Special Edition: May Musings. Andreas talks to Dr. Emily Gravett, CFI’s Assistant Director for Teaching Programs and faculty in Philosophy and Religion, about May Musings, a series of workshops and roundtable conversations that invite JMU faculty to reflect on their experiences this semester and learn from them (and celebrate that the semester is over!).

Episode Nine: All About Advising. In this episode, Andreas Broscheid, Assistant Director at the CFI and Professor in the Department of Political Science and Kristi Lewis, Faculty Associate at the CFI and Professor in the Department of Health Sciences, talk with Marquis McGee, Associate Director for Career and Academic Planning (CAP) and Claire Lyons, Professor in the Department of Psychology and recipient of the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advising on how to advise students in an online setting.

In this same podcast, Magali Laitem, Staff Psychologist and Outreach Coordinator  and Katrina Simpson-McCleary, Associate Director for Clinical Services, both from the JMU Counseling Center discuss ways faculty can help students in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Episode Eight: The Use of Mindfulness Practices in Teaching…and when the unexpected happens. In this episode, Michele Kielty, Professor in the Department of Graduate Psychology, provides information on the use of mindfulness in teaching. Based on research, mindfulness shows promise in helping those with mental health concerns. With the increase of anxiety and depression among college students, mindfulness practices can be implemented in the classroom to reduce stress. 

This podcast was recorded in December 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the emphasis at the time was incorporating mindfulness in a face-to-face classroom setting, many of the tips can also be used with online teaching. If you would like additional information on mindfulness, please see the following resources.

•  How mindfulness can help you navigate the coronavirus pandemic
•  The Center for Mindfulness Study
•  Mindful
•  The Mindfulness Institute.ca

Special Edition! What's happening during the Week of April 6th? In this episode, Andreas Broscheid asks Ed Brantmeier, Emily Gravett, and Gilpatrick Hornsby what their message to JMU faculty is and what programs they're offering this week to support them.

Episode Seven: Mental health among college students. In this episode, the topic of mental health among college students is explored with Dr. David Onestak, Director of the JMU Counseling Center. David discusses the trends in mental health among college students across the nation and at JMU. He also offers some insight into the many services offered by the JMU Counseling Center.

Episode Six: Understanding the James Madison University Honor Council. In this episode, we discuss the James Madison University (JMU) Honor Council. Each semester there are over 50 informal and five or more formal violations reported to the JMU Honor Council. Audrey Burnett, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Chair of the JMU Honor Council answers some of the common questions often asked by course instructors. This podcast may answer some of your questions about the process involved in reporting a student for a honor code violation and the procedures that follow. 

Episode Five: The Role of Access and Inclusion at James Madison University. In this episode, we explore the role of access and inclusion at James Madison University (JMU). To discuss this role at JMU, we have David Owusu Ansah, Professor of History, Associate Provost for Diversity and Executive Director for Faculty Access and Inclusion. We also have Art Dean, Executive Director for Access and Inclusion. David and Art provide suggestions on how faculty can help with the mission to "assist in leading and creating an inclusive environment for faculty, staff and students." 

Episode Four: Diversity in Higher Education. In this episode, David Owusu Ansah, Professor of History, Associate Provost for Diversity and Executive Director for Faculty Assess and Inclusion along with Art Dean, Executive Director for Access and Inclusion discuss the importance of diversity in higher education. David and Art provide insight into the impact of diversity on student learning, as well as current and upcoming initiatives to increase diversity at JMU.

Episode Three: Group Learning. In this episode, Michael Kirkpatrick, Associate Professor, in the Department of Computer Sciences at JMU and a CFI Teaching Team Faculty Associate, discusses group learning. Michael provides details on the current research as well as strategies to implement group learning. He also discusses some of the elements around successful group or cooperative learning and the use of peer evaluations.

Episode Two: Background and Teaching Tips on Ethical Reasoning. Welcome to another episode of the CFI Teaching Podcasts. For this podcast, we will discuss the James Madison University (JMU) Madison Collaborative: Ethical Reasoning in Action initiative. The Madison Collaborative is part of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). The goal of the QEP, according to the Madison Collaborative website, is to "enhance educational quality via student learning." The focus of the JMU QEP is to teach students ethical reasoning skills that can be applied in all aspects of their daily life (professional, personal, etc.).

Dr. Audrey Burnett, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Dr. Kara Kavanagh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Early, Elementary, and Reading Education provide a background on the this initiative at JMU and tips for integrating ethical reasoning into your course(s). Both Audrey and Kara are serving as Faculty Fellows with the JMU Ethical Reasoning in Action office.

Episode One: Services Offered by JMU Libraries. Welcome to the first episode of the CFI Teaching Podcasts. For this episode, we have representatives from the JMU Libraries discussing some of the many services they offer to both students and instructors. Speakers for this podcast include: Liz Thompson, Instruction and Educational Resources Coordinator; Grover Saunders, Head of Innovation Spaces; and Jamie Calcagno-Roach, Head of Instructional Technology.