Spring 2024 Offerings

Navigating Challenging Classroom Discussions, Focusing on the Contemporary Middle East Conflict

Facilitated by Dr. Yalda Hamidi

This faculty certificate is designed to empower educators with a comprehensive toolkit incorporating trauma-informed, culturally responsive, sustainable, and anti-racist pedagogical approaches. Participants will acquire invaluable skills for adeptly managing challenging classroom discussions.

In addition to honing their academic expertise and pedagogical skills, this program delves into the intricate and urgent matters revolving around the ongoing Middle East conflict. Participants will delve into the region's history, culture, literature, and demographics, equipping themselves with a robust understanding. They will also be guided toward reliable resources to help them make informed decisions about what to impart to their students and how to initiate these critical conversations.

By enrolling in this certificate program, you will cultivate the knowledge and tools necessary to facilitate constructive dialogues, foster critical thinking, and establish an inclusive, well-informed educational environment. Arm yourself with the expertise required to engage students in meaningful discussions and navigate sensitive topics with poise and confidence.

Dates: Tuesdays, January 16-February 6, 3:30-4:30 pm
Delivery mode: Hybrid

Teaching Toward Equity 2030: Integrating Technology

Facilitated by Dr. Beth Beschorner

This certificate will provide participants with considerations for the use of technology that influence student success. The workshop/certificate will include two synchronous zoom meetings and two asynchronous modules on D2L.
Dates: Synchronous meetings January 29 and Feb 19 from 12:00-12:50 pm; Asynchronous modules released on February 5 and 12.
Delivery mode: Hybrid

Faculty Champions of International Students

Facilitated by Madeline Wildeson

F-1 and J-1 international students are a significant and diverse group within MSU Mankato’s student population at around 10%, or 1,400 students, from over 100 different home countries. International students bring with them unique abilities and knowledge, and likewise face unique challenges while studying at a university in the United States. This certificate course is designed to equip faculty members with contextual knowledge and best practices to better support international students within and beyond the classroom, as this goal relates to forthcoming strategic plans related to the internationalization of the university and Destination 2030.

Dates: Thursdays, February 1-29, 12:00-1:00 pm
Delivery mode: Hybrid

Intersectional Universal Design for Learning

Facilitated by Jessica Schomberg and Dr. Eric Strong

In this four-session professional development certificate, participants will focus on Universal Design for Learning from an intersectional perspective. Participants will use the 10 Strategies for Engaging Learners with UDL and Antiracism and Intersections between Racism and Ableism to redesign their course content and consider new instructional methods to better support the diverse needs of students. At the end of this certificate, participants will have completed one assignment incorporating intersectional UDL, choosing to: create a new lesson plan, redesign a course, or write up strategies to solve a problem (e.g., how to work through conflicting access needs).

This certificate is open to IFO, MAPE, and MSUAASF employees who teach for-credit courses as well as those who teach in less formal ways.

Dates: January 18, February 15, March 13, April 10 from 12:00-1:00 pm
Delivery mode: Zoom Only

Reimagining Course Assessments

Facilitated by Dr. Brooke Burk

Grading takes an incredible amount of faculty time and is not often our favorite part of the teaching and learning process. This 3-part series is intended to guide you through the development (or reimagining) of an assessment to support student learning.

Dates: January 18, February 15, March 13, April 10 from 12:00-1:00 pm
Delivery mode: Hybrid