Monday, February 6, 2017

Yes, Fellow Faculty Member - Equity IS Important for Your Students!


Over the past year, EQUITY has become THE of the most important word to me as a professor and as an administrator. As an avid reader of the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Education Advisory Board daily briefs, it has been a constant word that appears in each issue and/or email.

As higher educators, should be dedicated to equitable practices in the classroom, and in our programming, and in our services. Student success is impacted by access, retention, and progression. In addition to admitting students to higher education, we should also be focused on helping each student (as much as we can) progress to graduation.

Here's the best thing, AACU and NIOLA partnered together to sponsor sessions on transparent assignments. The presenter, Mary-Ann Winkelmes from UNLV did an exceptional job presenting easy ways that faculty can make assignments transparent for their students.




Part 2 - The Workshop Continues!


Part 3 - The Workshop Continues!


Part 4 - An Introduction to the Charettes!


Part 5 - Questions and Answers from the Session


Part 6 - Here's the Wrap Up Session



I look forward to almost ANYTHING that is hosted by AACU and NIOLA. They are two amazing organizations and they care about spreading best practices focused on teaching, research, and diversity/equity!

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!


Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

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Monday, January 23, 2017

Learning about High Impact Educational Practices WITHOUT Leaving Home? Yes, Please!


I am excited anytime I can learn more about teaching and reaching students in my online and internship courses! However, it is difficult to travel to teaching and learning conferences when we have a wealth of committee assignments on campus, As a result, I watch a lot...like A LOT of YouTube videos to learn step-by-step instructions for utilizing software and how to incorporate a new concept in my classes. 

YouTube has been an incredible help for me and the Liberal Education and America's Promise initiative continues to provide amazing resources for faculty without requiring individuals to purchase a airplane ticket to attend a conference.

Recently, SUNY sponsored a Applied Learning Conference during Nov 2016 and their videos were uploaded on Dr. Susan Albertine's YouTube page.
By the way, please like Dr. Albertine's Facebook page. She is exceptional and I know that you will love her videos!






Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!


Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

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Monday, January 16, 2017

Each Faculty Member Should Know About the Degree Qualifications Profile! Do You?


Over the past year, I've been fortunate to serve a LEAP Texas Faculty Fellow. This has truly been one of the best experiences in higher education that I have had in a long time. Our LEAP Texas groups was selected to present at the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment's Charrette experience. 

All five of the LEAP Texas Fellows collaborated together to form a collection of five similar assignments focused on the first-year seminar (our common link). During the charrette, we shared these assignments and received feedback focused on our assignment design. We incorporated this feedback and then we resubmitted our assignment for the Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) library.

Check out my submission to the assignment library - Incorporating the Diversity of Academic Disciplines in a College-Wide First-Year Seminar Course to Address University Problems

Incorporating the Diversity of Academic Disciplines in  a College-Wide First-Year Seminar Course to Address University Problems

When you have a chance, please check out the DQP library. It is very extensive and it definitely helps all faculty (new and seasoned) create assignments focused on the following DQP proficiencies:


Analytic inquiry
Broad and Integrative Knowledge
Communicative fluency
Ethical reasoning
Quantitative fluency
Use of information resources
Applied and Collaborative Learning
Civic and Global Learning
Engaging diverse perspectives
Intellectual Skills
Specialized Knowledge

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
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Monday, December 19, 2016

Searching for a Long-Term Academic Relationship (LTAR)


Relationships change, friendships evolve, and values are reaffirmed. The past sentence defines my life for the past six years. When I began my academic career, I had a core group  of academic friends at the institution. However, when lives changed and mindsets evolved, our academic lives drifted apart.

Thinking Back to the Sorority Days

I have to remember that this was a similar experience that I encountered with some of my sorority sisters after college. We had a lot in common when we saw each other each day and were completing college together, but when we began our career paths we discovered how different we truly were.

Focusing on Today

So, the differences. Yes, they are definitely evident now. I am no longer on the tenure track, I am almost an associate professor and my academic value systems changed from a faculty research focus to a student research focus. Everything that I do now focuses on helping our students navigate college while integrating high impact educational practices from their first-year to their senior year. 

Thinking Beyond Your Department

Just because you share an academic discipline and work on project together does not guarantee a long-term academic relationship (LTAR). A LTAR is strengthened when we participate in those high-impact relationship building activities like study abroad, text messages sent to encourage one another, a spontaneous coffee/tea invitation for a 30 minute walk around campus, and a telephone call just to let the other academic know that you are thinking of them.

Encourage Others by Thinking Positively

My past academic relationships have been VERY transactional and research and project-based. Now, I can say that these relationships are based on common experiences (away from the university) and shared (encouraging) conversations. We also encourage one another by discouraging any negative conversations about other people. These conversations can taint your views of others and the time that you spend gossiping can be allocated to conversations about family or classroom innovation ideas.

I am much happier since I realized that relationships in my 30s need to be long-lasting and based on common experiences and common mindsets, not purely transactional. Sometimes you just have to let friendships wither away, this can make you open to new (and better friendships).

Have a great day and keep thinking positively! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
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