College students are often faced with challenges that require them to speak up for themselves, navigate complex systems, and make informed decisions about their education. This workshop will explore the importance of self-advocacy as a critical skill for success in college and beyond.
Through practical strategies and hands-on activities, students will learn how to effectively communicate their needs and confidently engage with professors and peers. Whether it's asking for accommodations, addressing personal challenges, or ensuring their voice is heard in group settings, mastering self-advocacy is essential to academic and personal growth. By the end of this workshop, students will have the tools and knowledge to advocate for themselves effectively, empowering them to take charge of their college experience and set the foundation for future success.
Science of Learning
Facilitator: Christina Fojas
Friday, 2/14: 12:30- 1:45 Monday, 2/24 11:00-12:15 Thursday, 4/24: 9:30- 10:45 Location: HC 1020
In this workshop, students will explore the science behind effective learning strategies, focusing on metacognition and self-regulated learning. Students will gain insights into how the brain processes and retains information, and learn practical techniques to enhance their study habits. Through hands-on activities and classroom engagement apps, students will practice these skills and develop personalized strategies to improve their learning efficiency. By the end of the workshop, students will have a toolkit of evidence-based techniques to boost their confidence and academic performance, and become more self-aware, proactive learners.
Key topics include:
Defining metacognition and its role in the learning process
Principles of self-regulated learning and how to apply them
Science of Learning Workshop
Facilitator: Christina Fojas (CTL) Friday, October 4, 2:00-3:15
Tuesday, December 3, 9:30-10:45
Thursday, December 5, 12:30-1:45
The Science of Learning workshop is being piloted in six First Year Seminar sections this fall. In this workshop, students will explore the science behind effective learning strategies, focusing on metacognition and self-regulated learning. Students will gain insights into how the brain processes and retains information, and learn practical techniques to enhance their study habits. Through hands-on activities and classroom engagement apps, students will practice these skills and develop personalized strategies to improve their learning efficiency. By the end of the workshop, students will have a toolkit of evidence-based techniques to boost their confidence and academic performance, and become more self-aware, proactive learners. Three additional workshops will be held this fall and are open to all students. Please make your students aware of this workshop, held before midterms and finals.
Time Management Workshop
Facilitators: Kammi Daye (Academic Learning Center)
and Tammy Allison (Center for Advising & Academic Services) Wednesday, October 2, 11:00-1:00
Wednesday, November 6, 11:00-1:00
Turn intentions into action! Good time management is one of the most important indicators of student success, and it is also one of the most difficult things for students to learn. It involves breaking old habits and developing new ones, which is often challenging for college students. This workshop will help students learn good timemanagement strategies and will provide practical tips for maintaining and improving these skills for academic success. Please make your students aware of these workshops.
Students can explore additional academic support through the Academic Learning Center, Office of Accommodations and Accessibility, Writing Center, and Center for Advising & Academic Services
The Center for Advising & Academic Services (CAAS) is dedicated to helping students develop skills required to demonstrate academic success while developing the advising structure required to support our faculty and staff advisors.
The Basics of AI for Educators
Facilitators: Goretti Benca and Christina Fojas
In-Person: Wednesday, September 18, 12:30-1:45
Virtual: Wednesday, October 9, 6:30-7:45
Accommodations in the Classroom: A Q&A with OAA
Facilitators: Krista Ackert and Susan Jenkins
Friday, September 27, 2:00-3:15
Becoming the Best Academic Advisor: Understanding the Core Curriculum
Facilitator: Cathleen Muller
Monday, October 7, 11:00-12:15
Supporting Student Learning through Efficient and Effective Writing Feedback
Facilitator: Stacy Wittstock
Thursday, October 10, 12:30-1:45
Becoming the Best Academic Advisor: Mastering DegreeWorks
Facilitator: Sean Rodriguez
Tuesday, October 15, 2:00-3:15
Early Technology Rejectors: Ethics of AI Writing and Surveillance
Facilitators: Cara Messina and Stacy Wittstock
Wednesday, October 16, 11:00-12:15
Integrative Learning in Capping
Facilitator: Cathleen Muller
Thursday, October 17, 12:30-1:45
Harnessing the Power of AI: Effective Prompting and Chain of Thought
Strategies for Classroom Engagement
Facilitators: Brian Gormanly and Eitel Lauria
Friday October 25, 11:00-12:15
Mentoring and Empowering Undergraduates to Research
Discussion Facilitator: James Snyder
Wednesday, October 30, 12:30-1:45
How to Create a More Playful Classroom
Facilitator: Kat Schrier (SCA)
Friday, November 6, 3:30-4:45
Supporting Student Mental Health: Strategies for Educators
Facilitators: Jamie Hatzis and Kimberly Marsden
Friday, November 15 12:30-1:45
Talking About Teaching
Friday, September 27, 12:30-1:30
Thursday, October 24, 2:00-3:00
Thursday, November 21, 12:30-1:30
This workshop will explore the growing issue of grade inflation in higher education, examining its causes, implications, and potential solutions. Participants will engage in discussions about the factors contributing to inflated grades, including changing academic expectations, institutional pressures, and student behavior. The workshop will also feature a collaborative exploration of strategies to address the problem, such as revising grading policies, fostering academic rigor, and promoting alternative assessment methods. This session is ideal for educators that are interested in preserving the credibility of academic achievement in today’s higher education landscape.
In this session of our "Let's Revise" series, we'll explore the critical intersection of learning outcomes and assessment strategies. Participants will distinguish between formative and summative approaches, and understand the differences between assessment for learning and assessment of learning. Most of the session will involve a guided revision activity for your existing assessments. Participants should plan to bring one of their own or come to the session with an idea for an assessment they would like guidance in developing, and how these can be mapped back to learning outcomes.
Do you want some guidance on how to best support students with accommodations? Do you want more clarification on what some of the classroom and testing accommodations mean on the OAA Notification of Academic Accommodations Form? Join OAA staff for a Q&A session to address common questions and best practices. Submit questions in advance here, or come to the session with your questions, keeping in mind FERPA and student privacy and do not disclose anything that could identify a student.
What questions do you want OAA staff to address about student accommodations? Submit questions in advance on this form or come to the session with your questions. Keep in mind FERPA and student privacy and do not disclose anything that could identify a student.
Chris Gilliard posed this idea: "Too many people in tech talk about being an early adopter and not enough talk about being an early rejector." This workshop will untangle what it means to be an early technology rejector in the face of a dominating technology: generative artificial intelligence (genAI products include Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, etc.). This workshop will explain the basics of genAI models, what they can do, what they cannot do, and the ethical considerations central to both using and understanding these technologies (including labor issues, rampant misinformation, algorithmic bias, environmental catastrophes, and intellectual property issues). Instead of relying on surveillance technologies to police students from using these models, we propose different methods you can take to assess writing and work your classroom. Attendees will gain strategies for having transparent conversations with students on how to understand genAl products and get ideas for writing activities and assessments that circumvent students' reliance on these technologies.
Effective feedback on students’ work is one of the most vital mechanisms for learning in a teachers’ toolkit. However, providing individualized feedback to students is also one of the most challenging and time-consuming tasks we take on as teachers. It can be difficult to determine what feedback will be most helpful to each student or on each assignment, and the labor involved can often turn us from sensitive and supportive to unintentionally harsh or unhelpfully doctrinaire. As Bean and Melzer (2021) put it in Engaging Ideas, “Even though we know how we ourselves feel when we ask a colleague to read one of our drafts...we sometimes forget these feelings when we comment on our students’ papers” (p. 298). This workshop will outline concrete strategies for providing students with learning-focused, humane feedback on their writing while also avoiding teacher burnout. We’ll cover different genres (e.g., marginal comments, end notes) and modalities (e.g., written, audio, conferencing) of effective feedback. We’ll also discuss how to efficiently determine what to comment on, how much to comment, and how to encourage students to read teacher feedback.
Many faculty report that while rubrics ease the grading and assessment processes, they sometimes do not provide enough insight into student learning. This workshop will provide faculty with the opportunity to create and/or refine their own rubrics to ensure they are valid and reliable and provide valuable information about student achievement. Participants should bring a laptop or tablet to work on as well as at least one of their course assignments and any rubric/scoring tool used.
Through live demonstrations and interactive activities, you'll explore built-in accessibility tools, learn to resolve common issues, and make your course materials more inclusive.
Career readiness is more than a buzzword—it's a framework for preparing students for life after college. This interactive workshop introduces the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 8 Career Readiness Competencies, offering faculty practical strategies to embed these essential skills into their courses, from assignments to projects, to classroom discussions. Learn how to support students in developing the skills employers value most.
The Maker Lab is a space for all Red Foxes to tap into their creativity, support academic instruction, and experiment with state-of-the-art technology. This workshop is designed to introduce faculty from diverse disciplines to the equipment available in the Maker Lab and explore possible ways to integrate it into your teaching. While utilized heavily in arts and fashion courses, the Maker Lab offers great potential for experiential learning in academic areas outside of SCA. Learn about ways that the Maker Lab can foster creativity, encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, and cultivate a culture of innovation at Marist!
In this session, we’ll explore the challenges posed by distracted students and effective strategies for creating a classroom environment that captures and holds their attention. Drawing on insights from the Spring 2025 CTL book club read, Distracted: Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do About It, we’ll share practical, research-backed tips to help you foster deeper engagement. Join us for an interactive discussion with your peers, where you’ll gain actionable ideas to enhance student focus both during class and beyond.
This informal gathering provides a chance for faculty to connect over a mutual appreciation for coffee (or tea) and discuss teaching ideas and challenges. Want to discuss generative AI? Struggling to get students to read? Want to get students to engage more in discussions? Want feedback on a classroom idea you want to try? Did something great happen in class? Whether you're looking to brainstorm, share strategies, or simply listen in, all are welcome. No prep needed—just bring your curiosity and conversation—and stay for a few minutes or longer as your schedule allows.
Join us for an insightful session with Counseling Services as we explore strategies to enhance mental health and well-being in the college classroom. This workshop will provide faculty with practical tools and techniques to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment. Topics will include recognizing signs of mental distress, fostering open communication, and integrating mental health resources into your teaching practices.
University campuses across the United States have become places of severe and intractable disagreement, with students, faculty, and staff reluctant or reticent to engage in dialogue across difference. There is thus urgency to the work of fostering constructive, engaged, and civil dialogue, but what does this entail? This panel brings together practitioners who attended this year’s AAC&U Institute on Engaged Dialogue and currently work to design and facilitate dialogue initiatives across Marist. Panelists will share strategies, frameworks, and lessons learned, while also reflecting on the challenges of dialogue work. Together, we will consider how engaged dialogue can strengthen the capacity of campus communities to navigate conflict and disagreement.
This informal gathering is an opportunity for faculty to talk about how generative AI is shaping our classrooms. No presentations will be given- discussions will be driven by faculty and may include: challenges around academic integrity, assignment redesigns, and evolving teaching practices.
Whether you're skeptical, curious, or experienced with AI tools, all perspectives are welcome. Bring your curiosity and conversation—and stay for a few minutes or longer as your schedule allows.
Composing a good writing assignment prompt is a critical component of developing any successful course activity involving writing. However, it can be tricky to know what information students need, how to transparently communicate grading criteria, and how to word instructions to avoid confusion and ensure students complete the intended task. In this session in the Let’s Revise series, we’ll talk through the ingredients of a successful writing assignment prompt. We’ll look at examples of both effective and ineffective prompts and learn about helpful online resources and prompt repositories that can support redevelopment of current assignments and/or serve as inspiration for new ones. Most of the session will involve a guided revision activity for an existing prompt, so participants should plan to bring one of their own or come to the session with an idea for an assignment they would like guidance in developing. What participants will gain from attending: Participants will have an opportunity to revise a current writing assignment prompt or develop a new one with concrete support and feedback from both the facilitator and peers.
This informal gathering provides a chance for faculty to connect over a mutual appreciation for coffee (or tea) and discuss teaching ideas and challenges. Want to discuss generative AI? Struggling to get students to read? Want to get students to engage more in discussions? Want feedback on a classroom idea you want to try? Did something great happen in class? Whether you're looking to brainstorm, share strategies, or simply listen in, all are welcome. No prep needed—just bring your curiosity and conversation—and stay for a few minutes or longer as your schedule allows.
This interactive session will help you transform your syllabus from a static document into a powerful learning tool that communicates expectation and supports student success. Inclusive teaching principles will be presented allowing faculty to develop strategies for improvement. Most of the session will be spent giving and receiving feedback from peers: bring a digital or printed copy of a current syllabus and prepare to reimagine your course's foundational document.
This informal gathering is an opportunity for faculty to talk about how generative AI is shaping our classrooms. No presentations will be given- discussions will be driven by faculty and may include: challenges around academic integrity, assignment redesigns, and evolving teaching practices.
Whether you're skeptical, curious, or experienced with AI tools, all perspectives are welcome. Bring your curiosity and conversation—and stay for a few minutes or longer as your schedule allows.
