The CTFD Advisory Board met eight times during the 2007-2008 academic year. Attendance averaged 84% of the Advisory Board members and always included Pamela Vaughn, Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Director of CTFD. Three CTFD Advisory Board members were unable to attend meetings in the Spring 2008 semester due to their teaching schedules. Replacement faculty were requested from the appropriate colleges; however the three positions remained vacant.
Minnie Graham (Chair) and Amy Love (Vice-Chair) led the monthly meetings. The first charge to the CTFD Advisory Board is to provide advice and recommendations regarding the ongoing activities of the CTFD (see II below). At each meeting the CTFD Director provided an update of CTFD activities, so the Advisory Board was fully informed regarding all current and upcoming events and projects. Advisory Board members actively participated in the discussions of issues relevant to CTFD activities. The second charge to the CTFD Advisory Board is to serve as liaison to its various constituencies (see II below). Following each meeting, the Advisory Board actively participated in the marketing of CTFD events and activities to their respective colleges and the library. Advisory Board members also engaged in polling of fellow faculty regarding their teaching and development needs that could be met through CTFD. Therefore, in this report, the activities of the CTFD are an integral part of the mission and function of the CTFD Advisory Board and will be highlighted throughout the document.
CTFD enjoyed an exceptionally productive year. There was continuation of traditional events and activities in support for faculty re: professional achievement growth and community service in addition to several new and ambitious projects. Over the course of the year, the more significant accomplishments of the CTFD and/or the CTFD Advisory Board included the following:
á Successful production of New Faculty Orientation (NFO) 2007 followed by a series of CTFD-sponsored breakfast meetings (first semester), luncheons (end of first year), and First Annual Play Day for new SFSU faculty and children;
á Analysis of NFO 2007 evaluation surveys, providing direction to NFO 2008;
á Continued funding of three Faculty Associate positions in CTFD;
á Demonstrated commitment to supporting ongoing faculty professional development;
á Planning, production and marketing of CTFD workshops;
á Continued maintenance of the user-friendly CTFD website;
á Production of The Garden, a monthly e-newsletter for San Francisco State University faculty;
á Cooperative interactions with PDC and ETAC including committee representatives;
á Management of professional development awards review and recommendation process;
á Become an actively participating learning community with regard to Universal Design for Learning (UDL);
á Continue in a partnership and leadership role with Sonoma State re: the EnACT grant
More detailed descriptions and discussion of these activities are found under III. Activities of the Year below.
II.
Charge to the Committee
The Center for Teaching and Faculty Development (CTFD) Advisory Board shall:
1. Provide advice and recommendations regarding the ongoing activities of the CTFD;
2. Serve as liaison to its various constituencies; and
3. Provide an annual report to the Academic Senate.
Membership
on the CTFD Board:
á Nine faculty, one elected from each College and the Library, who will serve staggered three-year terms;
á The Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, ex officio;
á The Associate Dean for Faculty Development (director of CTFD), ex officio;
á One representative selected by the Vice President for Student Affairs;
á One representative selected by the Director of Academic Technology;
á One representative selected by the Academic Senate;
The Board will select its own chair and vice-chair. The chair must have served on the Board for at least one year and will be elected each spring by the Board to serve a one-year term.
III. Activities of the Year
Attendance and Communications The university community is well-represented on the CTFD Advisory Board (see membership section above). Keeping with tradition, the Advisory Board met on the first Tuesday of the month from 12:30 Ð 2:00 p.m. during September, October, November, December, February, March, April, and May in ADM 460. The regularity of Advisory Board membersÕ attendance was commendable.
CTFD Board Chair Minnie Graham (Education) invited suggestions for agenda items from the Advisory Board, distributed minutes of the previous meeting, and circulated reminders of the meetings via e-mail. With the assistance of Jeannie Cheng (CTFD), an iLearn CTFD Advisory Board website was created for posting of the CTFD Advisory Board charge, membersÕ responsibilities, meeting agendas, meeting minutes, and other information. At each meeting, Pamela Vaughn, Director of CTFD, reported on the CenterÕs activities from the previous month and plans for upcoming projects. What follows is a summary of specific discussions and activities that occurred during the 2007-2008 academic year.
New
Additions to CTFD Staff
In Fall 2007, CTFD welcomed Meg Gorzycki, Associate Instructional Designer, to their staff.
New
Faculty Orientation (NFO) 2007
Under the direction of CTFD Director Pamela Vaughn, CTFD provided New Faculty Orientation for 83 new faculty in August 2007. The orientation lasted for 5 days with each day having successively shorter times. Evaluations were collected and a meeting held to discuss the improvements. An iLearn discussion forum was established for new faculty to allow them to post questions and share information on their professional lives at SFSU, personal lives in San Francisco, RTP, teaching pedagogy, etc.
Faculty
Associate Positions
Faculty Associate positions represent .20 assigned time to work on one of several possible projects related to teaching and scholarship. Faculty Associates are expected to develop a deeper awareness of their own teaching and their studentsÕ learning; to reflect; to investigate; to develop methodologies and applications; and to communicate their discoveries to their colleagues. Faculty Associates present CTFD workshops, facilitate peer discussions pertaining to their research, and contribute to The Garden e-newsletter.
Two faculty associates--Bruce Avery (English) and Masahiko Minami (Foreign Languages and Literatures)--were given assigned time in Fall 2007 semester to work on pedagogical projects. Amy Love (English) continued her work with CTFD on the rollout and consultation of Turnitin and Academic Integrity. In Spring 2008, CTFD supported 3 faculty members--Alise Paillard (Special Education), Jo Tomalin (Theatre Arts) and Amy Love (English)--on the EnACT project in the process of developing Accessible Instructional Multimedia.
CTFD
Workshops (See CTFD website: http://www.sfsu.edu/~ctfd)
CTFD offered a variety of workshops during the academic year 2007-2008, e.g., grant writing, iLearn Showcase, Turnitin, designing an effective syllabus, assessment rubrics, teaching methods, and managing stress at work and play. Flyers were sent to the Advisory Board so they could promote the workshops to the faculty members in their colleges. The CTFD website provides a list of workshops organized by CTFD and Academic Technology (AT) combined. Advisory Board members with expertise that they were willing to share with other faculty were invited to lead a workshop.
During the 2007-2008 academic year, CTFD conducted several workshops for Department Chairs regarding conflict resolutions and communication skills.
Pamela Vaughn, Jeannie Cheng, and Meg Gorzycki (CTFD) offered to visit the CTFD Advisory BoardÕs classes to keep current on the challenges members are facing in their classes and also to understand their expertise in teaching.
Marketing of CTFD workshops is extensive and currently includes distributing flyers to all faculty mailboxes, e-mailing faculty who have previously taken CTFD workshops, e-mailing all new and part-time faculty and lecturers, advertising in the CampusMemo, and posting workshop schedules to the CTFD website and The Garden newsletter. In addition, the CTFD Advisory Board members serve as representatives to interact with faculty in their colleges and library re: CTFD activities. The Advisory Board sent periodic emails to the faculty in their colleges and library about CTFD activities. Faculty were invited to submit requests, suggestions, and feedback related to faculty professional development issues to CTFD Advisory Board.
CTFD Website
& The Garden Newsletter (See CTFD website: http://www.sfsu.edu/~ctfd)
The
CTFD website (http://www.sfsu.edu/~ctfd) provides plentiful resources for
faculty (e.g., academic integrity and plagiarism, Turnitin, campus safety,
development opportunities, effective teaching practices, enhancing classroom
participation, faculty development across the world, and lecturer faculty) and
our students (student learning styles, student learning support, and student
writing support). On the user-friendly website, faculty can learn more about
upcoming workshops, faculty associates, media library, and the faculty book
club.
New
to the website is a Faculty Resources Guide. This portion of the website
includes useful information that members can share with new staff and
lecturers. The information is
based on the current SFSU website and printed materials..
Also located on the CTFD website are electronic copies of The Garden, a faculty development e-newsletter issued monthly. The e-newsletter displays a list of workshops being offered plus articles representing a mixture of popular and new topics. Faculty are invited to contribute to the e-newsletter. In Spring 2008, CTFDÕs The Garden e-newsletter highlighted Universal Design for Learning. Paul Beckman, Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems contributed an article ÒApplying UDL Concepts in the Classroom.Ó
CTFD Representative to the
Professional Development Council (PDC)
The Professional Development Council (PDC) and the Center for Teaching and Faculty Development (CTFD) enjoy a close working relationship. The PDC oversees the application and selection process of the four professional development awards, making award recommendations to the Provost. Pamela Howard volunteered to serve as CTFD representative to attend PDC meetings for the 2007-2008 academic year. Duties included reading, discussing and ranking the 147 proposals for the four awards.
Educational
Technology Advisory Committee (ETAC)
ETAC is a committee that advises
the SF State campus administration on policy and plans for the academic
technology around convergence and integration of many forms of teaching,
learning, research and services. Amy Love served as ETAC representative to the
CTFD Advisory Board. Among topics of discussion shared with the CTFD Advisory
Board were: ePortfolios--electronic portfolios for students; upgrade,
maintenance and integration of iLearn plus programming support through AT to
integrate Digital Information Virtual Archive (DIVA) with iLearn; ETAC Faculty
Technology Survey; DoIT project; Disability Access projects; mainstreaming of
Turnitin anti-plagiarism software and producing of a Guide for Turnitin;
Academic Integrity Policy; AT and IT strategic planning; and a web-conferencing
environment AT is piloting with ITEC called Elluminate Live.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Ensuring Access Through Collaboration &
Technology (EnACT Grant)
ACCESS: California State University Accessible
Technology Initiative
EnACT is a holistic approach to teaching development supported by technology. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, EnACT promotes faculty development of the necessary skills for support and training of students with disabilities. The three goals of EnACT are: (1) collaboration to ensure access to a quality education, (2) technology, and (3) dissemination of online professional developments resources.
Section 508 is a federal law
adopted in 1989 requiring all electronic and information technology developed,
procured, maintained or used by the federal government to be accessible to
persons with disabilities. All state entities, including SFSU as part of the
CSU system, must comply this law. ACCESS, or the SF State branding of the CSU
Accessible Technology Initiative, has three priorities in close alignment with
EnACT goals: (1) instructional materials, (2) web accessibility, and (3)
electronic and information technology procurement. It should be noted that CTFD
started the EnACT grant project related to UDL long before the Accessible
Technology Initiative came out from the CSU. There is no other university
system that has this initiative.
The CTFD has been involved with the EnACT project for almost two years with Gene Chelberg (Disability Programs and Resource Center: DPRC) and Pamela Vaughn serving as project co-directors. 2008 is the last year for funding and CTFD has taken steps with DPRC and other units to institutionalize much of what happens regarding UDL, e.g., accessible workshops and documents produced by CTFD. An Access Showcase was held on campus in April. Participants were exposed to exciting things faculty and staff are already doing in relationship to technology and pedagogy, and in terms of the Accessible Technology Initiative and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Advisory Board recommends and supports improved communication and collaboration among all parties in future planning of an Access Showcase.
CTFD has a faculty learning community focused on teaching and learning. Last fall, 47 faculty members and other staff attended the UDL training session through CTFD. CTFD is planning to showcase UDL and to develop venues for interdepartmental discussions of UDL. Pamela Vaughn is also involved with the outreach subcommittee for the All University Committee for students, staff, and faculty with disabilities and works closely with the DPRC. The center responds to professional growth needs of instructors, makes training accessible and promotes resources and services offered by CTFD.
Last year, the EnACT Faculty Learning Committee (FLC) was formed with Paul Beckman as the Faculty Mentor. The project works primarily with new faculty and those who may not have had previous experience working with individuals with disabilities. How-to guides and online resources for faculty on how to convert and set up documents as well as implementing a support structure for universal design were developed. Jeannie Cheng and Bob Moyce of CTFD worked on the development of a fully accessible online course for Fall 2007.
The major focus of the CTFD Advisory Board this academic year was learning more about UDL Guidelines. UDL Guidelines will become an integral part of the Advisory BoardÕs goals and activities for the next five years. As a campus in the CSU system, the focus of the CSU Accessible Technology and the Accessible Technology Initiative is to create, as much as possible, a fully accessible campus.
The CTFD Advisory Board agreed, with the guidance of Pamela Vaughn, to
At the November meeting, Gene Chelberg (DPRC) gave a presentation re: CSU Accessibility Initiative and Universal Design (UDL). He is responsible for organizing and implementing the CSU Accessible Technology Initiative on the SFSU campus. Dr. Chelberg cited several ways how electronic information technology will be used on the campus.
1. Administrative web sites
2. Web sites for faculty to enter grades and students to check grades
3. Web sites for students to check on financial aid
4. Other administrative webs sites, such as Sims, People Soft, FMS, HRMS
5. Academic web sites
6. Third Party web sites
7. Instructional Materials
8. Personal Response System
In December, Paul Beckman, Associate Professor in the Information System Department presented his perspective on and use of UDL in the classroom. Pamela Vaughn suggested that the Advisory Board help raise faculty awareness of (1) UDL principles, that is, issues of accessibility and design in a curriculum environment that is fully accessible, and (2) CTFDÕs role in this process (assimilating resources, working with DPRC and providing support for faculty.
At the February and March meetings, the Advisory Board previewed and provided feedback regarding the PowerPoint/video presentation Universal Design for Learning Orientation prepared by CTFD staff and narrated by Meg Gorzycki (CTFD). The self-guided Accessibility/UDL training module is available on the CTFD website at (http://academic.sfsu.edu/facaffairs/ctfd/ctfd_accessibility/udl_training_module.php). A new CTFD video on UDL created as part of the MERLOT/ELIXR project was also viewed and featured Neil Lindeman who addressed his application of UDL in one of his technical and professional writing courses. Following these presentations, the Advisory Board discussed and provided examples of how they are implementing UDL in their own classrooms. Further discussion included how these principles can be infused in the classroom and how they apply to other departments as well.
EnACT received approval from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a partnership with Sonoma State providing faculty development in UDL that focuses exclusively on faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The five participants will be coordinating science, technology and math and focusing on Universal Design Faculty Learning Community.
MERLOT/ELIXR
The MERLOT/ELIXR project was intended to develop and test new collaborations amongst faculty development centers and online resource repositories. The goals are: (1) to create innovative models for the development, sharing and use of discipline-oriented resources which illustrate exemplary teaching practices, and (2) to support faculty with exemplary learning objects in order to help the implementation of those practices with their students. Neil Lindeman (Technical and Professional Writing) was designated to conduct the pilot project by developing a case story using his TPW470 Writing Professional Promotions course.
American Council on Education (ACE) Sloan
Foundation Award
Although SFSU did not receive the grant, Pamela Vaughn prepared an application for SFSU for an ACE Alfred P. Sloan Foundation award ($200,000), which focuses on policies and protocols with recruiting/retaining a diverse and excellent faculty, focusing on individual programs at university initiatives. The university conducted a faculty survey; forty percent participation was needed in order for SFSU/CTFD to quality for the ACE Sloan Foundation Grant.
CTFD Advisory Board
Elections for 2008-2009 Academic Year
CTFD Advisory Board elections for the academic year 2008-2009 were held in May 2008. The CTFD Advisory Board elected Amy Love (English, College of Humanities) to serve as Chair and Jane Galvan (Physical Therapy, College of Health and Human Services) to serve as Vice-Chair during the 2008-2009 academic year. Pamela Howard (Library) will continue as CTFD Advisory Board representative to the Professional Development Council for academic year 2008-2009.
IV. Agenda for the Coming Year
Chair-elect Amy Love, Vice-Chair-elect Jane Galvan, and the CTFD Advisory Board will:
á Support the CTFD director and staff in an advisory capacity;
q
Nine faculty, one elected from each college and the
Library
Alexander
Schuster, Mathematics, College of Science and Engineering (F07 only; 2007-2010)
Vacant,
College of Science and Engineering (Spr08; 2-007-2010)
Pamela Howard, Senior Assistant
Librarian, Library (2007-2010)
q
One representative selected by the Vice President
for Student Affairs
Patricia Davis, Counseling/Psychoiogical Services, Center/Student Affairs (2005-2008)
q
One representative selected by the Director of
Academic Technology
Maggie Beers, Director, Academic Technology
q
One representative selected by the Academic Senate
Amy
Love, English, College of Humanities (2007-2010)
q
The Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professional
Development, ex-officio
Marilyn Verhey, Dean, Faculty Affairs and Professional Development (2007-2008)
q
The Associate Dean for Faculty Development (director
of CTFD), ex-officio
Pamela Vaughn, Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Center for Teaching and Faculty Development (2007-2008)