Workshops
PFF-approved workshops are offered by the Graduate College, the Academy of Fellows for Teaching & Learning (AFTL), the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CET&L), and other UC groups. This page and the Canvas page show which workshops qualify for credit for the present term. The workshops chosen by the PFF program typically focus on pedagogy.
Workshops lasting four hours or less are worth five activity points. Workshops lasting may be worth more points pending approval by the program coordinator.
In order for students to receive activity points for attending a workshop, an activity log must be completed and submitted via Canvas within one month of the activity date.
PFF students are encouraged to participate in the following workshop offerings for PFF recognition. These offerings will be periodically updated. Please check the registration link to see if the specific workshop is virutal or in-person.
More workshops will be added as they come available. If you see one that you think is relevant to Preparing Future Faculty but is not listed, please contact the PFF Coordinator at gradpff@uc.edu.
Date: Wednesday, January 17th
Time: 10:30-12:00
Register on OneStop
This workshop will be held in person in the CET&L space in Langsam Library (480C).
Graduate education is changing because the graduate student population, their needs and learning styles are changing. One thing is for certain: education will continue to evolve. This workshop aims to explore innovative and effective ways to engage graduate students in the learning process as well as discuss the changing needs of graduate students. The workshop will begin with three UC graduate faculty showcasing their approach and specific innovative teaching practices designed to engage current graduate students. These range from exploring various mediums of communication of research findings (podcasts, to creating creative artifacts), to engaging students in practical applications of their work (publishing, to working non-academic environments), and rethinking the assessment of graduate level coursework. Following the showcase, we will have an open discussion about engaging graduate students in the learning process. Come and hear what other faculty are doing to teach their graduate courses in an innovative way, and let’s have a discussion on how we can better train our students.
Date: Thursday, January 18th
Time: 12:00-1:30 PM
Register on OneStop
This workshop will be held via Zoom. A link will be sent to all registered attendees within 24 hours of the workshop.
Graduate education is changing because the graduate student population, their needs and learning styles are changing. One thing is for certain: education will continue to evolve. This workshop aims to explore innovative and effective ways to engage graduate students in the learning process as well as discuss the changing needs of graduate students. The workshop will begin with three UC graduate faculty showcasing their approach and specific innovative teaching practices designed to engage current graduate students. These range from exploring various mediums of communication of research findings (podcasts, to creating creative artifacts), to engaging students in practical applications of their work (publishing, to working non-academic environments), and rethinking the assessment of graduate level coursework. Following the showcase, we will have an open discussion about engaging graduate students in the learning process. Come and hear what other faculty are doing to teach their graduate courses in an innovative way, and let’s have a discussion on how we can better train our students.
Date: Wednesday, January 24th
Time: 10-11:30 AM
Register on OneStop
This workshop will be held via Zoom. A link will be sent to all registered attendees within 24 hours of the workshop.
How students are using (or misusing) ChatGPT has recently become a pressing issue for instructors. However, many professors aren’t sure of the capabilities, limitations, and opportunities that ChatGPT presents. This workshop aims to help instructors develop an understanding of ChatGPT and how it might impact their classes (in both positive and negative ways). We will begin with an introduction and overview of ChatGPT, before transitioning to an open discussion about how it impacts our specific disciplines.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Describe the capabilities and limitations of ChatGPT
- Discuss the impact ChatGPT might have in their courses
Date: Thursday, January 25th
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Register on OneStop
This workshop will be held via Zoom. A link will be sent to all registered attendees within 24 hours of the workshop.
College students are faced with many demands. In addition to their coursework, many are involved in student organizations, volunteer and service-learning initiatives, internship experiences, other employment opportunities, family responsibilities, and more. With all this on their plate, it can be difficult for students to be present in the classroom. Creative pedagogical techniques are essential for student engagement. One creative technique that is often overlooked is a learning hook, or a “mental or physical image on which students can hang their understanding as they learn a new topic” (Astrachan, 1998, p. 21). Hooks can be a powerful way to connect the students to the content of the day, grab attention, and help foster an exchange of ideas (Biggerstaff, 2015). Hooks can be a beginning point to scaffold learning and build knowledge in a fun, creative, and intentional way.
By the end of this workshop, participants will
- Increase their understanding of learning hooks
- Gain examples of learning hooks implemented in college coursework
- Develop hooks they could utilize in their own courses.
Date: Tuesday, January 30th
Time: 11:00-12:00
Register on OneStop
This workshop will be held via Zoom. A link will be sent to all registered attendees within 24 hours of the workshop.
Discussion boards are often a significant element of online courses. They can be used for many instructional purposes including to create a sense of community, assess students’ understanding and application of course concepts, and provide an area for group problem-solving and generative learning.
Discussion boards can also be the bane of students – and instructors – existence. In this workshop we will review evidence-based instructional design strategies and course delivery tips that will help instructors create authentic and impactful discussion boards that they and their students enjoy.
Learning outcomes:
At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Describe design and delivery elements that help and those that hinder student and faculty experiences in online discussion boards.
- Differentiate between effective and ineffective discussion board designs.
- Adapt an existing discussion board to make it more effective for deeper dialog.
Date: Wednesday, January 31st
Time: 11-12:30 PM
Register on OneStop
This workshop will be held via Zoom. A link will be sent to all registered attendees within 24 hours of the workshop.
In this interactive workshop, we will discuss neurodiversity which recognizes the diversity of neurological experiences and acknowledges that there are multiple ways that students think and learn. The workshop will include an overview of neurodiversity and common challenges and barriers that neurodivergent students might experience in the college classroom. Strategies to create more neurodiverse inclusive courses will be provided as well as examples of how these strategies can positively impact student success. Jenny Spring, Access Coordinator from Accessibility Network will provide information on the accommodations process for neurodivergent students and the last portion of the workshop will be dedicated to discussion and questions and answers.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Define and discuss neurodiversity in general
- Identify common barriers and challenges for neurodivergent students
- Implement simple strategies to create more neurodiverse inclusive courses
- Describe the accommodations process at UC for neurodivergent students and some of the common accommodations
Date: Tuesday, February 6th
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Register on OneStop
This workshop will be held via Zoom. A link will be sent to all registered attendees within 24 hours of the workshop.
Research shows that student engagement is critical in online courses. It provides deeper understanding, longer retention, more student investment, and other benefits. Engaging activities found in face to face courses are often missing from online courses, such as interactive experiences, exposure to professionals as role models, and building a sense of community. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore ways to infuse engaging, concept-driven activities throughout online courses. Participants will discuss a number of ideas for both professor-generated video and hands-on activities. Guiding principles for generating videos and designing activities will be shared. Participants will be given the opportunity to brainstorm activities within their own discipline. This workshop will be facilitated by Melissa Shyan-Norwalt of the Department of Psychology.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Discuss scientific principles behind the importance of student engagement
- Describe the engagement process found in face to face and online courses
- Explore technological resources and pros/cons of professor-generated videos
- Apply guiding principles for developing real-world concept driven activities
- Develop practical ideas for active engagement activities within their own discipline
Date: Monday, February 12th
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Register on OneStop
This workshop will be held via Zoom. A link will be sent to all registered attendees within 24 hours of the workshop.
Effective lecture videos help to bridge the gap between the instructors and students in an asynchronous course and are a powerful way to demonstrate and explain ideas and concepts. Join UC Online as we present best practices for creating effective lecture videos. We will review do's and don'ts to follow when preparing lecture videos and share recommendations for simple tools that can aid you in recording and sharing videos with your students.
At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Discuss the benefits of using video for various use cases in online courses.
- Implement best practices for creating effective lecture videos.
- Lists do's and don'ts when preparing to create lecture videos.
- Utilize basic tools that can be used for creating lecture videos.
Date: Wednesday, February 14th
Time: 1:30 - 3:00
Register on OneStop
This workshop will be held via Zoom. A link will be sent to all registered attendees within 24 hours of the workshop.
It is a challenge to adapt to online settings the pedagogies that work in a physical classroom, especially when teaching controversial topics. In this case, how do we build learning communities built on mutual respect and fact-finding on topics that arouse profound emotional and political responses in our students? In this workshop, we will see some of what has worked for Dr. Frierson, and workshop among ourselves other ideas that you have found helpful, in hopes of identifying and developing new tools that we can all use to improve what our students take from their time in online classrooms. Dr. Frierson will share her experience teaching various history courses on the Middle East aka Southwest Asia and North Africa, as well as WWI, in and beyond Western Europe, medicine, and Islamic law, sex and gender. These courses engage with controversial events and how they are remembered or intentionally misremembered or forcefully erased from official memory.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Formulate a list of likely tinder points;
- Design a foundation for the vocabulary of your course’s specific learning community;
- Craft a statement of conduct for online written discussions; and 4) Craft a statement of conduct for online spoken discussions
Date: Wednesday, February 21st
Time: 1:00 - 2:30
Register on OneStop
This workshop will be held via Zoom. A link will be sent to all registered attendees within 24 hours of the workshop.
Transfer of learning, or the use of learning gained in one situation to help in another, is a fundamental goal of education and primary aim of teaching. Unfortunately, transfer of learning is also one of the least solved, most challenging problems in educational research, with much more empirical evidence supporting failure to transfer among students. However, by designing your instructional practices to meet the conditions for transfer, your students will be more likely to achieve it. The purpose of “Teaching for Transfer of Learning” is to introduce the phenomenon of transfer, from research to practice, to better foster it in your classroom via next-day strategies for practical, immediate action.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to
- outline how our understanding of transfer as a phenomenon has evolved over time
- explain why transfer of learning is so difficult for their students
- develop strategies to better foster transfer of learning in their classrooms.
Date: Wednesday, February 28th
Time: 10:00-11:30
Register on OneStop
This workshop will be held in person in the CET&L space in Langsam Library (480C).
It can be hard to know how to support students experiencing personal challenges outside of the classroom. With an increased awareness on the impact of mental health on learning and overall life functioning, instructors are encountering more conversations with students about how their wellbeing and academic success are intertwined. The aim of this workshop is to create a space for shared conversations about our role in supporting a student’s well-being, as well as practice possible responses to students who are struggling. The workshop will begin with guidelines and strategies for engaging in conversations with students about mental health and referral sources on campus for additional resources. Next, we will explore a series of case studies in small groups and discuss both how to define our role as instructors in supporting students, as well as practice how we might respond to a student’s situation in our own words and teaching context. We will conclude with time to reflect and share how we will take what we have learned from our shared conversations into our teaching practice.
This workshop is a face-to-face workshop and will be held in Langsam Library on the Clifton campus.
Date: Thursday, February 29th
Time: 10:00-11:30
Register on OneStop
This workshop will be held via Zoom. A link will be sent to all registered attendees within 24 hours of the workshop.
This program is designed for faculty who have been at UC four years or less. During these virtual sessions, we’ll explore building your network of teaching support, evidence-based practices you can incorporate in your teaching and give and receive feedback to peers about teaching. The Community of Practice on Teaching as Junior Faculty meets four times a year at the beginning and end of each semester, and we welcome you to attend as many sessions as you are able. The first session in the beginning of the semester will cover what's working in your course, your struggles, and how to obtain early feedback from students. In the last session at the end of the semester, we'll share what went well, what needed to be adjusted, and additional changes you want to implement moving forward.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Identify key teaching resources to support them in their role as a faculty member;
- Cultivate a critically reflective practice around teaching; and
- Build community with other junior faculty across the institution.