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* Year-long Programs
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# Year-long Programs
CETL’s year-long programs offer faculty opportunities to work together in cohorts.
  are faculty-driven small groups that spend an academic year exploring a topic related to teaching and student success in higher education. Every winter faculty have an opportunity to submit an application to start an LC, and awarded LCs have $300 available for resources. Learn more about and participate in Learning Communities.
 **** are small groups led by . Like Learning Communities, FDIs spend an academic year exploring a teaching-related topic, but typically spend fall semester learning and brainstorming the topic and spend the winter semester implementing related practices into their courses. Learn more about and participate in FDIs.
**Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning**
Kresge Library, Room 430
100 Library Drive
* Learning Communities
# Learning Communities
Learning Communities are faculty-driven small groups that spend an academic year exploring a topic related to teaching and student success in higher education. Faculty are encouraged to submit an application to start an LC, and awarded LCs have $300 available for resources.
More about  and .
### **Connect through Common Interests in Learning Communities**
Are you looking to
* Engage with other faculty, students or staff?
* Build friendships and mentorships across campus?
* Share a passion and knowledge for topics in teaching and learning?
* Explore a deeper understanding of a topic through an interdisciplinary lens?
* Expand your leadership skills in a smaller, relaxed setting?
* Collaborate to tackle a problem in teaching and learning?
Unlearning Grading: Alternative Assessment Strategies
Facilitators: , , and 
* Critically evaluate the use of traditional grades and grading approaches.
* Explore alternative grading approaches that support students to have agency to learn.
* Support instructors to empower students to take ownership of their learning.
PASS! 2.0: Building Classroom Community
Facilitators:  and 
* Fall semester only
* A book club discussion of 
* Learn ways to build a sense of community in the classroom environment
Adventure, Adapt and Achieve - The Triple A’s of Teaching
Facilitator: 
* Start a book club with books geared towards best teaching practices and tools.
* Discuss ideas/strategies from the book club readings to improve effectiveness in teaching methods by adventuring new technologies and also to improve the quality of student learning by adapting those ideas.
* Implement/demonstrate ideas in teaching classes and reflect on the outcomes.
What Is an OU Learning Community?
An OU Learning Community is an active, collaborative year-long program, meeting biweekly. Participants typically include 6-12 faculty, graduate students and professional staff from a variety of disciplines.
How do you lead a LC?
Those interested in facilitating an LC will:.
* Submit a proposal to CETL
* If accepted, seek membership and participation with assistance from CETL
* Organize and facilitate regular sessions (approximately 2 times per month)
* Submit final report
* Share results of LC with others on campus
What are some examples of topics for a LC?
* Alternative grading approaches
* Antiracist teaching
* Facilitating conversation on crucial topics (e.g., through books like  by Linker, 2015; , by Merculieff & Roderick, 2013; and C)
* Partnering with students on how to best create learning environments (e.g., students could participate as well through books like )
* Trauma-aware pedagogy
* Centering holistic wellness in teaching and learning
* Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), or first steps in studying and disseminating teaching practice
* Teaching with technology (e.g. HyFlex, instructional videos, interactive content via H5P, social reading through annotation tools)
* Mentoring undergraduate research
* Active learning
* Engaging students in large classes
* Service learning and community engagement
* Student learning through writing
* Disseminating teaching practices via publications and other methods
Funding
Up to $300 is available for the following:
* Books and materials related to the topic
* Registration for events on learning community topic
* Travel for regional or virtual expert on the selected topic to come to OU
Learning Community Facilitators will have to request funds for these or other purposes. CETL curates a list of teaching and learning conferences, prioritizing those that require less travel and cost.
* Faculty Development Institutes
# Faculty Development Institutes
Faculty Development Institutes are small groups led by
. Like Learning Communities, FDIs spend an academic year exploring a teaching-related topic, but typically spend fall semester learning and brainstorming the topic and spend the winter semester implementing related practices into their courses. Learn more about and participate in FDIs.
Please check back for future updates or offerings.
**What are Faculty Development Institutes (FDI)?**Faculty Development Institutes are sustained programs which run throughout the academic year and focus on developing a teaching strategy or approach. The FDI cohort (10-15 members) meets approximately once a month with a coach/mentor. Times and dates will be decided by group members. The program provides an opportunity to learn new skills and strategies and then have time to develop, implement, reflect and revise them throughout the year.
**What is the difference between a Learning Community and FDI?**In many ways they are similar; a FDI can be classified as a type of Learning Community. The decision of a participant to enroll in a FDI or a Learning Community is usually based on interest in the offered theme or topic. FDIs tend to be more structured with the fall focusing on concept and skill development and then the participants working on their own projects in the winter such as course redesigns or teaching related scholarship. Learning Communities tend to evolve as they progress based on the interests of the participants. FDIs are aimed for faculty whereas LC are open to faculty, professional staff and graduate students. FDIs are facilitated by a CETL faculty member (Faculty Fellow or CETL Director) whereas other Learning Communities are run by interested university faculty or academic professionals.
* Scholarly Teaching Opportunities
# Scholarly Teaching Opportunities
Research on teaching efficacy can help inform our practices with students. The scholarship of teaching and learning is a specific field of studying one’s teaching, which can be explored in general teaching practices or teaching within a discipline. CETL supports faculty applying their research skills to their teaching practices and disseminating their teaching research at CETL events, at conferences, and through publications.
**.**Database by Kennesaw State University
## Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
SoTL applies research skills to teaching practices by methodically studying a teaching strategy or related practice. Such work is supported in our teaching and learning grant and conferences (more below). View our , which includes a robust guide on the scholarship of teaching and learning.
## Conferences and Presentations
, some which are supported through CETL. Most recently, faculty have attended and had access to resources from the Lilly Conference online.
## OU Research and Publications
We celebrate
 in higher education. View a list of recent works, and submit the reference material for your own work.
## Research Experiences for Teachers Sites in Biological Sciences (BIORETS)
Collaboration with Colin Wu and Gerard Madlambayan on an NSF grant proposal, 
The goal of this proposed project is to integrate research with education and outreach so that teachers with limited resources can gain authentic laboratory experiences. Participants will carry out a project in the Wu Laboratory to determine the DNA binding and repair phenotypes of BRCA1 variants. Then, they will apply new understandings about the research process to the  aligned to the Michigan state and national science standards.
* Conferences and Presentations
# Conferences and Presentations
Below are local teaching and learning conferences. For a more extensive list of teaching and learning conferences see this .
# **Teaching and Learning Conferences**
**.**While the , there are many other accessible opportunities to learn about others’ teaching practices and share your own. The Senate Teaching and Learning Committee offers Educational Development Grants of up to $750 for conferences, materials, and other professional development costs related to teaching and learning.
We have curated a list of teaching and learning conference options, These options ranging from free and online to local and low-cost. Check them out now, especially if you would like to submit a proposal. This guide also includes links to more comprehensive conference databases.
For more guidance on conferences to attend or other ways to develop and disseminate your teaching work (e.g. publications), .
* Grants and Awards
# Grants and Awards
CETL facilitates and celebrates opportunities for faculty to be recognized for achievements in teaching. If you have received additional teaching awards and grants or would like to recognize a colleague who has, email this news at .
## **Educational Development Grants Available**
**The Senate Teaching and Learning Committee offers  of up to $750 for conferences, materials, and other professional development costs related to teaching and learning. For more guidance on conferences to attend or other ways to develop and disseminate your teaching work (e.g. publications), .**
## **CETL Teaching Grant News**
### **Kate Rougeau Presents Health Sciences Redesign During OER Week**
**In March 2023, Kate presented her and Emily Van Wasshenova's major redesign of HS 2000 (Introduction to Health and Health Behaviors) to include more affordable, accessible, and engaging learning materials. Watch the presentation:** , from the .
### **OU journalism students contribute to Solutions News Bureau**
As a result of Kate Roff and Holly Shreve Gilbert's teaching grant work on solutions-based journalism, they created the  for journalism students to publish their related projects. Read more about solutions journalism in Solutions Journalism: Covering news from a problem-solving lens.
### **Universal Design for Learning promoted in media studies**
Based on her 2020 CETL Teaching Grant work, cinema studies professor  has implemented universal design for learning in her courses and scholarship. As a result, she served as the editor of the special issue  for the *Journal of Cinema and Media Studies*: Teaching Media. She authored the Introduction and essay "Queering the Course Design."
Bridget discusses the themes of all essays in this special issue on the .
### **Teaching with Care in Asynchronous, Online Courses: Article Publication**
Based on her CETL teaching grant work, OU Libraries' Katie Greer published "" in the *Journal of Academic Librarianship*. She explored whether a pedagogy of care effectively be applied in the asynchronous online environment, and how prioritizing the affective domain of learning help support applying metaliteracy in practice.
Each year the Oakland University Senate Teaching and Learning Committee honors faculty whose teaching efforts have achieved singular praise or recognition.
## Congrats 2024 Award Recipients!
We are happy to celebrate the student-centered work of these faculty. In Fall 2024 these faculty will be able to share their experience and advice in our , along with nominations for the 2025 awards.
* Teaching Excellence Award: Scott Tiegs
* Excellence in Teaching Award: Mary Bee
* Excellence in Online Teaching Award: Marshall Kitchens
* Graduate Mentor Award: Jonathan Maisonneuve
## 2023 Teaching Excellence Award Winners
**Taras Oleksyk,** *Teaching Excellence Award*
!Teaching was always an important part of Taras’ academic activity, and he has had college teaching experience for more than 25 years.  While a postdoc at the NIH, taught at various schools in Maryland including Johns Hopkins, Mount Saint Mary’s and Hood University.  Almost ten years of work as a professor at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, taught him a great deal about how to understand and engage students from underrepresented backgrounds.  Since joining Oakland University, he focused on adaptation of his Evolutionary Biology course to the local needs.  He has taught at least 9 different courses, and has been developed on-site, but during the Covid19 epidemic, some were adapted for teaching on-line only using distance-learning systems Moodle.   Finally, he mentored 14 graduate students, more than a hundred undergraduate students, many high school students, as well as foreign exchange students, and volunteered to teach immigrant kids.  In his lab, students are engaged in research, have shared authorship on papers, and received awards for their presentations. 
**Holly Greiner-Hallman,** *Excellence in Teaching Award*
!Holly Greiner-Hallman has been a Special Lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences since 2010.  She earned her B.S. from Western Michigan University and is proud to have completed her M.S. here at Oakland University.  Holly teaches a broad range of courses to both STEM majors and non-majors.  From Biology I to the senior capstone experience, she employs the instructional method of scaffolding in order to create a safe environment for students to try new and challenging tasks.  Her primary scholarly interests are 1.) the identification and implementation of evidence-based tools to increase student success and 2.) helping students navigate the ‘hidden curriculum’ of the university experience.
**Helena Riha,** *Online Teaching Excellence Award*
!Helena Riha received her Ph.D. in Linguistics and her M.A. in Chinese Linguistics from The Ohio State University. She received her M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Dr. Riha has been at OU since 2008 and teaches as a Special Lecturer in the Linguistics Department and the International Studies Program. She has a broad range of teaching experience, designing and teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses, in person and online. She has taught over 3,400 students in 17 different courses at OU ranging from *Phonetic Theory* to *Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Asia*, her newest General Education course. She has also written fourteen teaching tips for **. Dr. Riha is the 2016 winner of the OU Excellence in Teaching Award and the 2023 winner of the Online Teaching Excellence Award. Contact Helena at .