October 8th, 2009

From Jennie Darrow, CELT: Please welcome Judy Brophy who has accepted a two-year term position with Academic Technology (AT), while AT Specialist Wendy Petschik assists Professional and Graduate Studies with the implementation of TK20.

Judy brings a wealth of experience supporting faculty with the integration of academic technology into the curriculum. Previous to her new role at KSC, she worked for six years as the Educational Technology Specialist/Instructional Designer at Daniel Webster College in Nashua, N.H. Her knowledge of online learning environments such as Google tools, and her experience supporting the use of common applications to transfer abstract ideas into practical solutions will be the mainstay of her responsibilities.
 
Judy earned a M.S in instructional technology from Rochester Institute of Technology, an M.S. in library science from UMASS-Lowell, and her B.A. in philosophy from Miami University.

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From Sue Castriotta, CELT: In the next few days, CELT will be surveying KSC faculty and teaching staff. The survey will introduce the services currently offered by each of CELT’s areas - Academic Technology, Instructional Design, and Experiential Learning - and look for areas for future growth. Through the survey, we also hope to develop a deeper understanding of happenings across the campus and to find people with whom to collaborate and whose skills and experiences we can use as models to showcase.
 
In addition, as CELT begins to look for a permanent space to house the entire group in a single location and allow us to remain co-located with the Office of Sponsored Projects and Research (OSPR), we are looking for feedback on facilities and features to be incorporated into this space.
 
If anyone who is not in the target audience for the survey has any comments or suggestions, please email CELT at celt@keene.edu.

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From Mike Caulfield, CELT: A number of faculty are using Google Apps in the classroom this semester (or planning to use Google Apps next semester). In order to better support faculty who are using Google Apps, CELT is putting together a Google Apps support group. The group would primarily interact via an online forum, with occasional face-to-face meetings.

We anticipate discussions in the group will cover a wide range of subjects, from how to integrate a wiki or blog into a course to the finer points of tweaking privacy settings. CELT staff will facilitate discussions in the group, but most of the value will be faculty-to-faculty information sharing. If you are using Google Apps in the classroom, or you just want to find out how others are using Web 2.0 technology in their own instruction, please consider joining the group. Lurkers are welcome!
 
You can sign up for the support group here. Group traffic is expected to be relatively low, but you will have the option to set mail preferences to “digest” or “online-only” if you are concerned about email volume. And as always, check out our blog for additional support opportunities and training events.

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From Jenny Darrow, CELT: You might have missed the conversation about “Designing a Syllabus that Can Survive Campus Shutdown (Give Us Your Ideas!)” or the news post “Building an IQL Course from the Data Out,” but don’t worry - the CELT News blog has these posts available for you to read and comment on. We hope the site will spark ideas about instruction and learning and serve as a resource for innovative teaching strategies. We are building a rich resource of examples from KSC and other institutions and are inviting you to participate, visit the site, and comment on any of the news items. Better yet, suggest a CELT News topic by emailing celt@keene.edu.

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CELT, Keene State’s Center for Engagement, Learning, and Teaching is excited to introduce itself to the campus. CELT is led by Sue Castriotta, executive director, and comprised of Academic Technology, Instructional Design, and Experiential Learning. Academic Technology is currently staffed by Jenny Darrow (director of Academic Technology) and Linda Farina (Academic Technology Specialist and Blackboard administrator) and is located in the “CELT wing” on the first floor of Rhodes Hall North. Mike Caulfield, Instructional Designer, can also be found in the CELT wing of Rhodes. The coordinator of Experiential Learning (currently unfilled), Betsy Rode (administrative assistant), and the executive director are all located in 115 Winchester Street, across Winchester Street from the Student Center and Dining Commons.

Working with CELT as it established its identity is its faculty advisory board comprised of Dottie Bauer (Education), James Cheseborough (Music), Sara Hottinger (Philosophy & Women’s Studies), Peggie Partello (Mason Library), Jeff Timmer (Physical Education), Peggy Walsh (Sociology and Women’s Studies), and Susan Whittemore (Biology).

To help kick things off, CELT has scheduled an open house for October 8, 2009, from 1 to 3 p.m. in both its locations. Please stop by to meet the staff at both locations and enjoy some goodies. In the meantime, expect a faculty survey by the end of the month to help determine faculty needs, expectations, and potential contributions/collaborations.  Information about upcoming CELT events is available on the website, and be sure to check out our CELT news blog.  To schedule a meeting with a CELT staff member, please email celt@keene.edu with your request.

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Dr. Suzanne Castriotta has been named Executive Director for the Center for Engagement, Learning, and Teaching (CELT) at Keene State College. She is responsible for delivering programming and professional development opportunities for faculty and staff to strengthen the overall teaching and learning environment, including the coordination of new faculty orientation for both tenure track and adjunct faculty. The center also includes academic technology, service learning and civic engagement, and instructional design.

“Keene State College has an ambitious vision for CELT, and Dr. Castriotta is the right person to lead this new initiative,” says Provost Mel Netzhammer. “She brings great skill and focus to the position.”

Prior to accepting this appointment in April 2009, Castriotta served as CELT’s Interim Director for the 2008–2009 academic year. During her tenure at Keene State, she served as the Assistant Dean of the School of Science and Social Science and spent nine years as a faculty member in the Computer Science Department, including a two-year appointment as department chair. Prior to moving to higher education, Sue taught computer education at the middle-school level and held technology-related positions in private industry. She is active in local organizations and currently serves on the board of directors for the Keene Swamp Bats.

Photo: Mark Corliss; Dr. Suzanne Castriotta

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From Sue Castriotta, Center for Engagement, Learning, and Teaching (CELT): I wanted to let you know about some upcoming CELT-sponsored events and highlight some new resources. Please note that due to changes in WordPress (the software behind the CELT homepage), there is no longer a complete list of upcoming events on the CELT homepage. However, you can still browse all upcoming events by clicking on the “Future Events” link under the “Full Calendar” heading in the bottom right corner of the page. As always, our events are open to all who are interested in attending.

Upcoming Events:
• March 5: “Take a Virtual Leap!” (Google Earth with Dr. Kristi Alvarez); noon–1 p.m., Student Center 309.
• March 11: “10 Ways to Improve Blended Learning Course Design” (On-line seminar from The Teaching Professor); 1–2:30 p.m., Mountain View Room. Recommended for anyone interested in teaching a course using a hybrid (a blend of face-to-face and on-line delivery) course in the future.
• April 17: Promotion and Tenure Panel presentation followed by Q&A to help prepare faculty applying for promotion and/or tenure and to demystify the FEAC process; 3–4 p.m., Rhodes N212.

(Celebrating Scholarship (A&H) presentations and upcoming ISP meetings are also listed on the CELT calendar.)

New Resources:
We now have annual subscriptions to the Teaching Professor, On-line Classroom, and the Academic Leader. For the time being, the printed materials will be kept in binders and stored in my office (Science 183). I also have available in my office the printed resources from our “The Professor in the Classroom” subscription.

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• Tuesday, October 14: Dr. Paul Vincent, this year’s Distinguished Teacher, will be the inaugural speaker in our new Faculty Seminar Series. This event will take place in the Mountain View Room from 4 to 5 p.m.
• Friday, October 17: Kate Beverage from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., will give a presentation about the use of student response systems (“clickers”) at noon. More information including the room location will be sent out once the details are confirmed. This event will be followed by a workshop on the “clickers” used at KSC on Tuesday, October 21, from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Rhodes CE lab.

To register: http://www.keene.edu/it/helpdesk/training/default.cfm

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Keene State College’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is hosting an Engaged Learning Workshop to be held on September 12, 2008, from noon to 4:30 p.m. in the Mountain View Room.

The workshop aims to bring together faculty and staff to begin developing a common understanding of Engaged Learning and its role within the curriculum at Keene State College.

Faculty and staff interested in attending should RSVP to Angela Yang-Handy, Service-Learning Coordinator, at ayanghandy@keene.edu by September 10, 2008. Lunch will be provided.

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