Accessible Syllabus Competition

Is your syllabus accessible to all students? Use the Anthology Ally Tool in your Fall 2024 Canvas courses to check the accessibility of your syllabus (PDF, Word, or Canvas Page). If necessary, follow the guidance to improve the score until the indicator turns green (good or perfect), and then fill out the Accessible Syllabus Competition Submission form.

  • Deadline is August 30th. Each course with an accessible syllabus enters your name into a drawing for a Penn State water bottle. For more information visit Accessible Syllabus Project.

Cross Campus Teaching Circles

Cross Campus Teaching Circles (CCTC) are now forming! CCTCs provide an opportunity to join in informal conversations with faculty from other campuses who are interested in similar teaching topics. Often the greatest benefit of participation is hearing how other faculty deal with situations similar to your own and sharing each of your best approaches.

  • Sign up here – there is no commitment as to the number of meetings you attend. You’ll get an email soon after from the Instructional Designer facilitating the group, reminding you of the first meeting time.

Writing Accountability Group

The Writing Accountability Group is a weekly Zoom meeting that provides an opportunity for you to schedule time on your calendar to focus on writing and moving projects forward on your agenda. This time can be for any type of writing, including research papers, grants, literature, course materials, and proposals; and it can be for any state of writing, such as outlines, presentations, editing, and proofreading, among others.

Top 5 Universal Design for Learning Strategy Series

The Top 5 Universal Design for Learning Strategy Series is a Provost Endorsed series of workshops that assist faculty in designing course materials and implementing instructional strategies that proactively reduce barriers for all learners.

Fall Semester AI Prompt Challenge

Would you like to join a Semester Prompt Challenge? Each week, from September 23 to November 11, you will receive a prompt related to course design, student support, or professional development. Feel free to pick and choose which prompts you try!

If you would like to, you may share the Microsoft Copilot prompts you develop with other faculty. We have a Teams space to talk and a connected website with additional resources. We hope these weekly invitations to practice using Copilot and discuss with others will be an opportunity to explore how Copilot can support your work. A similar prompt challenge happened this summer and was a great success with over 100 participants.

Teaching Online Program (TOP)

The Teaching Online Program (TOP) is a Provost Endorsed asynchronous series of professional development courses focused on best practices for teaching online. The Teaching Online Program offers three levels, each comprising four modules: Canvas, Multimedia Tools and Techniques, Design and Development, and Best Practices in Teaching Online.