
The Center for Faculty Development offers a number of programs and events which may be specifically useful for early career faculty.
Mondays: Oct 2, Oct 23, and Nov 6 | 11:00–12:00 | Via Zoom (with the final gathering in-person) | Zoom link provided upon registration
Facilitated by Brooke Gialopsos (Criminal Justice)
The Center for Faculty Development will be offering an affinity group for faculty parents of school-age children. The purpose of this group is to provide a space to discuss and explore the unique challenges faced by faculty who have children in their care. The challenge of parenting while maintaining a rigorous schedule of teaching, research, and/or service to the university is not new. However, for many, the benefits of finding a community of support around parenting has never been more urgent. We faced unprecedented demands of caregiving and schooling while balancing the work of our academic lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. The return to in-person work for ourselves and in-person school for our children has offered sources of consolation and desolation over the past year or so. Let’s convene and share where we are during this time and find ways to support one another.
The psychological benefits of convening groups of people around common identities and experiences are well known. Research on affinity groups, in particular, has shown that they enhance agency and optimism, while also providing access to beneficial information and support.
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 these extremely challenging times.
*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 during this challenging time and will work with you to find ways to offer support.
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Wednesdays: Oct 4, Nov 1, and Nov 29 | 12:30–1:30 | In person | Loyola 501B | Tea and coffee provided; Bring your own lunch
Co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Facilitated by Colette Hoption
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.
There are three primary reasons. First, the Task Force on Diversity and Inclusive Excellence report recommends 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.
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Tuesdays: Oct 10, Oct 31, and Nov 28 | 2:30–3:30 | Via Zoom | 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 announce the launch of an affinity group for term faculty of color. The group is open to both full-time and part-time term faculty of color.
In this space, participants will aim to support one another in:
The university’s goal to Promote Inclusive Excellence (RSD Goal 4) calls for initiatives to support diverse faculty to develop and thrive at Seattle U. Having piloted a format with tenure-track faculty, we are now ready to launch a parallel group for term faculty, 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.
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Co-sponsored by the Center for Jesuit Education (CJE)
As a participant in this module of the Ignatian Pedagogy Series, you will:
It’s important that participants attend all three sessions in the series.
Lunch and refreshments are provided at each session, with support from the Endowed Mission Fund.
The entire series is co-facilitated by Andrea Verdan of the Center for Faculty Development and Jen Tilghman-Havens of the Center for Jesuit Education. Jenny Loertscher (Chemistry) and David Green (Center for Faculty Development/International Studies) will also be joining them in these sessions. All share a passion for this transformative educational approach.
Register using the regular link for this quarter’s events from the Center for Faculty Development (also included below). It’s essential that you can attend all three sessions of the series, so please be sure to block off all three times on your calendar before you receive confirmation of your place.
If you have any questions about the Ignatian Pedagogy Series, please email faculty-development@seattleu.edu or Andrea Verdan (verdana@seattleu.edu) or Jen Tilghman-Havens (tilghman@seattleu.edu) directly.
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Strong yet flexible course design with "constructive alignment"
Mon, Oct 16 | 11:00–12:30 | Via Zoom | Zoom link provided upon registration
OR
Tue, Oct 17 | 10:30–12:00 | In person | Casey Commons (CASY 530) | Coffee, tea, and snacks provided
Co-facilitated by David Green and Katherine Raichle
Designing (or redesigning) a course can be overwhelming, and we are often unsure where to begin. What content should I include in my course? What do I want my students to do with the content in the course, and beyond? How will I assess my students?
In this session, we’ll address these questions. You will learn how to create an overarching course structure informed by the “constructive alignment” model of course design from the higher education research. This model provides a road map for course design that clearly aligns the learning outcomes that you have identified for the course with relevant learning and teaching activities and graded assignments.
This type of course design will provide a clear and manageable structure for you and your students in the course, as well as promoting their best learning. You’ll finish the session having made concrete progress in designing and/or redesigning a course.
In this session, you will learn how to:
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Creating your faculty identity and your Holistic Faculty Development Plan
Thu, Oct 19 | 12:00–1:30 | Via Zoom | Zoom link provided upon registration
Co-sponsored by the SU ADVANCE Program and the Center for Faculty Development
Co-facilitated by SU ADVANCE Fellows: Jodi O'Brien (Principal Investigator, ADVANCE grant; Interim Associate Provost), Colette Taylor (Special Assistant to the Provost for Strategic Directions), Eva Sedgwick (Marketing), and Jenny Loertscher (Chemistry)
Faculty members often struggle to decide on career paths, and with balancing their identities as teacher-scholars; research on identity formation has identified three significant influences: context, roles, and agency. Identity influences career decisions and, in turn, affects engagement in various activities encouraged by Seattle University.
We have designed this single-session workshop to foster teacher-scholar identity formation by using the Holistic Faculty Development Plan (HFDP). Faculty seeking promotion have to produce a multi-year HFPD as part of their evidence of a thoughtful, integrated promotion file. You may ask yourself, “What is an HFDP?” and “How should I begin writing one?”
We realize that many of you already approach your professional trajectory in an integrated manner, even if you haven’t explicitly stated it previously; now, you need to articulate this integration systematically in writing your HFDP.
This session will also help orient those faculty whose trajectory doesn’t yet feel integrated and are wondering how best to start.
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Advancing equity in the promotion process for new faculty
Thu, Oct 26 | 12:00–1:30 | Via Zoom | Zoom link provided upon registration
Co-sponsored by the SU ADVANCE Program and the Center for Faculty Development
Co-facilitated by SU ADVANCE Fellows: Jodi O'Brien (Principal Investigator, ADVANCE grant; Interim Associate Provost), Colette Taylor (Special Assistant to the Provost for Strategic Directions), Eva Sedgwick (Marketing), and Jenny Loertscher (Chemistry)
This session presents an opportunity to hold a unique and valuable conversation on diversity, equity, inclusion, and sense of belonging; it has the potential to impact not only new faculty in the SU working environment, but also their students and colleagues. In this workshop, ADVANCE Fellows will present research on challenges related to faculty diversity and equity nationally and locally at SU; we will present data on patterns of inequity in academia and explore tools and approaches we can use at SU to improve the environment for professional success and advancement.
The workshop will include small group discussions and will focus on specific issues related to Teaching, Scholarship, and University Service and Institution Building.
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Learning outcomes: Curricular design on a firm footing
Mon, Oct 30 | 11:00–12:30 | Via Zoom | Zoom link provided upon registration
OR
Thu, Nov 2 | 2:00–3:30 | In person | Casey Commons (CASY 530) | Coffee and tea provided
Co-facilitated by David Green and Colette Hoption
As we reimagine the SU curriculum, it is essential that we set our courses and programs on a steady footing. To that end, this workshop focuses on learning outcomes because they are the foundation of curriculum design at both the course and program level.
At the course level, effective learning outcomes can help us stay on track, separate vital course material from the less essential, and give students cues about where to focus their energies.
At the program level, effective learning outcomes indicate what knowledge and skills we have chosen to prioritize and distinguish our programs from those at other institutions.
In this session, you will become familiar with common pitfalls of writing learning outcomes, as well as strategies to overcome them. You will also have dedicated time to making progress on the learning outcomes associated with your courses and programs,
If you’re working on revising a current course, feel free to bring a copy of the course syllabus with you.
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