Center for Teaching & Learning

Join colleagues to discuss your questions and experiences regarding teaching first-year students and incorporating FWIL (WIL1) outcomes in your courses. RSVPs are appreciated; drop-ins are welcome. Light refreshments provided.

Starting with some basic principles for understanding the role of writing in participants’ disciplines, we’ll look at how disciplinary courses can support student writers by creating opportunities for connections and practice—all with an eye on sustainable workloads for students and teachers alike.

Deep and effective learning is something that needs to be made explicit and taught. Without such instruction, many students utilize ineffective techniques that lead to frustration and surface-level learning. However, even teaching certain techniques may not change student behavior; they may not buy-in or be invested in unlearning old habits. Metacognition is an important key to unlocking students’ engagement in their learning processes.

This workshop explores principles for infusing writing in disciplinary courses. Starting with some basic principles for understanding the role of writing in participants’ disciplines, we’ll look at how disciplinary courses can support student writers by creating opportunities for connections and practice—all with an eye on sustainable workloads for students and teachers alike. The workshop will allow participants to apply core principles to their own teaching situation.

This hands-on lab session is a follow-up to, “Introduction to Brightspace Assignment,” where you can take part in step-by-step activities in your sandboxes and ask questions. We’ll invite you to experiment with adding assignments and to see how grading works.

Join First-Year Seminar, Liberal Arts Scholars Program, and HCOL85 colleagues to discuss your questions and experiences regarding teaching first-year students and incorporating FWIL (WIL1) outcomes in your courses. This is the first in a series of Monday discussions; attend one, some, or all! In this session, we will check in to see how you are doing; bring your questions about teaching first-year students.

This lab session is a follow up to, “The ABC's of Brightspace Content," where we’ll experiment with many of the tools associated with adding and building content in Brightspace. It’s a time for you to experiment with adding different kinds of content, and ask your specific questions. And since we are still learning the Brightspace nuances, we may also problem-solve as a group.

If most of the energy spent on responding to student writing happens at the end of the semester, its impact may be limited. Yet the alternative - multiple drafts of assignments, each with feedback - is often not sustainable. Explore ways to evaluate when feedback and response is possible, with an eye toward creating a rhythm that works. 

This hands-on lab session is a follow-up to, “Introduction to Brightspace Quizzes.” As we dive deeper into the quiz feature, we’ll invite you to experiment with adding and importing question, demonstrate how quiz grading works, and share what feedback looks like from the student perspective. And since we are still learning the Brightspace nuances, we may also problem-solve as a group.

In this workshop we will help you reflect on your teaching and share current research on teaching practices such as Kuh’s High Impact Practices and Universal Design for Learning.

Join colleagues to discuss your questions and experiences regarding teaching first-year students and incorporating FWIL (WIL1) outcomes in your courses. RSVPs are appreciated; drop-ins are welcome. Light refreshments provided.

This hands-on lab session is a follow-up to, “Introduction to Brightspace Assignment,” where you can take part in step-by-step activities in your sandboxes and ask questions. We’ll invite you to experiment with adding assignments and to see how grading works.

This lab session is a follow up to, “The ABC's of Brightspace Content," where we’ll experiment with many of the tools associated with adding and building content in Brightspace. It’s a time for you to experiment with adding different kinds of content, and ask your specific questions. And since we are still learning the Brightspace nuances, we may also problem-solve as a group.

This hands-on lab session is a follow-up to, “Introduction to Brightspace Quizzes.” As we dive deeper into the quiz feature, we’ll invite you to experiment with adding and importing question, demonstrate how quiz grading works, and share what feedback looks like from the student perspective. And since we are still learning the Brightspace nuances, we may also problem-solve as a group.

Office hours are valuable teaching opportunities and allow you a lot of freedom to connect with students.  We’ll share stories about our experiences, and learn some strategies and principles to help make office hours even more effective. All graduate TAs, graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), and undergraduate TAs are welcome.

This lab session is a follow up to, “The ABC's of Brightspace Content," where we’ll experiment with many of the tools associated with adding and building content in Brightspace. It’s a time for you to experiment with adding different kinds of content, and ask your specific questions. And since we are still learning the Brightspace nuances, we may also problem-solve as a group.

Are you worried that working on writing skills with students will take time away from content you want to cover in your course? It doesn’t have to be either/or; writing assignments can be a way of covering, reinforcing, and practicing content! In this workshop we’ll explore strategies for designing writing assignments that help students learn important concepts while developing disciplinary ways of thinking, communicating, and writing. 

This hands-on lab session is a follow-up to, “Introduction to Brightspace Quizzes.” As we dive deeper into the quiz feature, we’ll invite you to experiment with adding and importing question, demonstrate how quiz grading works, and share what feedback looks like from the student perspective. And since we are still learning the Brightspace nuances, we may also problem-solve as a group.

Participants will design case study assignments around real-world problems using UMass Amherst's ICons Innovation Cycle of Inception (Engagement, Research, Create, Reflect). This cycle will help to align learning objectives and consider scaffolding to support student learning. We will also discuss assessment strategies including genre deconstruction, student-driven rubrics, and self- and peer-assessment.

This hands-on lab session is a follow-up to, “Introduction to Brightspace Assignment,” where you can take part in step-by-step activities in your sandboxes and ask questions. We’ll invite you to experiment with adding assignments and to see how grading works.