Alternate Paths: Academic Administration and Leadership Possibilities (Panel Discussion)

This panel will feature four faculty members who have served in multiple administrative roles at JMU. It is intended to help instructional faculty who are considering or who have wondered about administrative roles, but aren’t sure whether to pursue such a path. After brief introductions of the panelists, their administrative experiences, and best advice about administrative paths, the session will focus on addressing questions from participants.

Keywords: administration, careers

Area: Career Planning (e.g., professional advancement, career development, work-life integration, mentoring, milestones)

Facilitators: Jeffrey Tang, College of Integrated Science and Engineering, Integrated Sciences; Paula Maxwell, College of Health and Behavioral Studies, CHBS Dean's Office; Fletcher Linder, University Programs, Vice Provost's Office; Melinda Adams, College of Arts & Letters, Dean's Office.

Location: To be announced

Using Modified Team-Based Learning to Support Student Success (Panel Discussion)

This session will provide a brief overview of Michaelsen’s model for Team-Based Learning (TBL). Panelists will describe ways of modifying TBL for more practical application in the classroom and share four examples and outcomes of TBL in undergraduate and graduate classes at JMU. Participants will be encouraged to consider ways in which they can incorporate TBL into their own teaching to support student success.

Keywords: team-based learning, teaching tools

Area: Teaching (e.g., pedagogy, curriculum, course design, learning)

Facilitators: Laura Trull, College of Health and Behavioral Studies, Social Work; Jennifer Walsh, College of Health and Behavioral Studies, Health Professions - Dietetics; Jamie Robinson, College of Health and Behavioral Studies, Nursing; Jeremy Akers, College of Health and Behavioral Studies, Health Professions - Dietetics.

Location: To be announced

Not a Scrapbook: Demonstrating Learning through Portfolios for Credit (Panel Discussion)

Adult learners returning to higher education for undergraduate degree completion come with professional training, certifications, and other experiences that should allow them to earn college credit for their experiential learning. Institutions of higher education have attempted to create programs and services responsive to the unique needs of adults and their learning preferences for decades. As such, college faculty and administrators are challenged to think beyond traditional methods of instruction and program delivery. One of these adaptations is the portfolio of prior learning (PLA), an assessment of knowledge and skills acquired prior to or outside of enrollment in higher education for the purpose of earning college level credit. This session will walk faculty through how this process of PLA for course credit works at JMU and ensures rigor while also serving adult degree seekers’ unique needs.

Keywords: adult degree, portfolio development

Area: Teaching (e.g., pedagogy, curriculum, course design, learning)

Facilitators: Kathy Clarke, Professional & Continuing Education, Adult Degree Program; Windi Turner, Professional & Continuing Education, Adult Degree Program; Neil Marrin, College of Business, Hart School of Hospitality, Sport and Recreation Management.

Location: To be announced

The Loneliness Epidemic at JMU (Roundtable)

Research shows that we are experiencing a “loneliness epidemic” in the United States, with at least a third of U.S. adults being lonely. JMU is not immune to this problem. My research shows that approximately one-third third of students, and one-third of instructional faculty, feel alone at our university too. In this session, we will discuss the causes and consequences of perceived social isolation, as well as strategies to build community on our campus.

Keywords: sense of community, connection

Area: Career Planning (e.g., professional advancement, career development, work-life integration, mentoring, milestones)

Facilitators: Natalie Kerr, College of Health and Behavioral Studies, Psychology.

Location: To be announced

Intersectional Pedagogy: A Conversation (Roundtable)

In this session, faculty will have the opportunity to explore the “intersectional pedagogy” framework and to consider various implications for their teaching practice. Through the lens of the framework and various examples, we hope to spark a discussion about current pedagogical practices grounded in intersectionality and possible practices that faculty might implement. Finally, as participants in this session, faculty can provide their feedback on challenges they face when engaging in this work and what kind of support they believe would make their efforts more successful.

Keywords: pedagogy, intersectionality, social justice, DEI

Area: Teaching (e.g., pedagogy, curriculum, course design, learning)

Facilitators: Elaine Kaye, JMU Libraries; Liz Chenevey, JMU Libraries.

Location: To be announced

Online and Blended Learning Handbook for Faculty: We Need Your Input! (Roundtable)

A committee of volunteer faculty and administrators have recently formed to develop an Online and Blended Learning Handbook for Faculty at JMU. The purpose of the handbook will be to provide resources, policies, tips, and best practices for faculty who teach one or more courses in a fully online, hybrid, or blended format. To ensure the highest quality and inclusiveness of the document, the committee invites participants to this roundtable to contribute ideas, share perspectives about teaching and learning in online spaces, and gather ideas from a community of peers and others. A draft outline of the handbook and a list of resources will be distributed. Faculty, administrators, and students are all welcome. Experience in the online teaching and learning environment is not required.

Keywords: online learning, hybrid learning, blended learning, online learning policy, faculty guide

Area: Teaching (e.g., pedagogy, curriculum, course design, learning)

Facilitators: Sarah Cheverton, University Programs, Online Learning Committee.

Location: To be announced

A Sneak Peek into the CS-L Faculty Toolkit (Roundtable)

Community Service-Learning (CS-L) has recently assembled hundreds of articles, chapters, PowerPoint presentations, videos, templates, checklists, guidebooks, and more on effective approaches to integrating Service-Learning and Community Engagement (SLCE) into the curriculum. CS-L has organized these wide-ranging materials into a toolkit intended to make them easily accessible to faculty. Participants will be the first group to view and provide feedback on the SLCE toolkit. This session will provide participants the opportunity to not only shape the most effective ways to share these consulting materials, but also to identify resources that will enhance their teaching.

Keywords: service-learning, community engagement

Area: Teaching (e.g., pedagogy, curriculum, course design, learning)

Facilitators: Mary Denlinger, Student Affairs and University Planning, Community Service-Learning; Steve Grande, Student Affairs and University Planning, Community Service-Learning.

Location: To be announced

Fair Grading Practices and Canvas Assessment (Scholarly Talk)

Did you know that you could be treating your students unfairly in your use of Canvas grading defaults? Come to this session to learn the pitfalls and defaults of the Canvas grading program and to learn how your grading system can best interact with Canvas.

Keywords: student assessment, fair grading practices, Canvas, student grades, student assessments, best practices in assessment research

Area: Teaching (e.g., pedagogy, curriculum, course design, learning)

Facilitators: Roger Tomhave, College of Visual and Performing Arts, Art, Design and Art History.

Location: To be announced

Bring the Classroom to the Cloud (Scholarly Talk)

Cloud Computing has been the #1 LinkedIn skill for many years. Many fast-developing platforms provide cloud-based data computation and analysis solutions, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Computing, IBM Analytics, and Microsoft Azure. With the construction of the new Amazon Headquarters, tremendous jobs for cloud computing or data science are required in Virginia. This workshop will introduce AWS Educate, Amazon’s global initiative, which provides free cloud learning resources for students and educator members.

Keywords: cloud computing, Amazon Web Services AWS Educate

Area: Teaching (e.g., pedagogy, curriculum, course design, learning)

Facilitators: Xuebin Wei, College of Integrated Science and Engineering, Integrated Sciences.

Location: To be announced