Assessment Practices that Support Student Well-being

• When: Thursday, February 27, 2025, from 3:30–4:30 p.m., in-person.  

• Description: At a time when college students are increasingly anxious and less connected to their peers, how can our assessment practices support student well-being? In this panel discussion, we will discuss current threats to students’ well-being and mental health, and discuss assessment-related strategies to communicate care, create a community of learners, and develop resilience. Join us to hear from Mark Sarvary (Neurobiology & Behavior), Tracy Carrick (John S. Knight Institute), and Amy Godert (Learning Strategic Center and Academic Student Success Programs).

  This event was sponsored and hosted by the Provost's Working Group on Innovation in Assessment, which supports research, experimentation, and adoption of alternative student assessment practices at Cornell University. 

The Art of Discussion

• When: Wednesday, February 26, 2025, from 3:00–4:30 p.m., in-person.
• Description: The Art of Discussion is the inaugural event in our new “Art of Teaching” series. Facilitating discussions is among the most challenging arts for a teacher to master. It is also one of the most important, as it encourages students to apply, test, and extend their learning in dialogue. Because of this, facilitating a stimulating and successful discussion requires concentration and creativity. Join us to hear from Jenny Goldstein (Global Development, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences), Alex Livingston (Government, College of Arts & Sciences) and Hale Tufan (School of Integrative Plant Sciences, CALS) as they share some of the hard-won secrets of this unique art. Then, participate in a conversation about how to better master the art of discussion.

Engaged Speakers' Series: Dis/Placements: Storytelling, Teaching, and Research with the Uptown Chicago Neighborhood

• When: Wednesday, February 12, 2025, from 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., in person.

• Description: Are you curious about working with a community partner or thinking about innovative and authentic ways for students to represent and share their learning? Come learn from Dr. Anna Guevarra and Dr. Gayatri Reddy, from the University of Illinois Chicago, who’ve led a unique and enduring community-engaged public history project with undergraduates, Dis/Placements: A People's History of Uptown Chicago, since 2017.

  As an example, they “have been learning from members of the Winthrop Avenue Family” who have shared with them “stories of displacement, racism, and segregation…but also of joy, community and collective care.” Dr. Guevarra and Dr. Gayatri’s students’ work highlights the power of narrative and visuality in many forms, from digital storytelling to XR/VR, community mapping, photography, and more. How have they shepherded the relationships and the teaching of these successful and tricky assignments? Join us in community for lunch and a presentation.

  This event was co-hosted by the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement and the Center for Teaching Innovation, and co-sponsored by the Asian American Studies Program and the Public History Initiative. 

Authentic Assessments in the Age of Generative AI

• When: Tuesday, December 10, 2024, from 1:00-2:00 p.m., in person.
• Description: Generative AI is here to stay. How can instructors prioritize learning, critical thinking, reflections, and conceptual understanding in the age of generative AI? In this panel discussion, we will discuss the impact of generative AI and current opportunities for leveraging generative AI to support authentic learning and assessments. Join us as we share examples of how generative AI is being implemented across Cornell and connect with colleagues from diverse disciplines. Together, we will examine strategies to assess student learning in this evolving digital age. Panelists include Steve Jackson (Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, Information Science & Science & Technology Studies, Cornell Bowers CIS), Ellie Duan (Animal Science, CALS), and Justin Clark (History, A&S).

Grading for Growth: Toward more Humane, Authentic, and Trustworthy Ways to Evaluate Student Work with Robert Talbert. 

• When: Thursday, November 14, 2024, from 1:30–2:30 p.m., in Goldwin Smith Hall, GSH 132.
• Description: Grading as we know it is significantly broken. The traditional approach involving one-and-done assessment, points, partial credit, and averaging is demotivating for students, demoralizing for faculty, time-consuming, disconnected from science, and of questionable statistical validity. But it is not unchangeable, and in fact there is no better time than now to explore alternatives that prioritize student growth and align better with how humans learn. In this talk, we'll explore the history and issues of traditional grading, propose a framework for "alternative" grading practices, and see how to implement alternative grading without massive requirements of time or energy.

Teaching about Climate Change

• When: Monday, November 4, 2024, from 3:00–4:30 p.m., in-person.
• Description: Join colleagues experienced and new to explore the how and why of teaching about climate change. Given the diversity of approaches and educational priorities, how are instructors managing the fear and anxiety of the immediate threat, possibilities for action and advocacy, and accurate engagement with climate science? What does cross-discipline engagement look like down to the assignment level? In this workshop, come ready to explore the roles, responsibilities, creativity, teaching challenges and opportunities, and find connections across disciplines for future collaborations.

Fostering Antiracist Practices in Pedagogy and Community-Engaged Learning

• When: Friday, October 18, 2024, from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
• Description: Join colleagues experienced and new to explore principles of anti-racist community engagement- and some practical applications. We will enliven our discussion by exploring social identity development and an alternative approach to valuing cultural wealth, through storytelling and interaction. These tools can be used to foster appropriate awareness and sensitivity to work across differences on and off campus.

Facilitating Discussions with Divergent Viewpoints in the Classroom

• When: Thursday, September 12, 2024, from 9:30–11:00 a.m.
• Description: Connect with colleagues to contextualize the perceived higher stakes of managing classroom discourse in turbulent times. How do you manage your personal beliefs, identity, values–and a commitment to inclusion–in your role as an instructor? How can you provide opportunities to engage others’ with different and/or opposing views to foster learning?
  In this 90-minute workshop, we identify key moments in the semester to lay a foundation for robust and challenging discussions and practice facilitation skills.

Structuring Assessment: Rubric Design and Use

• When: Thursday, August 22, 2024, from 1:30–3:00 p.m., on Zoom. Register for Structuring Assessment: Rubric Design and Use.
• Description: This 75-minute online workshop is the second in a two-part series on structuring learning assessment, and it is designed to support faculty efforts to create clear and concise rubrics. The themes of alignment and clear communication will be applied to the process of effective rubric design and use. Participation in the first part of the series is not required.

Structuring Assessment: Assignment Design

• When: Thursday, August 22, 2024, from 12:00–1:15 p.m.
• Description: This 75-minute online workshop is the first in a two-part series on structuring learning assessment, and it is designed to support faculty efforts to create clear and aligned assignments. This session will also emphasize the extent to which clear communication can enhance assignment design.

The Courage to Teach Now: End-of-Semester Reflections 

• When: May 9, 2024, from 12:00–2:00 p.m.
• Description: The work of teaching and learning takes ongoing courage and humility, and the end of the semester invites reflection. Join your colleagues for an in-person lunch and facilitated discussion about how we, in our roles as educators, are called to step up in extraordinary times. 
  
  What did you try in your teaching this semester? What challenged you? Responding well to difficult moments remains ever a goal, whether it’s politics or AI. Talking through our approaches with others helps us reflect and manage uncertainty as we learn from our own and others’ experiences.
  
  Warmly and compassionately facilitated. Includes lunch.
• Learning outcomes:
  • Identify strategies for building trust and supporting inclusion in the classroom

Beyond the Personal Narrative: Critical Interventions in Digital Storytelling Assignments

• When: Monday, February 12, 2024, 3:00–4:30 p.m., in person.
• Description: Instructors are turning toward digital storytelling for many reasons: as an inclusive teaching practice; to offer choices informed by Universal Design for Learning practices; out of boredom with 5-page papers; and even to encourage original thought and authentic assessment in the face of AI-generated content. This workshop invites instructors to explore interventions beyond the personal narrative that make a difference in teaching digital storytelling, including assignment design, assessment, and supporting narrative development and creativity.

Structuring Learning Assessment Workshops

• Open to instructors, postdocs, and TAs interested in crafting effective assignments and rubrics for their courses. These 75-minute sessions are designed to complement one another but can also be attended on a standalone basis.
• Assignment Design (Part 1 of 2):
  • When: Tuesday, January 16, 2024, 1:00–2:15 p.m., on Zoom.
  • Description: This 75-minute online workshop is the first in a two-part series on structuring learning assessment, and it is designed to support faculty efforts to create clear and aligned assignments. This session will also emphasize the extent to which clear communication can enhance assignment design.
• Rubric Design (Part 2 of 2):
  • When: Tuesday, January 23, 2024, 1:00–2:15 p.m., on Zoom.
  • Description: This 75-minute online workshop is the second in a two-part series on structuring learning assessment, and it is designed to support faculty efforts to create clear and concise rubrics. The themes of alignment and clear communication will be applied to the process of effective rubric design and use. Participation in the first part of the series is not required.

Exploring the Bounds of Free Speech in the Classroom (and How Not to Panic…)

• When: Friday, January 12, 2024, 12:00–1:30 p.m., in person. Advance registration is required.
• Description: How can you provide opportunities to engage others with different and/or opposing views to foster learning? How do you manage your personal beliefs, identity, values – and commitment to inclusion – in your role as an instructor? In this 90-minute lunch and learn session, participants will explore how to create and facilitate a learning environment that welcomes challenging discussions. Reflect with your colleagues and leave with practical ideas you can use.

Overview of Curriculum Mapping for DEI 

• When: Tuesday, January 9, 2024, 1:00–2:00 p.m., on Zoom.
• Description: This event will provide an overview of our curriculum mapping process and invite those in attendance to consider participating. Specific objectives include:
  • Affirm the importance of establishing a common language for conversations relative to curriculum and diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Describe CTI's "Curriculum Mapping for DEI" program for program/department chairs
• For more details on this workshop and program offering, visit Curriculum Mapping for Diversity & Inclusion.