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Center for Teaching and Learning Newsletter
March 2022, Issue 2
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Grab and Go Teaching Tip
Grading Alternatives Can Enhance Student Learning — When students are asked about academic stressors, the pressure to get good grades is at the top of the list. Dr. Joshua Eyler, author of “How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories Behind Effective College Teaching,” believes grades can lead to mental health crises and undermine learning.
Eyler, director of faculty development at the University of Mississippi, suggests alternatives such as take-home or open-book exams that challenge students to practice real-world tasks. Eyler also recommends portfolio grading, in which students receive feedback as they complete interim tasks and only receive a grade on the final project. This type of formative assessment does not penalize students for making mistakes and encourages improvement. Student efforts also can be rewarded through contract grading, which specifies the class goals, assignments and activities that must be completed in order to earn a grade. Read Eyler’s article on Inside Higher Ed.
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Special CTL Event
How Grades Can Undermine Learning and Jeopardize Student Well-Being, noon, Tuesday, March 29, McDermott Auditorium (MC 2.410) — Learn more about alternatives to high-stakes grading from Dr. Joshua Eyler, director of faculty development at the University of Mississippi. He will offer a range of strategies we can try, both in our classrooms and at the institutional level, in order to be more equitable in our classrooms by mitigating the damaging effects of grades. Seating is first-come, first-serve to those who did not RSVP.
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eLearning To Add Blackboard Ally This Summer
Blackboard Ally integrates with eLearning and helps instructors make course content more accessible to all students. The tool automatically checks the course materials against WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards, provides students with accessible alternative formats to support different learning needs, and offers instructors step-by-step guidance on improving accessibility of their content. For more information, please refer to Educational Technology Services’ Blackboard Ally page.
This tool will be enabled in all eLearning courses beginning with the summer 2022 semester. Virtual ETS Blackboard Ally sessions will be held during March and April. ETS also will offer a workshop co-sponsored by CTL on Tuesday, April 12. See details in the CTL Calendar below.
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Academic Impressions Membership Available Now
Access hundreds of workshops and webinars on topics ranging from academic leadership to student success through UT Dallas’ new membership with Academic Impressions. Log in to the Academic Impressions site with your UT Dallas email address to access live and recorded trainings, webcasts, on-demand learning and virtual conferences
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CTL Office Hours
The Center for Teaching and Learning is hosting a series of virtual open office hours at 4 p.m., every Thursday throughout the spring semester. Topics for these informal gatherings vary each week and group consultations are available on topics related to teaching and learning. Join CTL Office Hours on Microsoft Teams.
CTL Calendar
Thursday, March 31, 4-5 p.m.
CTL Office Hours – Always ON: A Conversation About Productivity Pressures in Academia — Dr. Salena Brody, CTL assistant director, will facilitate a discussion on the pressures to be “always on” in higher education. From responding to a high volume of student needs to the expectations of prolific publishing along with engaged teaching, faculty face pressures to work around the clock. We will spend time in this session discussing these pressures and how to balance work and well-being. Join CTL Office Hours on Microsoft Teams.
Tuesday, April 12, noon-1 p.m.
Make Your Course More Accessible and Inclusive Using Universal Design for Learning and Blackboard Ally Tool — Dr. Karen Huxtable, CTL interim director, will provide an overview of universal design for learning (UDL) and discuss the importance of applying UDL principles and being proactive with both access and inclusion to create learning opportunities designed for all students. Roopa Vinay, ETS training and support manager, will introduce Blackboard Ally and discuss how it can remove barriers in eLearning courses to help faculty remove barriers and create more accessible courses for all students. The event will be held in-person at McDermott Auditorium (MC 2.410) and on Teams (join the April 12 event).
Thursday, April 14, noon-1 p.m.
Reclaiming the Joy in Teaching by Creating a Global Community for Yourself and Your Students — Dr. Carol Cirulli Lanham, CTL assistant director, will explore the joys of globalizing your curriculum through online international classroom experiences and Virtual Exchange. Whether you make a one-time visit to a classroom in another country or assign a project for your students to complete with classmates in another part of the world, you can create a new level of fun and excitement for yourself and your students without ever leaving home. Join the April 14 meeting.
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The University of Texas at Dallas
800 W. Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080-3021
972-883-2111
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