The Power of Leadership in Learning

By Ed Finn, Executive Director, CITAL I was fortunate to attend the 26th Annual International Leadership Association (ILA) Global Conference in Chicago, November 7-10. The impact of leadership in higher education cannot be overstated. In this article, I will mention just a few takeaways and implications that struck me as particularly timely. The title of […]

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Check-Ins to Foster Community and Building Your Students’ AI Toolbox

By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL I recently attended the Lilly Conference on Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning in Traverse City, Michigan. In this blog I will share with you two sessions that could be helpful for your own teaching. The first gives some ideas for simple check-ins with your students that can both […]

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Two Responses to AI and An Innovative Approach to Teaching Ethics

By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL In this blog I will share with you three more sessions from the recent Lilly Conference that could be helpful for your own teaching. The first two sessions have very different approaches to AI. The first provides some practical classroom tips, while the second suggests that faculty […]

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Using Student Groups Effectively

By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL Putting students in groups during class improves engagement, retention of knowledge, and deep learning according to several studies (see list of further resources at the end of this article). Students learn better when they can build knowledge together or when a fellow student explains a concept in […]

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Improving your Writing with Valpo’s Writing Circle

By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL This summer, a group of faculty and staff met weekly to work on their writing. In this article Stacy Hoult (FORL), Natalie Krivas (English), Margarita Rayzberg (Sociology), Stefanie Heinrich (Graduate & Online Education), Mike Longan (Geography), and Matthew Ringenberg (Social Work) describe how Valpo’s writing circle helped […]

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Reimagining the Curriculum

By Theresa Carroll (CONHP), Alberto López Martín (World Lang & Culture), and Karen Hernes (CONHP) Several of your colleagues have been working to increase underrepresented voices in their courses as part of the “Reimagining the Curriculum” (RIC) Initiative. These faculty attended a three-part workshop series last spring and then implemented their curricular projects this year. […]

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Fostering Community and Student Engagement

By Natalie Krivas (English) & Stacy Hoult (World Languages & Cultures) For the past year, a group of Valpo faculty and staff have been meeting as a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) to discuss Fostering Community and Student Engagement. FLC members learned about and experienced the Solutionary Process, to “identify inhumane, unsustainable, and unjust systems and […]

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Write More by Joining the Faculty Writing Circle

by Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL Dear Colleagues: Would you like to get more writing done this semester?  A great way to help you achieve your writing goals is to join the Faculty Writing Circle facilitated by CITAL (the Valparaiso Institute for Teaching and Learning). We meet once a week for just an […]

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The Humane Syllabus

By Cynthia Rutz, Director, Valparaiso Institute for Teaching and Learning (CITAL) As we know all too well, both faculty and students have been worn down by the pandemic. In particular, the mental health of our students has suffered. Even before COVID, the teen suicide rate had increased so much in the last decade that it […]

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The Green Campus and Eco-Pedagogy

By Cynthia Rutz, Director, Valparaiso Institute for Teaching and Learning (CITAL)   Would you like to see VU become more sustainable? Then read on to learn about some green initiatives on campus. Alberto López Martín (WLC), VU’s first Faculty Development Fellow, has spent the last year working on eco-pedagogy with a faculty learning community co-led […]

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