Conversations with Colleagues

Real Talk, Real Connection. Join us in conversation with educational development colleagues from across Minnesota State as we kick off this year's Conversations with Colleagues series. This year we will be engaging in the theme of "Guides on the Educational Journey." Our first gathering will set the stage by thinking about relationship building as a... Continue Reading →

Topic Why do I do a racial equity grounding every class? What do I include in it? Conversation Host: Bea DeSantiago-Fjelstad It is essential to embed foundational practices in our courses that impact students. That’s why we must empower each other to challenge the inequities in our system and make education more accessible and equitable... Continue Reading →

February 2024 Topic: Finding your partners for change within your institution The work of faculty and staff can feel either stacked with required meetings or isolated with solitary tasks. Some of the initiatives we tackle (e.g. equity) represent undoing generations of patterns and rewiring complex, systemic structures. It’s important and often exhausting work! Connections with others... Continue Reading →

This interactive conversation provides a platform for faculty members to explore students' use of AI on their educational journey. First, we will view an Educause video Students’ Perspectives on Using AI (8:16) profiling 3 student perspectives on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and then discuss AI’s immense potential to enhance students’ educational journeys. Here are some ways students might... Continue Reading →

Topic: Promoting Equity through Data Practices Hosts: Susan Parry, Hennepin Technical College and Martin Springborg, Dakota County Technical College In FY25, the Educational Development Committee is focusing on the theme “Promoting Equity through Data Practices.” After viewing a short video “Education gap: The root of inequality” we will connect the video’s themes with the Minnesota... Continue Reading →

Description Creating Equitable Assessments requires self-reflection, an ongoing process that one must continue to engage in to overcome intentional and unintentional barriers for our students. These barriers can arise from conscious or unconscious bias and systemic structures. Join us in a conversation around the six Actions for Equity-Minded Assessment proposed by Drs. Erick Montenegro and... Continue Reading →

February Topic Our main focus is rightly on our students. But the people doing the work of teaching matter, and there is an important overlap between what’s best for our students and what’s best for faculty. Join us for a conversation about supporting new(ish) faculty, where we will share examples of multi-faceted initiatives at Minneapolis... Continue Reading →

Topic Self-Care Conversations - Empowering Well-Being at Work Join us for an engaging and supportive session dedicated to self-care and well-being. This interactive workshop is designed to help colleagues explore and enhance their self-care practices, fostering a healthier and more balanced work environment. Session Highlights: We will share our understanding of the importance of self-care... Continue Reading →

Helping Students Navigate Educational Technology Are your students struggling to keep up with the educational technology you or campus faculty are integrating into their courses? Join us for the next Conversations with Colleagues session focused on Helping Students Navigate Educational Technology. We’ll explore both the possibilities and barriers students face when using faculty-assigned and system-supported... Continue Reading →

  As campus educational developers, our roles may include a variety of activities: Facilitating conversations about teaching, supporting course design, academic technology, and equitable pratice, coordinating or providing professional development, leading professional development committees or centers for teaching and learning - and more! Are you a campus educational developer? Join us for an opportunity to... Continue Reading →

Topic: Designing Accessibility from the Start In this discussion, we will focus on a proactive accessibility mindset in which we approach our materials and D2L courses with accessibility at the forefront. Practices such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), appropriate Word formatting, and accessible by design will be discussed. Breakouts will be collaborative with practice in implementing accessibility in... Continue Reading →