Dear Colleagues,

As the Spring term draws to a close I’ve been thinking a lot about how I might better evaluate the efforts that I’ve put into crafting inclusive practices and culturally-responsive curriculum in the courses that I teach. To that end, I developed an evaluation rubric to gather feedback from the students in these specific areas that are not addressed in the regular course evaluations. I gave this survey to my students last week and it gave me a lot to consider about areas where I may focus my attention to amplify my DEI efforts. You may find my evaluation in a Google Form, and copy it for your own use. To do so, visit the Chapman Google Forms template gallery and click on the form to make a copy to your Google Drive. Note: You will need to be signed into Google with your Chapman credentials to see the Chapman Google Forms template gallery.

This month also marks the close of the year-long Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative that was co-sponsored by the library and the IETL. Many good outcomes emerged from the meetings, but perhaps most importantly is the outcome that Calculus classes at Chapman will begin using an OER textbook, which will offer significant savings to students in these courses. Kudos go to all of the faculty that participated in the OER program and who are considering using Open resources for part or all of their content needs.

Educational Technology Services wants to recognize the dozens of instructors who have been nominated by their students for teaching well with Canvas. Over the summer we will reveal the names of these instructors and share their secrets for creating the type of Canvas components that students love, such as unique syllabi, video demonstrations, organized modules, and weekly checklists. Thus, you may want to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and on our blog to see this featured content.

Would you like to try using an engaging tool for quizzing students in your classroom this summer or fall? If so, please sign up for our Kahoot! Pilot by using this form. Faculty in the Pilot are asked to evaluate this tool to help determine whether we will license it for widespread use on our campus.

Finally, I’ll end my column this month contemplating what lies ahead for the summer. For me, it’s a time of travel, extended family visits, and fresh caprese salads from my garden. I will be around Chapman over the summer and would love to visit with any of you who would like to have a friendly chat about teaching…please drop me an email and let’s set up a time to connect virtually or in-person.

PS: Did you miss Jose Bowen’s talk on “Hard Conversations in the Classroom?”  If so, here’s the link to watch the recording of his lively and informative talk.