GIFT (Great Ideas for Teaching) Exchange

Spring 2022 GIFT Exchanges

No matter your mode of instruction, the GIFT (Great Ideas for Teaching) Exchange has a GIFT for you. All faculty and staff interested in teaching are invited to join us for these virtual events. The Spring 2022 sessions will focus on Student Retention and Engagement Strategies. When you register, you will be sent a Zoom meeting invitation. Recordings of the sessions will be available about a week after the event.

Session 1: Using Read & Write in the Classroom

Tuesday, January 25, 1:45 – 2:30, Leyna Bencomo, Assistive Technologist Specialist

Make your classes easier to access without doing extra work! Introduce Read & Write to students on day one and minimize the number of accommodations you need to make for students.

Session 1 Register

Session 2: Creating Accessible Digital Course Documents

Thursday, January 27, 1:45 – 2:30, Sharon Stevens, FRC Faculty Development Coordinator

When creating course documents using Microsoft Word or Canvas Pages, a few simple digital accessibility principles are relevant for almost all document types. In this session, you will use a few principles to improve the readability and accessibility of your course materials and documents. Have a course syllabus, Word document, or Canvas Page open, and you will have the opportunity to apply these principles.

Session 2 Register

Session 3: Using Practical Neuroscience as Scaffolded Engagement for Online Course Content

Thursday, February 3, 1:45 – 2:30, Dr. Sarah Long, Assistant Director Gateway Program Seminar, Undergraduate Education

Do you have a brain or are you a brain? This session introduces practical neuroscience strategies to scaffolded engagement using brain-bender activities that scaffold weekly course content.

Session 3 Register

Session 4: Mentoring the Student Research Experience

Monday, February 7, 12:15 – 1:00, James R. Van Scotter II, Assistant Professor, College of Business

Much peer-reviewed scholarly research suggests student participation in research projects can be an important part of strategies for increasing student, engagement, retention, graduation, and career outcomes. While the benefits for students are pretty clear, many faculty have not worked on scholarly research projects with students and might be unsure about how to make the research experience beneficial for both the students and the faculty mentors. In this workshop, we will discuss some best practices for making research mentorship successful for students and faculty: techniques for identifying prospective research assistants, student training for research, ideal types of projects for new RA’s, intermediate and senior RA’s, administrative requirements, resources, and how to handle advising and mentorship.

Session 4 Register

Session 5: Create a Jigsaw to Engage Students in Canvas Assignments and Discussions

Wednesday, February 16, 12:15 – 1:00, Angie Dodson, FRC Instructional Designer

This session offers strategies for effectively utilizing the jigsaw method for interactively engaging students in discussions or assignments. The jigsaw method creates an opportunity for students to become experts on particular topics, issues, and processes and then share their expertise with others. It is an alternative approach to learning that encourages students to contribute from their own knowledge, skills, and experiences that combine with others to construct a rich, more comprehensive learning experience.

Session 5 Register

Session 6: Quick Tips for Inclusive Teaching from the Universal Design for Inclusive Teaching Grant Recipients

Tuesday, February 22, 1:45 – 2:30, Facilitated by Angie Dodson, FRC Instructional Designer and Sharon Stevens, FRC Faculty Development Coordinator

This session introduces the Universal Design for Inclusive Teaching (UDIT) badge program. Faculty participating in the Summer 2021 badge program will discuss the UDIT strategies they implemented into their teaching and the impact on students.

Session 6 Register

Session 7: Using a Course Theme to Engage Students

Wednesday, March 2, 12:15 – 1:00, Mandi Elder, Associate Professor, College of Nursing & Health Sciences

Utilizing a theme to structure your course, regardless of the content, can enhance student engagement by offering them interesting hooks rather than the typical modules, units, homework, and exams. Invite them to be detectives, superheroes, mountain climbers, or athletes. Gain inspiration from your favorite hobby, board game, or genre related activities. This GIFT session will help you see how to use common everyday activities and turn them into a theme for your course and craw your students into the course while you get to have some fun making it happen.

Session 7 Register

Last updated January 6, 2022
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