Hello again, friends and colleagues,
With tomorrow being Valentine’s Day, we certainly hope that you have a special someone with whom you might exchange a gift or two – a significant other, your children or pets, whomever makes you happy and brings joy to your life – but either way, Rosemary and I know that you’re just going to love many of the offerings that we have for you this week. (Ha! See what I did there? Valentine’s Day? Love? Get it? Dad joke…I know… long-time dad here. 😜)
As usual, let’s begin with this week’s Monday Morning Mentor, which, this time around, answers the question, “How Can I Engage Students During a Synchronous Online Class?” The link and password below will grant you access to this clip through midnight on Sunday of this week, February 19.
Next, in our continued efforts to revisit the dialogue opened on mental wellness at January’s PIC, we hope that you might take a few minutes to peruse this recent op/ed piece from Inside Higher Education, which Tony Perry and Pam Stewart both shared with us: “Four Ways Professors Can Balance Self-Care with Accountability.” Once again, please also remember that we have provided a follow-up forum on the CTEI Moodle Hub to facilitate ongoing internal collegial discussions on these issues. We warmly welcome you to engage in this conversation with our colleagues and coworkers.
Meanwhile, Sam Bazzi, math instructor and chairperson of the Online Course Quality Assurance and Evaluation Committee in the School of STEM, will hold an online training session this Thursday at 2 p.m. for faculty in that area who are teaching asynchronously online. Likewise, later this week, Rosemary and I will hold the fourth of six HFC 101 orientation sessions, which are required for all new full-time faculty hires. Further information on all of this is provided below.
Please also remember that the second event in the Digital Education Days series, our collaborative effort with University of Michigan – Dearborn and Flint along with Mott Community College, takes place this week. We want to thank all those who attended the kickoff event last Friday, February 10, an excellent keynote address titled “We Cannot ‘Return to Normal’” presented by Dr. Amy Collier, Associate Provost for Digital Learning at Middlebury College. We want to remind everyone, however, that we still have two days of events remaining in this program – this Wednesday, February 15, and next Tuesday, February 21. Additional details and registration information for these remaining events are available through the link provided below.
Similarly, don’t forget that Liberal Arts Network for Development virtual conference is just one week away now too, and a wide range of awards will be presented to HFC students and faculty this year – including the Institutional Award honoring HFC’s Black Male and QUEENS Focus Group (BMWFG). Accordingly, let’s try to make a great showing of support with our attendance figures. Again, updates on the restructured format and revised program dates for this conference remain available below.
Finally, once more, applications for the Library Book Improvement Fund are still being accepted, and this form will remain available on the CTEI Moodle Hub through the March 6 deadline. Any interested parties should complete this document and submit it via e-mail to Ruth Ann Schmitt and/or Tessa Betts. Meanwhile, please also remember that the Michigan, College, University, Partnership (MiCUP) at Lawrence Technological University will also be running immersive in-person sessions for instructors examining how students are learning through authentic scientific experiments in the classroom. The first of these will take place on February 24. All of them will be held on HFC’s campus in room J-110, and Scott Corp, project coordinator, has provided a flyer for these events, which can now be found on the CTEI Moodle hub and here through this link.
In closing, we appreciate your patronage and engagement in our offerings while we always welcome your input and suggestions. To that end, please feel free to e-mail either or both of us with any questions or suggestions.
Upcoming Events
| Event | Description | Time/Date | Link |
| Monday Morning Mentor | How Can I Engage Students During a Synchronous Online Class? | 2/6-2/12 Virtual On Demand Video | View Here Password: engage574 |
| Sponsored Event: Digital Education Days* | Conference Focusing on Digital Pedagogy | 2/15 and 21 Virtual Event | Register Here |
| Sponsored Event: STEM Online Training* | Brief Program Focusing on Asynchronous Instruction | 2/16 @ 2 p.m. Virtual Event | Zoom Link |
| Sponsored Event: HFC 101 | Organizational Structure | 2/17 @ 2:10 p.m. Hyflex Modality | Zoom Link or N-01 |
| Partner Event: LAND Conference** | Liberal Arts Network for Development Celebrating Student and Faculty Scholarship | 2/22-2/24 Virtual Event | Conference Website and Registration Link |
| Partner Event: MCSS/ATD Roundtable Discussion Series** | Equity in Gateway Courses and Guided Self-Placement | Varying Days and Times – See Below for More Detail | Visit the MCSS Events Page for More Information and Registration Links |
| Partner Event: Inaugural HyFlex Collaborative Conference** | Collaborative One-Day Event Bringing Together Higher Ed and K12 Educators | 6/26 Virtual and In-Person Attendance Options | Conference Website |
| Partner Activity: ACUE’s Online Micro-credentialing** | Open-Enrollment Opportunities to Complete Online Pedagogical Training at Your Convenience | Ongoing | Find Information Here |
| Partner Activity: NISOD Online Professional Development Events** | Wide-Ranging Events on a Variety of Topics | Ongoing | Find Information Here |
| Article Discussion Group* | Participate in a Faculty-Led Discussion Group with Colleagues | Various and Ongoing | E-Mail Scott to Join a Group in Progress |
*Denotes a sponsored CTEI event that qualifies for AFO reimbursement.
**Denotes a partner activity that may qualify for AFO reimbursement. Please see your area representative for further information.
CTEI Happenings 