Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence

Posted in February 2024

Restorative-Practices Introduction to Restorative Practices for Instructors
Led by Bonni Goldberg, this introductory session explores how restorative practices—rooted in Indigenous traditions—foster connection, belonging, and culturally responsive teaching at PCC. Participants learn to use proactive restorative circles, low-stakes storytelling, and structured listening to build classroom community, handle difficult conversations, and enhance course content. Posted February 2, 2024
Student-Mentoring-Panel. Student Mentoring Panel: Hearing from Those Who Have Been There
This Anderson Conference panel features former TRIO participants exploring student mentoring from both sides of the relationship. Panelists highlight how trust, empathy, and strength-based guidance support underrepresented students through college and career choices. They demonstrate how intentional mentorship fosters student confidence, builds community connection, and enriches professional growth for mentors. Posted February 2, 2024
Student-Support-Learning Support Student Learning and Belonging by Varying Your Feedback Strategies
Varying feedback strategies—from text and rubrics to inline annotations, audio, and video—helps instructors strengthen connection, clarify expectations, and support student learning. Using tools like D2L, Google Docs, and Kaltura, educators can humanize online instruction, communicate tone effectively, and build a stronger sense of belonging through personalized, meaningful responses. Posted February 2, 2024
Teaching-to-the-Gen-Ed. Teaching to the Gen Ed Assessment
This Lunch & Learn series explores how faculty and staff can build age-inclusive learning communities. Participants examine the dynamics of multigenerational environments, distinguish between age-friendly and age-inclusive practices, and reflect on ageism's impact. The session offers strategies to reduce barriers, foster intergenerational knowledge sharing, and make educational spaces welcoming to learners across all life stages. Posted February 2, 2024
Homework-Problems Using Student Authoring of Homework Problems as an Assessment Strategy in STEM
This Anderson Conference session explores student-authored homework problems as renewable STEM assessments. By creating custom chemistry problems tied to their interests, students engage deeply, share diverse perspectives, and reveal misunderstandings early. The presentation outlines the end-to-end creation process, grading rubrics, culturally responsive benefits, and important copyright considerations for reusing student work. Posted February 2, 2024
Collaborative-Remote-Learning-Env Moving the Group Project to a Collaborative Project in a Remote Learning Environment
In this Anderson Conference session, Michael Meagher presents a model for transforming traditional group projects into equitable, remote-friendly collaborative assignments. By pairing individual research and grading with structured teamwork, designated class time, and student-chosen topics, faculty can foster meaningful collaboration without making one student's success dependent on another's participation. Posted February 2, 2024
Unbury-Treasure Unbury the Treasure: Practical Strategies for Student Support Within and Outside of the Classroom
In this Anderson Conference session, Lauren Hull shares practical strategies for making student support resources accessible without overwhelming learners. Discover proactive course design techniques, early scavenger hunt activities, D2L tracking tools, and sustainable communication workflows that help instructors foster meaningful connections, streamline outreach, and protect their own well-being throughout the term. Posted February 2, 2024