Welcome! The Teaching Center is designed by faculty for faculty. It seeks to promote a culturally responsive environment that values excellence in teaching, collaboration, research, and engagement in order to positively impact student success.
We need your expertise!
The Teaching Center invites you to share your expertise with your colleagues. Please submit session proposals that you would be willing to lead during spring 2025. professional learning conference. Session proposals are needed for college-wide and for specific division-level professional learning.
The Teaching Center will be hosting panel discussions during the spring semester. We need you to share your expertise. Click here to view the panel discussion topics and to sign up.
Check out the
Monday Minute Newsletter
from the
TBR Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL.)
Featured Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities
Friday, January 24
8 am
First Week Check-in and Reflection
Open Forum
Join colleagues as we check-in after the first week of the semester. What went well that others could replicate? What struggles and challenges did we encounter? Come for conversation and collaboration as we celebrate the wins and develop strategies to address the struggles.
Moderator: Amy Bryant, Associate Professor, Communication Studies, and Director, The Teaching Center
Register for this open forum
Zoom Passcode: Spring2025
Friday, January 24
9 am – 9:50 am
Who is the Reading Support Student? And how can we help them succeed? (L, E, D, S, CRTP)
Presentation
If you’re reading this, you are most likely a stakeholder in Learning Support. Many of our students must make it through learning support classes before completing the bulk of their credits. This presentation will teach you all about the Reading Support class many of your students are required to take. We will share the details of students who are required to take the class and how the class impacts their success at NSCC. We will share course outcomes and some of the activities and assignments we have created as well as the benefits thereof. Additionally, we would also appreciate your ideas and participation: what reading skills, study skills, or types of readings do your students need more practice with to be successful in your classes? We would love to collaborate across disciplines to make sure students who are required to take Reading Support are as successful as possible.
Presenters: Audrey Cross, Assistant Professor of Reading Support and Teaching Center Fellow; and Katherine Sorenson, Associate Professor and LS Reading Course Lead
Register for this presentation
Zoom Passcode: Spring2025
Friday, January 24
10 am – 10:50 am
Visual Aids that Influence (L, S, CRTP)
Presentation
This presentation will present science-based approaches to creating effective PowerPoints and visual aids to enhance learning, based on the book “stop talking, start influencing,” by Jared Cooney Horvath.
Presenter: Harlan Pease, Associate Professor of Communications and English, Teaching Center Fellow
Register for this presentation
Zoom Passcode: Spring2025
Friday, January 24
11 am – 11:50 am
Using Real-Life Problems to Make Learning More Interesting
Panel Discussion
Our panelists will provide examples of how they have incorporated the use of real-life problems to make learning more interesting.
Panelists: Tom Holmes, John Knox, Zach Mills, and Rachel Lewis
Register for this panel discussion
Zoom Passcode: Spring2025
Friday, January 24
12 pm – 12:50 pm
The Future of OER at NSCC (L, E, A, D, S, CRTP)
Panel Discussion
Join us for an update on OER at Nashville State. We will examine the savings and impact of ongoing OER courses, talk with OER adopters and adapters, and consider the future of OER texts, libraries, and curricula in the classroom.
Presenter: Robert Ladd
Register for this panel discussion
Zoom Passcode: Spring2025
Friday, January 24
1 pm – 1:25 pm
Feel Good Productivity: Highlights from the book by Ali Abdaal (L)
Presentation
I bought this audiobook and after listening I wanted to share what I feel are some powerful reminders on what makes hard work feel better and how a focus on personal well being can serve as a basis for driving motivation.
Presenter: Kurstin Bush, Assistant Professor of Education and Teaching Fellow
Register for this presentation
Zoom Passcode: Spring2025
Friday, January 31
8 am – 8:50 am
Nudge Nudge (L, S)
Presentation
This presentation will share ideas from the book Nudge, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein. We will look at what a nudge is, and then look at key takeaways from the book that have potential value in course design and the classroom.
Presenter: Harlan Pease, Associate Professor of Communications and English, Teaching Center Fellow
Register for this presentation
Zoom Passcode: Spring2025
Friday, January 31
9 am
PLC Hidden Potential
Professional Learning Community
This Professional Learning Community (PLC) is dedicated to exploring the insights and principles from Adam Grant’s Hidden Potential. To prepare for this session, please read Chapter 1: Creatures of Discomfort and Chapter 2: Human Sponges.
Moderators: Neely Ann Sheucraft, Associate Professor, Communication Studies, Fellow, The Teaching Center; and Amy Bryant, Associate Professor, Communication Studies, and Director, The Teaching Center
Register for this Professional Learning Community
Zoom Passcode: Spring2025
Friday, January 31
11 am – 11:50 am
Learning from NSCC’s Watermark Results (L, E, A, D, S, CRTP)
Presentation
Join us as we analyze our NSCC college-wide Watermark survey report from Fall 2024. We will use the college-wide report to allow us to see a big-picture perspective of the Watermark survey results for faculty to use the college-wide results and own individual results for planning for the upcoming semesters. Note: The workshop will focus on college-wide results, only. No individual’s results will be shared.
Presenter: Amy Bryant, Associate Professor, Communication Studies, and Director of The Teaching Center
Register for this presentation
Zoom Passcode: Spring2025
Friday, January 31
12 pm – 12:50 pm
Creation – Infinite Games and the Top of the Pyramid (L, E, A, S, CRTP)
Presentation
Whether it be a pandemic, Artificial Intelligence, or virtual classrooms, education has been changing. This presentation will take a look at centering “creation” as a core tenant of the evaluation process as a method to create meaning and engagement in the classroom. This is for faculty looking for a way to combat disengaged students.
Presenter: Robert Ladd
Register for this presentation
Zoom Passcode: Spring2025
Pellissippi State’s Teaching & Learning Conference, February 7, 2025
Virtual Location: Zoom links will be provided closer to the conference date.
Time: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Theme: “Support to Achieve: Student & Faculty Growth & Success”
Are you someone who enjoys preparing, teaching, and helping students succeed? Could you benefit from fresh ideas on how to motivate and encourage your students to strive for success? The Spring 2025 Teaching and Learning Conference is designed to provide insights, tools, and strategies to help us all learn how to support and motivate our students in the classroom (and ourselves). Please join Pellissippi State as they share new ideas and suggestions on how we can support students as they strive to be the best that they can be. Nashville State Community College’s Professor Jessica Rabb will be presenting during this conference. Register and check out the updates at the Pellissippi State Teaching and Learning Conference site.
Mindset Resources
TBR is excited to announce the new Mindset Resource Repository! This repository provides resources, handouts, and templates that any course instructor can use to add mindset-supportive activities, language, and best practices to their course. All resources are based on research for promoting growth mindset, purpose & relevance, and sense of belonging on campus.
The repository can always be found through TBR’s Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning webpage, in the “Resource Repositories” section.
All resources are ready to use and quick to implement! Explore the available materials and check back regularly for new additions.
Are you using TILT?
If yes, please have your students complete the TILT Transparent Instruction Survey during the semester. Click here for instructions for how to give the survey.
Microsoft Learn Educator Center: Training & resources for educators
If you’re looking for new ways to inspire and engage students, Microsoft Education offers a wealth of free training and virtual workshops for educators. Visit the Microsoft Learn Educator Center for training courses, learning paths, and online events. Stay up to date on all the latest Teams updates, events, workshops, and more with the Microsoft Educator Newsletter.
The Teaching Center Offers the Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices Certificate
The Teaching Center continues to offer the Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices Certificate for the faculty of Nashville State Community College. For complete details, go to the CRTP tab https://ww2.nscc.edu/theteachingcenter/crtp/ and Upcoming Faculty Development Opportunities in the Events tab https://ww2.nscc.edu/theteachingcenter/upcoming-faculty-development-opportunities/.
Congratulations to our CRTP Certificate Recipients!
The Teaching Center is proud to announce that the following faculty members have completed the Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices Certificate. Congratulations to:
- Jesmin Akther
- René Bataille
- Valerie Belew
- Bir Bohara
- Amy Bryant
- Kurstin Bush
- Audrey Cross
- Brian Curtis
- Genevieve El Chaer
- Christie Ferguson
- Melissa Fleck
- Steven Hancock
- Mark Helm
- Jennifer Knapp
- Robert Ladd
- Devora Manier
- Connie Mathews
- Roslyn Mize
- Barbra Mullaney
- Emily Naff
- Robert Overstreet
- Harlan Pease
- Jessica Rabb
- Amelia Rinehart
- Cliff Rockstead
- Elizabeth Schoenfeld
- Neely Ann Sheucraft
- Michele Singletary
- Beth Slade
- Maria Smith
- Katherine Sorenson
- Elizabeth Stein
- Dara Talibah
- Breanna Waller
- Leah Welker
- Mary Elizabeth Wilson-Patton
- John Woodman