Professional Development - Fall 2026

Do you fondly recall a history of ideas course from college and want to rekindle that flame? Are you teaching a UNIFI Responsibility course and want to broaden your ethics focus beyond utilitarianism and deontology? Hoping to investigate moral philosophy from an interdisciplinary perspective alongside your UNI colleagues? Please join: read and chat with us. 

This semester, over four monthly meetings, we will discuss Benjamin Lipscomb's 2021 book The Women Are Up to Something: How Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Mary Midgley, and Iris Murdoch Revolutionized Ethics (OUP).

The meetings will take place on Thursdays from 12:30-1:30pm. The group will select, from among the following dates, four main meetings, and then determine together whether to schedule additional ones: September 10, September 24, October 8, October 22, November 5, November 19, and December 10.

If there is interest, we hope this will be just the first of many semesters ahead for the Ethics Reading Group. - Robert Earle and Reza Lahroodi

This project is made possible with support from the Wilson College of Business Ethics Chair.

Friday, September 4, 2026 | 11 AM to 12 PM | Rod Library Room 378 or Zoom
Presenter: Wilson Rojas

In this hands-on workshop, faculty will learn how to develop clear and effective guidelines for AI use in their courses and assignments. We’ll explore how to help students understand when and how to disclose AI assistance in their work, as well as how to set expectations that support academic integrity and creativity. Walk away with practical strategies, sample language, and the confidence to guide your students through the evolving world of AI in education.

Tuesday, Sept. 8 | 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM | Zoom
Facilitators: Caran Howard and Gayle Rhineberger
Move beyond feeling like the cheating police by promoting learning using a Professional Integrity Mini-Module and adding AI-use notes to each assessment. Shift the focus from "not cheating" to "authentic learning" to create a more resilient and rewarding educational environment without having to totally change all of your assessments.

If you would like a calendar invite to any or all events, please email gayle.rhineberger@uni.edu.

ZOOM lINK →

Friday, September 11, 2026 | 11 AM to 12 PM | Rob Library Room 278 
Facilitators: Caran Howard and Wilson Rojas

Join us for a practical, hands-on workshop designed to streamline PDF creation and remediation without forcing you to rebuild your files from scratch. Learn actionable strategies to make your course documents fully accessible through quick demonstrations and dedicated lab time. Support staff from both CETL and OEIS will be on hand for 1-on-1 assistance. All faculty and staff are welcome. Bring a file you want to fix! 

Thursday, September 17 | 11:30am-12:30pm | Faculty Commons, Rod Library (Center of the 3rd floor)

While academic responsibility is not a new concern, it is at the heart of novel challenges to teaching in the age of AI. Help us inaugurate the Faculty Commons space in Rod by joining an open forum about academic ethics. We will surface your values and contextualize the threats, as you see them. From those concerns we will find practical ways to move forward.

Friday, September 18 | 10:30am-11:30am | Faculty Commons, Rod Library (Center of the 3rd floor)

While academic responsibility is not a new concern, it is at the heart of novel challenges to teaching in the age of AI. Help us inaugurate the Faculty Commons space in Rod by joining an open forum about academic ethics. We will surface your values and contextualize the threats, as you see them. From those concerns we will find practical ways to move forward.

Monday, September 21, 2026 | 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM | Rod Library Room 378 or Zoom
Presenter: Wilson Rojas

Explore several design strategies to make your assignments more AI-resistant. This session will introduce faculty to key principles, including crafting thoughtful grading criteria, designing multi-layered assignments, and encouraging personal reflection. You’ll leave with practical ideas to promote authentic student work while still embracing innovation in your classroom.

Wednesday, September 23 | 12:00pm-1:00pm | Rod 378 
Presenter: Jonathan Chenoweth (CETL)

How do our students experience the “unknown”? Is it something to be feared, or an invitation to explore? This session will follow up on ideas raised by Sarah Cavanagh at the Fall Faculty Workshop. Specifically, we will examine the student experience of uncertainty, which can lead to anxiety, but also to motivation. What does research tell us about these “appraisals,” and what needs to be in place to make uncertainty palatable, even desirable?

Thursday, September 24 | 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM | Rod Library 387
Presenter: Julianne Gassman (Director, Community Engagement)

What this session covers:  

A friendly introduction to service‑learning (SL) and how it enhances student engagement, critical thinking, and real‑world learning. Faculty explore simple SL models and see examples of how SL can be integrated without redesigning an entire course.

You will leave with:

• A clear understanding of what SL is (and isn’t)
• 2–3 easy ways to incorporate SL into any course
• A sense of how SL naturally connects to Day of Service

"To learn more about the full workshop series click here."

Friday, September 25 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Zoom
Presenter: Julianne Gassman (Director, Community Engagement)

What this session covers:  

A friendly introduction to service‑learning (SL) and how it enhances student engagement, critical thinking, and real‑world learning. Faculty explore simple SL models and see examples of how SL can be integrated without redesigning an entire course.

You will leave with:

• A clear understanding of what SL is (and isn’t)
• 2–3 easy ways to incorporate SL into any course
• A sense of how SL naturally connects to Day of Service

"To learn more about the full workshop series click here."

Friday, Sept. 25 | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Zoom
Facilitators: Caran Howard and Gayle Rhineberger
Emotions, Motivation, and Learning in an Online Environment (based on information from Cavanagh (2016), The Spark of Learning).

Wednesday, September 30 | 11:00am-12:00pm | Rod 378
Panelists: Arti Mann, Elise DuBord, Danielle McGeough

It is common to hear that we should value the learning process over its product, but what does that really mean for the work of teaching and learning? This yearlong series of panel sessions will take you into your colleagues’ courses and offer specific examples of rebalancing the focus of teaching away from artifacts and towards the learning activities and experiences behind them.

This session will focus on the activities of listening and speaking, including discussion (vocally, or on discussion boards) and storytelling.

Tuesday October 6, 2026 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Zoom
Facilitators: Caran Howard and Gayle Rhineberger

Whether you're new or experienced in online instruction, this series offers an informal space to share tips, tricks, and best practices for teaching and course design. Drop in when topics interest you—no need to attend every session. Check out the resources in the HIP in Online Education Blackboard course.

Each session runs 45 minutes, with an additional 15 minutes available for extended discussion. Co-hosted by Gayle Rhineberger and Caran Howard. All sessions are on Zoom.  

ZOOM lINK →

Email cesp-consult@uni.edu to be enrolled in HIP in Online Education.

If you would like a calendar invite to any or all events, please email gayle.rhineberger@uni.edu.

Recognizing Trauma and Mental Health in Online Students. Part of retaining students and reducing their cognitive load so they can learn is understanding where they are as a group and as individuals. Talk through some strategies for addressing student needs and directing them to help.

Facilitator: Wilson Rojas | Friday, October 9, 2026 | 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM | Rod Library Room 378 or Zoom

Discover how to boost your productivity with Gems, Gemini’s personalized AI assistants! In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to set up and fine-tune your own Gems to handle tasks, organize information, and support your unique workflow. Through real-world use cases, we’ll explore how these smart assistants can adapt to your needs and help you work smarter, not harder.

Panel: Heeya Datta (Sociology), Deb Dimond Young (Languages & Literatures), Evan Renfro (Public Affairs & Service) 
Monday, October 12, 2026 | 12:00 pm-1:00 pm | Rod Library 378

It is common to hear that we should value the learning process over its product, but what does that really mean for the work of teaching and learning? What if we don’t learn as a result of reading & writing – or by listening & speaking, researching & applying, observing & reporting – but only in the reflective and iterative learning practices that accompany these tasks? This yearlong series of panel sessions will take you into your colleagues’ courses and offer specific examples of rebalancing the focus of teaching away from artifacts and towards the learning activities and experiences behind them.

This session - Language Craft as Learning - will focus on helping students reconsider what it can mean to  "read” and “write." These are familiar verbs, for sure, but not nearly specific enough for the purposes of learning. NB: AI may be part of the discussion, but it is not our point of departure.

Panel: Kim Cline-Brown (Biology), Mike Harman (Psychology), Bill Henninger (Family, Aging & Counseling), Nathan Taylor (Family, Aging & Counseling)
Thursday, October 15, 2026 | 1:30 pm-2:30 pm | Rod Library 378

Many faculty are seeing an increase in their class sizes. When does a class become “large”? There is no single threshold, but if your pedagogy is not aligned with your enrollment numbers, it can lead to exhausting, frustrating, and ineffective teaching & learning experiences. It turns out that size does matter! What are some strategies for “scaling up” when a class is bigger than the last time you taught it? We’ll hear from colleagues who teach 30, 50, 100+ students, and consider both in-person and online modalities.

Presenter: Wilson Rojas | Monday, October 19, 2026 | 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM | Rod Library Room 378 or Zoom

While the idea isn't new, AI has brought cognitive offloading to the forefront of higher education! Join us for an engaging session to swap insights with colleagues and explore how this concept is reshaping your specific field. You'll walk away with practical strategies to empower your students to use AI effectively and purposefully across diverse learning environments.

Panel: Caran Howard (OEIS), Robert Earle (Philosophy), Kevin Mason (History), Magdalena Galloway (Educational Technology)
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | 2:00 pm-3:00 pm | Faculty Commons

While academic responsibility is not a new concern, it is at the heart of novel challenges to teaching in the age of AI. Come hear how some of your colleagues are experiencing, interpreting, and addressing old and new dimensions of a perennial problem. Bring your priorities, responses, and concerns for the Q&A.

Presenter: Julianne Gassman (Community Engagement) 
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026 | 3:30–4:30 PM | Rod Library 378 

What this session covers:  

A practical, hands‑on session focused on designing a syllabus that meaningfully integrates service‑learning (SL). Faculty will explore ways to connect SL activities to course outcomes, build reflection into assignments, and scaffold student learning before, during, and after service experiences. The session highlights light‑lift strategies that strengthen learning without requiring a full course redesign.

You will leave with:

• A clear understanding of how SL aligns with course outcomes and assessment
• A draft syllabus language section that explains SL expectations to students
• A menu of assignment ideas (reflection prompts, pre‑work, post‑work, mini‑projects)
• A plan for how your course can connect to UNI’s Day of Service

To learn more about the full workshop series click here. 

Presenter: Julianne Gassman (Community Engagement) 
Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 PM | Zoom  (Link will be shared upon registration)

What this session covers:  

A practical, hands‑on session focused on designing a syllabus that meaningfully integrates service‑learning (SL). Faculty will explore ways to connect SL activities to course outcomes, build reflection into assignments, and scaffold student learning before, during, and after service experiences. The session highlights light‑lift strategies that strengthen learning without requiring a full course redesign.

You will leave with:

• A clear understanding of how SL aligns with course outcomes and assessment
• A draft syllabus language section that explains SL expectations to students
• A menu of assignment ideas (reflection prompts, pre‑work, post‑work, mini‑projects)
• A plan for how your course can connect to UNI’s Day of Service

To learn more about the full workshop series click here. 

Friday, October 23 | 10:00 AM- 11:00 AM | Zoom
Facilitators: Caran Howard and Gayle Rhinebergerent.

Whether you're new or experienced in online instruction, this series offers an informal space to share tips, tricks, and best practices for teaching and course design. Drop in when topics interest you—no need to attend every session. Check out the resources in the HIP in Online Education Blackboard course.

Each session runs 45 minutes, with an additional 15 minutes available for extended discussion. Co-hosted by Gayle Rhineberger and Caran Howard. All sessions are on Zoom.  

ZOOM lINK →

Email cesp-consult@uni.edu to be enrolled in HIP in Online Education.

If you would like a calendar invite to any or all events, please email gayle.rhineberger@uni.edu.

Humanizing Text: Tone, Clarity, and Transparent Assignment Design. Online learners are all about what is relevant for their future needs. When we address this throughout our courses, they feel seen and heard (and may be more engaged in learning and doing their own work). 

Thursday, November 3 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Zoom
Facilitators: Caran Howard and Gayle Rhineberger

Design in-time self-checks and group-checks that help students gauge their understanding before they submit an exam or big paper. These can be self-grading or group-evaluated. Scaffold the learning so they feel less pressure to turn to AI. 

If you would like a calendar invite to any or all events, please email gayle.rhineberger@uni.edu.

ZOOM lINK →

Friday, November 6, 2025 | 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM | Rod Library Room 378 or Zoom
Facilitator: Wilson Rojas

Get ready for a hands-on dive into NotebookLM, where you'll discover how to streamline the creation of classroom materials. We will explore how to leverage content summarization, infographics, and video and podcast generation to build resources that resonate with students. Join us to learn how to create impactful educational content that saves you time and enhances your teaching materials.

Tuesday, November 10 | 9:00am – 12:00pm | Rod Library Room 278

Fix Your Content Day 2026 is a 24-hour, worldwide competition where institutions come together to improve the accessibility of their digital course content using Ally. Every fix, big or small, helps create a more inclusive learning environment for your students, while showcasing your institution’s commitment to accessibility.

Use this opportunity to improve the accessibility of your content! Drop by anytime between 9:00 am - 12:00 pm in the  (Rod 278) in Rod Library. Whether you have questions, need a second opinion, or want to learn something new, our friendly team members from CETL, ETMS, and OEIS will be on hand to help you make your content accessible. No appointment needed—just swing by whenever it works for you. We will have coffee and snacks!

Last year, participants made nearly 42,000 fixes—this year, let’s go even further! Be part of a worldwide movement to turn insight into action.

Why participate?

• To be counted in the competition, fixes must be made through the Anthology Ally user interface.

Every fix counts

• From small edits to major improvements, every fix you make using Ally contributes to a more accessible learning environment for all students.
• Showcase your institution’s commitment
• See your institution’s progress on the global leaderboard and celebrate your staff’s dedication to inclusive education.

Accessibility is a journey

• Fix Your Content Day is a great way to make an immediate impact—but the real goal is embedding accessibility into everyday teaching and learning practices.

Days/times to be determined 

Too often, the syllabus has become a contested space. Frustrated faculty throw up their hands in response to familiar questions and offer the rejoinder “It’s in the syllabus!” Overwhelmed students don’t know how to make use of a document that they see as clearly “TL;DR.” Accountability and vulnerability mix in a new mandate that puts our course information online for searchers with varied motivations. 

As you prepare for spring classes, join us to learn more about our new interactive syllabus builder resource. It’s not so much a template as a way to refresh a task that might sometimes feel tiresome, unappreciated, or fraught.