Design for Play with Brendan Boyle

When and where: Monday, April 3, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Schupf Family IdeaLab (CIS)

Description: In this interactive presentation, attendees will discover how the opposite of play is not work, but rather boredom. Through real-life examples, the talk will explore effective ways to boost student engagement and enhance learning in the classroom. No RSVP necessary.

Bio: Brendan Boyle is an adjunct professor at Stanford University who specializes in teaching design. He is the founder of the IDEO Play Lab, a renowned global innovation firm, and serves as an instructor at IDEO U, the company’s online learning platform. Additionally, he is a board member of the nonprofit National Institute of Play and an award-winning author of the Klutz Book of Inventions. Boyle strongly believes in the power of play to foster innovation. Thanks to his leadership, the Play Lab has developed and licensed over 225 consumer products, including such popular items as the Jumperoo, Elmo Calls, and Pictionary Air.

Spring Book Club: Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the Classroom

When and where: Wednesday, April 5, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Test Kitchen of Murray-Aikins Dining Hall

Description: The bookInclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the Classroom (West Virginia UP, 2022) by biology professor Kelly Hogan and mathematics professor Viji Sathy offers cross-disciplinary practical strategies for enhancing student learning for students of all abilities. If faculty and staff are interested in participating in a discussion about this book, please email Beck Krefting to receive a copy prior to the event. There is space for up to 12 folks to participate - first come, first served. You may only request a copy if you know you can commit to attending the discussion. Lunch tickets will be distributed in the Atrium from noon to 12:10 p.m.

Documenting Creative Matter Workshop and Lunch with David Seiler, Head of Digital Projects and Collections

When and where: Tuesday, April 18, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Murray-Aikins Dining Hall

Description: Based on Open Access principles, Skidmore’s institutional repository, Creative Matter, brings together creative and scholarly output under one umbrella with the goal of both preserving and providing global access to our creative thought. This workshop will include a detailed overview of the repository’s collections and scope; provide attendees rationales for including faculty and student scholarship in the repository; and provide an overview, with examples, on how to upload materials to the repository. This may be of special interest to C/PDs and faculty teaching Bridge Experience courses. RSVP no later than Thursday, April 13, to attend.

Research Salon and Lunch with Greg Pfitzer

When and where: Friday, April 21, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Weller Room (Lib 212)

Description:This research talk will center on the recent publication of Pfitzer’s Fame is Not Just for the Fellas (2022), a volume in the Studies in Print Culture and the History of the Book series at the University of Massachusetts Press that treats the concept of female renown as revealed in children’s historical literature. More specifically, it will focus on Pfitzer’s use of deep archival research to uncover how the concepts of femininity and feminism were developed in volumes treating the girlhoods of women featured in the Childhood of Famous Americans series published by Bobbs-Merrill Publishers from 1932 to 1958. Characterized by colorful cover art and compelling (if often highly fictionalized) narrative storylines, these works celebrated the childhoods and later achievements of famous women like Betsy Ross, Louisa May Alcott, and Amelia Earhart. Pfitzer will reveal how the editorial and production choices made by stakeholders in the series shaped children’s thinking and historical imaginations around girlhood. Utilizing documented conversations and disagreements among authors, editors, readers, reviewers, and sales agents at Bobbs-Merrill, Pfitzer will place the series in the context of national debates around fame, gender, historical memory, and portrayals of children and childhood for a young reading public - charged debates that continue to this day. You can access Pfitzer’s bio and full description of the event here. A sandwich platter, fruit, and sweet treats will be provided. Registration is not required - just come!

Bio: Born in Pittsburgh, Greg Pfitzer grew up primarily on the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in American studies and history. He received an M.A. degree in history and a Ph.D. in the history of American civilization from Harvard. He arrived at Skidmore in 1989 and is in his fourth decade of service to the College. Pfitzer’s primary intellectual interest is popular historical writing. He has written six books on the subject, including Samuel Eliot Morison's Historical World (Northeastern University Press, 1991); Picturing the Past: Illustrated Histories and the American Historical Imagination, 1840-1920 (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002); Popular History and the Literary Marketplace, 1840-1920 (University of Massachusetts Press, 2008); History Repeating Itself: The Republication of Children's Historical Literature and the Christian Right (University of Massachusetts Press, 2014); Fame is Not Just for the Fellas: Female Renown and the Childhood of Famous Americans (University of Massachusetts Press, 2022); and From Boys to Men: The Boy Problem and the Childhood of Famous Americans (forthcoming, University of Massachusetts Press, 2024).

ChatGPT Workshop and Luncheon with Aaron Kendall and Ben Harwood (LEDS Team)

When and where: Tuesday, March 21, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Murray-Aikins Dining Hall

Description: Emerging AI tools present unprecedented challenges and opportunities for educators and students. Responses to these tools span a broad spectrum, from doomsday outlooks to a nascent optimism to re-invigorating modern pedagogy. Skidmore students are already using these tools and writing about their academic utility, going so far as to produce guides for their effective use. This workshop will help unpack what these AI tools are, specifically ChatGPT, why they’ve suddenly become so prevalent, and where this technology may be heading. Time will be spent demonstrating how ChatGPT works and critiquing its output. Ethical considerations for the use of these tools will be addressed. In order for this to be an interactive workshop, attendees are asked to create an account at https://chat.openai.com/ and ask the AI some questions about your academic discipline prior to the workshop.

Please RSVP here by Wednesday, March 15.

Designing for Inclusion: UDL as a Framework with Susan Pliner

When and where: Friday, March 24, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Murray-Aikins Dining Hall

Description: How do we define learning? How do we create opportunity for learning? How do we know when learning has occurred? Some of the core tenets of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) rely on the articulation of the answers to these questions. Then, we get to be creative and inclusive with designing for learning, teaching, and evaluation. In this session, we will look at UDL as a framework for developing accessible and inclusive learning environments and explore practical methods. You can access Pliner’s bio and event information here. This event is supported by a grant from the New York State Education Department and is a collaboration between the CLTL and Jamin Totino in The Learning Commons.

Please RSVP here by Monday, March 20.

Bio: Susan M. Pliner is an associate provost and director of the First Year Program at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. In her role as associate provost, she oversees the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Center for Civic Engagement and Service Learning, and the Centennial Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. She has a B.A. in secondary social studies education, an M.Ed. in special education, a CAGS in social justice education, and an Ed.D. in human development. Her areas of specialty include Universal Design for Learning (UDL); equity and social justice education; college student learning and development; social identity development theory and practice in higher education; and history of disability and disability studies. Prior to her work at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Pliner held positions at Mount Holyoke College, Brown University, Columbia University, as well as a brief stint as a high school special education teacher.

Publishing Workshop with Sean Guynes

When and where: Thursday, March 30, from 1 to 2 p.m. (virtual)

Description: Skidmore and Union colleges are partnering to co-host a book-publishing workshop with Sean Guynes ofLever Press. Guynes will provide authors with advice on how to submit a book proposal and explain the editorial process that academic presses follow, from submission to publication. He will also allow plenty of time for questions. You can access Guynes’ bio and event information here. Registration is not required. Zoom details will be circulated via email.

Bio: Sean Guynes is acquiring editor for Lever Press. He holds a Ph.D. in English and has worked as an academic editor for nearly a decade. Both Skidmore and Union are founding members of the Lever, an open-access scholarly publishing program that is financially supported by over 50 colleges and universities in North America. The press publishes peer-review, born digital, platinum standard, open-access monographs and does not charge author fees. Lever is supported by Michigan Publishing, utilizes the Fulcrum platform, and is a member of the Association of University Presses.

ConnectMORE with JuliaRoutbort, Ph.D. and Robert Cardom, Ph.D.

Date: Wednesday, February 8 from 12-1:30 in Murray Aikens (2nd Floor Dining Hall)

Description: During the faculty-only meeting late fall, nearly every small group raised concerns about how to best support student mental health. This event is oriented to faculty and staffand meant to address those concerns by tackling questions like: Do you worry about how best to help a student in crisis? How about a student who appears to be having a panic attack during an exam? Or a student who lets you know they are going home for several weeks because a sibling is seriously ill? This special edition of ConnectMORE, is designed to help faculty and staff respond empathically and effectively to students experiencing moments of crisis, distress and or mental health challenges. The 90-minute workshop is interactive and experiential. We’ll focus on enhancing listening, asking and responding skills and on making sure you know about campus resources (and know how to access them). We’ll also talk about how to set limits consistently and empathically in ways that fit your role, your pedagogy and your style. You’ll get some branded swag and a sticker you can choose to display your support for student mental health. To attend, please RSVP here. 

Julia Routbort Baskin, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Health and Wellness.
Routbort (she/her)is a licensed clinical psychologist and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, where she completed both the child and adult clinical tracks. In her position as Associate Dean, Julia has oversight of the three departments on campus that deliver clinical and prevention services to students: Health Services, the Counseling Center and Health Promotion.  Through strategic planning, collaboration, and coordination of clinical services, she is charged with helping to create a resilient, responsive and healthy campus community where students, faculty and staff are informed and engaged around health/wellness issues. Her areas of expertise include sexual assault and trauma, feminist psychotherapy and crisis management. 

Dr. Robert Cardom, Ph.D. Director, Counseling Center
Cardom’s (he/him)vision as the new Director of the Skidmore College Counseling Center is to work with the many mental health champions across campus to co-create a culture that supports mental health and well-being. In his career, he has often worked with faculty and staff to prepare for and consult on supporting student mental health in their current roles. He earned his PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kentucky, where he conducted research on topics including adolescent suicide, queer mental health, and the cognitive and psychological benefits of diverse social groups. His clinical work has focused on supporting college students, especially queer students and students of color. He is also an advocate for suicide prevention, serving as a board member of the Capital District Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  

On Becoming Better Mentors and Advocates in STEM withDr.Pamela E. Harris

Date: February 27 from 10:00-11:00 AM in the Wycoff Center

Description:  This event is co-sponsored by the Mathematics and Statistics Department and with support from Presidential Discretionary Funds and Skidmore Enrichment Endowment for the Sciences. Harris willdiscuss past mentoring experiences and their effects onherself-confidence and career progression. Based on these experiences, sheshares concrete ideas on how to build better mentoring relationships.The talk willalso detail how becoming advocates for systemic and cultural changes in STEM fields provides another way to help create environments in which members of groups who have been historically underrepresented andunderserved can thrive in the STEM community.

New Faculty Learning Community Book Club: Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the Classroom

Date: Wednesday, November 9 from 3:30–4:30 PM in the Weller Room (Lib 212)

Description: Come join the new faculty learning community book discussion! This recently published book by biology professor Kelly Hogan and mathematics professor Viji Sathy offers cross-disciplinary practical strategies for enhancing student learning for students of all abilities. If there are faculty and staff who were unable to attend book club back in October and are interested in joining the new faculty, please email Beck Krefting (rkreftin@skidmore.edu) who will send you a copy of the book prior to the event. There is space for a few folks to participate—first come, first served.

Lunch it up with James Lang on Friday, November 11 in Murray Aikins Dining Hall

Date: Friday, November 11 in Murray Aikins Dining Hall

• 12:00-1:00 PM: Inclusive Teaching: The Role of Structure
• 1:00-2:00: Luncheon with Lang
• 2:00-3:00: Writing Like a Teacher: Expanding Your Readership

Description: Colleges and universities have become rightly focused on making sure that all students feel included on campus and in the classroom, but many faculty are unsure how to make their classrooms more inclusive spaces. Research has demonstrated that one of the most effective—and easiest—ways to engage and support all students is to build more structure into your assessments and daily teaching practices. This interactive presentation will introduce participants to some of the research on inclusive teaching, offer a suite of small ways in which we can use structure to make our courses more inclusive, and provide time for discussion on how these ideas apply to Skidmore faculty and students.

So we can plan adequately to accommodate dietary needs, by Monday, Nov. 7 please register here to attend the luncheon portion of the events.

James M. Lang, PhD is a former Professor of English and the founding Director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption University in Worcester, MA.  He is the author of six books, the most recent of which are Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It (Basic Books, 2020), Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning (Jossey-Bass, 2016), and Cheating Lessons: Learning from Academic Dishonesty (Harvard University Press, 2013). Lang writes a monthly column on teaching and learning for The Chronicle of Higher Education; his work has been appearing in the Chronicle since 1999.  His book reviews and public scholarship on higher education have appeared in a wide variety of newspapers and magazines, including The Conversation, Time, the Boston Globe, and Chicago Tribune. He has conducted workshops on teaching for faculty at more than two hundred colleges or universities in the US and abroad, and consulted for the United Nations on the development of teaching materials in ethics and integrity for college faculty. Two of his children currently attend Skidmore. You can follow him on Twitter at @LangOnCourse or learn more at http://jamesmlang.com.

Research Salon with Assistant Professor Kris Covey (Environmental Studies and Sciences): “The Soil Inventory Project: Building a National-Scale Distributed Soil Carbon Data Collection and Modeling Platform”

Date: Wednesday, November 16 from 4:00-5:00 PM in the Weller Room (Lib 212)

Description: Kris Covey studies terrestrial ecosystems and their role in climate and life. An applied ecologist, and a biogeochemist, he works to integrate his research into solutions for managing human-dominated landscapes for multiple values. In 2020, Kris co-founded The Soil Inventory Project(TSIP) along with Bruno Basso (MSU). Serving as the NGO’s President, he works with private, industry, academic, and foundation partners to develop a distributed national-scale soil inventory system to inform soil management and markets.

Bridge Experience (BE) Brown Bag Lunch Series with BE and Civic Engagement Director, Eric Morser

Date: Friday, November 18 from 12:15-1:15 in CIS 321

Description: This final brown bag session in the fall series will focus on how to modify courses in the natural sciences to fit the BE requirements. Joining him are Associate Professors Lia Ball (Chemistry) and Evan Halstead (Physics) who have successfully taught BE courses and can offer guidance to other faculty wishing to do the same.

Accessibility Considerations for Teaching and Learning with Aaron Kendall and Meg Hegener

Date: Wednesday, October 5 from 4:00-5:00 PM in the Weller Room (212) of the library

Description: Join LEDS and Student Academic Services for a discussion about classroom accommodations and accessibility in the classroom. We will discuss accommodation options and best practices, demonstrate tools to assist with making digital course content more accessible, introduce basic concepts of Universal Design for Learning, and apply tools/approaches used during the pandemic to quickly pivot to hybrid modes of teaching and learning. 

Bridge Experience (BE) Brown Bag Lunch Series with BE and Civic Engagement Director, Eric Morser.

Date: Friday, October 14 from 12:00-1:00 PM in the Weller Room (212) of the library

Description: This is the second in the lunch series devoted to discussion of delivering Bridge Experience courses—past, present, or future. Members of the LEDS team Aaron Kendall and Ben Harwood will join this brown bag lunch to discuss ways instructors can incorporate technologies to enhance BE classes.

NY6 Presents: Policies and Practices to Support Gender Diverse Students, Faculty, and Staff with Jamie MaKinster, PhD and Becca Barile, EdD 

Date: October 21, 2022 from 1:30-3:00 PM (Zoom; registration required)

Description: Increasing numbers of students, faculty, and staff self-identify as transgender, gender non-binary, and/or gender diverse. Creating a sense of belonging for these individuals requires an academic community to be intentional, explicit, and consistent. This workshop will provide staff and faculty with insight regarding the experiences of people who are gender diverse on campus and some of the ways in which they experience gender euphoria and/or dysphoria. Most importantly, it will facilitate the identification of specific practices, policies, and resources intended to help you and your office, department, or program. Ultimately, our goal is to create more gender-inclusive campuses and experiences for some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. The workshop will be active and interactive as we facilitate the sharing and dissemination of strategies and resources employed at each of the NY6 campuses. 

• Goals:
  • Develop a shared understanding of how our institutions, both individually and collectively, can foster a greater sense of belonging for community members who are gender diverse 
  • Identify practices, policies, and resources one can adopt or use to create a more inclusive experience for members of our communities who are gender diverse 
  • Explore and reflect upon the experiences of gender diverse students, faculty, and staff at residential liberal arts colleges
  • Develop a better understanding of what it means to be gender-diverse

Participants must register for this workshop. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Jamie MaKinster, PhD is the Senior Associate Provost for Curricular Initiatives and Assessment at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. She partners with the leadership team in the Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs to advance a diverse portfolio of responsibilities that includes curricular initiatives, evaluation and assessment, the management of specific academic programs, efforts focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and strategic planning. Jamie has been a faculty member in Educational Studies at HWS for 20 years. Her teaching and scholarship focus on educational leadership, environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and issues of gender and gender identity in higher education.

Becca B. Barile, EdD is the Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, overseeing Student Engagement (Student Activities, Residential Education, Greek Life, and Orientation), the Counseling Center, Health Center, Campus Safety, and student behavioral risk assessment. She chaired the task force that founded the LGBTQ+ Resource Center at HWS and teaches in the LGBTQ+ Studies program.  In addition to her work at HWS, she’s held administrative responsibilities at Ithaca College, Keuka College, and SUNY Cortland. Her scholarship is focused on queer leadership and is currently concluding a qualitative study on the lived experiences on non-binary individuals in the workplace.

What the F*@# Just Happened?: Confronting Challenges in the Classroom

Date: Friday, October 21 from 4:00-5:00 PM in Emerson Auditorium

Description: Come socialize with members of the new faculty learning community and meet with veteran faculty members Mary Crone Odekon (Physics), Tim Harper (Management & Business), Lucy Oremland (Mathematics and Statistics), Smriti Tiwari (Economics), and John Brueggemann (Sociology) who will discuss how they have coped with various challenges arising in the classroom.

Fall Book Club: Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the Classroom (West Virginia UP, 2022)

Date: Friday, October 28 from 1:00-2:00 PM in the Weller Room (212) of the library

Description: This recently published book by biology professor Kelly Hogan and mathematics professor Viji Sathy offers cross-disciplinary practical strategies for enhancing student learning for students of all abilities. If faculty and staff are interested in participating in a discussion about this book, please email Beck Krefting who will send you a copy of the book prior to the event. There is space for up to 12 folks to participate—first come, first served—the sooner you reach out, the sooner the book will be in your mailbox. You may only request a copy if you know you can commit to attending the discussion.

Digital Collections Workshop with David Seiler, Visual Resources and Digitization Director  

Date: Friday, September 16 from 2-3 PM in the Weller Room of the library 

Description: Lucy Scribner Library’s Digital Collections are derived primarily from analog materials contained within the Department of Special Collections, where both the college's archives and rare book collections are housed.  This workshop will include a detailed overview of the collections’ depth and scope; will provide attendees with useful tips and strategies for navigating and searching the collections; and will present some sample case studies for use of the material contained within. 

Bridge Experience (BE) Brown Bag Lunch Series with BE and Civic Engagement Director, Eric Morser. More details about the fall series will be included in the September newsletter. 

Date: Friday, September 23 from 12-1 PM in the Weller Room of the library

Description: Are you teaching a Bridge Experience course and want to compare notes with other faculty across disciplines? Come share ideas, work through rough patches, and otherwise join a conversation around the rewards and challenges of teaching Bridge Experience classes. 

Super Courses: Fostering Deep Learning with Ken Bain [rescheduled from last spring] 

Date: Tuesday, September 27 from 3:30-5 PM over Zoom 

Description: Ken Bain, author of Super Courses: The Future of Teaching and Learning (2021), will conduct an interactive workshop on “deep” approaches and achievement in learning. He will challenge the way faculty think about pedagogy AND help them develop specific strategies they may implement in their classes. The goal is to consider the foundations of Super Courses, which use researched-based elements to build a “natural critical learning environment” that fosters intrinsic motivation, self-directed learning, and self-reflective reasoning. This event is sponsored by a grant from the Mellon Foundation in support of pedagogical and curricular development at Skidmore (2018-2021) 

Assessments to Foster Deep Learning with Ken Bain [rescheduled from last spring] 

Date: Wednesday, September 28 from 1:30-2:30 PM over Zoom 

Description: Super Courses require assessments that motivate students to learn deeply and to take control of their own learning. In this more focused follow-up workshop, participants will begin to explore more effective assessment strategies and will emerge with concrete plans for implementing them in their classes.