News

TLCoP Oct. 9: Leveraging Technology for Teaching with Accessibility

Purdue instructors, teaching assistants, and staff are invited to join the Teaching and Learning Community of Practice (TLCoP) online Wednesday, Oct. 9, 1-2 p.m. ET. for its second session of Fall 2024. This session will focus on strategies for leveraging technology to support accessibility and will feature Purdue instructors sharing innovative strategies they use to support all learners in Purdue’s expanding learning environments.

Please register for the Zoom session. Additional details on the community of practice, as well as past and future sessions, are available on the TLCoP website. As a community of practice, TLCoP wants to hear from everyone involved with teaching and learning at Purdue. Come to the Oct. 9 session with your ideas and questions. 

TLCoP is an initiative of Innovative Learning, Purdue’s hub approach to connect instructors in Indianapolis and West Lafayette to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality, and enhance learning across the University. Members include the Center for Instructional Excellence, Libraries and the School of Information Studies and Purdue University Online. To learn more, visit www.purdue.edu/innovativelearning or email InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu.

Sign up for virtual Pedagogy Circles every Monday

The Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE) invites all Purdue instructors to join Pedagogy Circles, a casual one-hour discussion led by Student Pedagogy Advocates (SPAs). This semester, Pedagogy Circles will be held virtually on Mondays 10-11 a.m. on Zoom. 

Student Pedagogy Advocates are undergraduate students interested in enhancing teaching and learning at Purdue. Throughout the semester, each session of Pedagogy Circles will feature topics for conversation, such as how to encourage engaging classroom discussions, explain learning objectives, implement inclusive and accessible pedagogies, use artificial intelligence for course materials, and more. To participate, please email Dan Guberman at dguberma@purdue.edu or complete this Qualtrics survey.

CIE is a member of Innovative Learning, Purdue’s hub approach to connect instructors to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality, and enhance learning across the University. Other members include Libraries and the School of Information Studies, and Purdue University Online.

Virtual Pedagogy Circles start Mon., Sept. 16

The Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE) invites all Purdue instructors to join Pedagogy Circles, a casual one-hour discussion led by Student Pedagogy Advocates (SPAs). This semester, Pedagogy Circles will be held virtually, starting Sept. 16, on Mondays 10-11 a.m. on Zoom. 

Student Pedagogy Advocates are undergraduate students interested in enhancing teaching and learning at Purdue. Throughout the semester, each session of Pedagogy Circles will feature topics for conversation, such as how to encourage engaging classroom discussions, explain learning objectives, implement inclusive and accessible pedagogies, use artificial intelligence for course materials, and more. To participate, please email Dan Guberman at dguberma@purdue.edu or complete this Qualtrics survey.

CIE is a member of Innovative Learning, Purdue’s hub approach to connect instructors to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality, and enhance learning across the University. Other members include Libraries and the School of Information Studies, and Purdue University Online.

Midterm course evaluation requests due Sept. 13

Faculty interested in midterm student feedback on their courses using Purdue’s Course Evaluation service should contact their Department Evaluation Coordinator within the next week. The deadline for midterm requests to Instructional Data Processing (IDP) is Fri., Sept. 13. Note that requests for end-of-term course evaluations is Fri., Sept. 27. A list of coordinators can be found on the Course Evaluation – Instructor section of IDP’s website. Purdue in Indianapolis faculty may contact Laura Miller, IDP operations administrator, directly.

IDP is part of the Center for Instructional Excellence, a member of Innovative Learning, Purdue’s hub approach to connect instructors to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality and enhance learning across the University. Other members include Libraries and the School of Information Studies and Purdue University Online. To learn more, visit www.purdue.edu/innovativelearning or email InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu. 

IDP offers new services to help digitize Purdue in Indianapolis testing paperwork

Instructional Data Processing (IDP) is announcing a new delivery service for test processing between Indianapolis and West Lafayette. Starting Thurs., Sept. 12, an IDP staff member will be onsite in ET 314 Tuesdays 9 a.m.-noon and Thursdays noon-3 p.m. to assist with the free test-related services offered through IDP’s offices in West Lafayette.  

Detailed information is available on IDP’s website on the objective Test Scoring and analysis, and the scanning service for use with the Gradescope digital tool for non-objective quizzes and examinations. Both services are designed to reduce the amount of paper management required when faculty administer tests. Please note that these services do not include printing tests. 

• Test Scoring uses free pre-printed student response forms for objective, multiple-choice exams. A selection of these forms will be available in ET 314 but faculty are encouraged to review the IDP website, including the Test Scoring FAQ, to determine their individual needs. The use of these machine-readable forms provides a high level of reliability, accuracy, and security with a quick turnaround time. 

• The Gradescope software digitizes written paper assessments to help faculty grade in less time with more consistency, and with statistical feedback. IDP will transport paper assessments from Purdue in Indianapolis to West Lafayette for scanning. 

The new twice-a-week service is part of a suite of assessment support that IDP offers Purdue faculty, which also includes Proctor Services and Course Evaluations. For more information, contact Laura Miller, IDP operations administrator. 

IDP is part of the Center for Instructional Excellence, a member of Innovative Learning, Purdue’s hub approach to connect instructors to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality and enhance learning across the University. Other members include Libraries and the School of Information Studies and Purdue University Online. To learn more, visit www.purdue.edu/innovativelearning or email InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu. 

October Wednesday webinar series offered to Purdue faculty in Indianapolis

This October, the Innovative Learning team invites instructors who teach courses at Purdue in Indianapolis to a series of Wednesday morning webinars designed to highlight Innovative Learning resources and address individual questions. Please register to attend any or all sessions, 9-10 a.m., Oct. 9, 16, and 23. 

The Zoom sessions will begin with a short presentation and then focus on attendee questions. These sessions are a great way for instructors to identify teaching support for this semester and beyond. Register via the hyperlinked title of each session to receive login information. 

Session One (Oct. 9): How to Get the Most out of Course Evaluations 
This session will discuss the process behind Purdue course evaluations, including the end-of-semester and mid-semester student surveys. We will also discuss questions about participation, ways to maximize the feedback students can provide, and interpretation of results.

Session Two (Oct. 16): How to Get the Most Out of Instructional Data Processing
Instructional Data Processing (IDP) plays a crucial role in instruction by offering a range of services designed to support faculty. We are committed to being customer-driven and offering dependable instructional support. Our services include accurate test scoring, Gradescope scanning, proctoring services, and processing of course evaluations. This session will introduce you to our services in detail and explain how IDP can assist you in achieving your educational goals at Purdue University. We will provide time to address questions about how these services might work in your courses.

Session Three (Oct. 23): How to Navigate the End of the Semester 
This session will help you prepare for the end of the semester, covering final grade calculation, final grade submission, incomplete grades, and getting ready for Spring 2025. After providing an overview of these topics, we will focus the remainder of the session on answering your questions.  

For questions about the October Wednesday webinar series, contact Tracey Birdwell, CIE assistant director, Purdue in Indianapolis, at tbirdwel@purdue.edu. 

Innovative Learning is Purdue’s hub approach to connect Purdue instructors to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality, and enhance learning across the University. Members include the Center for Instructional Excellence, Libraries and the School of Information Studies and Purdue University Online. To learn more, visit www.purdue.edu/innovativelearning or email InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu.