How to Improve Work-Life Integration and Bypass BurnoutHappy New Year, and welcome back! We hope you had a relaxing winter break and are ready for Spring 2022. To keep you feeling rejuvenated this term, we're focusing on work-life integration because you are a priority to us in the Faculty Center for Innovation. We hope you enjoy this issue, and if you have other potential topics you would like the newsletter to focus on, email us at firstname.lastname@example.org.
From Growing to Knowing
Growth mindset revolves around three letters that make up one powerful word - yet. As educators, we can introduce and encourage a growth mindset in our students to help build their motivation and self-determination (both inside and outside of the classroom). Additionally, when it comes to academic performance, using the word 'yet' encourages students to lean from their current missteps and guide them to their future successes.
Envisioning the Future of Teaching & Learning
Welcome to the 2021-22 academic year! As the new academic year begins, we invite you to reflect upon the questions posed during this year's Fall Faculty Conference and review the cross-disciplinary Ideation Session responses HERE.
We hope you will take these ideas that have been shared thus far back to your colleges, departments, and campus centers to continue the conversation and keep moving forward with envisioning the future of teaching and learning at Park.
Effective Feedback: Taking Learning to the Next Level
As a new month begins, we invite you to (re)assess your student feedback techniques. What would make your good feedback become great? After all, "Assessment is the engine which drives student learning" (John Cowan), so as we race towards the end of the semester, let's find ways to give our students essential feedback and watch their learning transform from good to great. We hope you enjoy this material, and look forward to continuing to share innovative teaching and learning ideas with you.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Continuous Learning
As an institution, Park is striving to understand more about our strengths and opportunities for growth in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We know that, like learning, this should be a continuous and evolving process—and one informed by perspectives outside of our walls. In this issue, we are pleased to share food for thought as we learn and grow together on our continuous journey to celebrate diversity, advocate for social justice, and create a more inclusive world.
Paving the Pathway for Park Students' Success - Student Support
If you haven't heard lately, here's a quick reminder YOU'RE AWESOME for always going above and beyond to support Park learners. This month the Faculty Center for Innovation focuses on student support and helping them achieve their goals. We hope you enjoy this material and look forward to sharing innovative teaching and learning ideas, development opportunities, and inspirational stories on how much you can impact the lives of our students.
The Power of Positivity
As a new year begins, we look ahead toward a fresh start, potential COVID vaccines on the horizon, the anticipation of spring, and a new semester with our colleagues and students - welcome to 2021! As we look ahead to new beginnings and the incredible resilience we've all demonstrated this past year, we also look to the power of positivity, hope, and the opportunity to build upon all that we've learned during these unique times. Happiness and positivity are equally contagious and represent the kind of transmission we need right now, so let's spread it like crazy! We hope you enjoy this material, and look forward to sharing innovative teaching and learning ideas with you throughout the new year.
Meaningful Mindfulness - How's Your Self-Care?
As academics, it's in our nature to over achieve leading to stress and inevitably burnout. It's time for a quick self check. How are you feeling - zealous, content, worried, fatigued? Whichever emotional response you currently identify with, let's take a moment to bring some harmony in your life and celebrate you. Close your eyes and take a deep breathe in, hold, then let it out and say to yourself, "I am awesome!"
This month, the Faculty Center for Innovation would like to focus on YOU and your self-care. After all, you deserve it. This month, and every month, we are so thankful that you are part of the Park family and for all that you do for our students; we truly are #ParkUnited and #onefamily. We hope you enjoy this material, and look forward to sharing innovative teaching and learning ideas with you throughout the year.
Communication across Modalities - "Can You Hear Me Now?"
We're nearing the end of the Fall 1 2020 semester, and as we continue to ride the pandemic wave, we encourage you to pause for a second and reflect on how you meaningfully communicate with students inside and outside the classroom. What methods of communication are you using (e.g., email, phone call, text, announcement, video, etc.)? Are those methods coming across clearly to your students?
Public speaker Rich Simmons said, "Communication is only effective when we communicate in a way that is meaningful to the recipient, not ourselves." This month, the Faculty Center for Innovation would like to share upcoming programming that touches upon effective communication strategies in all teaching and learning environments. We hope you enjoy this material, and look forward to sharing innovative teaching and learning ideas with you throughout the year.
How Engaged Are Your Students?...No, Really?
The Fall 2020 semester is underway and it's time for you to do a self check. How are your classes going? How are your students - and you - adjusting to the new classroom "normal"? As educators, we know it's imperative to actively keep our students engaged, no matter the situation. As we continue to navigate uncharted territories, we would like to share with you how Park and external instructors are keeping students engaged. We hope you enjoy this material, and look forward to sharing innovative teaching and learning ideas with you throughout the year.
New Year, New Instructional Environment
The Faculty Center for Innovation (FCI) is excited to welcome you back to a new academic year! Although the unique circumstances of 2020 led faculty across the world to quickly transition to online learning, we continue to be pragmatic Pirates and have learned, and continue to learn, how to offer quality higher education to Park's students. As we proceed instructing in a fully or partially online environment, FCI would like to share with you information on learning in a digital world. We hope you enjoy this material, and look forward to sharing innovative teaching and learning ideas with you throughout the year.