OFD Newsletter: Week of January 20, 2020

Spring 2020 Reading Circles: Sign-ups end Wednesday!

Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. TOMORROW, Wednesday, January 22, for OFD’s Spring 2020 Reading Circles. We offer Reading Circles in two modalities: Face to Face or Virtual (synchronous via Zoom).

This semester’s book selections are:

• Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education by Thomas J. Tobin and Kirsten T. Behling (West Virginia University Press, 2018, 312 pages). Co-author Thomas J. Tobin will be the keynote speaker at OFD’s Annual Teaching and Learning Symposium on February 28, 2020 at the McKimmon Center. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework grounded in the neuroscience of why, what, and how people learn. Tobin and Behling show that, although it is often associated with students with disabilities, UDL can be profitably broadened toward a larger ease-of-use and general diversity framework. Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone is aimed at faculty members, faculty-service staff, disability support providers, student-service staff, campus leaders, and graduate students who want to strengthen the engagement, interaction, and performance of all college students.
• Bandwidth Recovery: Helping Students Reclaim Cognitive Resources Lost to Poverty, Racism, and Social Marginalization by Cia Verschelden (Stylus Publishing, 2017, 170 pages). This book argues that the cognitive resources for learning of over half our young people have been diminished by the negative effects of economic insecurity, discrimination and hostility against non-majority groups based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity, and other aspects of difference. Recognizing that these students are no different than their peers in terms of cognitive capacity, this book offers a set of strategies and interventions to rebuild the available cognitive resources necessary to succeed in college and reach their full potential.

Register here

Faculty Writing Retreat: February 7

Do you struggle to keep writing projects moving during the busy semester? The Office of Faculty Development has partnered with NC State University Libraries to offer Faculty Writing Retreats for tenure and non-tenure track faculty.

Our next retreat will be held on Friday, February 7, in the Faculty Research Commons spaces at James B. Hunt Jr. Library (Centennial Campus). Sign up now to find uninterrupted time to write your article, grant proposal, book chapter, or dossier materials. Coffee/tea/water and a light breakfast will be provided.

Registration is for the full-day event (8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.), but please feel free to come and go as needed — join us all day, just in the morning, just in the afternoon, or even just for an hour or two! Our Faculty Writing Retreats feature drop-in consultations with librarians from NC State University Libraries.

Librarians will be available in the Faculty Commons to consult on various subjects related to faculty writing. You must register for the Writing Retreat to take advantage of this opportunity!

Register here

National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity

Through NC State University’s institutional membership, all graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty have access to the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD), which provides professional development, training, and mentoring. The NCFDD is an independent professional development, training and mentoring community of over 71,000 graduate students, post-docs, and faculty members.

NCFDD resources are broadly applicable across academic disciplines and include a range of topics such as time management, overcoming academic perfectionism, how to develop a daily writing plan, how to write grant proposals, and more. These resources offer concrete guidance that could increase your productivity and your sense of well-being.

Upcoming NCFDD webinars include:

• How to Manage Chronic Illness and Academic Life (January 28, 2:00-3:00 p.m.)
• How to Align Your Time with Your Priorities (February 13, 2:00-3:40 p.m.)
• How to Develop a Daily Writing Practice (March 12, 2:00-3:00 p.m.)

You can see other upcoming offerings here. If you have not yet signed up for your FREE institutional sub-account, visit the OFD website for instructions.