News, Events, Annual Report

Registration Open: Teaching and Learning Strategies (TLS) Program

The in-person TLS program titled, Student Engagement and Wellbeing, provides us the opportunity to come together as a teacher-scholar community to deepen, diversify, and innovate our instructional practices. The program offers an engaging, collegial campus-wide forum to share teaching, learning, and assessment methods, exchange ideas, get inspired, affirmed, and plan for the new academic year. 
Register your participation using this link by Thu., May 11 at the latest.

Link to detailed program agenda (PDF)
Link to agenda-at-a-glance (PDF)
Link to program details and link to e-mail for questions/clarification

VITAL Instructional Minigrant Recipients

Congratulations to the faculty colleagues who have been awarded grants to enrich students’ learning experiences and innovate both undergraduate and graduate course curricula across colleges. Learn more about the faculty recipients and their projects, VITALITY, May 2023

Grant Recipients and Projects, 2023-2024 (PDF)
Grant Recipients and Projects, 2018-2023 (PDF)

Recordings and Faculty Surveys: LMS Vendor Demonstrations, April 2023 - Please Complete the Survey by May 23

LMS vendor demonstration recordings and faculty survey, Message Dr. Randy Weinstein, VPTL, 04-23
LMS vendor demonstration details: Message Dr. Randy Weinstein, VPTL, 04-23

Please find the recordings of the LMS demonstrations and links to faculty surveys below. The recordings are viewable by topic chapters; e., gradebook, building your course. To access the chapters, click on the chapters logo in the bottom right corner of the screen. To make the computer window appear full screen, click on the video window.

• Anthology-Ultra recording (1:10) 
     Faculty survey, Anthology-Ultra - complete by 5/23
• DesiretoLearn recording (1:06) 
     Faculty survey, DesiretoLearn - complete by 5/23
• Instructure Canvas recording (1:06) 
     Faculty survey, Instructure-Canvas - complete by 5/23

Message from Dr. Randy Weinstein, Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning

Please see the message from Dr. Randy Weinstein, VPTL about resources for students, CATs, AI text generators, the Race, Justice & Dialogue Institute, instructional technology, new classrooms, and the LMS sessions.

Educator Considerations for ChatGPT

• Dalhousie University, Canada: Panel on the implications of artificial intelligence for teaching, learning, and assessment. Watch the session here.
• Villanova Faculty Panel on Pedagogy and AI, April 17, 2023 - Link to program recording and materials
• Vitality On ChatGPT
  
• Message regarding Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) text generation and ChatGBT. Details at Office of the Provost's Guidance on AI Text Generators
  
• Friend or Foe? Using Artificial Intelligence to Empower Your Teaching, Faculty Focus podcast, 04/12/23
• Will ChatGPT Change How Professor Assess Learning? B. Supiano, 04-05-23, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• How to Create Compelling Writing Assignments in a ChatGPT Age - J. Lang, 04-04-23, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• ChatGPT and Good Intentions in Higher Ed - A. Caines, Episode 452, 02-29-23, Teaching in Higher Ed podcast
• Teaching Writing in an Age of A.I. - J. Warner, Episode 449, 01-19-23, Teaching in Higher Ed podcast
• How Well Would ChatGPT Do in My Course? I Talked to It and Found Out - L. Lopez, 02-15-23, Faculty Focus
• Educator Considerations for ChatGPT: Capabilities, limitations, considerations for using ChatGPT for teaching and learning
• "Designing Writing Assignments in the Face of AI" outlines methods of designing writing assignments in the face of AI incursion - E. Prochaska, 01-23-23, Faculty Focus
  

VITALITY: VITAL Teaching Ideas with Focus on Mental Health

This two-part series highlights the importance of making mental health visible in their teaching and the steps faculty can take to make this a reality in their courses. It also offers sample dialogue that faculty might use to support students' mental well-being.

Part I: Making Mental Health Visible in Class
Part II: Talking with Students About Mental Health in Class

Link to access past VITALITY issues

Using Perusall: What has Worked for Me

with Dr. Eliza Gettel, Assistant Professor of History, September 2022 (video) - with permission (15:55)
Dr. Gettel demonstrates how she has used Perusall in her instruction, outlines her equitable grading process, and focuses on creating a learning community. 
Link to transcript
Perusall is being piloted by 21 faculty this academic year as part of the TIC grant program. 

Villanova Policy Library

The Villanova Policy Library (VPL) assists faculty, staff and students in better understanding the many University policies and procedures. The University Compliance Office continues to feature compliance-related policies. For example, the Academic Integrity Policy sets expectations for honest academic work and provides for equitable administrative procedures to address suspected violations of Villanova’s Code of Academic Integrity. Access VPL through MyNova.

Teaching Podcasts

Social Learning Amplified: Brings candid conversations with educators who are finding new ways to engage students inside and outside the class. Each episode will give you real-life examples and practical strategies you can put into practice in your own courses. Hosted by Eric Mazur, internationally recognized educational innovator in Social Learning and Peer Instruction.

Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning: Guests share discoveries of “dead ideas”—ideas that are not true but that are often widely believed and embedded in the pedagogical choices we make. Hosted by Catherine Ross, CTL, Columbia University

Faculty Focus Live: Offers research-based teaching tips to boost your creativity and motivation hosted by Magna Publications. Current episode: Friend or Foe? Using Artificial Intelligence to Empower Your Teaching

Intentional Teaching with Derek Bruff: Aimed at faculty to help them develop foundational teaching skills and explore new ideas in teaching.

Tea for Teaching: Series of discussions of innovative and effective practices in teaching and learning. Hosted by State University of New York at Oswego.

Teaching in Higher Ed: Explores the art and science of being more effective at facilitating learning. Hosted by B. Stachowiak, Vangard University, CA.

On Cultivating Student Engagement in Higher Ed: Features faculty and course designers using creative approaches to enhance students' learning experiences and turn engagement "ON".  Hosted by Dr. Kathryn Berkow, University of Delaware.

Student Support Services

Faculty can now find all student support services on our campus unified on one website focused on supporting and elevating students, and assisting them in applying their learning through a multitude of academic services to support students in their academic success, wellbeing, and post-graduate careers. 

Gender Inclusive Practices Guide

Beginning in Spring 2022, Villanova made it possible for all faculty, staff, and students to enter chosen first name and personal pronouns into Banner.  Chosen first name and personal pronoun will appear on class lists and other university communications. Please see here for details.

Developed by ODEI, Gender and Women’s Studies and other programs, this guide provides best practices for being gender inclusive in our work spaces, laboratories, and classrooms.

Link to guide

How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive, Chronicle of Higher Education

Want to reach all of your students? This guide considers how faculty can provide a learning environment and engage in communication that reaches all of their students. The teaching resource introduces key principles of Inclusive Teaching, offers ways to interact inclusively with students, provides approaches to Inclusive Course Design, and suggests ways to evaluate your inclusive teaching methods. Link to article.

Self-Paced, Online Program: Making Your Course Accessible in LMS

As you are aware, accessibility is a critical factor in students' success. How can you check and ensure that your course materials are accessible? What do you need to consider? We invite you to take this online self-paced program, Making Your Course Accessible in LMS. Co-developed by VITAL and LSS, the program establishes the legal framework for accessibility in education, articulates why we need to address accessibility issues proactively in our courses, and demonstrates how to create ADA-compliant courses in LMS. Please click on course enrollment to enroll in this online program offered in Bridge. 
Link to more details

Innovative Teaching at Villanova 

Link to Innovative Teaching site
Link to Creative Online Teaching Approaches during the Pandemic