As everyone prepares for finals, I’d like to remind you that CELT is here if you need us! We are thankful for everyone we have the opportunity to work with.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Break and Happy Holidays!
We give thanks!
All posts by Rose Tirotta-Esposito
Staying Secure Online While Teaching
Over time, faculty have been using more and more technology in their teaching. As we continue to live through the COVID pandemic, this has never been more evident. Here are some tips on how to be secure while teaching!
Share Your Screen Cautiously
When you share your screen, make sure you are only sharing what you want your students to see. Shut down your email and personal accounts, sign out of chat apps, and review what tabs and bookmarks are visible. If you are sharing your Blackboard account, show it in “student preview” so you don’t accidentally show the grade center or other sensitive information.
Protect Your Devices
You don’t want anyone to get a hold on the information on your laptop, phone, or mobile device, so be sure to always lock your screens in case you misplace a device.
Protect Your Logins
Speaking of passwords, be sure to use secure passwords for your SBU logins! Passphrases (very long passwords in the form of a sentence) work best – they are more challenging to hack into. Multi-factor authentication is also beneficial. You can request a Duo account from DoIT here if you don’t have one already, and make sure to set up the Duo application on your smartphone or tablet, which is the easiest to use when logging in. Also, remember to set up a second device if you have one, such as a tablet or desk phone using the self-service portal. Never show your screen while logging into an account. This may give an indication as to what your password may be, and some logins show the actual character before changing it to an unidentified character.
Click Cautiously
Be careful when clicking on links or opening attachments if you don’t know where they originated from. Tell students and colleagues you will only address emails sent to your SBU email address and sent from their SBU email address, so you don’t have to wonder who that suspicious email is from.
Model Safe Tech
Knowing how to use technology well is not always the same as using it safely. Those who grew up with technology being a part of their lives from a young age may not always give security the attention it deserves due to their increased comfort level. Others may overshare personal details about themselves without concern for the privacy or cybersecurity risks they may inadvertently expose themselves to. Model safety when using technology in your classroom and caution students when posting personal information online.
For more information on how to stay safe online, check out DoIT’s Survival Guide for Safe Computing!
Happy Birthday and Happy National Distance Learning Week!
Happy Birthday to our Blog!
A year ago today, CELT launched its blog during National Distance Learning Week. I would like to thank the CELT staff and the faculty who have contributed to the blog over the past year. A big thank you to our readers as well!
Later today, at noon, you can join us for the CELT panel discussion: Gender Inclusivity and the Teaching Practice.
In this session, panelists discuss ways to acknowledge, incorporate, and include gender identity and sexuality in course design, readings, assignments, and assessments. In terms of gender, we include trans and nonbinary identities, the use of pronouns, and how our disciplines are adapting to gender inclusion. Panelists discuss how they incorporate these topics into their teaching practice and why. We also weave in online delivery for National Distance Learning Week.
Panelists include:
- Mei Lin (Ete) Chan, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering
- Chris Tanaka, Assistant Director of LGBTQ* Services
- Andrew Rimby, Ph.D. Candidate and Queer Activist, English Department
Facilitators:
- Carol Hernandez, Senior Instructional Designer, CELT
- Catherine Scott, Assistant Director for Faculty Development – Testing, Assessment & Evaluation, CELT
Please register in advance to attend this Zoom meeting.
National Distance Learning Week, 2021
This week is National Distance Learning Week (NDLW). If you would like to participate in NDLW, both SUNY and the United States Distance Learning Association are offering webinars:
- 2021 SUNY Online National Distance Learning Week (NDLW)
- USDLA Presents NDLW 2021: Life in a Hybrid World – Learning How to Flex
We appreciate all the time you spend with us. If you have any suggestions for upcoming posts or if you would like to write a guest post, please reach out to us at CELT@stonybrook.edu
Copyright and Teaching Online
Carol Hernandez, Senior Instructional Designer
The pandemic forced many, if not all instructors, to move their courses online or to a hybrid format. In that shift, questions of copyright have come up. In order to help instructors navigate through these questions, the SBU Librarians have created a newly updated Copyright Guide, a comprehensive resource that includes information specific to online teaching and learning.
Start with the copyright basics page to get a foundational understanding of U.S. copyright law, what is protected, and how. Copyright is a form of intellectual property law that protects original works of literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture (U.S. Copyright Office, n.d.). Copyright protects both published and unpublished works. One or more authors or creators of the work hold the copyright except in cases where there is a “work-for-hire” agreement or a “collective work” where the authorship is transferred.
Instructors may want to know more about how and when they may legally and ethically use copyrighted works as part of their course materials without obtaining permission from the copyright holder. There are circumstances when this can be done under Fair Use. These include teaching, research, criticism, commentary, and news reporting. However, it is important to do a self-check to assess whether your intended use of the material falls under Fair Use. Consider these four factors:
- What is the purpose and character of the use?
- What is the nature of the original work?
- What is the amount of the work you plan to use as compared to the work as a whole?
- What is the effect of using the work or part of the work when on the protected work’s market or value?
What if you must ask for permission to use a copyrighted work? This guide walks you through the process. Keep in mind that you might not need to ask for permission if:
- You are providing a permalink to the licensed content through the Stony Brook University Libraries’ databases.
- The material you are using is licensed under Creative Commons for that specific use.
- The material is in the public domain.
- The specific use is covered by the fair use doctrine of the U.S. Copyright Law.
If you are teaching online, you may want to become familiar with the “Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act” (the TEACH Act) of 2002. TEACH is significant because it explicitly addresses the terms and conditions by which accredited, nonprofit educational institutions in the United States are able to use copyright protected materials for distance education, which includes websites and digital forms, without needing permission from the copyright owner or the payment of royalties.
What if you are already following copyright laws for your in-person course? Do you need to do something different for your online course? Fortunately, there is not too much difference in the way that copyright guidelines are applied. So as long as an instructor was following copyright laws for their face-to-face course materials, they will likely be in good shape for online course materials as well.
What is not covered by copyright law that I may be using online? Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, logos, ideas, concepts, systems or methods of doing something. For those items, you may want to look at trademark law, which is also a form of intellectual property law (Prakash, 2020).
The SBU Libraries will continue to update the copyright research guide, so it is a good idea to bookmark the site and visit it often. If you have any questions, you can send them to: library_copyright@stonybrook.edu
References
Prakash, P. (2020). What’s the difference between copyright and trademark? Copyright vs. trademark–learn the difference between these two types of property protection and what they cover. Retrieved from https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/trademark-vs-copyright
U.S. Copyright Office. (n.d.). What does copyright protect? Retrieved from https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-protect.html
Teaching in the Winter and Spring? Submit Your Course Materials to the Bookstore by October 30, 2021!
Top Reasons to Submit Your Course Materials to the Bookstore
- Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA): Your assistance helps ensure that the University is able to comply with the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), a U.S. federal law enacted to help students save money by giving them the opportunity to shop early for their course materials.
- Adoption of Accessible Content: All instructional materials must be accessible for students with disabilities. Federal disability legislation mandates that higher education institutions adhere to accessibility standards when designing, adopting and procuring educational materials and resources for the delivery of course content.
Submit by October 30, 2021! A Message from Shop Red West:
Given the longer lead times caused by the pandemic, it is imperative that course material information be submitted to the bookstore by October 30, 2021, regardless of where your students are directed to purchase.
Shop Red West, operated by Barnes and Noble College, has begun the adoption process and have started to contact instructors to remind them to place their course material requisitions via the AIP system. Instructors will be prompted to sign into the system using their NetID’s and historical course material information has been loaded into the system to make it easier to readopted materials.
Late adoptions negatively impact the prices of textbooks and other course materials and the store’s ability to service our students. Your assistance will help ensure that the University is meeting HEOA Compliance relating to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, a U.S. federal law enacted to help students save money by giving them the opportunity to shop early for their course materials.
Even if you are working with outside publishers or using Open Education Resources (OER), the Office of the Provost policy still requires you to notify Stony Brook University’s official campus store provider of all “required and/or recommended” course materials. This is extremely important to ensure that students can see their course material information on SOLAR when registration opens and can use different sources of financial aid to purchase their course materials.
If no course materials are required for your class, you still need to respond and indicate that “No Materials Are Needed.” Faculty can use this link to submit their information online.
If you have concerns regarding your course material submission, please contact Cynthia Cameron, Shop Red West General Manager at cynthia.cameron@stonybrook.edu
Are Your Students Career Ready?
Are your students career ready? Would you like to help them acquire real world experience as part of your course? Learn how to incorporate industry projects and career success modules into your existing curriculum. Join Marianna Savoca & Urszula Zalewski in the Faculty Commons (Melville Library E 1332) or over Zoom to learn more. RSVP here!
INCORPORATING INDUSTRY PROJECTS INTO YOUR COURSE
You are likely familiar with “project based learning,” however, you may be curious about how to infuse real-world industry projects into your curriculum. Moreover, many of our students without transportation would relish the opportunity to work on an industry problem in their classroom.
Join CELT & the Career Center in the Faculty Commons for an informal conversation about connecting faculty to industry projects.
TUES, OCT 26 2:00pm – 3:00pm [Faculty Commons – Melville Library E 1332]
MON, NOV 15 11:00am – 12:00pm [Faculty Commons – Melville Library E 1332]
TUE, NOV 9 – 10:00am – 10:30am [ZOOM Virtual Session]
INCORPORATING CAREER SUCCESS MODULES INTO YOUR COURSE
Career Success Modules help students build confidence and knowledge about career interests and the job market, as well as connect classroom learning to industry needs. The Career Center has created a family of career success modules covering a variety of career readiness topics. Each module takes 20-40 minutes to complete.
Join us @ the Faculty Commons to learn more and/or have a personalized consultation.
WED, OCT 27 2:00pm – 3:00pm [Faculty Commons – Melville Library E 1332]
WED, NOV 17 1:00pm – 2:00pm [Faculty Commons – Melville Library E 1332]
FRI, OCT 29 12:00pm – 12:30:00pm [ZOOM Virtual Session]
TUE, NOV 9 3:00pm – 3:30pm [ZOOM Virtual Session]
CELT Inclusive Teaching Panel Discussion: Using Authentic Assessment to Broaden your Inclusive Teaching Practice
Join CELT on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021 at 1 p.m. ET
Description: In this discussion, faculty members from philosophy, journalism, and physical therapy will talk about how they use authentic assessment in their teaching practice and how that can be an equity approach that helps students to challenge their assumptions. Authentic assessment requires students to apply knowledge to real world situations in innovative and concrete ways.
Panelists:
- Jennifer Carter: Lecturer, Department of Philosophy and College of Business
- James Pierre-Glaude: Clinical Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy Program, School of Health Technology and Management
- Zachary R. Dowdy: Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Communication and Journalism
Facilitators:
- Carol Hernandez: Senior Instructional Designer, CELT
- Catherine Scott, Assistant Director for Faculty Development – Testing, Assessment & Evaluation, CELT
Please register prior to the event.
TA and Postdoc Teaching Programs & Initiatives
Did you know that the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) supports Postdoctoral Associates (Postdocs), Graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs), and Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UGTAs) in all aspects of your teaching? We offer several programs and initiatives either specifically designed for Teaching Assistants, or with specialized cohorts for Postdocs and TAs!
Read on for more information about:
- Online Teaching Assistant Teaching Orientation
- College Teaching Seminars
- Online Teaching Certificate
- Teaching Observations
- Consultations
- Teaching Ambassador Learning Communities (new!)
- TA/Postdoc Teaching Initiatives Advisory Committee (new!)
If you have questions about any of these programs and initiatives and/or have an idea for collaboration, please contact our *new* Teaching Assistant Development Specialist, Kimberly Bell, PhD: kimberly.bell@stonybrook.edu.
Teaching Assistant Teaching Orientation
In a partnership with the Graduate School, CELT began offering online Teaching Orientation for all new graduate TAs starting in Fall 2020. This has expanded into a 2 part Orientation, with an online asynchronous Blackboard “course” in the Fall. There are four topic areas, or learning modules to complete in Bb, and there are Zoom sessions, such as a Q&A with Graduate School staff and discussions on classroom management. Part 2 continues in the Spring with a Zoom seminar series, with topics chosen based on feedback from Fall participants, with additional, interactive Blackboard modules. For more information or if your program is interested in additional components or small in-person sessions, please contact us!
CIE/CELT College Teaching Seminars
In partnership with the Center for Inclusive Education, CELT offers the College Teaching Seminars, a bi-weekly seminar series open to all graduate TAs and Postdocs. The series continues throughout the academic year with 1.5-hour sessions on relevant topics in college teaching such as Inclusive Pedagogy, Evidence-based Teaching Practices, and Teaching Online. The Fall 2021 series will take place on Zoom. Register here and check back to this section for session materials and recordings.
Online Teaching Certificate (OTC)
CELT’s Online Teaching Certificate course is a facilitated online asynchronous course with a 5-week or 2.5 week accelerated option. There are 5 modules to dive deeper into theory and practice of effective online teaching and learning. Register here for the 5-week Fall offerings which starts on 10/18, or here for the 2.5 week version, which starts on 10/13. These are open to all faculty as well. If you or your program/department are interested in a specialized cohort, please contact kimberly.bell@stonybrook.edu
Teaching Observations
CELT offers both informal and formal teaching observations. Using the Classroom Observation protocol for Undergraduate STEM, or COPUS tool (also adapted for Humanities), we can assess how you incorporate active learning into your teaching. If you want more informal feedback, we can schedule a visit to your class and provide you with feedback about your teaching materials, student engagement, assessments, syllabus, etc. A consultation prior to the observation is recommended to discuss your teaching practices and goals. If you are interested in being observed or for more information, please complete this Google form.
Consultations
You can make an appointment for a consultation with a CELT staff member to discuss your teaching. Our TA Development Specialist can also help review Statements of Teaching philosophy and provide iterative feedback, watch a teaching demo and provide feedback, as well as consult on other aspects of your teaching. If you are interested in a consultation please send an email to celt@stonybrook.edu
New for 2021/2022:
Become a Teaching Ambassador through a Learning Community
Learning communities are groups that work together toward a common goal. Each learning community below will meet three times per semester for the academic year for 2 hours. We will discuss research, topics, and experiences relevant to college teaching. At the end of the meetings, you will be ready to go back to your departments and programs and be able to offer teaching advice to your peers. There will be three groups: Postdoc, Graduate TA, and Undergraduate TA. The first cohort will begin in Fall 2022, if you are interested in joining us, please complete this Google Form and a CELT staff member will contact you.
Join the TA/Postdoc Teaching Initiatives Advisory Committee
We are in the process of forming an advisory committee to collaborate on existing and new teaching initiatives for TAs and Postdocs. It will be a mix of TAs, Postdocs, faculty and staff. If you are interested in joining, please complete this Google Form and tell us why you are interested. The first meeting will take place in Spring 2022.
College Teaching Seminars
Attention all Teaching Assistants and Postdocs! The Center for Inclusive Education (CIE) and the Center for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (CELT) is excited to announce the Fall 2021 College Teaching Seminars!
Register below for the Fall 2021 College Teaching Seminars! You can attend one, some, or all of the seminars. All seminars will be held on Wednesdays from 3:30pm – 5pm on Zoom. Please register for each session you plan to attend. The series will continue in the Spring.
Seminar Topics and Descriptions:
10/6: Building a Foundation for a Teaching Philosophy
Facilitator: Kimberly Bell, PhD – TA Development Specialist, CELT
- In this session, you will reflect on how you teach or how you would like to teach with the goal of building a solid foundation for your Teaching Philosophy. A full Statement of Teaching Philosophy will be a required component of your job applications and a condensed version is often used as part of faculty profiles on department websites.
10/20: Developing Inclusive Pedagogy
Facilitator: Kimberly Bell, PhD – TA Development Specialist, CELT
- In this session we will reflect on the connections between social identity, privilege, and equity and how these can influence both you and your students. By becoming aware of our own biases and the identities that may be present in our students, we make great leaps in being able to prevent negative influences, and perhaps more importantly develop strategies for open and honest communication to help us when we inevitably make mistakes.
11/3: Overview of the Scientific Teaching Framework
Facilitator: Marvin O’Neal, PhD – Director of Introductory Biology Labs
- Scientific Teaching is a framework of teaching designed specifically for teaching science in higher education. Drawing on large domains of effective pedagogy practices including Diversity, Active Learning, and Assessment we can reframe how we think of science courses and begin to develop strategies to bring these foundations of effective learning into our teaching.
11/17: The Flipped Classroom
Facilitators: Rose Tirotta, EdD – Director, CELT and Bill Collins, PhD – Associate Professor, Neurobiology
- Want to know more about LIVER activities? Learn how the hybrid course format is implemented in a large Biology lecture course. A hybrid course is a mix between an online and a face to face course. Lecture material is delivered online, for students to access nearly anytime. During scheduled class time, students participate in activities. In addition, general strategies for putting the flipped classroom into action will be discussed.
12/1: Course Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs)
Facilitator: David Matus, PhD – Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Cell Biology
- Course Based Undergraduate Research Experiences, or CUREs are a great way for students to get involved in research. Involving students in authentic research is more engaging than traditional lab courses and encourages deeper critical thinking and analysis. In this session, we will hear about a CURE lab offered at SBU, BIO 327: Developmental Genetics Lab.
Teaching Tuesdays
The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) has always been dedicated to the belief that excellent teaching in all its forms is vital to student success. Recently, to better align with our mission, we have been moved to the Office of the Provost under Elizabeth Newman, PhD, Vice Provost for Curriculum and Undergraduate Education.
This semester, we are excited to begin a new initiative: Teaching Tuesdays. During these sessions, CELT experts will discuss evidence-based practical strategies and reflective questions aligned with the research expertise of staff in our department. Please join us at 11:15am in the Faculty Commons (Melville Library E1332) for any of the following topics:
- Using Critical Self-Reflection to Catalyze Inclusive Pedagogy with Carol Hernandez on October 5th
- The pandemic has made clear that social identities, both those of our students as well as our own, shape not only how we are experiencing the fallout of the crisis, but also how we experience teaching and learning. Our session will address how reflecting on the intersection of our identities is a crucial catalyst to improving an educator’s inclusive teaching practice.
- Grading for Teaching Assistants (TAs): Reducing Bias and Time-Saving Tips with Kimberly Bell, PhD on October 19th
- Grading and assessment are an integral part of any teaching experience. In addition to the technical details of entering and submitting grades, time management and biases also play an important role in grading and assessment, and these are often more challenging to overcome. Join this workshop to hear more about time saving tips and strategies for reducing bias in your grading and assessment.
- Supporting Students’ Self-Regulation Skills in Your Course with Kristin Hall on October 26th
- In this workshop, we will go over the importance of self-regulation skills and how they are linked to academic achievement and academic success. We will also discuss how to model and help students develop these skills in your course.
- Designing Courses for all Students with Jennifer Jaiswal on November 2nd
- Not all students learn in the same way. Creating courses that allow for diversity in how we interact with the content helps students to find different ways to engage and to connect with the course material. In this course we will discuss Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and redesign a course activity to be more inclusive.
- National Distance Learning Week: Regular and Substantive Interaction: Reflections Based on the Updated Distance Education and Innovation Federal Regulations with Rose Tirotta, EdD on November 9th
- In July of 2021, the US Department of Education updated the Distance Education and Innovation Federal Regulations to align with updated pedagogical research and technological capabilities. This session will review these changes in parallel with evidence-based practices to reflect on future and current course development and organization.
- Ideation as a Teaching Strategy with Jennifer Jaiswal on November 16th
- How can you help your students craft new ideas in their area of study, create new products, or design new models for problem solving? Ideation is the process of creating many new ideas using generative thinking strategies. Ideation takes advantage of creativity to create new ways of thinking about problems and creating solutions. In this session we will cover generative thinking, project models that can be applied and take on a design challenge.
- Designing a Logic Model for Your Grant Evaluation with Catherine Scott on November 23rd
- Logic models are often required when submitting grant proposals. So what are they? Why do you need one? And how can you create your own? Join this workshop to have these questions answered and leave with a template to help you create your own.
- Jump Start Engagement with Active Learning with Kimberly Bell, PhD and Rose Tirotta, EdD on November 30th
- Active learning can improve student outcomes and keep students engaged during and in-between your class meetings. Getting started incorporating active learning, implementing it, and assessing its effectiveness can seem challenging. Join this workshop to hear more about why active learning works and strategies you can implement and assess easily in your courses right away.
Please register prior to the session using the links above and email us if you have any questions.