TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20

Trauma and Crisis Intervention in the Classroom

10:00am- 11:00am

Location: E100.01 or Zoom

Presenters: Cyndi Carlson (Wellness Services) and Jasmine Young (Wellness Services)

This workshop will provide participants with a base understanding of how trauma can show up in today’s classrooms and within the college community. Participants will briefly learn how trauma can impact student academic performance and social-emotional growth. The workshop will define trauma, its impact on executive functioning skills, and student’s ability to be in a “learning ready mode”. Participants will begin to learn the principles of trauma-informed care and their application in the classroom setting. Participants will be asked to explore their reactions to their most challenging students and learn how to view them with a trauma-informed perspective. 

Focused Use of Campus Resources in LTC 099

11:30am- 12:30pm

Location: E100.01 or Zoom

Presenters: Sara Baker (English)

This session will share the goals and results of the presenter’s Fall 2023 Faculty Equity Research Committee project on increasing the targeted use of campus resources for students in the presenter’s two sections of LTC 099, our developmental reading and writing class. This class is the one in the English Department that is the most at-risk for non-completion, especially the online sections of the course. With this project, campus resources were deliberately introduced to students, as well as requiring students to use services throughout the semester, both for in-person and online sections. The presenter will share initial research and questions about whether a higher percentage of students in these LTC 099 sections utilized ECC resources after being introduced to them, with follow-up research about whether this in turn increased their success in the course, as well as whether using campus resources increased their sense of belonging both in the course and at ECC.  She will share how these campus resources were incorporated into the courses and the results, as well as how this project will be modified to be included in future semesters of LTC 099.

Fostering Learning through Regular and Substantive Interaction: Building Stronger Educational Connections 

2:00pm- 3:00pm

Location: E100.01 or Zoom

Presenters: Christian Zehelein (Instructional Improvement and Distance Learning), Laura Haske (Paralegal), Sara Baker (English), Antonio Ramirez (History)

In this presentation, we will explore the fundamental importance of regular substantive interaction in the educational environment. By examining the dynamics of consistent engagement between educators and learners, we'll uncover how these interactions positively influence academic success, student motivation, and overall learning outcomes. From discussing effective communication strategies to creating an inclusive and collaborative online class, this session aims to empower educators with practical insights and tools to establish and maintain meaningful connections with their students. Come and join us to experience how continuous interactions contribute to cultivating a lively and captivating learning community.

Letting Students Write the Syllabus 

3:30pm- 4:30pm

Location: E100.01 or Zoom

Presenters: Kris Campbell (Math)

In an experiment to increase inclusivity in my classrooms, I implemented an HIP from a professional development course that I took. The goal was to create a community feeling in class from day one by letting students decide what classroom policies they wanted, what assessments would be used to determine level of mastery, what weights the various assessments would carry in determining their final grade, and what resources I would provide. I will discuss the unexpected results from this experiment and attendees will be asked to share what they have tried in an effort to increase student agency, a feeling of belonging, and inclusivity in their role at ECC.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21

Teaching Tools: Technology Resources to Create Community

11:00am- 12:00pm

Location: Zoom

Presenters: Gladys Hernandez (ABEC)

The goal of this training session is to assist teachers in enhancing student engagement through the integration of technology resources. Embracing innovative teaching acknowledges the potential for improvement in our methods. To foster active student participation, educators can employ technology tools like Peardeck and Padlet. These tools not only promote a sense of belonging but also addresses the social-emotional aspect, allowing students to express themselves and feel heard and represented in class. This session will provide examples of how Peardeck and Padlet can be used to increase students' engagement and address their holistic needs in class.

Creating Strong Relationships in the Classroom

1:00pm- 2:00pm

Location: E100.01 or Zoom

Presenters: Meghan Staskal-Bradt (ABEC) and Heather Martin (CETAL)

The presenters will share their experiences with ECC's 4 Commitments initiative. The initiative focused on culturally responsive teaching and creating environments in which students develop stronger connections to faculty and peers. Presenters will review the impact of student relationships and discuss ways for creating your own relationship-rich classroom.

The Benefits of Introductory Surveys

3:30pm- 4:30pm

Location: Zoom

Presenters: Manuel Salgado (Psychology)

This session will share how an introductory survey was constructed and how it's used to benefit student engagement and community building. Student information is gathered per course and content ranges from first generation status, food and financial insecurities, mental health, and language spoken at home. The survey is shared with students in an aggregate form.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22

It's WAC: Writing Across the Curriculum

11:00am- 12:00pm

Location: E100.01 or Zoom

Presenters: Jessica Carpenter (Psychology)

This session will discuss writing in non-English courses including the differences between Writing to Learn (WTL) and Writing in the Discipline (WID), challenges for developing writing skill and the results of several attempted interventions for improving student writing based on data collected over the span of 7 years.  These include creating investigatory writing prompts, adding detailed suggestions for subtopics and changes to the point structure of writing assessment in order to improve student writing outcomes.  Both quantitative outcomes (student grades) and qualitative outcomes (survey results) will be presented.  Finally, ideas for best practice will be summarized based on both the collected data and background research in the field.

Bridging the Gap between Research and Writing with ChatGPT

1:00pm- 2:00pm

Location: Zoom

Presenters: Jeannie Anderson (English)

In this session, attenders will reimagine essay assignments that require research using a three-part research essay model to ethically incorporate ChatGPT into the research process. Part 1 requires students to conduct their research and create an annotated bibliography with summaries and source citations. Part 2 allows students to clarify their research by having a “conversation” with ChatGPT using prompts provided and the knowledge they already have of their topic to engineer their own prompts. Finally, in Part 3, students use their source material and deeper understanding of their topic to write a persuasive, evaluative, or analytical essay. Assignment examples, sample assignments, and student reflections of their experience with ChatGPT will be incorporated into the workshop. Attenders are encouraged to bring their own essay assignment to discuss ways to incorporate the three-part research essay module into their curriculum.

Sparking Connections: Igniting Community from the Start

2:15pm- 3:15pm

Location: E100.01 or Zoom

Presenters: Brian Bohr (Communications) and Kathleen DeMars (ABEC)

This presentation delves into the realm of non-academic strategies for community building within ECC classrooms, specifically focusing on the first week of the semester. By fostering a sense of belonging through improvisation, team-building activities, and collaborative expectation setting, this presentation aims to share successful approaches that go beyond traditional academic interactions to create a vibrant and supportive community. By sharing practical experiences and successful strategies, this presentation aims to inspire instructors to infuse non-academic elements into their classrooms, fostering a sense of community that extends beyond the confines of traditional academic interactions.

What if What I Want to Say is Not Enough for What I Have to Say? Expanding Meaning-Making Opportunities by Using Adinkra Symbols and Yoruba Proverbs

3:30pm- 4:30pm

Location: E100.01 or Zoom

Presenters: Mellissa Gyimah-Concepcion (English) and Olabisi Adenekan

As professors of West African descent teaching English literacy in American Universities, we have sometimes faced the struggle to clearly and adequately articulate our thoughts in English. We are well aware that these concepts can be more succinctly or profoundly expressed in our respective languages or symbols, and therefore, possibly resonating more deeply with us. It is apparent to us that our Africanness exists on the periphery, but is usually not centered in the classroom or our research because the connection to literacy practice is often sparse (Oppong-Wadie, 2020).

Having grown up and being steeped in these other linguistic repertoires as we are, we found that utilizing a trans-linguistic mix of praxis using Adinkra symbols and Yoruba proverbs helps us to (1) articulately and accurately express ourselves when it comes to dialogic interaction and feedback, (2) provide our students with another linguistic worldview that goes beyond the Eurocentric meaning-making experience and language use, and to (3) serve to illuminate our cultural practices while simultaneously documenting our linguistic heritage for historical preservation. We feel the need to bring the complexities and realities of our literacy experiences into our teaching to embrace the totality of who we are as Africans and to explore meaning-making possibilities as we bring our whole selves to the table.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23

Using Assistive Technology to Increase Students’ Success and Independence in an Online Learning Environment

11:00am- 12:00pm

Location: E100.01 or Zoom

Presenters: Pietrina Probst (Accessibility and Disability Services), Chiquita Hallom (Accessibility and Disability Services), Kyle Ahlmann (Instructional Improvement and Distance Learning), Ryan Karp  (Instructional Improvement and Distance Learning), Jess Heiser (student), Jack McGraw (student)

Assistive technology can benefit all students, faculty, and staff. Did you know that you use assistive technology on a daily basis? Find out what you can do to ensure that assistive technology is compatible with online course materials within D2L. Maximize your students’ success in your courses by utilizing best practices when designing tests and content in D2L. During this workshop, students will be sharing their experiences with using assistive technology and will provide demonstrations of interactions with course materials. Instructional Technology/Accessibility Coordinators will provide tips for developing accessible content within D2L courses. During a hands-on activity, audience members will have the opportunity to practice how to incorporate accessibility features within their documents.