2024-25 TLC Events

2024-25

Events this year will highlight the following themes: 

• Effective pedagogical approaches & classroom management in our "new normal"
• Generative AI
• Student success
• Inclusive teaching practices & establishing a community of belonging

If you require accommodations for equal access to any of the events below, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services via email at access@geneseo.edu, or call 585-245-5112 at least one week prior to this event.

Have a topic you'd really like to work more with that isn't listed here, or a speaker you'd like to hear from? Let the TLC know: tlc@geneseo.edu. We value your input! 

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Completed Programs & Materials

Spring 2025

Mon. 2/3, 3:30pm. TLC Teaching Squares Information Session

This session will provide an overview of the Teaching Squares program. Join us to learn more about how this peer observation group format works, and how you'll have the opportunity to reflect on and grow your own teaching practices.

Who Should Attend? 

• Anyone who has completed the S25 Teaching Squares Interest Form
• Anyone who is teaching a Geneseo class this semester and is interested in learning more

Who Is Eligible to Participate in a Teaching Square? 

• Anyone teaching a Geneseo class this semester, inclusive of all ranks and/or titles on campus

Agenda

• Welcome and overview of the Teaching Squares program
• Review of goals: what Teaching Squares are best used for (self-reflection, not evaluating others)
• Process discussion: a breakdown of the different steps involved
• Outcomes discussion: what you can expect to gain from participating
• Q&A

There will be time at the end to coordinate with your Square colleagues, if you have already signed up.

You are under no obligation to join a Square, however. Come and find out if this is the right opportunity for you right now, or if it might be better fit into a later semester. 
 

Fri. 1/3 & 1/17, 10am. TLC Common Read Book Group for Faculty & Staff

Join colleagues for a discussion centered around the 2024-25 Geneseo Common Read selection, You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It's Making the World a Weirder Place, by Janelle Shane (2019). This funny and accessible read supports the Geneseo Ideas That Matter focus on artificial intelligence this year.

This invitation is open to all. You do not need to have read the relevant portion of the book in order to join us in either meeting.

Discussions will include perspectives shared from students who took the Common Read course in Fall 2024. We encourage you to share your own experiences and perspectives on AI as part of our conversations.

About the book: 
"You look like a thing and I love you" is one of the best pickup lines ever . . . according to an artificial intelligence trained by scientist Janelle Shane, creator of the popular blog AI Weirdness. She creates silly AIs that learn how to name paint colors, create the best recipes, and even flirt (badly) with humans—all to understand the technology that governs so much of our daily lives.

We rely on AI every day for recommendations, for translations, and to put cat ears on our selfie videos. We also trust AI with matters of life and death, on the road and in our hospitals. But how smart is AI really... and how does it solve problems, understand humans, and even drive self-driving cars?

Shane delivers the answers to every AI question you've ever asked, and some you definitely haven't. Like, how can a computer design the perfect sandwich? What does robot-generated Harry Potter fan-fiction look like? And is the world's best Halloween costume really "Vampire Hog Bride"?

In this smart, often hilarious introduction to the most interesting science of our time, Shane shows how these programs learn, fail, and adapt—and how they reflect the best and worst of humanity.

You Look Like a Thing and I Love You is the perfect book for anyone curious about what the robots in our lives are thinking.

Wed. 1/15, 2pm. Spring Gen Ed Assessment Overview

This is an overview session for the Spring 2025 General Education assessment process.

This hour will include

• an introduction to this semester's assessment project
• an overview of the GLOBE learning outcomes
• a review of the assessment rubric and how it will be used
• a discussion of how this assessment can be accomplished
• within the scope of your individual courses
• a review of how to submit your assessment results

Everyone teaching a course with a gen ed attribute being assessed this semester is invited to attend. This includes

• CAI
• CGC
• Humanities
• Math/Quant Reasoning

This session was recorded. For access to the recording, please contact Alexis Clifton (clifton@geneseo.edu). 

Wed. 1/15, 10am. TLC Workshop: Introduction to Integrative and Applied Learning

Join the Center for Integrative Learning, the Career Design Center, and the Teaching & Learning Center for an introduction to the Integrative and Applied Learning (IAL) graduation requirement (January 15th from 10:00 – 11:30 AM in the Hunt Room). We will discuss the key components of IAL and the ways in which co-curricular experiences meet many of the standards of IAL. In this session, we will also focus on the steps students (supported by their supervisors) can take to register co-curricular experiences that fulfill the IAL graduation requirement.

Slides from this presentation can be viewed here. 

Fall 2024

Fri. 12/13, 1pm. TLC Conversation: Reflecting on AI's Impact in Fall Semester

To what extent did generative artificial intelligence shape your academic experience this semester? This informal TLC virtual event is an opportunity for faculty and staff to gather and reflect on emerging technology's impact on your teaching and/or professional practices.  

Questions for discussion will include: 

• What student attitudes and practices about AI did you observe in your courses?
• What steps did you take at the beginning, middle, or end of your semesters, to respond to AI usage?
• What changes did you make to your final exam or project strategies, related to AI?
• What did you struggle with most, in terms of AI, this semester?
• What changes, if any, do you plan for Spring?

We will commiserate, swap strategies, and share ideas throughout the session. Input from this conversation will help inform TLC and Ideas That Matter events in Spring 2025.

Tues. 12/10, 10am. CIT Open Gym

Study Day, December 10  – Open Gym in South 225
 

Drop by South Hall 225 between 10:00am - 2:00pm for a session with one of our coaches (i.e., work with an instructional designer or Educational Technology staff member for assistance with any end-of-semester class support needs). 

Tues. 12/3, 1pm. End of Semester Check-In: How are our student doing?

Please join Jaime Castillo, PhD and Laura Swanson, LCSW from Counseling Services for a TLC session to learn about mental health trends among Geneseo students. Learn about what student mental health trends we see on campus, as well as emerging trends nationwide. We will then invite you to share your experiences in and out of the classroom and offer a chance to connect, reflect, and problem-solve.

Wed. 11/19, 10am. TLC End of Semester Check-In for Faculty and Staff

How are you, our faculty and staff colleagues, doin? In reflecting on your role engaging students, how has the semester gone so far? What has gone well? What has been challenging? This discussion-based TLC session was organized with the simple goal of making time to connect with one another as we enter the final stretch of the semester. Facilitated by Laura Swanson from Counseling Services.

11/19-21. CIT & TLC: Making Brightspace a Better Space (3 Sessions)

CIT’s Educational Technology team & the TLC would like to invite you to participate in focus group conversations centered on the Geneseo Brightspace experience. These crucial conversations will focus on what Brightspace currently does well for your courses, and where you encounter problems or barriers. Together we’ll explore how can we make it easier for our students to succeed in this online environment.

Fri. 10/11 & 11/8, 9:30am. TLC Reading Group: Distracted, by James Lang

Join colleagues for a discussion centered around Distracted: Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do About It (2020), by James M. Lang. Our book group this fall will meet virtually, in order to expand access. There will be 2 sessions:

• Friday, 10/11 @ 9:30am: conversation focused on Part I
• Friday, 11/8 @ 9:30am: conversation focused on Part II
   

This invitation is open to all. You do not need to have read the relevant portion of the book in order to join us in either meeting.

A limited number of copies of this book are available for participants through the TLC. 

About the book: 
"Distracted argues that the debates we are having about the distracting power of our devices point us in the wrong direction. Rather than thinking about how to ban distractions from our easily distractible minds—since our minds have always been easily distractible—we should focus our work on creating learning environments that support and sustain attention.

The book draws deeply from research in education and the science of attention to support its arguments, as well as from classroom observations and the works of poets and philosophers alike. The book’s accessible writing style and diverse and unexpected array of sources will help teachers think about the challenge of attention in creative ways, and spark entirely new directions for research and conversation about the role of attention and distraction in the education of our students."

Wed. 10/30, 9:30am. Data Dashboard Discovery Series: Secrets of Scheduling

Planning an event for students? Trying to find a time for faculty and staff to meet? Bring a laptop to the first in our TLC series of Data Dashboard Workshops (presented by our Office for Institutional Research & Effectiveness) to discover the power of our schedule dashboards!

Thurs. 10/24, 1:00pm. Election Preparedness Conversation

With the General Election approaching, this dialogical TLC event will cover topics such as important application/registration deadlines, ways for students to vote, knowing your rights as a voter, opportunities for civic engagement in our college community, and on-campus resources before and after the election. Faculty and staff will have the chance to ask questions to ensure they feel confident and prepared to support and empower our students this election season.

We will meet via Teams to allow greater flexibility for participation.

This session will be facilitated by members of the Election Preparedness Taskforce: 

• Hanna Brant, Associate Professor of Political Science & International Relations
• Nicholas Palumbo, Assistant Dean of Students for Leadership & Service
• Laura Swanson, Staff Counselor

Wed. 10/23, 3:00pm. More Advice on Advising from the Institutional Advising Council

Since there are always surprises during advising, the TLC and IAC (Institutional Advising Council) are offering a second session for any advising issues or topics that we didn't address in the first session!  Drop in for as short or long as you like to discuss tricky advising cases, troubleshoot hiccups, and connect with colleagues during this busy time. This is a hybrid event, so you may opt to join in person or via Teams.

Wed. 10/16, 3:00pm. Advice on Advising from the Institutional Advising Council

Advisement Holds are posted to students' accounts on October 21 - join the TLC and Institutional Advising Council in a conversation about best practices, common student challenges, FAQs from advisors, and resources to support you and your students during course registration. This is a hybrid event, so you may opt to join in person or via Teams.

 

Wed. 10/9, 2:30pm. AI Flight School: Getting off the Ground with Copilot

This hands-on workshop is an opportunity to explore Microsoft Copilot, along with other common generative AI tools in popular use today. Come test how well this tool actually does in real-world, daily applications. Learn to recognize what AI results might look like, and how they might change based on the prompt you provide. Get ideas for how generative AI might even make some of your routine tasks a lot easier. 

This workshop is cofacilitated by Laurie Fox (CIT), Matt Pastizzo (Institutional Research), Paul Schacht (Center for Digital Learning), and Alexis Clifton (TLC). 

Feel free to bring your laptop, or plan to use the machines in the computer lab. 

Wed. 10/2, 2:30pm. CircleIn Information Session

In this meeting, Dana Thomas, Chief Operating Officer at CircleIn, provided a demo of CircleIn's Student Engagement Platform. He provided examples of how CircleIn can be adopted into your classroom and highlighted measurable outcomes.

• View the recording of this session here. 
• View the 5 Star Implementation plan here. 
• Invite Students to Download CircleIn with this Slide Deck
• CircleIn Training for Students, for adding into your Brightspace course

Tue. 9/10, 2:30pm. TLC Faculty Mentoring Information Session

This virtual session, co-hosted by Karleen West and Alexis Clifton, will provide information for those planning to serve as a faculty mentor this year. We will specifically describe the experiences and expectations for TLC Faculty Mentors, who are outside the home department and the evaluation process for their mentees.

This session will also be useful if you are serving as a faculty mentor in any other capacity on campus, such as within your own department, or are interested in becoming a mentor sometime in the future.

Resource shared: Geneseo Faculty Mentoring Resource Guide

Mon. 9/9, 3:30pm. TLC Teaching Squares Information Session

This session will provide an overview of the Teaching Squares program. Join us to learn more about how this peer observation group format works, and how you'll have the opportunity to reflect on and grow your own teaching practices.

Who Should Attend? 

• Anyone who has completed the F24 Teaching Squares Interest Form
• Anyone who is teaching a Geneseo class this semester and interested in learning more

Who Is Eligible to Participate in a Teaching Square? 
Anyone teaching a Geneseo class this semester, inclusive of all ranks and/or titles on campus

There will be time at the end to coordinate with your Square colleagues, if you have already signed up.

Fri. 9/6, 12:30pm. TLC Speaker: Avan Jassawalla, "Organizing and Managing Team Projects"

Prof. Jassawalla, Management professor in the School of Business, will share her experience, research, and teaching strategies for organizing and managing classroom team projects. This will include discussion on how instructors can help prevent issues such as social loafing (team member slacking off) and groupthink (avoiding constructive conflict) and improve team effectiveness through use of early team building and a peer evaluation system. Prof. Jassawalla's research is aimed at helping students develop their collaboration and teamwork competencies.

Join us for this virtual presentation and conversation about how team projects can be more productive and engaging in your own classroom applications.

Slides from this presentation can be accessed here. Additional supporting materials, including prompts for building a Team Charter and a Peer Evaluation form, can be requested from Dr. Jassawalla. Please reach out to her with any questions: jassawal@geneseo.edu