Events

The Chairs' and Directors' Community of Practice is open to all current department chairs and chairs-elect, program directors and directors-elect.

We gather twice per quarter.

Further details are available on the Community of Practice page here.

» Register (separate registration form from other events)

Mondays: Oct 7, Oct 28, Nov 18 | 2:30–3:30 | Via Zoom | Zoom link provided upon registration

Facilitated by Brooke Gialopsos (Criminal Justice)

The Center for Faculty Development continues to offer an affinity group for faculty parents of school-age children. The challenges of parenting while maintaining a schedule of teaching, research, and/or service to the university is well-known.  Finding a community of parents seeking balance can be a critical source of support and solace.  In this space we will empathize, explore, and problem-solve the unique trials faced by faculty who have children in their care. 

Why an affinity group?

The psychological benefits of convening groups of people around common identities and experiences are well known. Research on affinity groups has shown that they enhance agency and optimism, while also providing access to beneficial information and support.   

Aims of the group

At its most basic level, we hope that this group offers a space where you can feel less isolated in your experience. We hope to foster a community of support amongst faculty parents, where they can share experiences, offer suggestions, and explore how to navigate shared challenges.    
   
Note: if you are interested in this group but cannot make the time scheduled, please email faculty-development@seattleu.edu and let us know. We would like to support all faculty parents and will work with you to find ways to offer support. 

» Register

Wed, Oct 9 | 11:00–12:00 | LOYA 201

Co-sponsored by the Office of Sponsored Projects

Facilitated by Andrea Verdan

The “research on research” gives us good evidence on what helps faculty progress with their research, and in response, we’ve been launching Faculty “Writing” Groups since 2007. “Writing” here encapsulates whatever is involved from the inception of your idea to the completion of the final “product.”

Faculty "Writing" Groups provide you with camaraderie and accountability to achieve more in your scholarship. And they are intentionally interdisciplinary so that you remain the expert in your own field throughout. 

By the end of this session, you will be grouped with two or three other colleagues from across campus and will be ready to meet with your group independently and regularly to help you achieve more in your research – and with less stress. 
 
Click here for our webpage with full details on Faculty Writing Groups.

» Register

Wednesdays: Oct 16, Oct 30, and Nov 13 | 9:30–10:45 | LOYA 201 | Coffee and tea provided

Co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Facilitated by Juan Reyes (Department of English)

The Center for Faculty Development and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion are excited to announce the continuation of an affinity group for tenure-track faculty of color. The purpose of convening the group is to provide a space for the collective exploration of the impact of race, power, and privilege on the academic life of colleagues immersed in teaching, scholarship, and service at pre-tenure stages of their careers.

Why create a group for tenure-track faculty of color?

There are three primary reasons. First, the Task Force on Diversity and Inclusive Excellence report recommended boosting our capacity to retain talented minoritized faculty and facilitate professional development opportunities. Second, research on affinity groups indicates they enhance participants’ agency and optimism, while providing access to beneficial information and support. Third, from our own conversations with members of the Seattle University community, we know that faculty of color need a space where they can discuss their unique experiences in a supportive environment with peers who are similarly situated.

This professional development opportunity aims to empower tenure-track faculty of color to build community, share experiences, and pursue their academic life with more confidence and agency. We hope that this caucus process gives participants the space to determine “what solidarity could look like for...as people of color committed to the work of social, racial, and gender justice” (Kad Smith, Compass Point) at Seattle University.

» Register

PLEASE NOTE: This community is now full.

• To be added to a waitlist (potentially for a future quarter), send us an email at faculty-development@seattleu.edu. 
• Visit the Library website to access Teaching with AI as an e-book or audiobook.

Wednesdays: 11:00–12:15
Oct 16, Oct 30 | Loyola 201
Nov 13 | Pigott 416

Co-sponsored by Seattle University Technology Ethics Initiative

Facilitated by Julie Homchick Crowe (Communication & Media)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way we learn, work, and think. Its integration into classrooms and workplaces is already underway, impacting and challenging ideas about creativity, authorship, and education. 

So as faculty, how do we harness and manage AI as a teaching tool with real impact? How do we gain confidence both to navigate the challenges and to seize the opportunities that new AI tools and resources present? 

In Teaching with AI, authors José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson present emerging research on the seismic changes AI is already creating in schools and the workplace, as well as providing invaluable insights into what AI can accomplish in the classroom and beyond. 

From interactive learning techniques to advanced assignment and assessment strategies, they offer practical suggestions for integrating AI effectively into teaching and learning environments. They also tackle crucial questions around academic integrity, cheating, and other emerging issues.

Especially relevant to SU faculty is Bowen and Watson’s view that a liberal arts education, developing critical thinking skills, and information literacy, are more important than ever in the age of AI. They believe that as AI continues to reshape the nature of work and human thinking, we can equip our students with the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly evolving world. Let’s see where we agree!

In this three-session learning community for faculty, facilitated by Julie Homchick Crowe (Department of Communication & Media), you’ll read through the book with colleagues to explore the uncharted territory of AI-powered education and the future of teaching and learning.

Who is it suited to? 

This community is open to all AI-curious faculty interested in adjusting their pedagogy and practice.

20 places are available. 

Teaching with AI is 238 pages long, and the reading will be split across the three sessions to be manageable for participants.

What are the dates?

This learning community meets in Loyola 201 on:
•    Wed, Oct 16 | 11:00–12:15
•    Wed, Oct 30 | 11:00–12:15
•    Wed, Nov 13 | 11:00–12:15

» Register by 9:00 am on Wed, Oct 9.

Fri, Oct 18 | 11:00–12:15 | Via Zoom | Zoom link provided upon registration

Co-sponsored by Learning Assistance Programs 

Co-facilitated by Angelique Jenkins (Learning Assistance Programs) and David Green (Center for Faculty Development)

Join us for our next gathering of faculty and student-facing staff focused on student success and wellbeing.

What is happening in our classrooms and office hours this term? What are some of our key partners in supporting students – MOSAIC Center, CAPS, Center for Student Involvement, UREC, and Learning Assistance – noticing in their own interactions with our students?

This metaphorical “half-time huddle” provides us an opportunity to share observations, experiences, and ideas that will help us all better understand shifts and patterns among our students. 

Our goal here is to work in partnership to be better placed to support students’ success and to connect them with the right resources in a timely manner. It may also help faculty refine future courses in response to emergent issues, as well as shaping offices’ and centers’ future programming for both students and faculty.

» Register

Mon, Oct 21 | 11:00–12:00 | In person | LOYA 201 or
Thu, Oct 24 | 1:30–2:30 | Zoom | Zoom link provided upon registration

Facilitated by Katherine Raichle and Andrea Verdan  

This fall, our classroom and academic communities will be impacted by the US presidential election season, characterized by myriad emotions from stress and uncertainty to hope. We know from both research and our lived experiences as teachers that national events can impact how many of our students arrive in our classrooms, ultimately influencing how they learn and engage. This is true for all courses, even those where the content might seem removed from the broader political context. 

We invite all faculty to join a candid conversation with colleagues, for discussion and sharing about how to navigate your classrooms through potentially turbulent times.  

Our candid conversation format has a specific structure: 

• We will first briefly introduce you to the best practices—both proactive and in-the-moment—to provide support for your students and create a sense of community within your classroom.  
• We will then devote the remainder of our time to group discussion and problem-solving. 

All faculty are welcome, from those who are willing to share supportive strategies that have been successful (or not!) in their courses, to those who may have more questions than answers.   

» Register

Wednesdays: Oct 23, Nov 6, and Dec 4 | 11:00–12:00 | Via Zoom with hyflex final session in LOYA 201 | Zoom link provided upon registration

Co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Facilitated by Andrea Verdan

The Center for Faculty Development and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion are excited to continue an affinity group for term faculty of color. The group is open to both full-time and part-time term faculty of color.

Aims of the group

In this space, participants will aim to support one another in

• sharing experiences to increase community and belonging across campus,
• exploring the impact of race, power, and privilege on our various facets of work, at all stages of our careers, and
• pursuing our work and personal lives with more balance, confidence, and agency.

Why create a group for term faculty of color?

The university’s goal to Promote Inclusive Excellence (RSD Goals 4) calls for initiatives to support diverse faculty to develop and thrive at Seattle University. This includes term faculty of color, whose intersecting identities are minoritized both socially (as a person of color) and professionally (as a non-tenure-track faculty member).

This affinity group aims to foster an equitable faculty culture and structure where all members of the community thrive and experience fulfilling work. Additionally, research on affinity groups shows that they enhance participants’ agency and optimism, while providing access to beneficial information and support. Finally, from our own conversations with members of the SU community, we know that term faculty with marginalized identities need a space where they can discuss their unique experiences in a supportive environment with peers who are similarly situated.

» Register

Thursdays: Oct 24, Nov 7, & Nov 21 | 11:00–12:15 | Hyflex (Zoom & LOYA 201) | Zoom link provided upon registration

Facilitated by Colette Hoption

How do you define productivity? For faculty, this might look like the number of papers you’ve graded, articles you’ve published, or students you’ve seen in your office. And we operate under the assumption that the more productive we are, the better, hence the push to book meetings back-to-back, have multiple research projects on the go, and sacrifice sleep to deliver feedback to our students in record time. In Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout, Georgetown University faculty member, Cal Newport, begs us to consider the benefit of savoring our work. 

Inspired by the slowness revolution (e.g., slow food, slow cities, slow media), Newport argues that busyness makes us feel like we are productive because we can cross things off our to-do list, but the deep work we tend to enjoy and that we need in order to produce significant projects (e.g., creating new programs of study, reorganizing structures and processes, establishing a new research agenda), is unlikely to occur in the presence of busyness. In response, Newport invites readers to study and lean into their natural work cadence, set intentional limits on work projects, find meaning in incomplete projects, and work more on passion projects. 

Join this learning community to discover if Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout can help us do more by doing less. 

What can you expect? 

In this hyflex learning community, we will share our reactions to Newport’s book and help each other evaluate whether we could benefit from revamping faculty work lives in alignment with this slow movement. Over this three-session Learning Community, you can expect:
•    honest conversations about the way we measure our work productivity;
•    a space to raise questions about and discuss concerns over Newport’s ideas; 
•    and dedicated time to identifying strategies to improve our work productivity

Who is it suited to – and how does "hyflex" work? 

This learning community is open to all faculty.

For each session, faculty will have the option to meet in person (in Loyola 201) or join the conversation over Zoom (link to be provided on registration).

Emulating best practice in workplaces, we encourage in-person faculty to bring laptops to our session so as to facilitate engagement with both face-to-face and Zoom attendees. We will divide Slow Productivity into manageable chunks across three hyflex meetings.

What are the dates?

• Thu, Oct 24 | 11:00–12:15
• Thu, Nov 7 | 11:00–12:15
• Thu, Nov 21 | 11:00–12:15

» Register by 9 am on Wed, Oct 9. 

Fri, Nov 1 | 12:30–1:45 | Zoom | Zoom link provided upon registration

Facilitated by Therese Huston 

It’s November (already?) and you know you need a little recharge. You don’t have time to make big changes, but if you could make some small changes that have a big impact, you’re all in.

In this workshop, we’ll discuss simple strategies that will improve your work life and well-being, drawing upon research in neuroscience and psychology to make you a little sharper when you need it most. 

We’ll dive into these four timely topics:

• Get focused
• Get motivated
• Make better decisions
• Relate more (just in case you’re struggling to relate to your students or your colleagues)

» Register

Tue, Nov 19 | 11:00–12:30 | In person | LOYA 201, OR
Wed, Nov 20 | 11:00–12:30 | Zoom | Zoom link provided upon registration

Facilitated by Katherine Raichle and Andrea Verdan

Discover the counterintuitive relationship between the number of graded assignments and the quality of student learning.

Research shows that students take deeper approaches to learning when they don’t feel overloaded with course content or with a stressful barrage of assignments in a course. With the right design, fewer graded assignments with higher point values can lead to a richer learning experience for your students. 

In this workshop, you’ll have chance to focus on one of your own courses to work out what combination of course design adjustments could help your students take a deeper approach to the subject while reducing your grading.

The suggestions you will explore will address concerns about superficial learning, an inability to transfer knowledge to new areas, perceived busywork, and an overemphasis on grades earned rather than the content learned.

• Bring a syllabus and assignments for a course that you would like to modify and you will leave the workshop with your own list of priorities to help improve the learning environment in your classes. 

» Register