San Jose State University
 
 
 
Welcome to our May/June 2023 Newsletter!
 
 
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The view from my airplane window back in November 2022.

It’s Time for Takeoff
In just a few days, we’ll call it a wrap on academic year 2022-23. Grades will be submitted, final administrative reports completed, desks cleared and documents filed, and email autoresponder set to “Leave me alone until August.”
I hope that you will have the opportunity to take off this summer. You might be literally taking off on a voyage, either for fun and relaxation or travel related to your research or professional development. Maybe you will take time off, identifying specific days when you can cancel everything and do nothing at all but enjoy a beautiful summer day. Or perhaps a fit of inspiration will strike and new ideas or connections will take off for you in ways that the regular semester doesn’t allow. Further still, maybe you will take off in a different direction than the one you’ve been headed on, such as finally making time for a lunchtime walk or other small acts that support your wellbeing. 
I hope that whichever of these forms of takeoff come your way can help you come home to yourself. I saw a social media post recently that posed the following kinds of questions:
  • When do you feel most connected to yourself, and what does that feel like?
  • Who makes you feel good about being you?
  • What are the things you do that make you forget to check your phone?
  • What’s a self-promise you can make that can help you be your most authentic self?

One of the things I enjoy most about the summer months is the opportunity to slow down and daydream a little, working at a much different and more deliberate pace that doesn’t feel possible in the heat and pressure of the semester. I intend to make the most of the upcoming languid days and hope you do, as well!

Sincerely,
Magdalena L. Barrera
Vice Provost for Faculty Success
 
 
 
Updates from the Center for Faculty
Development and eCampus
 
 
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Do you excel in and enjoy supporting others in developing asset-based, equity-minded and culturally sustaining instruction? We hope you’ll consider mentoring your colleagues in our inaugural SJSU + Adobe Digital Literacies Collaboratory. Mentor applications, like participant applications, are due Friday, May 26th.  

This summer, faculty will explore how to support students in digital literacy, including telling their own and critically navigating others' stories, through individual and collaborative creative experimentation with evidence-based practices in equity-minded instruction and Adobe Creative Cloud applications. Topics will include:  Self-reflection on their own assets and exceptional abilities as educators; culturally-sustaining pedagogy, including nurturing their own voices and helping their students to do the same; relationship-centered teaching and learning; authentic and alternate assessment; and engagement, creativity and play.  

The program is approximately 12 hours of work, including participation in a welcome convening (hosted in Zoom) and completion of three modules (plus a concise "start here" module).  Mentors will receive a special consultant of $2500 for participating in required professional development activities the week of June 12-16 and mentoring a cohort of approximately 15-18 faculty participants.

There are two cohort opportunities: Cohort 1: June 26th-July 16th and Cohort 2: July 20th-August 9th.

Please direct any questions about serving as a mentor this summer to Deanna Fassett, Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Development, Center for Faculty Development + eCampus.
 
 
 
 
 
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Have a video that needs captions? Use this Caption Video Content Form to request them! Please reach out to cfd@sjsu.edu or eCampus@sjsu.edu for any questions.
 
 
 
 
 
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The eCampus Office of Quality Assurance (EOQA) is awarding faculty grants in the amount of $1,000 (USD) to enhance the quality of online courses and deliver inclusive and engaging online courses in the Getting Ready for QM Certification (GRQC) program. EOQA’s goal is to provide access to high quality, student-centered courses that reflect best practices and promote excellence in online teaching and learning. GRQC will work with faculty who have taught an online course for more than two semesters, and are interested in redesigning courses to achieve the Quality Matters certification. EOQA will assist faculty with course design and development by providing tailored training and individualized support  throughout the process. Review the entire program description for complete program requirements and additional details. Submit your proposal online by June 11, 2023.
 
 
 
 
 
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To check and remediate the accessibility of your documents, you can use Ally which is already integrated into Canvas or install the GrackleDocs Add-On in Google Docs, Slides and Sheets. 
Both Ally and GrackleDocs provide step-by-step guidance on how to fix issues such as: headings, alternative text for images, table structure and color contrast. Use these tools to create more accessible and inclusive content for all!
 
 
 
 
 
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A new feature included with our Zoom site license is Zoom Scheduler. I often find myself trying to coordinate meeting times with others across campus. With the Zoom Scheduler, this can make it a breeze to send a link or add it in your email signature to have the person you’re meeting to schedule something that works for both your schedules. It links to your SJSU Google Calendar to mark time slots unavailable on the Scheduler that you may have other appointments listed.

You can select dates and times that people can book with you. You can limit each meeting to one person per session or multiple attendees per session (e.g., student consultations, office hours, etc…). You can set up your notifications to have reminder emails and SMS messages sent out to both you and your attendees. The time slots can be set up for every sixty minutes and built in buffer times. You can add custom fields and have a meeting question such as “Topics to be covered during the session?” box so that the attendees can put in something they want to touch on. You can limit the booking per day requested, but also most importantly have the attendees schedule a meeting in minutes/hours/days in advance so that you are not surprised with a meeting all of a sudden. If you would like to find out more information on the new Zoom Scheduler, please contact us at eCampus to go over the settings in Zoom Scheduler. Review the Scheduling made easy with Zoom Scheduler documentation on this new function.
 
 
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Zoom Scheduler Attendee Dashboard
 
 
 
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May
24: eCampus Office Hours: Polling, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
25: Creative Canvas Home Pages, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
26: Participant and mentor application deadline for the 2022 SJSU + Adobe Collaboratory
26: Application deadline for SJSU Public Voices Fellowship 
29: Campus closed
31: SJSU Accessible Syllabus Workshop, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

June
1: RTP: “Unanimous Retention” decisions released to candidates
6: Adobe Premiere Rush - Live, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
7: Adobe Audition for Podcasting, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
7: Ally Accessibility Workshop, 2:30 - 3:00 p.m.
8: eCampus Office Hours: Polling, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
9: Camtasia I Workshop, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
13: Polling with Zoom and Poll Everywhere, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
13: SJSU Accessible Syllabus Workshop, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
19: Campus closed
23: SJSU Accessible Syllabus Workshop, 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
30: ArcGIS Online Intro, 10:00 -11:00 a.m.

July
4: Campus closed
10: Ally Accessibility Workshop, 12:00 - 12:30 p.m.
12: Camtasia I Workshop, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
 
 
 
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How to Read Student Evaluations Constructively: Academia Made Easier’s Loleen Berdalh recommends that you “[d]ecide beforehand why you are reading the student evaluations.”
Planning for Summer “Break”: “Having an optimistic attitude towards our goals is important, but it's equally important to set realistic expectations for ourselves, or we risk feeling guilty about everything we failed to achieve on the lofty list of summer goals.”

A Surprising Productivity Hack: “When we are overworked or burned out, the wisdom we are given is that we need to rest, which often conjures an image of ourselves lying still on a beach somewhere or simply sleeping. . . . Instead, we sometimes require complete immersion in an activity other than work.”
 
 
 
 
 
Do you have a story, highlight, reading, or tip that you would like to share in this newsletter? Please reach out anytime to faculty-success@sjsu.edu . 
 
 
 
 
 
Contact Us

Magdalena L. Barrera, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Faculty Success
faculty-success@sjsu.edu | 408-924-2405
Deanna Fassett, Ph.D.
Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Development
cfd@sjsu.edu | 408-924-2600
Jennifer Redd, Ph.D.
Senior Director, eCampus
ecampus@sjsu.edu | (408) 924-2337
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One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192

 
Last Updated Feb 1, 2024