New Year, New Horizons:
Empowering Educators
January 5 – 11, 2024
Welcome to “New Year, New Horizons: Empowering Educators,” an educational conference designed specifically for NSCC employees. As we begin a new year, this conference is your unique opportunity to explore innovative approaches, share best practices, and connect with your colleagues to enhance your roles as educators within our institution.
Conference Overview:
“New Year, New Horizons: Empowering Educators at Nashville State Community College” is tailored to empower NSCC educators with the knowledge, tools, and strategies needed to excel in their roles within our community college. Whether you are a faculty member, staff member, or administrator, this event will provide you with invaluable insights and resources to further your contributions to NSCC’s mission.
Key Themes:
- Innovation in Education: Discover innovative pedagogical methods and strategies specifically applicable to our community college context.
- Equity and Inclusion: Address the importance of creating inclusive, diverse, and culturally responsive learning environments unique to our student body.
- Wellness and Resilience: Learn strategies to prioritize your well-being and mental health, promoting a healthier work-life balance within our institution.
- Educational Leadership: Gain leadership skills tailored to drive positive change within the context of Nashville State Community College.
What to Expect:
- Inspiring Presenters: Listen to educators and leaders within our community who will share their experiences and insights to motivate and guide you in your roles at NSCC.
- Interactive Workshops: Participate in hands-on workshops that provide practical tools, strategies, and resources customized for our institution.
- Networking Opportunities: Connect with your fellow NSCC educators, build professional relationships, and share your experiences and challenges specific to our community college.
- Panel Discussions: Engage in thought-provoking conversations on critical topics in education, facilitated by experts within our NSCC community.
Audience encouraged to attend:
- Faculty
- NSCC Staff Members
- NSCC Administrators
Badging:
NSCC employees who engage in 8 professional learning sessions presented by the Teaching Center and Online Learning between January 5 – 11 will earn the New Year, New Horizons badge.
Conference Schedule
Friday, January 5
8 am – 8:20 am
Welcome to NEW Year, New Horizons: Empowering Educators (L)
Open Forum
Join us for an open forum to welcome you to New Year, New Horizons: Empowering Educators.
Moderators: Neely Ann Sheucraft, Associate Professor, Communication Studies and Fellow, Teaching center and Kurstin Bush, Asst. Prof. of Education and Teaching Fellow
Friday, January 5, 2024
8:30 am – 9:20 am
Just what is a CRTP, anyway? (L, E, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Presentation
This presentation will take a look at what defines a Culturally Responsive Teaching Practice, some qualities teachers can develop to enhance CRTP effectiveness, and some Communication Theory to contextualize Culturally Responsive Teaching as a meaning-making practice.
Presenter: Harlan Pease
Recording of Presentation
Friday, January 5
9:30 am – 10:20 am
How Can I Help Students Persist in Their Studies? (L, E, A, D, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Presentation
I will share how I set myself and my students up for success at the beginning of the semester using D2L News and scheduling. Let’s face it, the more I prep the course the smoother it runs and the more on top of things I appear. I will also discuss emails and how to automate emails for students who may be struggling or excelling in the course. Some emails just need to be personal but others can still be impactful as automated emails.
Presenter: Rachel Lewis, Instructor of Biology
Recording of Presentation
Friday, January 5
10:30 am – 11:20 am
Outlining Meaningful Expectations for Respectful Dialogue: A Roadway to Cultural Awareness (L, E, A, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Presentation
In this presentation, I will talk about the importance of ensuring that our Syllabi set the tone for diversity and inclusion. I will share several successful examples of times when I have clearly outlined relevant expectations for respectful dialogue before discussing difficult cultural topics in my beginning Spanish classes. Through these examples, I will demonstrate how this approach has led to respectful and fruitful conversations that promote cultural awareness. This presentation is most applicable to the School of Arts and Humanities.
Presenter: Belkis Barrios, PhD.
Recording of Presentation
Friday, January 5
11:30 am – 1 pm New Faculty Orientation January Lunch Meeting – S-208, S-Building, White Bridge Road Campus
This orientation is limited to new full-time faculty. Invited attendees received a calendar invitation from Dr. Roberts.
Coordinator: Dr. Sarah Roberts
Friday, January 5
1 pm – 1:50 pm
SCALE-ing Up: Navigating Changing Landscapes and Avoiding Blindsides for Long-Term Success (L, E, A, D, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Presentation
For higher education professionals in the ever-evolving landscape of academia, it is crucial to embrace change while staying dedicated to delivering student-centric teaching. Overlooking blindspots can have detrimental effects, including poor decision-making, reduced efficiency, and missed opportunities for growth.
To support your pursuit of excellence, let’s explore the SCALE framework—an invaluable resource for not only adapting to change but flourishing within it. Through this framework, you will gain insights into Strategic Leadership, Communication, Adaptability, Learning and Evaluation, and Endurance. By leveraging these pillars, you can become a transformative leader and cultivate a thriving educational organization.
While blindspots are inevitable, failure is not. Joining Breanna on a journey to SCALE will empower you to foster teamwork, tackle challenges, and make necessary adjustments along the way. This exceptional opportunity will inspire you to become a catalyst for change and innovation in your field, leaving you hungry for further growth and impact.
Presenter: Breanna Waller, LPN, MBA Healthcare Administration
Recording of Presentation
Friday, January 5
2 pm – 2:50 pm
Creating Choice and Student Agency in the Online Classroom (L, E, S, CRTP)
Presentation
Permitting students to actively shape their learning and prioritizing student agency fosters a sense of ownership in their courses. Moreover, it allows students the opportunity to gain a deeper investment in their own education. For students to gain this agency in a course, substantive choices have to be provided by the instructor. These choices will guide what students learn as well as outline the steps they must take to get there. This can be taken a step further by allowing students to be part of the choice making process. One way these choices can be implemented in online courses is through the Release Conditions tool in D2L. This tool allows instructors to create a type of learning pathway that focuses on creating student choice and can be used to build student agencies throughout the learning process.
Presenter: Hannah Hurdle, Instructional Designer, Office of Online Learning
Recording of Presentation
Monday, January 8
8:30 am – 8:50 am
New Year, New Horizons: Empowering Educators Virtual Coffee Break
Open Forum
Join colleagues from across Nashville State in a virtual coffee break at New Year, New Horizons: Empowering Educators.
Moderators: Neely Ann Sheucraft, Associate Professor, Communication Studies and Fellow, Teaching Center and Amy Bryant, Associate Professor, Communication Studies and Director, Teaching Center
Register for this open forum
Zoom
Monday, January 8
9 am – 9:50 am
Engagement in Asynchronous Courses: Can AI save our online students? (L, E, A, D, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Presentation
Combining ACUE Principles from LE3 (Ensuring Equitable Access to Learning) and LL2 (Providing Clear Directions and Explanations) of the ACUE certification, this presentation will focus on the early implementation of announcements and intelligent agents to keep and promote student engagement; we will compare two courses that ran simultaneously to demonstrate to argue for how effective automated news announcements and intelligent agents help ensure students retention and engagement from week to week.
Presenters: Kristen Bradley and Robert Ladd
Register for this presentation
Zoom
Monday, January 8
10 am – 10:50 am
Save Time and Engage Your Students Using “Smart” Tools in D2L (E, A, S)
Workshop
This workshop will review Intelligent Agents, a powerful tool inside D2L that can both save you time and personalize course communications for your students. Intelligent Agents can automatically identify students who meet certain criteria in your course and send them a message tailored to their current learning needs in the course. For instance, you can set an IA to identify students who scored below a particular threshold on an assignment. It will then automatically send a message with helpful resources or reminders about course grading policies to students who meet those criteria. You can even set up IAs to send messages of praise for a job well done! While writing each of these emails on your own would normally take hours, IAs allow you to add a greater sense of personal care and connection to your online course, with minimal time invested.
Presenter: Hannah Hurdle, Online Learning
Register for this workshop
Zoom
Monday, January 8
11 am – 11:50 am
From At-Risk to Retention: Improving Outcomes & Experience for First-Year Students (L, E, A, D, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Presentation
A survey was conducted to gather information from 150+ students across Learning Support (Writing) sections. Based on interesting findings, whereby new students self-reported roadblocks, this session offers ACUE-based strategies to help guide and retain our most vulnerable yet promising students as they navigate their way through their Gen Ed courses.
Presenters: Amy Blum, Michele Singletary, and Laura Burridge
Register for this presentation
Zoom
Monday, January 8
12 pm – 12:50 pm
Setting up your Online Gradebook in D2L (D)
Workshop
Grades are important to students not only because they measure their progress in a course, but they can also provide guidance on how to improve their performance / learning going forward. Because of this, it is important to set up your gradebook in a well-designed and easily accessible way. To ensure that the instructor’s gradebooks are ready to go from the very start of the semester, this presentation will cover the basics of gradebooks including how to set up grades and rubrics for assessments as well as cover common issues that tend to happen inside the gradebook.
Presenter: Hannah Hurdle, Instructional Designer, Office of Online Learning
Register for this workshop
Zoom
Monday, January 8, 2024
1 pm – 1:50 pm
Pedagogy of the Oppressed Professional Learning Community Introduction
Seminar
This spring, join us on a journey through Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. In this first session of the PLC, we will discuss the impact that Pedagogy of the Oppressed has had on our approach to teaching and provide an overview of the book. PLC Sessions will be held throughout the spring semester, and a limited number of books are available for participants.
Presenters: Dr. Michael Sundblad, Dean, School of Arts and Humanities, and Amy Bryant, Associate Professor, Communication Studies, and Director, The Teaching Center
Register for this seminar session
Zoom
Monday, January 8
2 pm – 2:50 pm
Navigate Course Design with Mindset GPS (G-Growth, P-Purpose, S-Social Belonging) (L, E, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Presentation
The University of Virginia’s Motivate Lab has helped me navigate Mindset GPS and incorporate it into class assessments, policies, and feedback. I’ll share what I have learned and there will be time for you to share too.
Presenter: Jessica Rabb, Professor
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Zoom
Tuesday, January 9
8 am – 8:50 am
Make an Impact at NSCC – Become an Impact Player (L, A, D, S)
Seminar
We count on them. We know they will deliver. When it is tough, we turn to them. Impact players engage differently and make a tremendous positive impact on the work, their colleagues, and the organization. This spring, join us as we explore Liz Wiseman’s book, Impact Players: How to take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact. In this first session, we will learn about impact players, what makes impact players different, and how we can build impact player skills.
Presenter: Amy Bryant, Associate Professor, Communication Studies, and Director, The Teaching Center
Register for this seminar session
Zoom
Tuesday, January 9
9 am – 9:50 am
The Stats Behind our Stats Classes (L, E, D, S, ACUE)
Presentation
Math faculty were interested in learning more about the differences in student success and retention for 7-week versus traditional 15-week sections of Introductory Statistics. Hoping to find information that could lead to effective advising for 7-week classes and increase success of our students in all sections of this highly enrolled course, they collected the data and analyzed the results. They’ll share what they discovered as well as ideas they have about the different delivery methods that might help others developing 7-week classes and then open up for Q&A.
Presenter: Eli Nettles, Professor of Mathematics, and James Needham, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Register for this presentation
Zoom
Tuesday, January 9
10 am – 10:50 am
Learning in Half the Time: The 7-Week Semester Experiment in English (L, A, D, S, CRTP)
Presentation
Dickson found out in April that it was the guinea pig campus for the 7-week semester experiment for Gen Ed classes that Fall. We scrambled to quickly prep classes for that unexpected shift, including developing support sections ahead of the planned schedule for their development. In this session Michelle Bowen, who has 36 years of experience teaching writing (24 years at Nashville State), will share the Tips, Tricks & Timing lessons she learned and discuss the implications of Learning in Half the Time.
Presenter: Michelle Bowen, Associate Professor
Register for this presentation
Zoom
Tuesday, January 9
11 am – 11:50 am
YuJa Video Platform Training (L, S)
Presentation
In this presentation, we will dive into how to access the Video Platform, as well as how to upload/ create content, how to edit your videos using the video editor tools as well as sharing your content within the Video Platform and in the D2L courses.
Presenter: Diana Hernandez, Customer Success Manager
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Zoom
Tuesday, January 9
12 pm – 12:50 pm
The 7-Week Experiment in Dickson: Fall 2023 (CRTP, L, E, A, D, S, ACUE)
Panel Discussion
The panelists will share their experiences teaching 7-week Gen Ed classes in Dickson in Fall 2023, where all classes taught were 7-week. Most of the panelists also taught 15-week classes at the same time and will speak to that experience of teaching both, as well.
Panelists: Michelle Bowen, Assoc. Prof., English, Amy Bryant, Assoc. Prof., Communication Studies, and Robert Ladd, Assoc. Prof., English
Register for this panel discussion
Zoom
Tuesday, January 9
1 pm – 1:50 pm
Universal Principles of Teaching (L, E, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Presentation
How can I be an effective instructor? What are some core principles that can guide my decision making in the classroom? The field of education brings together the latest in cognitive science and psychology to apply effective teaching and learning strategies (aka general pedagogical knowledge to any classroom).
Presenter: Kurstin Bush Teaching Center Fellow and Asst. Prof. of Education and Program Coordinator
Register for this presentation
Zoom
Tuesday, January 9
2 pm – 2:50 pm
Use of avatars in learning: Shadow Health (L, D, S)
Presentation
This session is for anyone interested in learning about avatars in learning. While this product is used for Nursing assessment , similar programs are used for the teaching of hands on skills. This tool allows us to explore high risk activities in a no risk environment. Come see what your colleagues in nursing are using to teach our nurses of tomorrow. This presentation is most applicable to the School of Health Sciences and the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Presenters: Audrey Humphries, Laura Reid, and Beth Youngblood
Register for this presentation
Zoom
Wednesday, January 10
8 am – 8:50 am
Introduction to TILT (L, E, A, D, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Presentation
If you have never attended a TILT workshop, join The Teaching Center for the Introduction to TILT workshop. Research indicates that transparent assignment design significantly enhances students’ success, with even greater gains for historically underserved students. This presentation will cover the key principles underlying the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework and provide evidence for its efficacy.
Presenters: 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 presentation
Zoom
Wednesday, January 10
9 am – 9:50 am
Social Media Inspired Teaching Strategies (L, S)
Open Forum
Come hear about and discuss innovative teaching methods influenced by social trends aimed to engage students.
Presenter: Piper Sesnan, OTD, OTR/L Program Director/Assistant Professor NSCC OTA Program, Teaching Center Fellow
Register for this open forum
Zoom
Wednesday, January 10
10 am – 10:50 am
Building Community with Student Life (L, E, S)
Presentation
Collaborate with Student Life! Help us build community by hosting a speaker or discussion, advising a club, or improving campus spaces. Student Life is available and eager to welcome faculty and staff expertise as we seek to create community and extracurricular opportunities for Nashville State faculty, staff, and students to connect. There are also funds available from Student Life to support these endeavors.
Presenter: Kelsey Johansen, Director of Student Life
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Zoom
Wednesday, January 10
11 am YuJa Inc. | Nashville State CC – Faculty Panorama Overview (L, S)
Presentation
Panorama Faculty Overview highlighting the accessibility reports to improve your files, alternative formats, and course reporting.
Presenter: Jerrick Boun, Customer Success Analyst
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Zoom
Wednesday, January 10
12 pm – 12:50 pm
Slate Presentation Series Session 1: Slate Project Review (E, D, S)
Seminar
This session will include an overview of phase one of the Slate project, an introduction to phase two, and current ideas for implementation in future phases as we work towards expanding Slate services beyond enrollment services. We will also layout the schedule for additional Slate feature presentations over the course of the spring semester.
Presenters: Miranda Inman, CRM Administrator and Laura Moran, Executive Director of Enrollment Services
Register for this seminar session
Zoom
Wednesday, January 10
1 pm – 1:50 pm
ATMAE Accreditation- New Self Study Guidelines (A, D)
Workshop
Previous accreditation materials and any new documentation gathered for the next cycle. This workshop is most applicable to the School of Business and Professional Studies and the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Presenter: Peter Ortner
Register for this workshop
Zoom
Wednesday, January 10
2 pm – 2:50 pm
ACUE of ACUE (L, E, A, D, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Presentation
This presentation will cover the key elements of ACUE that I’ve grasped and put into practice in my classroom.
Presenter: Dr. Bir Bohara, Assistant Professor of Physics and course lead of Physics and Astronomy
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Zoom
Thursday, January 11, 2023
8:00 am – 8:50 am
What is Education, anyway? The Science of Flow and Education (CRTP, L, E, A, D, S, ACUE)
Seminar
Please join us for our introduction seminar in the series on Flow and Education. Here, we will be looking at the science and chemistry of flow, motivation, creativity, and, ultimately, educational success, which are related in terms of brain chemistry and overall outcomes. In this introductory seminar, we will explore flow alongside research into skill mastery to question the overall purpose and structure of college courses and assignments.
Presenters: Kurstin Bush and Robert Ladd
Register for this session
Zoom
Thursday, January 11, 2024
9 am – 9:50 am
Forced Moves, Mindfulness, and Classroom Conflict (L, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Presentation
Have you ever regretted the way you handled a situation (at work or otherwise)? If so, you are definitely not alone. This presentation will take a look at conflict management and resolution through the lenses of mindfulness and communication theory, providing some guidance to addressing and resolving.
Presenter: Harlan Pease
Register for this session
Zoom
Thursday, January 11
10 am Instructor Training on Respondus Monitor & LockDown Browser
Presentation
This comprehensive training webinar is intended for instructors who plan to use LockDown Browser and/or Respondus Monitor with online exams. The training will cover:
– How to use LockDown Browser to prevent digital cheating in proctored testing environments
– How to use Respondus Monitor in non-proctored environments, to protect exam integrity and confirm student identity
– Advanced settings including combining proctored & non-proctored settings and using external tools in quizzes without compromising exam integrity
– The student perspective using each application
– Efficient review of the assessment data collected, including the Review Priority system, timeline, and milestone features
– Best practices and tips for success with both applications
Presenter: Rebecca Schkade, Customer Success and Training
Register for this session
Zoom
Thursday, January 11
11 am – 11:50 am
Do Students Really Understand? (L, E, S, ACUE, CRPT)
Panel Discussion
During this panel discussion NSCC faculty will share ideas for how to design course activities and assignments that use effective direction strategies and support student comprehension.
Panelists: Melissa Fleck, Associate Professor Early Childhood Education
Amy Blum, Instructor English
Connie Mathews, Associate Professor ESL
Jennifer Goncalves, Associate Professor Early Childhood Education
Kassidy Schmidt, Assistant Professor Early Childhood Education
Register for this session
Zoom
Thursday, January 11
12 pm – 12:50 pm
The Neurobiology of Fear (L, E, A, D, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Presentation
“””New Horizons”” can be frightening if you feel you are in an unfamiliar and threatening environment, do not know what the future may hold, and the stakes are high if you fail. This is a common situation for many NSCC’s students. Student fear often causes conflicts with faculty and can impede student learning. Fear can lead students to misunderstand faculty motives, create a feeling of helplessness or anger, and overwhelm students with anxiety to the point that they feel compelled to lash out, withdraw, or shut down instead of embracing the challenges of learning and growing.
Faculty also experience fear in the classroom, leading to similar misunderstandings and negative outcomes as students face. The only difference between students and faculty being how we are assessed and perceived power dynamics. In this session, I will discuss the basic neurobiology of fear in the context of specific situations that both students and faculty experience in the classroom and discuss the results of a survey on fear that students took in my classes. Audience questions and participation will be encouraged both during the presentation and in the discussion afterwards.
If you would like to prepare ahead of time or need something to read over Christmas break, the idea for this presentation was inspired by the following book: Cox R. D. (2011). The College Fear Factor: How Students and Professors Misunderstand One Another. Harvard University Press.”
Presenter: Gracie King, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology
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Zoom
Thursday, January 11
1 pm – 1:50 pm
Fear & Power: Learner & Professor (L, E, A, S, CRTP, ACUE)
Panel Discussion
As professors, we have been exploring ways that we can create effective relationships with all students to facilitate their learning. Reflecting on our social positions in the college, culture and community has been a necessary part of trying to connect with students from different social positions. This is a daunting experience which moves us beyond our comfort zones of teaching strategies and places us in vulnerable situations where we confront our fears. This panel of professors – Ayesha Keller, Brian Curtis, Gracie King, and Yvonne Simerman – will describe what we are learning about ourselves and students, and what we hope to gain from this ongoing exploration. Audience questions and participation will be encouraged both during the panel discussion and afterwards where all will be given an opportunity to share their own strategies for alleviating both student fear and their own.
Panelists: Ayesha Keller, Brian Curtis, Gracie King, and Yvonne Simerman
Register for this session
Zoom
Thursday, January 11
2 – 2:50 pm
The Science of Reading: Why do so many American students struggle to read? (and other topics related to literacy) (L, E, S)
Seminar
Come join this 3-part seminar based on the podcast “Sold a Story” where journalist Emily Hanford explains how many schools around the world have been teaching reading (badly) for decades in this 6-part audio series from American Public Media. Let’s discuss all things related to literacy and reading skills!
Presenter: Kurstin Bush: Asst. Prof. of Education and Teaching Fellow
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Zoom