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News, Events, Annual Report

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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

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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)

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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.

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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.

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Educator Considerations for ChatGPT

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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

Eliza Gettel

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

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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

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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.

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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

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Innovative Teaching at Villanova 

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

Morning Mentor - Week of 5/8-5/14
Going Beyond the Basics of Universal Design for Learning
Password: universal987
Program details and spring 2023 schedule
Past Morning Mentor topics on Online Teaching (Transcripts are available)

Teaching and Learning Strategies Program - In-Person Only
Wed., May 17, Bartley Hall
Link to registration by Thu., 5/11 at the latest
Link to detailed program agenda (PDF)
Link to agenda-at-a-glance (PDF)
Link to program details and keynote speaker, Dr. Derek Bruff

Program for Newly-Appointed Faculty at Villanova
Wed., August 16, - Thu., August 17
The Inn at Villanova and Bartley Hall
Details and agenda forthcoming

TEACHING CONFERENCES

Perusall Conference - Virtual
When: June 5-11

10th Annual Drexel Assessment Conference
When: September 13-14
Where: Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (hybrid format: one day in person, one day virtual)

LILLY CONFERENCES

Lilly Austin
When: May 22 – 24, 2023
Where: Austin, TX (In person only)

Annual Reports

The annual reports detail the services and programs that VITAL provided to the Villanova academic community to support high quality teaching and learning environments. The central goal of all VITAL services is to facilitate dialogue and interaction among faculty who share common curricular and/or pedagogical interests.

VITAL works to ensure that services are aligned with Villanova’s mission, academic priorities, interests and needs of the academic community: e.g., University and Colleges’ strategic plans, formal feedback data, and discussions with the faculty advisory board. We welcome your suggestions and program ideas; please stop by the VITAL office at 106 Vasey Hall or send e-mail to: vitalinfo@villanova.edu.

* annualreportvitalweb1718.pdf
Annual Report 2017-2018