Summer Workshop Series June 18-27

Lucas Anderson, Jordan Leising, Maude Yacapsin, and the CITL Graduate Affiliates Kathleen McGowan and James Steur will be bringing back the annual CITL Course Design Series in June. This 8-workshop series introduces participants to backward course design, then uses backward design principles to guide participants through the crucial elements of their course design, from setting course objectives, to choosing appropriate assessments and learning activities, all the way through establishing course policies and creating a syllabus, with special attention to issues of inclusive teaching. Workshops will be in-person at the Armory building on Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 18-June 27. See the CITL calendar for the specific topics and to register.

Volunteer for the August 2024 Grad Academy!

TheGraduate Academy for College Teaching is the campus-wide pre-semester TA training program. Over 750 new TAs from dozens of departments across campus are expected to attend, and we can use your help. The Grad Academy is a robust training program because experienced and enthusiastic teachers volunteer their time and knowledge to make it great. Volunteering at the Academy is fulfilling, makes a real difference to new TAs, and adds some unique University service to your CV. Please volunteer using this form. You can help in at least one of three ways:

• Facilitate Microteaching. Give feedback to new TAs on short, mock lessons they deliver, while helping things run on time and being a friendly face for potentially nervous new teachers. Training provided.
• Run a Small Group Session.Use a CITL lesson plan to introduce new TAs to some basics of lesson planning and student teacher interaction. Help students develop their Microteaching plans. Training provided. Ideal for experienced TAs.
• Run a Concurrent Session. Design and deliver a workshop on a teaching and learning topic of your choice. Face-to-face and Zoom workshops are needed.Ideal for very experienced instructors.

The Grad Academy will take place August 19-20, with Microteaching August 21-22. Volunteer using this form. Contact Lucas Anderson at lander23@illinois.edu if you have questions.

Canvas Open Office Hours
Recurring: every Thursday, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Zoom
Host: CITL Instructional Support Team

Overview of Course Design: Summer Course Design Series #1
Tuesday, June 18, 1pm-2pm
Armory Building, Room 182
Registration Link
Contact: Lucas Anderson (CITL)

Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Designing Inclusive Courses - Summer Course Design Series #2
Tuesday, June 18, 2:15pm-3:15pm
Armory Building, Room 182
Registration Link
Contact: Lucas Anderson (CITL)

Crafting Learning Objectives: Summer Course Design Series #3
Thursday, June 20, 1pm-2pm
Armory Building, Room 182
Registration Link
Contact: Lucas Anderson (CITL)

Choosing Assessments that Align with your Objectives: Summer Course Design Series #4
Thursday, June 20, 2:15pm-3:15pm
Armory Building, Room 182
Registration Link
Contact: Lucas Anderson (CITL)

Stay tuned for this summer's events! Bookmark the CITL Event Calendar for all upcoming workshops and the Training Services (formerly FAST3) Calendar for additional training opportunities.

How to UDL-ify Your Syllabus: Action and Expression

This is the third and final article in a three-series focused on applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to your syllabus. The first article focused on Engagement; the second article examined Representation. The third principle, Action and Expression, provides multiple modes for students to express or demonstrate course learning through different outputs or assessments.

You may wonder how you could cater to your students' needs by applying the UDL Action and Expression principle to the syllabus. UDL principles are designed to work with all course contents (e.g., syllabus, rubric, learning activities, etc.) As you read on, you will have your "Aha!" moment. Let's examine some options for Action and Expression.

When we think ofthe principle of doing something or expressing ourselves, we give our students options or alternatives for how they want to interact with the course contents through the assignments or projects. This approach requires a creative mindset, as we need to offer options while adhering to the course and activity objectives. The requirements are necessary to give them structure; adding options to the requirements will remove barriers for those with invisible disabilities or English as a second language, for instance. However, all students benefit from the UDL principle regardless of abilities because they are given more freedom to learn and express themselves. Instead of requiring them to present orally (traditional oral presentation), think outside the box; allow them to consider the following choices:

• Play (role-play)
• Movie/video
• Puppet show
• Poster session
• Games (Jeopardy! or Crossword)

The list of choices above allows students to choose an activity to put into action or to express. UDL allows for alternatives that better meet the needs of students with differing abilities or circumstances. For example, instructors often require all students to write a term paper as the only option, creating barriers for some students. Instead of this option, let them present in other ways. Some ideas are:

• Concept or mind mapping
• Photo slideshow or visual analysis paper
• Animations
• Wiki platforms, web page, or website

These ideas give you a great start to think about your course; this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are other opportunities where you can UDL-ify your course with the principle of Action and Expression in mind. While oral presentation and term papers are traditional ways of assessing and shouldn’t be abandoned altogether, ask yourself, “what changes can I make for students to demonstrate what they have learned but in different ways?” Small instances work wonders, and your teaching techniques improve. You will be amazed at how excited your students will be when they see the alternatives in the syllabus. Enhance your students’ learning opportunities by guiding them through multiple modes of Action or Expression as they share their knowledge differently. If you want more information or a consultation on this topic, CITL’s UDL Team is here to help. Please email us at CITL-UDLTeam@illinois.edu.