instructional needs, it has helped lower the cost of course materials for thousands of UCLA students while achieving instructors’ educational objectives. Awards pair instructors with a team of Library specialists who help them identify, access, adapt, and adopt alternative course materials. Award amounts are available of $1,000 each for instructors teaching courses with enrollments of fewer than two hundred students and of $2,500 each for instructors teaching courses with enrollments of more than two hundred students.

Apply by May 21 for Fall Quarter courses, learn more here .
Introducing KUDU - A UCLA Developed Online Textbook Company
CEILS would like to introduce you to one of our recent collaborators - Kudu . Instructors using Kudu may also be eligible for grants through the UCLA Library's Affordable Course Materials Initiative, mentioned above.

Kudu is an online textbook/learning platform developed by Drs. Alex Kusenko and Warren Essey from UCLA's Department of Physics and Astronomy. At the heart of Kudu is a passion for making textbooks engaging and interactive by incorporating high quality video. Drs. Kusenko and Essey have developed a model to develop low-cost customizable textbooks, that would eventually be free for UCLA students when developed at UCLA. You can learn more and see some examples on their website: https://kudu.com/

CEILS is working closely with Kudu to identify additional opportunities for UCLA faculty-led textbook development projects. Please reach out to them via their website if you are interested in learning more and possibly developing, publishing, or licensing your own course textbook with Kudu.
WIRE Logo

WI+RE is a growing UCLA campus community of learners and teachers interested in designing new approaches to teaching and learning challenges. They host events and provide practical tips on research and writing collaboratively designed by students, faculty, librarians, and academic support staff across the UCLA campus. WI +RE sends out community update emails to share events, gather ideas and insights, and get the word out about our new creations. To receive announcements from WI+RE, visit their community sign-up page or follow them on twitter @WIREbruin. Visit the WI+RE website here.
On-Campus Events
CEILS Journal Club for STEM Education Research | Learning Community Meetings
Journal Club takes place Fridays every quarter from 2:00 – 3:00 PM in1100 Terrasaki Life Sciences Building. View additional information and upcoming presentations here.

Upcoming Schedule:
  • May 11, 2018 | No Journal Club
  • May 18, 2018 | Bill Grisham, Academic Coordinator and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology - "Adventures in Evaluating a Curriculum"
  • May 25, 2018 | No Journal Club
  • June 1, 2018 | Kirsten Turlo, Lecturer in the UCLA Biomedical Research Minor
  • *This talk will be followed by a social hour from 3-5p, hosted by CEILS.
From Awareness to Action: The Path Toward Meaningful Allyship
Tuesday, May 15, 2018 | 4 - 6 pm | CNSI Auditorium
4-5 pm - Lecture by Dr. Evelyn Carter of UCLA BruinX
5-6 pm - Reception for Dialogue

Our diverse society offers many opportunities to learn about the triumphs, struggles, and experiences of a variety of groups. With this in creased knowledge also comes awareness of grave social injustice and inequity that persists in how members of different groups are treated across all spheres of our society. What are the ways to translate our awarene ss and desire to effect change into action that uplifts, and does not overshadow or stifle, the work of marginalized communities? This talk will discuss ways to engage in meaningful allyship, what research tells us about being an ally, and the challenges that might arise along the way. Please RSVP here.
Event Sponsors: UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience | David Geffen School of Medicine | California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA | UCLA Office of Postdoctoral Affairs for Biomedical & Life Sciences
Postdoctoral Scholars & Graduate Students
Resource: ScienceCareers - 2018 Career Handbook (PDF download available)
CIRTL @ UCLA - Professional Development Opportunities for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars

The Center for the Integration of Research,Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) provides national events and courses. UCLA is a CIRTL institution, and we offer in-person learning communities and training opportunities. For detailed information about CIRTL @ UCLA, please visit:  https://ceils.ucla.edu/cirtl-at-ucla/. If you have any questions, please contact our program coordinator Dr. Rachel Kennison at rkennison@ceils.ucla.edu.

View all CIRTL Network spring and summer events at cirtl.net or by clicking on the image below:
UCLA Office of Instructional Development - TA Training Program
Spring 2018 Workshops

The TA Training Program is excited to announce new TA workshops for Spring Quarter. Whether you are currently TAing or would like to TA in the future, please join to learn new strategies and skills for the classroom in our small-group, hands-on workshops. Topics for the month of May include:
  • Stress & Anxiety Toolkit
  • Assessment & Grading: Measuring Student Achievement in the Classroom
  • Creating Inclusive Classrooms
  • Nuts & Bolts of Lesson Planning
View more information and register to reserve your spot in these workshops today!
Newsworthy
Resource: A favorite listserv for STEM education news, please subscribe  to STEM|PROF
It Matters Who Teaches Introductory Courses | Chronicle of Higher Education

The first professor whom students encounter in a discipline can play a big role in whether they persist in it.
Interactive Strategies for Engaging Large and Small Classes Alike | Faculty Focus

As faculty, our goal is to create an environment in which students are engaged with the material, while at the same time ensuring that they are prepared to advance in their studies. There are many techniques and tricks and pedagogies we can use—some requiring a lot of work, some requiring less, but perhaps one of the simplest is to simply get closer to students, moving around the room, and offering easy opportunities for them to talk to each other.
Why Some Students Struggle with Group Work | Faculty Focus

Collaborative learning tasks may unfairly disadvantage students with below-the-surface challenges, such as anxiety, autism, or other issues that interfere with effective social interactions.
Avoiding Pitfalls Associated with Culturally Responsive Instruction | STEM Teaching Tools

Here are things to consider in science teaching to make meaningful connections to the cultural knowledge, experiences, and ways of knowing of students and their communities.
Classroom Learning and Career Preparation: Stronger Together | Inside Higher Ed

The strongest liberal arts education would include basic business skills, opportunities for internships, and interaction with business leaders, such as alumni—exactly what is taking place in the independent college sector today.
What Delayed Course Evaluations Might- and Might Not- Reveal | Chronicle of Higher Education

How much more informative would course evaluations be if they were delayed?
Why We Must Stop Relying on Student Ratings of Teaching | Chronicle of Higher Education

The internet has not only made course evaluations more unreliable, but the tone of comments now can resemble internet message boards.
When Will the Gender Gap in Science Disappear? | The Atlantic

A new study estimates that it will take 16 years for women and men to publish papers in equal numbers. For physics, it will take 258 years.
What Improves PhD Completion of Underrepresented Minority Students in STEM? | Innovative Higher Education

This article contributes to a more robust understanding of timely completion of STEM doctorates by underrepresented minority students. Findings indicate that Hispanic/Latino and students from other underrepresented groups complete at higher rates than do their Black/African American counterparts. The authors of this article offer insights and recommendations for graduate schools about how to increase the STEM doctoral attainment rate of students from underrepresented groups.
National Events & Webinars
Summer Institutes - Scientific Teaching in Practice Webinar: Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs)
May 18, 12-1 PT

Join in for a lively discussion about implementing CURE-based learning environments for both majors and non-majors. ( https://yale.zoom.us/j/241718151)
AAC&U Knowledge XChange Agile Workshop

This newly-designed agile format will allow you, as a virtual attendee, an opportunity to not only observe the in-person discussion, but to also raise critical questions in real time and offer specific recommendations for building a community of practice committed to broadening participation through social change.

The workshop will begin at  3:00pm EDT on May 22nd and conclude at12:00pm EDT May 24th . You are welcome to join us for all or any part of the workshop that fits the demands of your schedule.

Mathematical Association of America - MathFEST

August 1- 4, 2018
Denver

View the event website to register and proposal/abstract submission deadlines.
19th Annual Conference on Case Study Teaching in Science

September 21-22, 2018
Buffalo Marriott Niagara
View the event website for more information. Registration deadline: September 5, 2018
2018 NABT Professional Development Conference
November 8-11, 2018
Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina

View the event website for more information.
Early registration deadline: July 31, 2018

Submit a proposal to present at the 10th Annual Biology Education Research Symposium and/or the Undergraduate Biology Professional Development Summit at the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) 2018 Professional Development Conference. Please see the attached calls for proposals to learn more about each symposia, the guiding criteria for proposals, and how to submit your proposals: [Call for Research Proposal 2018] [NABT PD Symposium RFP 2018]
Proposal submission deadline is midnight on June 15, 2018.
Featured Job Opportunities
Assistant Director (Academic Administrator), Undergraduate Research Center - Sciences
University of California, Los Angeles

Postdoctoral Position in Biology Education
Florida International University

Postdoctoral Position in Chemistry Education
Florida International University

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Biology Education
Arizona State University
►View the details of the job listing and how to apply here .

Visiting Faculty Position in Biology
Pomona College

Assistant Professor in Instructional Systems Design
University of Kentucky

Assistant Professor in Science Education
University of Kentucky

STEM Writing Specialist and Lecturer
California Institute of Technology
► View details of job listing and apply here .
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Connect with UCLA's Center for Education Innovation & Learning in the Sciences

For more information about CEILS events and resources, including a list of STEM education events from previous mailers, please visit the CEILS website at www.ceils.ucla.edu or stop by our CEILS offices in Hershey Hall (Rooms 122,126, 210 & 243).  If you wish to be added to the CEILS mailing list for future newsletters and special announcements, please send your request to  media@ceils.ucla.edu .

Please note, this monthly newsletter is circulated through many departmental listservs. Most other CEILS correspondence, including special event announcements and reminders, are sent to CEILS mailing list recipients only. Thanks!