Winter 2024 Events
Faculty Learning and Growth Groups (FLAGGs) are a great way to learn in community, and despite the name, most groups are open to staff participation as well. Our office encourages you to consider a variety of options for learning and growth in small groups this quarter.
Opportunities include regular FLAGGs, Book Clubs, and Faculty Writing Groups. Below is the list of groups scheduled for Winter 2024; new groups can form based on participant interest.
FLAGGs
Women of Color in Leadership
Will explore concepts found in books like Act Like a Leader by Herminia Ibarra and Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown.
Led by Jenny Elsey and Krystle Jalalian-Chursky
Meets once a month in person – Arranged based on group availability
This group is open to anyone who identifies as a woman of color and holds a leadership position on campus (e.g. program director, assistant director, department chair, committee chair, etc.). We will discuss a variety of leadership topics through the lens of our lived experiences as well as serve as a support network for one another.
Book Clubs
Skim, Dive, Surface: Teaching Digital Reading by Janae Cohn
Led by R. John Robertson and Carrie Fry
Meets twice in the quarter – Arranged based on group availability
Digital texts are different. Reading, studying, and learning from digital texts is a different familiar experience. Join this group as they look at this book exploring some of these challenges, opportunities, and affordances.
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes De Mez
Led by Pete Renn
Meets virtually once a month – Arranged based on group availability
This book examines how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism. The impact of these efforts has transformed the faith, with enduring consequences for all Americans.
White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to do Better by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao
Led by Rebecca Hughes and Emily Huff and meets virtually or in person depending on the group’s availability.
Authors Regina Jackson and Saira Rao approach the topic in a way that is not meant to placate the reader, but to challenge them to change.... They deconstruct the narrative that racism is normal and put accountability back in the hands of those who uphold the systems that cause harm. This is a continuation of the Autumn group, but all are welcome to join.
Faculty Writing Groups
These groups are open for faculty across campus, not as a workshop or a critique group – but as a quiet, focused hour for writing and research in the company of supportive colleagues. Writing groups offer accountability and community support which enhances productivity.
Group A
Led by Traynor Hansen
Meeting: Thursday 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. in Marston 252 during weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 of the quarter.
Group B
Led by Jeffrey Overstreet
Meeting: Monday 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. in Marston 252 during weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 of the quarter
In lieu of faculty led FLAGGs, the Faculty Life Office will leadFLAGG sessions around MAGNA commons webinar topics(a resource available to you).Below are the webinarswe plan to host for Winter. We are in the process of determining a range of dates and times that will allow for faculty with varying schedules to participate, this final schedule will be shared with the official FLAGG announcement.
I am fully aware that while many of you express complete exhaustion from the toll of teaching online during a pandemic, I know many of you have shared that the ability to break free and be in community with your peers is something that you value. Thus, I did not want to take away the option for you to spend an hour getting to know your colleagues through thoughtful discussions around topics that are timely to your work with students. Please email me if you have any questions.
Winter Quarter Series
- Trauma-Informed Pedagogy: Teaching in Uncertain Times(M: 12-1:15pm)
This online seminar is designed for educators who are interested in learning about how they can teach their students despite the presence of trauma. Participants will acquire strategies they can use to help students continue their learning in the middle of this pandemic.
- Beyond Pedagogy: Infusing Equity into your Syllabus, Assignments, and Course Content(T:10-11:15am)
Have you integrated inclusive pedagogies into your teaching and wonder what’s next? Are you ready to be more intentional about making your assignments and course content more equity-minded? This Magna Online Seminar will identify evidence-based approaches to add equity-minded content and improve the success of minoritized students in your disciplinary and institutional context.
- How to Improve Academic Lectures with TED Talk Principles: Connect, Convey, Communicate(R:2:30-3:45pm)
For faculty who struggle with engaging content delivery (lecture) How to Improve Academic Lectures with TED Talk Principles: Connect, Convey, Communicate is a Magna Online Seminar that gives specific, practical steps to add enthusiasm and excitement to lectures and presentations.
- 7 Indispensable Strategies to Build Community in Your Online Courses(M: 12-1:15pm)
Students in online courses and degree programs sometimes report that studying online can leave them feeling isolated and unconnected to their instructor and student peers. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Online instructors can utilize a variety of strategies to build and maintain a sense of community in their online courses and doing so will result in a better course experience for both student and instructor.
- Online Course Design Strategies to Increase Student Completion Rates(T:10-11:15am)
Online enrollments are on the rise, even as overall enrollments decline. As an increasingly diverse student body flocks online to meet their educational goals, online completion rates are not yet on par with traditional classrooms and are more problematic for students outside of the once-traditional student demographic.
- The Role of Higher Education in Times of Crisis: Healing Strategies for Educators(M: 12-1:15pm)
Colleges and universities have a long-standing role in advancing civil discourse. How can we lead our communities in a meaningful and healing way when we are geographically displaced and relying on remote, online communication? For academic leaders and faculty who are challenged with effective communication during a time of social unrest, this Magna Online Seminar provides direction for leaders to provide healing, helping, education, and engagement.
In lieu of faculty led FLAGGs, the Faculty Life Office will leadFLAGG sessions around MAGNA commons webinar topics(a resource available to you).Below are the webinarswe plan to host for Winter. We are in the process of determining a range of dates and times that will allow for faculty with varying schedules to participate, this final schedule will be shared with the official FLAGG announcement.
I am fully aware that while many of you express complete exhaustion from the toll of teaching online during a pandemic, I know many of you have shared that the ability to break free and be in community with your peers is something that you value. Thus, I did not want to take away the option for you to spend an hour getting to know your colleagues through thoughtful discussions around topics that are timely to your work with students. Please email me if you have any questions.
Winter Quarter Series
- Trauma-Informed Pedagogy: Teaching in Uncertain Times(M: 12-1:15pm)
This online seminar is designed for educators who are interested in learning about how they can teach their students despite the presence of trauma. Participants will acquire strategies they can use to help students continue their learning in the middle of this pandemic.
- Beyond Pedagogy: Infusing Equity into your Syllabus, Assignments, and Course Content(T:10-11:15am)
Have you integrated inclusive pedagogies into your teaching and wonder what’s next? Are you ready to be more intentional about making your assignments and course content more equity-minded? This Magna Online Seminar will identify evidence-based approaches to add equity-minded content and improve the success of minoritized students in your disciplinary and institutional context.
- How to Improve Academic Lectures with TED Talk Principles: Connect, Convey, Communicate(R:2:30-3:45pm)
For faculty who struggle with engaging content delivery (lecture) How to Improve Academic Lectures with TED Talk Principles: Connect, Convey, Communicate is a Magna Online Seminar that gives specific, practical steps to add enthusiasm and excitement to lectures and presentations.
- 7 Indispensable Strategies to Build Community in Your Online Courses(M: 12-1:15pm)
Students in online courses and degree programs sometimes report that studying online can leave them feeling isolated and unconnected to their instructor and student peers. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Online instructors can utilize a variety of strategies to build and maintain a sense of community in their online courses and doing so will result in a better course experience for both student and instructor.
- Online Course Design Strategies to Increase Student Completion Rates(T:10-11:15am)
Online enrollments are on the rise, even as overall enrollments decline. As an increasingly diverse student body flocks online to meet their educational goals, online completion rates are not yet on par with traditional classrooms and are more problematic for students outside of the once-traditional student demographic.
- The Role of Higher Education in Times of Crisis: Healing Strategies for Educators(M: 12-1:15pm)
Colleges and universities have a long-standing role in advancing civil discourse. How can we lead our communities in a meaningful and healing way when we are geographically displaced and relying on remote, online communication? For academic leaders and faculty who are challenged with effective communication during a time of social unrest, this Magna Online Seminar provides direction for leaders to provide healing, helping, education, and engagement.