1 -2 20 20 ANNUAL
REPORT CENTER FOR ED U CATI O NAL E XC E L L E NC E
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Center for Educational Excellence
D e a r Cam pus Communi t y, This pandemic year challenged all of us as educators with the dynamics of remote teaching and learning. Many of us found unexpected joys over Zoom, finding connection and community in our academic lives. Many of us also experienced loss and tragedy both in our work as well as our personal lives as we endured through the pandemic. Our team at the Center for Educational Excellence has been impressed and inspired many times over this year by the way faculty have sought out opportunities to grow in their teaching during this very difficult period. Our faculty showed up to learn from prominent figures, including Flower Darby, Dan Levy, and James Lang, each of whom we brought to USD for virtual visits. Our faculty also showed up to learn from each other. 194 participants came together in faculty reading circles, reading and discussing books on teaching and on antiracism. 49 faculty joined communities of practice, sharing new ideas and strengthening their teaching and mentoring repertoires. As relationship building is a cornerstone of the approach we take to pedagogical development at the Center for Educational Excellence, we are very proud to have been able to facilitate and host such successful endeavors. It has been heartening for us that our work this year was driven by the enthusiasm and eagerness USD faculty have for expanding themselves and connecting with others. Our greatest task was simply to respond to and implement the stimulating ideas faculty came up with for opportunities to grow and engage. Our devoted team of CEE Liaisons were fundamental to bringing those ideas to fruition, and we are enormously grateful for their work. 296 unique faculty participated in our events and offerings this year, and we had 1,147 total participants. This year we devoted time, energy, and funding explicitly toward antiracism and racial equity initiatives. This work has not been prioritized on our campus and the CEE has committed to changing our own work to contribute to a long overdue shift in the larger campus culture. We added a new liaison position to our team and were delighted to have Jamall Calloway from the Theology and Religious Studies department join us in the role of Racial Equity Liaison. This position brings a much needed set of perspectives, strategies and insights to the CEE’s offerings and to our approach to faculty development more broadly. We also launched two new racial equity awards for faculty. Beyond these efforts, we aim to continually pursue meaningful ways to foster a campus culture at USD that recognizes and values the perspectives and contributions of our BIPOC faculty; a campus culture where intellectual life unmistakably includes the voices of and knowledge produced by BIPOC scholars, thinkers and activists.
Annual Report | Page 3
I am a big fan of CEE, espe cially this ye ar when the pandemic raises so many questions. - Tom H e r m an, C om m u n i cat i on St u di es
I l o o k fo rwa rd to getting more invol ve d in t h e of fering s f rom CEE . I know by attending a n d p a rticip a t ing that I wil l be come a bette r te a c h er fo r my students. - Mi c h ae l Loar i e , P rofe s s i on al an d C ont i n u i n g Edu cat i on
Th a n k yo u a l l fo r t h e wond er f ul wo r k yo u do a t U S D ! I a m s o g ra tef ul tha t I h a ve h a d t h e t i me to co lla b o ra te wi t h yo u o n va r i o u s in itia tives. - Aa rti I va nic, S ch ool of B u s i n e s s
Center for Educational Excellence
MISSION & VALUES
Our Mission The Center for Educational Excellence is dedicated to inspiring educators to adopt practices that lead to meaningful student learning; enhance the success of interactions between teachers and learners; and cultivate relationships among our community of educators.
What We Value We believe that it is imperative to anchor our work in a commitment to equity in all its forms, recognizing the ever-evolving nature of injustice. We believe that meaningful student learning is best realized through teaching that is grounded in evidence-based practices. We believe that inspiring growth in teaching includes paying attention to holistic wellbeing and balance among professional demands such as scholarship and service. We believe that affirming the dignity of the student through inclusive practices is critical to successful interactions between teachers and learners. We believe that growth, exploration, and innovation in teaching happens best through a reflective process. We believe that fostering a campus culture that values teaching includes rewarding and recognizing faculty efforts. We believe that cross-disciplinary interactions spark creativity, collaboration, and meaningful relationships.
Annual Report | Page 5
A Ye ar in Review
1147 Tota l Pa r t i c i p a nts
2 96
100%
Un i q ue Fa cul t y Part i ci p a te d
O f School s/ U nits Re p re se nte d
Just wrapped my meeting with the accreditation folks and gave both CEE and LDC my heartfelt shout out for your generous and comprehensive assistance!! I could NOT have done this without you!
32 I d e a s G e n e ra te d by Fa c u l t y
- Dena Tracanna, SOLES
2029
58
Subscri be rs to O ur N ewsl et te r
T i ps Sha re d
Implemented into a variety of
With an average open rate of 767
On
CEE
each issue.
the remote classroom via our
programs,
resources,
and
opportunities.
building
community
in
Community Builder newsletter.
The “two teaching tips” per week were fun :). I didn’t follow all of them, but the last one definitely caught my eye, and it motivated me to do a debrief after the presentation on Monday instead of gladly dismissing them like I typically do in a hectic finals season.
Center for Educational Excellence
- Diana Chen, School of Engineering - Integrated Engineering
This is a gre at way for us to make conne ctions and
12
Grants Awarde d
T h ro u g h o u r re m ote Trave l
to be a part of the larger conversation.
G ra nt p ro g ra m to e nco u ra ge fa cu l t y p a rt i ci p a t i o n in
- Al e ja nd ra L izardo, Le a rning De s ig n C e nte r
v i rt u a l d eve l o p me nt .
194 Fa cul t y e n g a g e d wit h co l l e a gu e s in a virt ua l Re a d in g C ircl e .
45
Conne ctions Made
T h i s co m m u n i t y of p ra ct i ce re ally h e l p e d a l l ev i a te a l ot of t h e s t re s s
T h ro u g h o ur A L ittle Bit of Te a c h i n g p rogra m d e di ca te d to collegia l re l a t i o ns h ip -b uild ing.
I wa s fe e l i n g d u r i n g t h e s p ring s e m e s te r A ND i t co n n e cte d m e w ith a n a we s o m e gro u p of co l l e a gue s ! - A n ony m ou s fe e dbac k s u bm i s sion
Annual Report | Page 7
Fe a tu re d Spe ake rs This year we welcomed 3 pedagogical experts to share teaching tips, strategies, and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Small Teaching Online with Flower Darby
T h an k you for i nv i t i n g Fl ower D ar by to s h are h e r ex te n s ive ex pe r i e n ce w i t h re m ote te ac hing. I g ot a l ot ou t of t h i s eve nt . - Ch ri st i a n Bri se ño- Ave na ,
32
faculty attended this workshop where Flower Darby shared ideas on how to create community and connection in remote classes.
CAS - Env i ronme nta l & Oce a n Sc i e n ce s
Thank yo u fo r prov i d i ng suc h g re a t sp e a ke rs . - Ma rica rmen C e d illo, CAS - Languages, Cultures, & Literatu re s
Center for Educational Excellence
Teaching Effectively with Zoom with Dan Levy
Many thanks for the excellent program last Friday with Dan Levy...And the book! - V i rg i ni a C. N elson, Sc hool of Law
54
faculty attended this workshop where Dan Levy shared how to become more comfortable with the use of Zoom to engage your students and help them learn.
Thank you for hosting this event. I would love to have a copy of Professor Lang’s book. - Zhenhua Chen, School of Bu s i n e s s
1 9 faculty attended this workshop where James M. Lang shared how to create educational experiences that cultivate and sustain student attention.
Distracted with James M. Lang
Annual Report | Page 9
Infographics
Delivering
Useful Resources Accessible and digestible resources are crucial, especially in times of uncertainty, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To enhance faculty ’s teaching and relationship with students, the CEE purchased teaching books and created infographics to inspire and inform faculty about various topics.
300+
Te ach i n g B o o ks D el ive re d to Fa c u l ty Through our Faculty Reading Circles, Events, and newsletter book raffles.
I ord ere d 33 S imp le St ra te g i e s t h rou g h t h e CEE ra ffl e t h a t I wo n -- I got it in the ma il ye ste rd a y a nd fi ni sh e d i t j u st now. I re a l l y enjoye d it! I will d efini te l y u se i t a s a re sou rce i n t h e fu t u re , an d I p a rticula rly like th e we e k - sp e ci fi c st ra te g i e s b a se d on w h a t st u d e nts a re exp e ri e nci ng a t t h e t i m e . Di ana Chen, School of E n g i n e e r i n g - Inte g ra te d E n g i n e e r in g
Center for Educational Excellence
M e a n i n g f u l I nfo g rap hi c s Created and distributed by the CEE.
Th e student s u r vey wa s extre m el y u s eful , t han k yo u !
The Myth of MULTITASKING
of people who multitask feel like they're accomplishing more but are actually harming their
%
98
performance.
- Leslie Bassett , CAS - Political Science & International Relations
Multitasking and divided attention impair memory and diminish our abiity to recall information.
When we attempt to multitask, we don’t actually do more than one activity at once, but quickly switch between them. And this switching is exhausting. It uses up oxygenated glucose in the brain, running down the same fuel that’s needed to focus on a task.
Center for Educational Excellence
BALANCING WORK & LEARNING
70%
Focusing on more than one thing decreases productivity by 40%.
According to a 2018 report by The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
74% of low-income working learners work more than 15 hours a week 26% work more than 35
hours a week
Working less than
FIFTEEN
however
hours a week largely benefits students
of college students work, but they don't make enough to be able to afford college because the cost of college has skyrocketed
NEARLY HALF have a grade average of C or lower
to enroll in more college credits
Low-income working learners are less likely to earn a credential
Develop routines and patterns that are repeatable and predictable. Read more
Pre-record shorter lectures if you plan to deliver content lecture-style. Read more
evenfor if they5come from the Give prompts upper end of the academic to 10-minuteperformance writingdistribution. activities.
50%
Also, they often don’t have Created by the Center for financial resources to pay Educational Excellence from higher education and its
$16,000:
University of California "Whatformer do wefoster lose when we multitask?" youth, or atsuccessfully" risk for Mashable "Only 2% of peoplehomeless can multitask homelessness, students who were emancipated minors or in legal guardianships." The average annual earnings of an undergraduate for a 29-hour week. This is simply not enough to pay for tuition, Services: housing, food, transportation, and other living expenses.
Fall 2020 student survey: What do you wish Avoid “crickets” during Zoomyour professors discussions with open-ended knew? questions, think-pair-share
Read more here.
Foster Care 2 Success WhyHunger Hotline 1-800-5-HUNGRY Habla español
Read more
Some students suffer from anxiety issues that make Bring in guest speakers.
it difficult to participate in class or answer questions when called on.
3%
OF FORMER FOSTER YOUTH GRADUATE COLLEGE NATIONALLY
Monthly luncheons with other foster students and staff Mentoring
Read the full survey here Not every student has access to a space at home conducive to remote learning or studying.
Read more
the for
80%
Support housing assistance It's no secret that for theyear-round Fall 2020 semester was a difficult Support in finding and maintaining scholarships time for students andopportunities faculty alike as the USD community Leadership OF FORMER FOSTER YOUTH INVOLVED WITH PROGRAMS finding work-study positions and the restHelp of the nation adapted to a fully remote LIKE TRS GRADUATE COLEGE Supplemental academic counseling andto enrollment assistance instructionRegistration format due the COVID-19 pandemic. Here Click here to access the TRS website. wish their professors are the most common things students knew inExternal relation to all the challenges, struggles, andStrategies for Faculty Resources intricacies of online school.
and other techniques.
Break up your delivery of content with frequent learning checks.
OF FORMER FOSTER YOUTH EXPERIENCE HOMELESSNESS DURING THEIR FIRST TWO YEARS AFTER EXITING FOSTER CARE
Low-income students a s s o c i a t e d e x p eGive n s e sup . on multitasking and set aside these sources: typically borrow less dedicated chunks of time for each through conventional The Teaching Professor. separate activity. For example, check student loans to pay“Students Think They Can Multitask. Resources At USD: Torero Renaissance Scholars Here’s Proof They Can’t.” for school, and are your email first thing in the morning BBC "How cut to phone time at work" instead more to likely turn to and again at midday, or set aside 10 "Our mission is to provide credit cards, which tendfor toMindfulness have UCSD Center "Our brains are evolving to support and resources to minutes per afternoon for Twitter. higher interest rates.not! The illusion of students multitask,' multitasking" who identify as
Read more
Read more
Read more
A 2010 study found that
THE SOLUTION
If financial aid recipients received an additional $3,000 in aid ...
For details on each tip visit tinyurl.com/8coursetips
"Rapid TaskA - MOST OVERLOOKED POPULATION OF STUDENTS Switching leads
RESOURCES FOR FORMER FOSTER " YOUTH STUDENTS
For students working more than that
Some of our USD courses are built around a 3-hour block schedule, which has extra challenges for 76% would be "extremely or very likely" to more time studying teaching strategies to or doing schooltranslating our in-person spend academic activities remote delivery. Here are arelated few ideas that are easy to implement and will enrich student learning. 67% would be "extremely or very likely"
Multitasking can lead to increased levels of stress.
to inherent students who had their phones Low-income working inefficiencies. turned off during lecture learners are scored significantly higher on disproportionately Blackauthor of Mindful Work - David Gelles, and Latino, women, a quiz. first-generation college-goers, and new Students who experience foster care are more citizens and residents likely to struggle with mental health issues of the United States for related to past traumas and to lack the whom English may not be adult support and mentorship the primary language they need to navigate college. spoken at home.
When they choose to work, higher-income students have access to the best jobs and work experience, including internships.
8 Tips for Your Multi-Hour Block Remote Course
Research shows that using devices during class reduces learning, lowers quiz scores, and drops GPAs.
When getting to know your students, say "Tell me about your family," rather than "What do your parents..." Family can be more widely interpreted to mean their foster family, friends, support system, etc. Listen carefully to why students are
Students wish professors would struggling. For example, if they are in an Fostering unstable living situation, they may say "the be more understanding with Change coffee shop closes at 11, so I couldn't finish tardiness, as well as when they the project." John Burton Foundation have to turn their cameras off, this example statement at the Just in Time forand Foster Youth because WiFi technology problems createIncorporate more end of your email signature or in your San Diego County specific challenges compared to aresources normal semester. syllabus. Read more
Promises2Kids
Read more
Mix in short videos or other online tools. Read more
Created by the Center for Educational Excellence and referenced by Inside Higher Ed's article "A Most Overlooked Population of Students" and USD's Torero Renaissance Scholars.
A great majority of students are still participating in extracurriculars remotely and feel like they have even less free time to dedicate to school than before.
Build community among classmates. Read more
Brought to you by the Center for Educational Excellence and the Learning Design Center
Many students are working extra hours or handling other external stressors at home, so they feel it’s become much more challenging to put in the same effort in academics as they have in previous semesters. They want professors to know they really are trying and are not just being lazy. Read more
Read more
Students appreciate when professors post lecture slides and record their lectures in case their Internet is unstable or they want to review material later.
Students feel like they are struggling more with their mental health, and many stress outlets are no longer viable options amidst the pandemic. Read more
Read more
Many students use their weekends to work or to mentally recover from the prior week, so they prefer when assignment deadlines aren’t over the weekend.
Many students feel like they have a greater workload and more due dates to keep track of with remote learning, so they ask professors to be more flexible and lenient with extensions when they can. Read more
Read more
A+
Students like when teachers keep up to date with grades on Blackboard. They feel like if they are expected to turn in assignments by a strict deadline professors should grade them in a timely manner. Read more
Brought to you by the Center for Educational Excellence with Survey responses from Dr. Drew Talley.
Students find it more difficult to retain information online than in person, so they especially appreciate professors slowing down during lecture. Read more
Students recognize and really appreciate their professors’ efforts in reorganizing and redesigning classes. They know this time is difficult for professors too and are very thankful for all their hard work. Read more
Annual Report | Page 11
Infusing Antiracism into Our Work At the CEE we believe that it is imperative to anchor our work in a commitment to equity in all its forms, recognizing the ever-evolving nature of injustice. Here are some of the ways we are committing to equity and challenging our implicit biases.
CEE Racial Equity Liai son
Implicit Bias Trainings
This new liaison role is an intentional effort to recognize and compensate the often invisible labor that BIPOC faculty do to promote racial justice on our campus and in our curricula. The role entails co-creating events and generating ideas to support faculty growth in teaching and thinking around racial equity.
Facilitated 3 implicit bia trainings for various office and teams across campus.
Trello Board Resources Compiled over 192 resources for the USD community to learn more about Black joy and Black excellence, racial bias and injustice in various systems, antiracism and ways to take action.
Center for Educational Excellence
Faculty Orientation
For our annual Teaching Facu Orientation, we offered a virtu event for incoming non tenure-tra faculty to learn and share abo teaching on racial justice.
You
gave
the
faculty
a
safe space to discuss some challenging issues. It’s hard to
hear
the
continued
pervasiveness of some biases, etc., but I am glad that they had a space to talk about their
experiences. Thank you!!!
- Eileen Fry-Bowers, Assoc. Provost & School of Nursing
Peer to Peer Learning Hosted 12 Reading Circles for faculty to read and discuss books on antiracism, the American caste system, white supremacy, Black survival & thrival, and Indigenous knowledge. Hosted 3 Communities of Practice for faculty to dive deeper on how to create inclusive learning environments, teach race in premodern courses, and how to teach on racial justice.
as es
ulty ual ack out
Collaborative Events
Staff Development The CEE team met bi-weekly to discuss films, books, podcasts, and other resources related to antiracism and implicit bias.
Partnered with campus collaborators on 10 events for faculty to participate in topics such as antiracist community engagement, BIPOC wellness (facilitated by Della V. Mosley), having difficult conversations, advising students of color, and advising international students.
Annual Report | Page 13
CEE Racial Equity Awards The Center for Educational Excellence is pleased to announce the recipients of our new racial equity awards. We are both impressed and inspired by the work that was described in the nominations for each nominee. We are grateful to the nominators who took the time and energy to put these faculty up for the awards. We are also grateful to each nominee for the inspiring work they have been doing to help make USD a place where racial justice, BIPOC scholarship, and Black excellence is part and parcel to academic life. On behalf of the CEE Racial Equity Awards Committee, please join us in honoring and recognizing the recipients and nominees.
The CEE’s Freire and hooks Decolonial Pedagogy Award An award for a commitment to pedagogies and content on racial justice and BIPOC scholarship.
Graduate Programs Recipient: Joi Spencer Dean, Professor SOLES, Department of Learning and Teaching
Undergraduate Programs Recipient: Antonieta Mercado Associate Professor CAS, Communication Studies
Center for Educational Excellence
The CEE’s Fostering Black Educational Excellence Award An award for inclusive practices that support and encourage Black students academically.
Graduate Programs Recipient: Kristopher Hall Chair, Associate Professor SOLES, Counseling and Marital, Family Therapy
Undergraduate Programs Co-recipient: Channon MIller Assistant Professor CAS, History
Undergraduate Programs Co-recipient: T.J. Tallie Associate Professor CAS, History
Nominees The CEE’s Freire and hooks Decolonial Pedagogy Award: Josen Diaz, CAS Ethnic Studies James Fabionar, SOLES Learning and Teaching May Fu, CAS Ethnic Studies Cory Gooding, CAS Political Science & International Relations Angel Hinzo, CAS Ethnic Studies
Fostering Black Educational Excellence Award: Kecia Brown, SOLES Leadership Studies Halina Duraj, CAS English Kristopher Hall, SOLES Counseling and Marital, Family Therapy Rebekka Jez, SOLES Learning and Teaching Channon Miller, CAS History
Annual Report | Page 15
REFLECTIONS FROM O UR LIAISONS Kate DeConinck
Jamall Calloway
Adjunct Liaison
Racial Equity
I came aboard the CEE team during
My time as the racial equity liaison
the Spring 2021 semester. I sent out
has been really good to be quite
three issues of the Adjunct Voice
honest. It is a brand-new position,
newsletter, which alerted NTTF to
which means we are still working out
upcoming grant deadlines, events,
the kinks of what it means execute the
and other offerings and included new
job. But so far, what it has it meant,
“Faculty in the Spotlight” features on
has been really good and productive.
exemplary non-tenure track faculty at
Our focus this year was on the faculty
USD: Dr. Kirstin Skadberg and Dr. Nicole
awards
Martinez. I hosted four NTT Connect!
difficult conversations about what
events to promote community and
these
informal conversation. I have also
determine it. The conversations were
been working with the CEE team to
necessary and we announced some
create a comprehensive list of grant
spectacular winners. These scholars
and funding opportunities for NTTF
break their backs to meet a need
across all units. It has been a joy to work with the CEE director and staff, and I look forward to continuing on in this role!
Center for Educational Excellence
and awards
we
had
mean
and
numerous how
to
for the university and I cannot be prouder of being a part of their acknowledgment.
Simon Croom School of Business Liaison
Leslie Boozer SOLES Liaison Despite
the
being
COVID undoubtedly transformed our
virtual this past year, the experience
teaching and learning experiences
of being the CEE liaison for SOLES was
this year. One of the main activities
a highlight of my year.
I received
conducted in the School of Business
so much support from other faculty
was to provide regular ‘surgeries’ for
through
Racial
faculty on all aspects of curriculum
Justice Community of Practice, the
design & delivery. These proved to be
Faculty Reading Circles, the Coaching
very popular for technical queries early
Colleagues program, and the Faculty
in the remote-only class era and then,
Writing Retreat. The Reading Circle
later in the fall semester, for addressing
was particularly impactful in SOLES
instructional ideas and challenges.
as we read Caste: The Origins of Our
Many faculty reported that flipping
Discontents as an entire community,
their classes had been transformative,
with
as
the
challenges
Teaching
of
on
faculty,
staff
and
participation.
Thank
you
student to
the
CEE for providing the tools to strengthen
our
community
through this difficult time.
had
experiential
project-based
learning. We surveyed faculty and found that 70% had used projectbased learning to great effect, and these practices will undoubtedly continue post-remote.
Annual Report | Page 17
Me et the Te am Lisa Nunn
Becca Williams
Director
Student Visual Media Assistant
Rhea Webb
Lauren O’Neill
Program Coordinator
Student Office Assistant
Brianna DuPlessis Administrative Assistant Center for Educational Excellence 5998 Alcala Park, Maher 264 619-260-7402 | cee@sandiego.edu www.sandiego.edu/cee