Faculty Success Newsletter

Welcome to our January 2024 Newsletter!

Faculty Success team members have been hard at work in the new year. Singer David Bowie, ahead of his time in many ways, was no doubt channeling his inner-Nostradamus when he predicted what 2024 would hold for us: 鈥�鈥�!

Some of the changes are in the Instructional Resource Center (IRC). For example, our faculty computer lab, which was not seeing much use, is being converted into a multi-use meeting space that will be great for collaborating with a small team of fellow instructors or researchers or consulting with an instructional designer. We are also developing a dedicated VR room where faculty can incorporate simulations into their courses. And if you need a quiet area with controlled lighting to record high quality content, you might consider booking time in our studio. Information to help you imagine the possibilities and reserve these spaces will be posted soon on our website.

If you haven鈥檛 stopped by IRC lately, we are coming to you! We鈥檙e preparing a roadshow to visit each college and spread the word about the range of resources we offer faculty. We have a stellar roster of instructional designers who can help you improve the inclusivity and accessibility of your course content, implement best practices like Universal Design for Learning, and restructure your workflow for maximum impact on student success.

Over the longer term, we will seek your input on changes to our current Center for Faculty Development (CFD) and eCampus programs. We are in the process of drafting a comprehensive faculty development experiences and needs survey to solicit feedback on which programs interest you most and suggestions for future content and support. Your feedback will be a helpful foundation for the next leader of the CFD, a search that we will launch this semester.

In the meantime, we鈥檙e onboarding two new CFD Faculty in Residence, Tanya Bakhru and ren williams. These two experienced colleagues will facilitate our ongoing workshops and develop new programs that speak to different career paths and interests. Both are available for individual consultations, offering guidance for whatever point in your career you find yourself. You can read more about them below.

Earlier this week, in my welcoming remarks at the Course Prep Marathon, I described how frequently I finished things last minute when I was a faculty member. For example, I would make the final edits to my syllabus with just enough time to print the copies and sprint to the first class meeting. I started many semesters already feeling breathless. But what distinguishes a marathon is how far in advance you need to prepare. Because you鈥檝e trained so intensively, on the day of the race you can breathe more steadily, knowing you have the physical and mental resources to reach the finish line.

That is what we are doing here in Faculty Success: implementing changes to ensure the ongoing impact and reach of CFD and eCampus. We look forward to your partnership on the work ahead!

Sincerely,

Magdalena L. Barrera

Vice Provost for Faculty Success

Introducing the Spring 2024 CFD Faculty-in-Residence!

Tanya Bakhru, Faculty in Residence for Tenure-Line Programs: Hi! I am a professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Science. I started at San Jose State in 2008 as an assistant professor. I was very excited to work at 91猎奇 because I believe deeply in the idea of universal access to higher education, a principle embedded in the California Master Plan. Over the years, I have interacted with many colleagues who share in that commitment and I have deep appreciation and respect for the incredible scholarly and creative work done by faculty at 91猎奇, as well as their dedication to students. I am excited to be able to help support faculty this semester through the CFD and look forward to working with and learning from all of you! I currently live in the East Bay with my spouse, Tina, our nine-year-old son, Finn, and our two cats, Cutie and Sergeant Tibbs.

ren williams, Faculty-in-Residence for Lecturer Programs: I am a Bay Area native, who earned a degree in Marketing from Santa Clara University and began a 15-year career in Marketing & Public Relations, which took me to New York. Upon returning to California in 2003, I enrolled in 91猎奇鈥檚 Communication Studies Master鈥檚 program, and haven鈥檛 left! I fell in love with teaching and have been a lecturer here since 2005. Most recently, I have focused on incorporating equitable and inclusive approaches to my pedagogy; I participated in the College of Social Sciences FLC on equity and inclusion and offered several workshops on the subject in a Lunch & Learn series. In addition to teaching at 91猎奇, I offer professional communication training and leadership coaching in the Bay Area and internationally. I am passionate about creating liberatory learning spaces in all learning contexts and supporting others to communicate effectively and in ways that uplift their lives. I鈥檓 also a certified mindfulness trainer and an avid practitioner of meditation.

Updates from the Center for Faculty
Development and eCampus

The eCampus instructional design team offers a variety of services and expertise. They assist faculty in designing effective, engaging, equitable and inclusive learning experiences using instructional strategies and technologies. Through continuous professional development, they enhance their skills to offer support on the latest educational hot topics, such as AI. As you develop your course design for this semester, they are available for consultations . Reach out to the instructional design team member today to schedule an appointment.

The 91猎奇 Official Syllabus is available in all courses on Canvas. It appears as a link on the course left navigation menu. You can find guidance on how to from one semester to the next, and many other helpful features on the 91猎奇 Official Syllabus Template Resources and Support web page. As the campus continues to grow and learn more about the 91猎奇 Official Syllabus, the eCampus team and CFD are committed to providing you the support to help with adding your syllabi templates into your courses. Please feel free to contact for additional support in a one-on-one session, our workshops, and or any department workshops if needed.

The new version of Turnitin is called the Plagiarism Framework. This version allows for the selection of either text entry or file upload assignments. Then, a checkbox to enable Turnitin appears along with additional configuration options. This update resolved the common timeclock icon issue in Speedgrader.

(Documentation)

(Video)

January

19: RTP: College-level recommendations shared with candidates

19: , 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

19: , 3:30 - 4:30 pm

22: Spring Semester begins

22-23: Pre-Instruction Activities

23: , 1:00 - 3:00pm

24: First Day of Instruction

24: , 2:00 - 3:00 pm

24: Annual Evaluations: Deadline to submit packet in eFaculty

25: 鈥嬧€�, 9:30 - 10:30 am

25: , 2:00 - 2:30 pm

25: RTP: Late-Add Period intent to submit deadline (email eFaculty@sjsu.edu)

26: RTP: Late-Add Period closes

26: Post Tenure Review: Deadline for requesting postponement (email up-facultyservices@sjsu.edu)

26: Assigned TIme for Exceptional Levels of Service to Students decisions announced

29: , 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 pm

29: , 1:00 - 1:30 pm

29: , 2:00 - 2:30 pm

29: Sabbatical: USLC recommendation shared with candidates

30 : , 12:30 - 1:00 pm

30: , 3:00-4:30pm

31: , 9:00 - 10:00 am

31: , 10:30 - 11:00 am

31: , 12:00-1:00pm, hybrid

February

1: , 12:00 - 1:00 pm

1: , 2:00 - 3:00 pm

5: , 12:00;1:00pm

6: , 12:00 - 1:00 pm

7: , 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

7: . 3:00 - 3:30 pm

8: , 2:00 - 2:30 pm

9: Mini-Review (Annual Summary of Achievements) due

12: , 11:30 am - 12:00 pm

12: , 2:00 - 3:00 pm

19: , 12:00-2:00pm

19: , 2:00 - 3:00 pm

20: , 2:00 - 3:00 pm

22: President Teniente-Matson Investiture Ceremony

27: , 12:00 - 1:00 pm

27: Annual Evaluations: Department-level recommendations shared with candidates

March

1: Sabbatical: Decisions released to candidates

6: , 2:30 - 3:30 pm

8: , 2:00 - 3:00 pm

8: Post Tenure Review: Candidate packets due in eFaculty

11: , 2:00 - 3:00 pm

11: Mini Review: Departmental Evaluations shared with candidates

11: Range Elevation: Final Decisions released to candidates

12: Cumulative Evaluations: Candidate packets due in eFaculty

18: , 12:00-2:00pm

18: , 2:00 - 3:00 pm

19: , 2:00 - 3:00 pm

21: , 1:00 - 2:00 pm

: Aim for what鈥檚 EASY: 鈥済oals that are Energizing, for which you have Agency, that are Small, and that are truly Yours.鈥�

: 鈥淕rades and deadlines don鈥檛 have to be the bad guys of college teaching.鈥�

: 鈥� [I]nstead of jumping right into planning mode, [let鈥檚] talk about what comes before the plan. Let鈥檚 think together about the act of beginning.鈥�

Do you have a story, highlight, reading, or tip that you would like to share in this newsletter? Please reach out anytime to faculty-success@sjsu.edu .

Contact Us

Magdalena L. Barrera, Ph.D.

Vice Provost for Faculty Success

faculty-success@sjsu.edu | 408-924-2405

Center for Faculty Development

cfd@sjsu.edu | 408-924-2600

Jennifer Redd, Ph.D.

Senior Director, eCampus

ecampus@sjsu.edu | 408-924-2337

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