The Office of Faculty Development

November 2022 Tuesday Tips

1st November, 2022

Sent on behalf of Dr. Alisa Wade, Assistant Professor of History and READI Equity Fellow.

Each time I open our Research in Equity, Antiracism, Diversity and Inclusion(opens in new window) (READI) hub’s page on teaching instruction(opens in new window), I’m reminded of bell hooks’ powerful quote from Teaching to Transgress(opens in new window). “As a classroom community,” hooks wrote, “our capacity to generate excitement is deeply affected by our interest in one another, in hearing one another’s voices, in recognizing one another’s presence.”  

Finding ways to build a sense of community in our classrooms—and fostering a safe and accessible learning space for students from a wide array of diverse backgrounds, experiences, identities, and needs—becomes critical to encouraging student success. At the same time, though, this process can feel daunting: especially when taking variations in the sizes of our classes, the unique needs of students, or even disciplinary conventions into consideration. I want to highlight one digital tool that I’ve found to be exceptionally useful in promoting active learning and reading, and, in turn, helping to foster dynamic discussion among a wider array of students in the classroom: Perusall(opens in new window).  

Perusall is a free platform for collaborative, social reading and annotation. It integrates with and can be accessed through our learning management systems, making it easy for students to open through an embedded link and syncing grades back to the class gradebook. Once classes are set up in Perusall, instructors designate materials to assign and design assignments around them (for some examples of how you might do this, see this library guide from Brandeis University(opens in new window)). Instructors can choose to leave these assignments ungraded, grade them individually, or use and adapt Perusall’s automatic grading rubric for assessment. 

What makes Perusall so useful for building classroom community and contributing to equitable and inclusive pedagogy? 

Perusall enables faculty to assign a diverse array of material, at low or no cost to students(opens in new window)Faculty can create assignments from Perusall’s repository of existing textbooks and other readings, which does typically require students to purchase materials; but they can also upload their own PDFs covered by fair use guidelines, or channel materials that don’t meet those requirements through Perusall’s Copyright Clearance system (though students do pay a small fee for this process). Instructors can also draw on Open Educational Resources (OER) or link to other forms of digital media—podcasts, YouTube videos, or even open access online textbooks—for free, enabling students to engage with and annotate a wide selection of content representing a variety of medium(opens in new window)s and facilitating creative approaches in the classroom (for more information on finding and selecting OER or affordable educational materials, see our Chico Affordable Learning Solutions (CAL$)(opens in new window) program). 

It also helps build a sense of community (even in large courses!) and generates discussion inside and outside the classroom. In bigger classes, instructors can create smaller groups that carry over the course of the semester, encouraging students to get to know each other through their comments and annotations and interact in ways that are often difficult in large lecture halls. In smaller seminars, instructors can instead encourage the class to interact as a whole. It works well for in-person courses and can serve as a helpful tool for flipped classrooms(opens in new window), but as Professors Julie Lazzara and Virginia Clinton-Lisell have demonstrated(opens in new window), it is also incredibly effective in online or hybrid courses. And, it functions well across disciplines (see recent studies from the fields of biology(opens in new window)engineering(opens in new window)organic chemistry(opens in new window)philosophy(opens in new window)physics(opens in new window)political science(opens in new window), and psychology(opens in new window), for starters). 

Finally, Perusall also helps enhance student engagement with assigned class materials and address equity gaps(opens in new window) in the classroom. Students are empowered, as individuals and collectively, to take ownership of readings and other content by asking and answering questions, making comments, annotating, and upvoting each other’s submissions. Instructors can easily see which portions are confusing to students and can answer any questions students might have as they work. This is particularly useful because academic reading can seem like such an intimidating undertaking for first year students(opens in new window)first generation students(opens in new window), and students for whom English isn’t their first language(opens in new window). Furthermore, a recent study in the Journal for Multicultural Education(opens in new window) corroborates the impact of Perusall’s open annotation system on fostering inclusive and equitable pedagogy in the classroom and empowering those who frequently feel silenced—students of color, women, nonbinary students, and others from historically minoritized backgrounds—to confidently share their ideas. 

For more details and tips for getting started, see our campus Perusall support page(opens in new window)

If you’d like to comment on this or any other Tuesday Tip, visit the FDEV Blog(opens in new window).
All past Tuesday Tips are curated on the FDEV website.

8th November, 2022

This week’s tip brought to you by International Education and Global Engagement(opens in new window) (IEGE).

Chico State joins higher education institutions around the world in honoring and celebrating International Education Week from November 14-18, 2022. IEGE will be hosting a series of activities(opens in new window) next week for faculty, staff, and students to engage in global learning and cultural events, we ask that you encourage your students to attend, and explore international research and teaching opportunities for yourself.

Faculty often report that teaching and conducting research abroad, or incorporating collaborative online international learning (COIL)opportunities into the classroom, can be life-changing, tapping into resources and developing pedagogy that incorporates global learning and engagement, a strategic priority(opens in new window) of the University. Through these opportunities, faculty can also empathize with the experience of international students, staff and faculty at Chico State, as the instructor is immersed in different languages and cultures and learns to navigate a new educational system and environment.

Additional global engagement opportunities and resources available to Chico State faculty:  

  1. Attend our Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)(opens in new window) Networking Reception on Tuesday, November 15 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm in Colusa 100A to learn about the COIL experiences of faculty, students and teaching partners. IEGE supports faculty to internationalize their courses by adding a virtual exchange experience within a class. For more information on COIL Faculty Learning Community, please contact COIL Co-coordinator, Dr. Sara Trechter, strechter@csuchico.edu(opens in new window).
  2. Apply to become a Resident Director on a CSU International Program(opens in new window) in France, Italy or Spain for a year, deadline to apply is December 31, 2022. Contact Chico State ACIP Rep, Dr. Fay Mitchell-Brown, with questions: fmitchellbrown@csuchico.edu(opens in new window). 
  3. Check out Fulbright Grant programs for US Scholars(opens in new window) and attend the Fulbright “Ask Us Anything” session(opens in new window) on November 14th to prepare for a 2024-2025 program application. Additionally, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program(opens in new window) offers unparalleled opportunities in all academic disciplines for graduating college seniors, graduate students, and early-career professionals from all backgrounds. Program participants pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English abroad. 
  4. Invite a Study Abroad and Exchange advisor in your class(es) to present on program and study abroad scholarship(opens in new window) options, specifically tailored to your department or student interests, by completing this classroom presentation request form(opens in new window). 
  5. Join the International Faculty and Staff Association(opens in new window). Open to all international faculty and staff and allies, the IFSA celebrates the collective broad-based experience and representation across all cultures, languages, beliefs and disciplinary backgrounds.
  6. Encourage your students to visit the campus English as a Second Language (ESL) Support Services,(opens in new window) which offers free tutoring services for non-native speakers of English who want to improve their English proficiency. 
  7. Consider hosting a visiting international scholar(opens in new window) in your academic department. 
  8. Take students abroad through Faculty-Led Study Abroad(opens in new window). Deadlines vary by term. 

Need more information than above?

Contact Dr. Jennifer Gruber, jlgruber@csuchico.edu(opens in new window), AVP, International Education and Global Engagement.

If you’d like to comment on this or any other Tuesday Tip, visit the FDEV Blog(opens in new window).
All past Tuesday Tips are curated on the FDEV website.

15th November, 2022

Sent on behalf of Mark Faaita, Director of Forensics and READI equity fellow.

Dear Faculty,  

As the Director of Forensics, I have the benefit of working with students from a variety of majors and, of course, a diversity of backgrounds. To be competitive, students must delve beneath the surface of issues in order to craft arguments that are simultaneously unique and relatable to a diversity of audience members. In 2018, Kanako Otani (PDF), an International Student from Hiroshima, Japan (still featured on the International Admissions’ International Inspirations webpage), qualified for the most prestigious Speech and Debate national tournament in the country with her After Dinner Speech on accent discrimination. 

The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion explicitly states that “people who speak any languages” are welcomed by Chico State. It is important to consider that this declaration should also stand for people who speak languages differently than an imagined standard. Dr. Rosina Lippi Green makes a case for the fluidity of language and the universality of accent in her book English with an Accent(opens in new window)The legitimizing role of accent discrimination against immigrants(opens in new window) is an article that discusses the role accent discrimination plays in a variety of experimental circumstances towards enhancing prejudice. Considering the diversity of our student population(opens in new window), it is important we remember that an accent is not merely a marker of birthplace. How we talk can denote many things, but it should never be deemed by faculty as a means for judging comprehension, or ability.  

As a faculty member participating in groups made up entirely of faculty members, I have been present for the dismissal of narratives because of the “vulgarity” of the language used to share said narratives. I voiced my frustration with the dismissal in my own way, but I never returned to the groups. I am privileged to be where I am. I am a first-generation high school graduate who has managed to reach a place that allows me to currently be writing this to you, and I still struggle with discrimination and dismissal towards voices that sound like those that I grew up with. Our students deserve better. We have an opportunity, as faculty, to be a voice of acceptance and reassurance. The sounds of welcoming eventually outweighed the voices of rejection for me, but if we are not conscious about how we treat the diversity of voices with which we interact, our students may not be as lucky. 

Accent discrimination is a nuanced aspect of discrimination at large. Discrimination is by no means something that only happens intentionally. READI and Faculty Development can provide some resources. You can start from this teaching guide on Academic Language Development or this teaching guide on Language Development Through Coursework. Our role is to work with faculty on all their equity-related needs, so reach out and book a consultation(opens in new window) if you need additional help and support. 

If you’d like to comment on this or any other Tuesday Tip, visit the FDEV Blog(opens in new window).
All past Tuesday Tips are curated on the FDEV website.

29th November, 2022

Dear Faculty,  

I want to use this Tuesday Tip to share some news about the Quality Learning and Teaching Program(opens in new window) (QLT). 

Throughout the years, QLT at Chico State has been offered in different formats: initially as one-on-one mentoring opportunity (2014-2016), then as a faculty learning community (2016-2020), and more recently as a series of synchronous online workshops (2020-2022). These changes always tried to reflect and respond to faculty’s needs. 

It is in the same spirit that the Office of Faculty Development(opens in new window) and the Technology & Learning Program(opens in new window) are now excited to offer QLT in one additional format: as an asynchronous course in Canvas. Starting in Spring 2023, faculty will be able to choose between attending five synchronous online workshops and completing a self-paced course in Canvas. As more departments explore the possibility to launch online and hybrid programs, we hope that this opportunity will allow more faculty to complete QLT. 

If you want to learn more about QLT at Chico State, I invite you to explore the QLT portfolios(opens in new window) as they provide information about how the program has evolved and offer some examples of QLT course reviews, in addition to faculty and TLP staff testimonies. You can also access these best practices in online learning and teaching (PDF), which were created to align with the QLT instrument (PDF)

Spring 2023 QLT CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 

FDEV and TLP are calling for applications for the QLT program for Spring 2023. As I announced above, there will be two options to complete the QLT training: 

Option 1: Complete a series of 5 workshops, offered synchronously online 

Option 2: Complete an asynchronous course in Canvas 

Read the full call for applications (Google Doc) and fill out this Google form(opens in new window) to apply. If you cannot commit to completing the whole program, you are welcome to attend just a few workshops, and in this case we ask that you register here(opens in new window)

For any questions, please contact Faculty Development Director Chiara Ferrari (cfferrari@csuchico.edu(opens in new window)). 

If you’d like to comment on this or any other Tuesday Tip, visit the FDEV Blog(opens in new window).
All past Tuesday Tips are curated on the FDEV website.