Workshops
Developing Instructor Academy
We are all developing instructors, no matter if this is your first quarter or our 35th year teaching. The Developing Instructor Academy was developed to provide faculty with equitable, research-based, high-impact models of instruction – foundational to college teaching.
High 5
High 5 is our movement toward closing the student success gaps! Develop your teaching toolkit and share ideas with colleagues about how to implement 5 high-impact strategies proven to increase student retention rates because you and your students are connecting in meaningful ways.
TILT – Transparency in Learning and Teaching
is a part of our High 5 practices as well as in integral part of the strands in the Developing Instructor Academy. Take a deeper dive into Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT), a clear and easy teaching framework that has a big impact on student learning. The basic idea is that you explain to the students WHY you are having them do particular assignments and/or projects.
Preparing for the First Week of Class – The Nuts and Bolts of an Equitable Start to the Quarter
How do we create equity in our classroom from the first week of class? The Nuts and Bolts of an “Equitable First Week of Class” is a workshop for both new and seasoned faculty to learn and review effective practices for designing an equitable classroom.
Am I a Reading Instructor?
Reading Apprenticeship (RA) bridges the experience of the novice and expert reader into an equity-based framework for instructors across academic disciplines by incorporating reading comprehension into their teaching methods.
Themed Teaching Squares
A Teaching Square is a group of four faculty members ideally from different disciplines who work together to explore their teaching. At the end of one quarter, one instructor reflected on this activity, saying: “I have known that there isn’t a ‘one right way’ to teach, but by truly being in the mindset of observing the learning process across the spectrum, I was able to actually see that truth. Themes have included:
Preparing for the First Week of Class
How do we create equity in our classroom from the first week of class? This workshop is for both new and seasoned faculty to learn and review effective practices for designing an equitable classroom. Themes have included:
- Universal Design for Learning Approach
- Positive Classroom Climate
- Nuts and Bolts to an Equitable Start to the Quarter
Positive Psychology
Join us as we delve into Martin E.P. Seligman’s exciting book Flourish, which turns the medical model of psychology on its head by focusing on amplifying well-being as opposed to the disease model of relieving suffering.
Accommodations Unwrapped
Sara Gardner, Program Director of Autism Spectrum Navigators, a student success program of the Center for Career Connections, brings a rich history of creating and implementing accommodations in a variety of settings, including as faculty in college autism cohort classes, where every student has multiple accommodations. Sara is a disability expert who is dedicated to helping faculty support students efficiently and effectively.
Book Clubs
Join us as we examine equity, social justice, and instruction through the lens of different books. We come together each week to discuss the content in the book while also examining how these themes influence and inspire our teaching.
2018-2021 Book Clubs:
- So You Want to Talk about Race?
- White Fragility
- March
- Exploring Equity & Intersectionality through Graphic Novels
- Me and White Supremacy
- How to be an Antiracist
- Teaching to Transgress
- How You Say It: Why You Talk the Way You Do
- Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching
Equity for Adjuncts
All faculty are integral to the success of our students and the college. The Faculty Commons offers a variety of services and workshops aimed at providing adjunct instructors with the support they need to effectively teach their students. Services provided include:
- Stipends for workshop participation
- Robust New Faculty Orientation and continued support
- Remote options for participating in workshops
- Microsoft Surface Loaner Program
- Advocacy for policies supporting adjuncts
- Paid leadership opportunities in the Commons (lead positions, workshop facilitators, mentor training)
Mentoring
“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” – Steven Spielberg
Bellevue College provides two mentoring programs – one for adjunct faculty and one for faculty on the tenure track. All faculty have the opportunity to be a part of a mentoring pair. Mentors receive paid training and ongoing support in their leadership role. Mentees receive personalized support in their role on campus.
Educational Excellence Site
Check out the Faculty Commons’ Educational Excellence Site where you can find a curated library of teaching and learning resources centered on equitable, student-centered, high-impact instructional practices. Two BC faculty support our Faculty Focus Blogs: one on teaching and learning; the other on diversity in the college environment. BC faculty and staff are encouraged to share their knowledge and experiences in teaching and learning to the campus.
Last Updated May 26, 2023