BOF: Evidence-Based Practices in Humanities Pedagogy (Meets 11/9 & 11/16)

November 16, 2020

In a world where STEM skills, values, and careers increasingly dominate, what methods of humanities instruction will transparently convey to students core competencies and their value? We invite humanities-based instructors and educational developers to join us to: Introductory session: Articulate core humanistic competencies, and benefits to examining pedagogy at the level of the humanitiesDuring the conference: Catalog evidence-based literature, and institutional programming, around humanities pedagogy that is shared during sessionsWrap-Up session: Identify partners and projects for continued collaboration in gathering, creating, and disseminating resources on evidence-based practices in humanities pedagogy

BOF: State Systems & Multi-Campus Developers

November 16, 2020

Many state and multi-campus systems of higher education have people responsible for professional learning across multiple campuses. We invite birds of this feather to join us on 11/9 to compare how we have spent our time in 2020 compared to 2019 and share conference plans. On 11/16, we will reconvene to share conference takeaways, including one thing that each needs help with from this group and one thing each has to offer. In between, we will facilitate a backchannel conversation about how sessions we attend speak to our work and our unique positions in educational development.

BOF: Trauma-informed pedagogy and practice in the context of a global pandemic

November 16, 2020

Together, we will explore the COVID-19 global pandemic as a type of macro trauma, exploring how it impacts our day-to-day lived experiences, examining trauma-informed pedagogies that support the health and well-being of students and those who teach them. Throughout the conference, participants are encouraged to utilize a trauma-informed lens to understand the content of the sessions they attend. The final wrap-up session will provide the opportunity to debrief and share our learning with one another about how a trauma-informed lens is helpful - both in the current context of COVID-19 and more broadly in the context of higher ed teaching and learning.

BOF: What Works (or not) in Remote Faculty Development: Perspectives from Faculty & Developers

November 16, 2020

This group will discuss opportunities, strategies, and needs related to designing, enhancing, and optimizing remote faculty development. Our conversations will draw on the perspectives of both faculty and educational developers to address questions like: How can remote faculty development activities strengthen and build relationships both among participants and between facilitators and participants? What unexpected opportunities and challenges does a fully remote faculty developer position entail (whether supporting F2F, online, or hybrid teaching)? What new skills might be needed to adapt to fully remote faculty development? How might remote peer-to-peer professional development flourish?

BOF: Looking Inward, Backward, and Forward to Lead CTLs through the Pandemic

November 16, 2020

Many CTLs have played essential roles in higher education as the pandemic converges with racism. Given leadership challenges, this BOF provides a place to share questions, challenges, and successes. We will reflect together and explore conference paths, to help us anticipate and plan effectively; advance community; learn and lead through shared stories; and promote positive change. We will consider how we can be a grounding factor for our institutions, share resources that help us orient, and find opportunities to ensure positive outcomes. In focusing on reviewing self and center positionality, we hope to build community among us and promote thriving.

BOF: New Faculty Orientation and Beyond

November 16, 2020

Most campuses sponsor new faculty orientations that aspire to establish sound teaching habits among tenure-track, lecturer, and adjunct faculty—but few initiatives report a significant impact on faculty practice. Our initial BoF pre-conference conversation will bring together faculty developers to identify sessions that could yield innovative perspectives on the new faculty orientation, both as a short-term welcome and as a longer-term exploration of policies and practices to build effective faculty careers. An end-of-conference discussion will build approaches to new faculty orientation based on themes that emerged in conference sessions.

BOF: Organizational & Leadership Development: Structuring Community as an Educational Developer

November 16, 2020

Peter Block's emphasis on authentic belonging and connectedness can inform developers' work in fostering leadership and organizational capacity. During the opening BoF session, facilitators will briefly review Block's framework and invite conversation on how these ideas might frame POD conference engagement. In the closing session, facilitators will prompt dialogue on the ways in which POD sessions engaged Block's principles and practices (e.g., nurturing an alternative future, convening meaningful conversations, and listening across differences) and how participants might apply these practices in their own work. Prior familiarity with Block's work is not required.

Career Moves: Preparing Yourself for Work That Matters

November 13, 2020

In this session, panelists representing broad experience in the educational development profession will offer insights from their various positions and career moves to attendees interested in entering the field. Panelists will discuss i) the rewards of a career in educational development, including advancing professional value for ourselves and colleagues; ii) similarities and differences between faculty and educational development positions; iii) strategies for job-market success and perspectives from hiring committees; and iv) the skills, knowledge, and expertise needed to successfully engage in this work. We will also explore emerging opportunities within our field.

Cultivating and Connecting Capstone Conversations

November 13, 2020

While faculty recognize capstones as vital high-impact practices, questions linger over their purpose and the structures required to support equitable implementation. Faculty stories emerging from our multi-institutional study highlight not only the importance of institution-wide conversations that promote understanding of and investment in the capstone, but also power dynamics that deter instructors from initiating conversations about unclear goals and workload inequities. Our asynchronous, interactive session guides participants through scenarios where they navigate these tensions as an instructor, department chair, or educational developer. These storylines--drawn from our research findings--are accompanied by heuristics designed to promote significant, intersecting conversations across institutional contexts.

Planning a Professional Pivot to a New CTL Directing Role

November 13, 2020

Abstract: This session focuses on directors in new-to-them places and on those seeking such positions. Professional guidance exists for entering educational development and for starting centers, but not for transitioning to new directing roles. CTL directors need both heightened self awareness and thorough understandings of their new environment. Participants will have multiple reflection guides available to prompt their thinking for both self and situational awareness. Guides are also presented for outlining strategic questions to prepare a personal gap analysis (e.g., business/technical, socio/political). Participants will use these tools to identify development foci as they aspire to new CTL director roles.