Salisbury University |  Instructional Design & Delivery Newsletter | January 31, 2023

Meet Sara Prebenda!

Hello Salisbury University Staff and Faculty,

My name is Sara Prebenda and I am an administrative assistant for Instructional Design & Delivery and Satellite Operations at Salisbury University. I began this position in December of 2022. I am originally from Bangkok, Thailand, and moved to the United States with my family in 2012. We have lived in Rhode Island, Florida, New Mexico and now Delaware. I am currently studying for an undergraduate degree in business management at Eastern New Mexico University and anticipate graduating in spring 2025.

I look forward to assisting everyone and wish you a successful semester.

Metacognition and Growth Mindset

Metacognition is often described as "thinking about thinking" and is an important skill that many faculty find students lack. Teaching students to learn through metacognitive self-reflection can result in huge growth in academic outcomes. Furthermore, metacognition fosters a growth mindset, where students believe they can work through and overcome challenges. As students self-reflect on their thinking and problem-solving techniques, they begin to recognize their successful learning practices and identify areas for self-improvement. This leads to increased student self-efficacy and successful learning experiences.

How can you support metacognition and a growth mindset in your classroom? Faculty can help students grow their metacognitive skills by discussing and modeling thinking and learning processes. Visit the ID&D Metacognition and Growth Mindset article for more information and resources, provided in collaboration with the Center for Student Achievement (CSA). You can also request an in-class presentation from the CSA about these topics and more! 

This article was inspired by University of Maryland College Park's Teaching and Learning Transformation Center September 2021 newsletter, which also recommends:

• Talk through and model suggested study strategies well before the first exam. Consider the nature of the exam questions and help students develop a plan that matches - should they try practice questions? Flashcards? Active reading of the textbook? 
• Teach students about how learning works. We retain information best when we study in short, repeated chunks. Cramming is rarely successful in the long term! 
• Set interim deadlines for large projects to give opportunities for feedback and to prevent procrastination. 
• Provide models for high quality work when appropriate. 
• Promote a growth mindset by encouraging effort over ability. 

Recommendation for ChatGPT and AI Tools

Dr. Jessica Clark, assistant provost for faculty success, in a January 26 email stated:

Seemingly overnight there has been an explosion in the area of AI tools that automate tasks like writing papers (Chat GTP), creating graphics (DALL-E) or paraphrasing text (Quillbot). While there are a lot of promising aspects of these evolving technologies, the potential impact on academic integrity is concerning. While AI detectors are also emerging rapidly, the accuracy of them is not full proof.

It is important for faculty to explore, reflect and set clear guidelines around AI tools and how they can be used in courses. For more information, please see the Center for Advancement of Faculty Excellence's ChatGPT and AI tools article.

Pronouns In MyClasses

Did you know you and your students can add she/her, he/him or they/them personal pronouns to account settings in MyClasses. Pronouns display after a person's name in various areas of MyClasses, including:

• Discussions
  Inbox
  
• Comment Fields
• People Page (Course and Groups)

To select your pronouns, click Account on the left gray navigation bar, then click the Profile, Edit Profile. Go to the Pronouns dropdown menu and select your personal pronouns. Once you select your pronouns, scroll and click Safe Profile.

Note: You can also adjust your preferred display name. 

February 3 Webinar: Adopting a Healthy Mental Health Culture and Cultivating Resilience

As we navigate the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, it is more important than ever to focus on the mental health and well-being of our students, faculty and staff. Through Active Minds, we have invited Dr. Kris Lee to join us virtually on Friday, February 3, at 3 p.m. where she will focus the conversation on “Adopting a Healthy Mental Health Culture and Cultivating Resilience Within Today’s Complex Educational Arenas: What Faculty, Staff and Leaders Can Do." We hope that this will provide a platform for conversation and learning, as well as practical strategies for promoting a healthy mental health culture and fostering resilience across our campus. There will be time for questions and discussion, and we hope all faculty, student-supporting staff and university leaders will join us for this important conversation.

Register for this webinar!

13th Annual Teaching & Learning Conference

Registration is now open for the 13th Annual Teaching & Learning Conference to be held on Friday, February 17, in Perdue Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The goal of this conference is to bring together teacher-scholars from across campus to share and discuss teaching innovations and best practices. Join us in person (or virtually) for dynamic sessions led by a variety of SU’s faculty and staff. Dr. Kristen Walton, Distinguished Faculty Award recipient, will deliver the keynote presentation. A tentative schedule is available online.

Register for the conference by Tuesday, February 14!

Call for Proposals for OER Faculty Grants

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (MOST) initiative is seeking proposals for its Faculty OER Grant Program, which supports faculty efforts to increase access, affordability and achievement for students at Maryland’s post-secondary institutions through the incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice.

Available grants in 2023 include:

• Adopt/Adapt OER ($1,000 grant + Participation in the Lumen Circles Community of Practice)
• Create/Revise and Publish OER ($2,000 grant + Participation in the Rebus Textbook Success Program)

All proposals must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.

Interested in learning more about these grant opportunities? Join representatives from MOST on Monday, January 23, 3-4:15 p.m. EST for an informational webinar to learn more about the grant requirements and expectations for successful grants. Any questions about the grants will also be answered during the webinar. Register for the informational webinar.