There are several exciting, collaborative, and timely professional development opportunities available to you this semester. More information and registration links are provided below.
Accessible Skills Challenge
In April 2024, the Department of Justice (DoJ) expanded the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act to require electronic materials to be accessible for individuals with disabilities by April 24, 2026. As a faculty member, this means ensuring ALL course materials—documents, web pages, images, and videos—are accessible.
- For more details, visit the Department of Justice (DoJ) Ruling Overview.
Join the challenge!
We are offering an email prompt challenge to help you build your accessibility skills. For 8 weeks, from February 3 until April 6, participants will receive an email prompt asking them to perform a task in their course to make it more accessible.bThese skills will focus on core elements of your content that you can then apply across the course to make the entire course accessible. A badge will be provided for those who complete 6 of the 8 weekly tasks. Feel free to pick and choose which prompts you’d like to try!
- To sign up, complete the Accessible Skills Challenge Registration form.
- For more information, visit the Accessible Skills Challenge blog post.
- For a list of additional training options, visit the Accessibility Training list.
- To work independently on your course(s), visit the Accessibility Checklist.
- For a consultation on your content, reach out to your local instructional designer.
Creating Online Assessments with Integrity in Mind
This session explores the changes that you can make to your assessments to take advantage of the affordances of the online environment while keeping integrity in mind. Topics include setting expectations for online assessments, determining the most effective delivery method in your teaching context, adapting assessments from in-person to online formats, and leveraging technology to incorporate assessment options to minimize possibilities for dishonesty. There will be a focus on practical examples from faculty at Penn State, as well as, opportunities for discussion for tailored applicability in a variety of courses.
- Date: January 23 or 24
- Time: 12:15 to 1:15 P.M.
- Zoom link
Cross-Campus Teaching Circles
Looking for a way to connect with colleagues across campuses and chat about teaching and learning? Cross Campus Teaching Circles (CCTCs) are informal monthly meetings where you can share ideas, explore solutions, and discover new approaches. One of the greatest benefits of participating is hearing how other faculty address similar challenges and exchanging strategies and successes.
CCTCs are organized around the following topics:
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Business and Communications
- Artificial Intelligence (Exploring the Basics)
- Humanities
- Online/Hybrid Teaching
- STEM
Sign up to receive calendar invites and be part of the conversation! For more information and to sign up, visit Cross Campus Teaching Circles.