Short Course Professional Development Certificates
Short Course Professional Development Certificates are interdisciplinary groups that meet 3-4 times per semester to learn about specific teaching and learning topics.
The Let Them Theory Book Discussion
Facilitated by Dr. Dan Moen
Join fellow faculty in a thought-provoking discussion of The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. This is a bold invitation to release control, embrace authenticity, and let go of what we can’t change. Through weekly conversations, we’ll explore how the "Let Them" principles can help us set boundaries, reduce stress, and focus our energy on what truly matters. This group offers a supportive space for reflection, connection, and growth, both personally and professionally. All faculty/staff are welcome, just bring your curiosity and an open mind.
Synopsis from Amazon: What if the key to happiness, success, and love was as simple as two words?
If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn't you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words—Let Them—will set you free. Free from the opinions, drama, and judgments of others. Free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. The Let Them Theory puts the power to create a life you love back in your hands—and this book will show you exactly how to do it.
In her latest groundbreaking book, The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins—New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's most respected experts on motivation, confidence, and mindset—teaches you how to stop wasting energy on what you can't control and start focusing on what truly matters: YOU. Your happiness. Your goals. Your life.
Using the same no-nonsense, science-backed approach that's made The Mel Robbins Podcast a global sensation, Robbins explains why The Let Them Theory is already loved by millions and how you can apply it in eight key areas of your life to make the biggest impact. Within a few pages, you'll realize how much energy and time you've been wasting trying to control the wrong things—at work, in relationships, and in pursuing your goals—and how this is keeping you from the happiness and success you deserve.
Written as an easy-to-understand guide, Robbins shares relatable stories from her own life, highlights key takeaways, relevant research and introduces you to world-renowned experts in psychology, neuroscience, relationships, happiness, and ancient wisdom who champion The Let Them Theory every step of the way.
Dates: Third Thursdays (September 18, October 16, and November 20) at 12:00 pm
Delivery mode: Zoom only
AI in Research-Based Writing
Facilitated by Jenny Turner
This certificate is designed for faculty and graduate students who wish to enhance their understanding and application of AI in research-based writing. The series of meetings will explore anti-racist writing pedagogy related to AI, consider how research and writing assignments can be redesigned with considerations for ethical AI use, and provide practical insights into integrating AI tools into participant's own research and writing. Participants will engage in readings, hands-on activities, discussions, and reflections to critically examine their own practices and develop strategies for effective and ethical teaching and research using AI.
Dates: Second Thursdays (Sept. 11, Oct. 9, Nov. 13, and Dec. 11) at 10:00 am
Delivery mode: Zoom Only
A Pedagogy of Kindness Book Discussion
Facilitated by Hannah Radcliff-Hoy
Join us for a thoughtful and engaging discussion of Catherine Denial’s A Pedagogy of Kindness, a timely and transformative work that challenges traditional notions of rigor and authority in higher education. Denial invites educators to reimagine their teaching practices through the lens of kindness—centering trust, equity, and care in the classroom.
Synopsis from Oklahoma Press: Academia is not, by and large, a kind place. Individualism and competition are what count. But without kindness at its core, Catherine Denial suggests, higher education fails students and instructors—and its mission—in critical ways.
Part manifesto, part teaching memoir, part how-to guide, A Pedagogy of Kindness urges higher education to get aggressive about instituting kindness, which Denial distinguishes from niceness. Having suffered beneath the weight of just “getting along,” instructors need to shift every part of what they do to prioritizing care and compassion—for students as well as for themselves.
A Pedagogy of Kindness articulates a fresh vision for teaching, one that focuses on ensuring justice, believing people, and believing in people. Offering evidence-based insights and drawing from her own rich experiences as a professor, Denial offers practical tips for reshaping syllabi, assessing student performance, and creating trust and belonging in the classroom. Her suggestions for concrete, scalable actions outline nothing less than a transformational discipline—one in which, together, we create bright new spaces, rooted in compassion, in which all engaged in teaching and learning might thrive.
Dates: Fourth Mondays (September 22, October 27, and November 24) at 2:00 pm
Delivery mode: Zoom only
Teaching Basics of Writing Intensive Courses
Facilitated by Dr. Sudarshana (Su) Bordoloi
This interactive and collaborative short course certificate program in Fall 2024 is designed to provide support for instructors to develop effective practices--informed by culturally responsive and anti-racist pedagogies--to use writing in their course context. Support will be provided on topics ranging from designing inclusive writing intensive (WI) course syllabus, to building effective and inclusive writing assessments, providing support and feedback to students to improve writing, generating equity, access and belonging through writing intensive courses, etc. In addition to the support provided, participants will be able to share their own valuable teaching strategies and practices in their WI courses with their peers, in a mutually collaborative manner.
Dates: Tuesdays (September 30-October 14) at 2:00 pm
Delivery mode: Zoom only
