One part of the position as CETL Director that I really value and appreciate is the opportunity for my own professional development. Part of my time every day is spent in developing my own knowledge and skills in different areas so that I can offer you meaningful and timely programs and services. Over the past year, I attended two conferences and six webinars, read four books, and read countless articles on the trending topics in higher education. Below are the top five topics that I believe you should have awareness of. I have also provided information on CETL offerings in these areas as well as additional resources on each that I hope you find helpful as you start a new academic year in an everchanging world.
- Growth of artificial intelligence: Whether you are a fan of it or not, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is part of our world. And in many ways, it has integrated itself so seamlessly that you may not even realize it is there. Auto-complete features in word processing programs, robotic surgeries, and self-parking vehicles all utilize AI. But now AI is making its way into education and causing a lot of concern and excitement. In one of the books I read this summer, Dr. Jennifer Chang Wathall says that AI “...is fundamentally enhancing the way we work and teach...AI empowers educators to focus more on productivity and creativity...” Yes, there are ethical concerns, and AI requires us to engage in our own learning and probably some course redesign. But these are barriers we can overcome to provide a modern, forward-thinking education that provides our students with marketable and transferable skills and knowledge, including AI. CETL has your back though, with programs and services all year related to AI. We have our upcoming Fall Webinar Series, an AI book club, an AI Toolkit, and more! Plus check out these great resources on AI:
- Well-Being: Students’ mental health has steadily declined over the last decade, and over 40% of students report having such high stress that it interferes with their learning and performance while more than 60% of students meet the criteria for one or more mental health problems. And students of color and nontraditional learners are the least likely to access treatment. And UNC students are no different. Data from our Office of Institutional Research & Effectiveness show that our students report high levels of stress and mental health concerns. But we want our students to be healthy—physically and mentally. So, what can you do as their instructor? Surprisingly you can help by making very small changes to your courses. For example, are there places where you can build flexibility in your courses? Or can you start using some form of ungrading that allows students multiple attempts at learning? Or what about breaking a large exam into several smaller quizzes? You can also work to promote your own mental health and well-being by joining the CETL Learning Community Mindful Teachers = Mindful Students. Here are some more resources to help you with faculty, staff, and student well-being:
- Learning from Anywhere: It is projected that hybrid learning, combining both in-person and online components, will become the norm rather than the exception in higher education. OECD Secretary-General Mathia Cormann recently said, “The COVID-19 pandemic provided a welcome boost to digital education, but we need to further leverage the necessary tools and systems to adapt instruction to the needs of each student...The digital transformation of education has the potential to fundamentally improve the teaching and learning experience...” High-quality online instruction is not simply taking your in-person materials and placing them in the LMS; high-quality online instruction requires its own set of best practices, strategies, barriers, and strengths. CETL and Instructional Design & Development (IDD) are collaborating this year to bring you a new learning community called Online Teaching Working Group where you will get expert feedback and hands-on practice creating a well-designed and highly effective online course. Stay tuned for more information! In the meantime, here are some more tools to help:
- Shifting Demographics to Adult Learners: The “traditional” college student is not quite so traditional anymore. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 40% of all students attending college are over the age of 25. Seventy percent of them work, and most of them face additional barriers in terms of caretaking responsibilities, access to educational resources, and time away from university settings. In fact, more than 39 million Americans have some college but no degree (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center)! Adult learners and those with some college but no degree are going to become a larger demographic in our classes over the next few years. Understanding best practices in adult learning and teaching are critical. Did you know that CETL’s learning community Small Teaching: Little Changes, Big Impact will help you develop your understanding of adult learning principles and the ways you can change your classes to better align with those principles? Here are some other resources to help you with the shifting demographics of higher education:
- Career Integration: You may have read articles or heard people talking about the price of college and whether it is worth it anymore. Today’s students want to know upfront that the degree they are investing in will pay off with a good job in their field of study. That means that career readiness is not something you can start just before a student’s senior year; career needs to be integrated into all aspects of the higher education process from enrollment through courses, from internships to post-graduation. Part of the career integration process is content knowledge and field-related skills. But a larger part of the career integration process is building students’ noncognitive skills (aka soft skills) such as problem solving, work ethic, positive attitude, growth mindset, and leadership. These skills help people fit into their workplace and work well with others. And employers are specifically requesting these skills in their job postings. So, how do you integrate career into your courses and interactions with students? CETL has partnered with the Center for Career Readiness to bring you a learning community on this topic, Career Readiness Faculty Fellows. We also have a toolkit available to help you integrate career more into your courses. Here are some more tools to help you emphasize career in your curriculum:
