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One of my favorite events of the year took place this past week - the Boston Marathon. When I ran it in 2017, I honestly didn’t have a very great race. However, it will still be one of the most memorable experiences of my running career. I have never before seen SO MANY spectators lining the street (unbroken for 26.2 miles!) simply to offer cheerful support, encouraging words, and gestures of admiration to complete strangers. As I was riding the metro back to my lodging after the race, the kindness continued–one person offered me their seat, another an unopened bottle of water, and everyone I saw offered a genuine expression of congratulations. Because of the thoughtfulness of others, my not-so-great race was reframed for me, and I left the metro with a feeling of gratitude and pride in what I was able to accomplish. As we near the finish line for another semester, I hope you all experience many moments of collective reflection, kindness, and kudos – from your colleagues, with your students, and for yourself – on what you were able to accomplish and learn from one another this year, even if it was a difficult one. Happy end of the semester–and congratulations! –Kylie
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This Week in the Faculty Hub
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Given the time of year, I’m guessing that grading is on your mind. The last few semesters, I have been thinking a lot about grading--in particular, how students and faculty experience the process of evaluation and how this is often at odds with what we know about how humans learn. As part of that exploration, I joined a virtual reading group focused on David Clark and Robert Talbert’s Grading for Growth: A Guide to Alternative Grading Practices that Promote Authentic Learning and Student Engagement in Higher Education. In the opening chapter, Clark and Talbert write: “What if there was a way to think about grades built on growth over game-playing, learning over letters and numbers, and productive relationships over adversarial ones? What if we could address, if not entirely repair, so many of these problems, through a quiet revolution in the everyday task of grading? We believe that this way exists, and that’s why we are writing this book” (4).
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Once you get through your piles of end-of-semester grading, if you find yourself dissatisfied with your approach to assessment, I recommend checking out Grading for Growth to consider whether there are ways that you could adjust or perhaps even radically reimagine the assessment structure for one of your courses. (I’m also always eager to talk pedagogy, so please do not hesitate to reach out if you want to think together about redesigning one of your courses over the summer!)
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IP3 Deadline Extended:
Apply by May 15
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The Inclusive Pedagogy Partnership Program (IP3) pairs students and faculty (or instructional staff) together for a semester-long partnership experience focused on the implementation of principles of inclusive pedagogy. At the beginning of the semester, student and faculty partners identify a specific focus for their work together. Then, student partners regularly observe, provide feedback, and serve as a thinking partner for the faculty member, helping them to reflect on, refine, and enhance their inclusive teaching practices.
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We are always looking for new and exciting projects and collaborations. Feel free to contact us.
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