2023-24 Food for Thought Series

The Faculty Food for Thought series is focused on providing faculty with ideas and inspiration regarding teaching methods, mentoring, advising, and other professional enrichment.

“Beyond Dr. Google: Online Health Information Resources”
Presented by Brittany Heer, Butler Libraries
12:30-1:30 p.m., Thursday, September 28, AU111
The last time you had a cough, ache, or mystery ailment, did you turn to Google and read the first results to self-diagnose? Don’t worry, you’re in good company! But as we know, the internet is full of dubious information, so it’s especially important to know where to search for reliable health information resources before spiraling into misinformation. Join us in this Faculty Food for Thought session led by Brittany Heer, Health Sciences Librarian, as we explore freely accessible, high quality health information resources on the internet beyond a simple Google search, including Medlineplus, the NIH, drug information resources, and more!

Lunch vouchers to The Market Place will be provided, but space is limited. RSVP to facultydevelopment@butler.edu is required.

“Incorporating Sustainability Framework into your Course, Regardless of Discipline”
Presented by Julia Angstmann, Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability (CUES)
12:00-1:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 3, AU326
This session will review sustainability mindset principles in solving wicked problems and discuss how using the Burns model for transformation can help (re)design sustainability courses based on ecological principles. We will explore the interconnectedness between three systems: economics, society and the environment and use this lens to explicitly discuss the connectivity between these three systems. The Burns Model – designing sustainability courses based on ecological principles – will be discussed in depth including content, perspectives, process, context and ecological design. Attendees will be able to apply these principles with a four-step process of observation, visioning, planning and development.

Lunch vouchers to The Market Place will be provided, but space is limited. RSVP to facultydevelopment@butler.edu is required.

“Supporting Students’ In-Class Public Speaking”
Presented by Carly Middleton, College of Communication
12:00-1:00 p.m.,  Wednesday, February 7, AU326
Whether it’s through in-class discussions, activities, or presentations, public speaking is infused into our pedagogy across campus. As we teach students the content they need to deliver, how can we also equip them to be engaging, confident public speakers? CCOM public speaking instructor Carly Middleton will provide you with support strategies and activities designed to help students navigate public speaking anxiety, engage in critical thinking, and captivate their audience.

Lunch vouchers to The Market Place will be provided, but space is limited. RSVP to facultydevelopment@butler.edu is required.

“Trust the Process? Use of Entrustment to Guide Competency Assessment”
Presented by Cody Sasek, DMS Bridge Program
2:30-3:30 p.m., Thursday, February 22 via Zoom
With the movement of many programs to competency-based education and assessment models, more must be understood about how to best assess and ensure student competence. A novel assessment strategy in health professions education has become entrustable professional activities (EPAs). The use of level of trust as a metric of performance to demonstrate attainment of competence has great applicability for programs looking to improve assessment strategies. This session explores the impact of such a model on learner motivation, with application across disciplines and workplace-based assessment activities such as internships, practicums, clinical rotations, or even laboratory coursework.

Take Aways: At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to:
1) Describe competency-based assessment, including assessment based on the degree of trust in a learner’s ability to demonstrate competence, and
2) Consider the application of entrustment or other novel models to programmatic assessment strategies.

RSVP to facultydevelopment@butler.edu to receive the Zoom link for this virtual session.

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“First Year Student Perspectives of Service-learning: Cultivating Cosmopolitan Literacies”
Presented by Michelle Stigter-Hayden, Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
12:30-1:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 5, AU326

In service-learning research and theory, researchers stress the importance of connecting classroom learning with service, integrating reflection into the service-learning cycle, and enabling community partners to meet their own needs (Bringle & Hatcher 1995; Butin, 2005; Halsed & Schine 1994; Jacoby, 1996). Since the rise in popularity of service-learning in the early 1990’s, scholars have claimed that students who engage in service-learning courses would develop a heightened sense of responsibility and civic engagement (Butin, 2015; Eby 1998; Honnet & Poulsen 1989; Jacoby, 2015; Locklin & Posman 2016), but very little represents actual student perspectives of this pedagogy. This presentation by Michelle Stigter-Hayden will explore student perspectives of community engagement in their First Year Seminar course, specifically in relation to the development of cosmopolitan literacies.

Lunch vouchers to The Market Place will be provided, but space is limited. RSVP to facultydevelopment@butler.edu is required.

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“How can we implement the principles of DEI in our classrooms?”
Presented by Sudip Das, Pharmaceutical Sciences
12:00-1:00 p.m., Thursday, March 21, AU326

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are crucial components of a healthy and productive higher education environment. Most DEI efforts in institutions of higher education are focused on increasing enrolment and graduation rates of underrepresented POC and LGBTQIA students. It can be challenging however to implement the broader aspects of DEI in the didactic classroom, especially in STEM subject areas. We need to strive to implement DEI principles towards the different learning styles of GenZ students, but how easy is it for faculty to accommodate multiple learning styles?

Lunch vouchers to The Market Place will be provided, but space is limited. RSVP to facultydevelopment@butler.edu is required.

Faculty Development events flagged with the Inclusion Advocate (IA) logo are IA designated events which may be used for IA certification. For more information on the IA program, contact Su-Mei Ooi, Director of Academic Affairs for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Interested in presenting at a Faculty Food for Thought session? Proposals are due by the first Friday in April to present the following academic year. To apply, please send an email to facultydevelopment@butler.edu providing the following information:

  • Name(s) of presenter(s)
  • College/department
  • Proposed Faculty Food for Thought session title
  • Indicate whether you would like this program to be considered for Inclusion Advocate (IA) qualification
  • Brief narrative (150 words or less) – a detailed abstract may be requested at a later date if your proposal is accepted
  • 1-2 points you expect attendees to learn from your session

Proposals are evaluated on the following characteristics:

  • Organization and clarity
  • Novelty and innovation/creativity
  • Likelihood of being interactive/engaging

In addition, selection will be based, in part, on the desire to offer a variety of topics so as to appeal to different faculty across disciplines. First-time presenters and faculty from underrepresented colleges/units/disciplines are especially encouraged to apply.

Please contact facultydevelopment@butler.edu with questions.

To request disability-related accommodations or inquire about accessibility, please contact facultydevelopment@butler.edu. Please allow two weeks’ advance notice in order to allow adequate time to make arrangements. Although attempts will be made to honor accommodation requests with less notice, it cannot be guaranteed that without two weeks’ notice a reasonable accommodation can be provided.