Join this community of practice to share effective practices and brainstorm common challenges with other staff educator colleagues. Go through the line in Commons and charge CITL for your lunch. We are working to break down silos and share tips about what works in our various roles.

A new take on the classic “Lunch & Learn,” this “Lunch & Play” is exactly as it sounds. Come eat lunch on CITL and play with LEGOs, PlayDoh, and other fun “toys.” There is no agenda. This is just a great opportunity to come relax and have some fun with colleagues to end finals week on a high note.

This event is part of our week-long programming, “DeStress Fest.”

Are you looking at a big stack of grading and dreading it? Make the experience better by grading in community with us in the CITL Educator Lounge. We will provide the energy-boosting snacks and drinks, a focus playlist of light music, a soft bunny in the next room to pet, and even some fun colored pens. You bring whatever you need to grade!You can come for twenty minutes or stay the whole three hours. We will be there to give you a pep talk!

Drop in anytime between 1-4 p.m.!

This event is part of our week-long programming, “DeStress Fest.”

All day! 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Drop in anytime!

Stop by the CITL Educator Lounge (you all have access to it via card reader if you ever stop by and the door isn’t open!) any time today for a delicious snack and a pick-me-up coffee/tea/soda.

Additionally, we will have fun craft activities as well as some trivia to answer and possibly win a prize!

This event is part of our week-long programming, “DeStress Fest.”

Drop in! We will have breakfast treats, juice, coffee, and tea to keep you energized as we start finals week.

Join the CITL Breakfast Club
and maybe your face can go on the poster next year!

This event is part of our week-long programming, “DeStress Fest.”

Join this community of practice for those on the books to teach a FYS course, specifically Fall 2024 instructors. Snacks and drinks provided.

Join this community of practice for any new faculty member (teaching at Bates less than three years). Go through the Commons lunch line (charge CITL) and then come upstairs to join ongoing supportive conversation.

Join colleagues across Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin to discuss Generative AI (like Chat GPT). This month, Bates’ CITL is hosting! Have you seen the ads on TikTok or Instagram from influencers peddling a variety of AI tools? No? Well, we guarantee our students have. The April session will be focused on The AI Influencers Selling Students Learning Shortcuts.

CITL has the unique vantage point as we get to engage with educators and students all over campus from all disciplines and all types of courses. During this workshop, we will share key trends and insights gleaned from our interactions this year. We invite you to come together with colleagues to collaborate on how to leverage this information to inform and enhance our course design for the upcoming fall semester. Register ahead of time, go through the line, and use the password “CITL” at the front desk of Commons.

Join this community of practice to share effective practices and brainstorm common challenges with other staff educator colleagues. Go through the line in Commons and charge CITL for your lunch. We are working to break down silos and share tips about what works in our various roles.

Join this community of practice for those on the books to teach a FYS course, specifically Fall 2024 instructors. Snacks and drinks provided.

Katy Ott, Professor of Mathematics and winner of the 2023 Kroepsch Award for Excellence in Teaching, will host a cross-disciplinary panel (Erik Bernadino, Assistant Professor of History, Meredith Greer, Professor of Mathematics, Keiko Konoeda, Lecturer of Japanese and Chair of Asian Studies, and Marcelle Medford, Associate Professor of Sociology) on incorporating reflection and inclusive pedagogies into our teaching. 3/14 is a special day for math! It is known as PI DAY and we plan to also celebrate the occasion with some pi(e) at this lunch time panel. Join us for lunch (through the line in Commons, we recommend getting there a little before 12 to beat the student rush) and then upstairs for the panel discussion and plenty of pie! Register by clicking on “Kroepsch Pedagogy Panel” above and you’ll receive a calendar invite.

Topic for March: “Designing Assignments and Class Activities with Generative AI”

Join colleagues across Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin for a 3-session reading group. Each month, a brief article, video, or website will be shared ahead of the session. Then during the session, we will discuss generative technology and its impact and potential in our learning spaces. These sessions will be facilitated over Zoom by all three colleges’ teaching centers.

Textbook affordability is a perennial concern for our students and one that we as educators have the power to address. Join CITL and Ladd Library in exploring the open textbook landscape, as we (a) review college costs, textbook market trends, and the impact these have on our students; (b) learn about Open Educational Resources (OER) and where to find materials that suit your courses; and (c) work with Research Liaisons to search for open materials. Come with a course in mind and your laptop/tablet AND leave with a new open textbook you can read, review, or adopt for your course.

Join this community of practice for any new faculty member (teaching at Bates less than three years). Go through the Commons lunch line (charge CITL) and then come upstairs to join ongoing supportive conversation.

Postponed from last semester,
Accessibility Isn’t Scary (it’s LOVE) will tackle misconceptions about accessibility and accommodations in our learning spaces AND reimagine them as wonderful, exciting, and natural parts of all educational spaces. Share, discuss, and problematize with Wells Castonguay (CITL), Anita Charles (Education Dept.), and Carson Dockum (Accessible Education) as we consider “accessibility” as a mindset that we can try on and hone.
Go through the Commons line (charge CITL).

Join this community of practice to share effective practices and brainstorm common challenges with other staff educator colleagues. Go through the line in Commons and charge CITL for your lunch. We are working to break down silos and share tips about what works in our various roles.

Postponed from last semester, Beyond Binaries has been rescheduled. Besides contributing to more inclusive classrooms, expanding beyond gender (and other!) boundaries and binarisms can enrich possibilities for creativity, learning, understanding, and joy. Join Hanna McGaughey (Asian Studies), Ian-Khara Ellasante (Gender & Sexuality Studies/Africana), Kat Anderson
(Biology), Brian J. Evans
(Dance/American Studies), and CITL Faculty Fellow Erica Rand
(Gender and Sexuality Studies/Art and Visual Culture) for this across-discipline panel on the generative potentials of thinking beyond binarisms in our work.

February’s topic: “How Generative AI Works and Addressing Ethics/Bias”

Join colleagues across Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin for a 3-session reading group. Each month, a brief article, video, or website will be shared ahead of the session. Then during the session, we will discuss generative technology and its impact and potential in our learning spaces. These sessions will be facilitated over Zoom by all three colleges’ teaching centers.

Join this community of practice for those on the books to teach a FYS course, specifically Fall 2024 instructors. Snacks and drinks provided.

Join this community of practice for any new faculty member (teaching at Bates less than three years). Go through the Commons lunch line (charge CITL) and then come upstairs to join ongoing supportive conversation.

A series of 3 working sessions to develop/refine course assignment(s).
Come to 1, 2, or all 3 sessions, whichever are useful for you!
Each session is offered two times a week (Dana 216).

Sometimes we know which topics are hot buttons for students and sometimes we are surprised by the fires that ignite in our classrooms. In this workshop, we explore how we might feel more confident leading difficult dialogues by encouraging self-reflection and self-regulation, connecting content to larger learning goals, and articulating what will and will not be allowed in our own classrooms.

A series of 3 working sessions to develop/refine course assignment(s).
Come to 1, 2, or all 3 sessions, whichever are useful for you!
Each session is offered two times a week (Dana 216).

Wells and their mom are making dozens of cookies Thursday morning. Stop by Dana 216 to snag one and say hi.

DeStress Fest: Cookies is part of our now semesterly tradition – DeStress Fest. CITL is bringing you some community-oriented events in the last week of classes and during finals week. We hope you can join us for one or all of these drop-in events!

This agenda-free event is just a time to get up from your desk, catch up with colleagues, and eat up! Go through the line and find us in Commons 226 for good food and good conversation.

DeStress Fest: Lunch with us in Commons is part of our now semesterly tradition – DeStress Fest. CITL is bringing you some community-oriented events in the last week of classes and during finals week. We hope you can join us for one or all of these drop-in events!

Inspired by Taylor Swift’s concert friendship bracelets, we will have supplies to make your own bracelet (and we have snacks for you too). Stop by Dana 216.

DeStress Fest is part of our now semesterly tradition – DeStress Fest. CITL is bringing you some community-oriented events in the last week of classes and during finals week. We hope you can join us for one or all of these drop-in events!

Haven’t been able to join us yet this semester to talk about teaching and learning? No problem. Stop by even if you haven’t (yet) read the book and just want to think aloud with us!

Didn’t grade as much as you hoped during the weekend? No problem! Come grade with others in Dana 216.

Grade in Community is part of our now semesterly tradition – DeStress Fest. CITL is bringing you some community-oriented events in the last week of classes and during finals week. We hope you can join us for one or all of these drop-in events!

HHMI BioInteractive recently launched a new Inclusive Teaching MOOC, covering many inclusive teaching topics. At this info session, we will share more about the course, and a panel will share how these learning communities and other support have influenced our teaching at Bates. See page 10 of our December 2023 newsletter for more information.

Stop by Dana 217 for scritches and cuddles with Pippin! Leafy greens will also be provided and you can give Pippin a treat.

Bunday with Pippin Castonguay is part of our now semesterly tradition – DeStress Fest. CITL is bringing you some community-oriented events in the last week of classes and during finals week. We hope you can join us for one or all of these drop-in events!

Lindsey and Wells will be posted up at the Ronj with coffees, teas, and even a CITL specialty drink!

Drinks on us @ The Ronj is part of our now semesterly tradition – DeStress Fest. CITL is bringing you some community-oriented events in the last week of classes and during finals week. We hope you can join us for one or all of these drop-in events!

Wells hosts a workshop on what we inadvertently teach our students through our pedagogical decisions.
What does grading blind or taking a stance on a controversial topic communicate to your students about you, the discipline, and their world(s)?

On the Menu Workshops are typically offered the last weekday of the month during the regular academic year and are open to all educators. The date for the November workshop is December 5. You may go through the line in Commons for lunch and charge CITL. Then join us upstairs in Commons 211 from 12-1 pm for the workshop of the month. A calendar invitation will be sent out to you as a reminder for each workshop.

Join this community of practice to share with other educators about teaching writing across the curriculum. We will share challenges and resources to support incorporating more writing to learn and reflection assignments in all courses. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO A LATER DATE TBD.

Besides contributing to a more inclusive classroom, expanding beyond gender (and other!) boundaries and binarisms can enrich possibilities for creativity, learning, understanding, and joy. In Part One of several workshops organized by CITL Faculty Fellow Erica Rand (Gender and Sexuality Studies/Art and Visual Culture), short presentations by faculty in widely varied fields about their own creative and research practices will introduce a conversation about the generative potentials of thinking beyond binarisms in the work we can do and facilitate. Participants include Brian J. Evans (Dance/American Studies), Hanna McGaughey (Asian Studies), Ian-Khara Ellasante (Gender and Sexuality Studies/Africana), and Kat Anderson (Biology). Please go through the lunch line, charge your meal to CITL, and join us in 221 Commons for this event.

Join this community of practice to share effective practices and brainstorm common challenges with other staff educator colleagues. Go through the line in Commons and charge CITL for your lunch. We are working to break down silos and share tips about what works in our various roles.

Join this community of practice for any new faculty member (teaching at Bates less than three years). Go through the Commons lunch line (charge CITL) and then come upstairs to join ongoing supportive conversation.

Every Friday. November 3, 10, and 17.
Stop in for scritches (also to chat with CITL).

In lieu of our scheduled On The Menu workshop program, Accessibility Isn’t
Scary, CITL is offering to all a space for gathering, for sharing, for
listening, and for (re)thinking and what teaching and learning might look
like at Bates. The Accessibility workshop will be rescheduled to a later
date this year.

We foresee a place of togetherness to discuss openly reframing course
content, shifting course schedules, supporting your students, and
articulating the teaching and learning support that you need following this
community trauma.

Please come join us at noon in Commons 211. Feel free to
go through the line and charge your lunch to CITL. We look forward to being with you.

Join this community of practice to share with other educators about teaching writing across the curriculum. We will share challenges and resources to support incorporating more writing to learn and reflection assignments in all courses. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided.

Join this community of practice to share effective practices and brainstorm common challenges with other staff educator colleagues. Go through the line in Commons and charge CITL for your lunch. We are working to break down silos and share tips about what works in our various roles.

Are you proposing (or planning to propose) a FYS course? Well, this is the event for you! During this 90-minute workshop, we will first introduce you to your FYS support team, before launching into a WORKshop (with particular emphasis on WORK). You will leave this workshop with a solid course proposal draft (with particular emphasis on writing), as well as have access to additional support in attaching MOI and GEC course designations, working with W-CATs, and creating compelling course titles and descriptions. We are looking forward to seeing you at this fun and productive event.

Guilt-free book club’s Fall 2023 selection is Geeky Pedagogy by Jessamyn Neuhaus. Join this first session to pick up your copy of the book. We will discuss our interest in the book at this session. We will divide the book into three sections for future discussions. For the next session in November, we will read Chapter 2 and Chapter 3.

Join this community of practice for any new faculty member (teaching at Bates less than three years). Go through the Commons lunch line (charge CITL) and then come upstairs to join ongoing supportive conversation. Note: The October 6 meeting will be held in the Fishbowl.

Join this community of practice to talk about grading for growth, the vast spectrum of ungrading practices, and how to incorporate more bias-resistant and motivational grading practices into your own courses. Whether you have been using labor-based grading contracts for years or just want to learn how ungrading is defined, this group is for you. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided.

The Ruth M. and Robert H. Kroepsch Award for Excellence in Teaching honors faculty for their outstanding performance as teachers. This past year, Katy Ott of the Mathematics department was selected. In an effort to continue conversations concerning pedagogical practices, Katy Ott brings together this year’s Kroepsch panel to discuss local actions and global thoughts in teaching and learning.

In this month’s workshop series, we will be discussing writing-to-learn activities. Generally, writing-to-learn activities are short, impromptu or otherwise informal and low-stakes writing tasks that help students think through key concepts or ideas presented in a course. Often, these writing tasks are limited to less than five minutes of class time or are assigned as brief, out-of-class assignments. We will share a variety of ways to incorporate more small writing assignments in your course, whatever the discipline, without increasing your grading workload. Go through the line in Commons (charge CITL) and then come upstairs to join us!

Join this community of practice to share with other educators about teaching writing across the curriculum. We will share challenges and resources to support incorporating more writing to learn and reflection assignments in all courses. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided.