CETCI August Workshops on Teaching & Learning
The Center for Educational Technology & Curricular Innovation (CETCI) would like to enthusiastically invite you to our beginning-of-semester teaching and learning workshop series. Our August sessions are:
Starting Strong: Strategies for a Successful Start to the Semester
- Tuesday, August 18, 2:00pm - 3:30pm (Online)
The beginning of a new term can be a time of excitement and possibility. The first few meetings of a class provide a rare opportunity for teachers to set the tone, communicate expectations, and begin to build community, evoke curiosity, and generate excitement for the learning experiences to come. Come to this interactive workshop to explore strategies that can help you and your students make the most of your early-term encounters and build momentum that can carry you into meaningful and engaging learning experiences all the way to finals.
Creating Student-Centered Syllabus
Centering students is a powerful way to make our learning environments more equitable and inclusive. A good place to start is with the syllabus. At this interactive workshop, we will demonstrate strategies to make your syllabus more welcoming, motivational, and inclusive by making sure students and their learning are the focus from Day One. Registered participants will receive the zoom link and passcode in a reminder email. The session will be recorded, and the recording will be sent to registered participants after the workshop.
Everybody Learns: An Introduction to Universal Design for Learning
The Office of Accessibility & Accommodations (OAA) and CETCI have teamed up to offer an introductory workshop on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a pedagogical approach to creating learning environments that are proactively accessible, inclusive, and welcoming for all learners. During this workshop, we will introduce the principles of UDL and provide concrete examples and strategies for incorporating them into your courses. We will highlight ways to make digital course content accessible to a wider range of learners and introduce upcoming workshops that will provide additional opportunities to engage with digital accessibility. Participants will also receive resources and options for continued learning after the introductory session.
Introduction to Moodle
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Thursday, August 20, 2:00pm - 3:30pm (Online)
At this workshop, you will be provided with an overview of Moodle 4.5 and its capabilities including how to complete fundamental tasks such as posting announcements, uploading files, and setting up assignments and discussion forums. This is a great session for those who are new to Moodle or who want to have a refresher course on the basic features.
Moodle Gradebook
- Friday, August 21, 10:00am - 11:00am (Online)
Do you need some guidance on posting your grades to the Moodle Grade Book? This quick workshop will provide you with some tips on how to quickly organize and weight your grades so that your Gradebook is clear and that your final grades tally correctly. We'll also go over the best ways to display your grades to students.
Designing an Effective Moodle Course
- Friday, August 21, 2:00pm - 3:00pm (Online)
Would you like a more streamlined and student-friendly Moodle site? In this workshop, we’ll introduce key design principles to help you create a site that supports student learning and engagement. We’ll explore ways to organize your site to reduce distractions, making it easier for students to navigate your course. You’ll also learn how to apply effective layout and visual design elements to create a clear and welcoming online environment.
What Are Students Saying About A.I.
Over the past year, several national and campus-based studies have asked college students how they use generative AI in their academic work and how they have incorporated it into their studies. During this session, we will synthesize key findings from these studies and discuss what some Pacific students have shared about their own experiences with AI during their course of study. We will also leave plenty of time for participants to discuss what these findings may mean for teaching and learning in their own courses.
As always, we want to encourage you to reach out to us if you need help! Whether you need a quick answer or a big brainstorming session, we’re ready to talk with you. To get in touch with us, you can email us individually: Al Weiss (alweiss@pacificu.edu), Tatiana Piatanova (tapiatanova@pacificu.edu), Robbie Pock (pockr@pacificu.edu), or simply send a message to edtech@pacificu.edu at any time to set up a Zoom consultation or ask a question.
Please let us know if you have any questions, and good luck with the beginning of the semester.
*Note: If you’re interested in attending a session but are unable to join us, we’d appreciate it if you could let us know why on this Google Form.
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The Center for Educational Technology and Curricular Innovation
The Center for Educational Technology and Curricular Innovation (CETCI) supports Pacific University faculty, staff, and students in creating effective, engaging, and inclusive learning environments. The Center also facilitates conversations, events, and workshops that promote innovative teaching practices and provide opportunities for faculty and staff to share their successes with the Pacific community.