I spent the day in the office for a change. I had so much fun interacting with people and finding things in the lab. While I was in several Zoom meetings, I was still in the office and able to see students and our team during breaks. I can’t wait to work with Delftia and do some science! Tonight, I wanted to watch a Lilly Conference 2021 session by two friends and colleagues. Jennifer Stanigar & Maria Gallardo from North Carolina State University presented on “SoTL Institute Outcomes: Building a Productive, Supportive Cohort During COVID-19.” Gallardo was part of the SoTL Institute in 2012 (I took it in the summer of 2013!). Gallardo and Stanigar redesigned the Summer SoTL Institute in 2020 to include a course website on Moodle, cohorts, and synchronous short sessions. In 2020, 22 faculty applied and 17 were selected and mini grants provided after successful completion. Gallardo described the format of the three 90-minute sessions on Zoom, the topics discussed (Introduction to SoTL/DBER, The Research Profess, Refining a Study, Methods, Resources), two optional Open Labs for one hour, and numerous activities (literature search, study design, gallery of projects, and elevator pitch). Gallardo mentioned that during the open labs several faculty came to visit and share their experience with SoTL/DBER. They also had videos from support services including IRB, statistics, data visualization. This is so cool and useful! Now I want to watch all these videos. Participants reported their progress with check-ins. The meetings were so successful that the participants want to continue and a SoTL Community of Practice will likely be created. They then did a breakout room activity to have the audience think about what kind of cohort-building strategies can be implemented at their institution and what kind of communities of practice would they like to see. They used a Padlet board to report findings. Gallardo and Stanigar did a debrief reviewing the Padlet posts. Some attendees asked about the Virtual Writing Retreats, and Gallardo explained how they worked with check-ins, accountability, and stretch breaks. Others asked about Virtual Reading Circles, and I just did our second one today about the Ungrading book.
Stanigar talked about the colleges represented by the Institute. Ten departments out of sixty five were represented, and one teaching postdoctoral scholar. The goal was to design a study during the week-long May institute and complete a two-page mini-proposal over the summer with introduction, literature review, and methods. After the Institute, the participants present at the NC State Teaching & Learning Symposium in February and submit a proposal to an educational research conference (including Lilly Conference with our new site license)! Ten out of fourteen completed the Institute and presented at Lilly.
The feedback from participants helped revise the 2021 schedule to include longer synchronous sessions (two hours), no invited guest speakers in 2021, revised activities to include a methods deep dive, and more time to talk to colleagues. Gallardo talked about the benefits to faculty after participation in the Institute. In addition to publications and grants, Gallardo spoke about becoming reflective teachers. In addition, Gallardo mentioned how beyond professional development, Institutes and publications help “pave the road to promotion” and increase retention. I participated in the Institute in 2013 when I first arrived on campus and really benefitted from the experience. Now, teaching postdoctoral scholars in our Program are able to participate and develop their own projects. It is wonderful to learn how the Institute adapted to the virtual environment!
