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While the Center for Economic and Policy Research has gone so far as to call the U.S. the “No Vacation Nation" stating from a study of 22 of the richest countries that "The United States continues to be the only advanced economy that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation and holidays." Former President Samuel Stanley made efforts to ensure that at MSU this wasn't ture. On his last day of service, President Stanley declared that, "MSU’s biggest investment — and greatest strength — is you, the exceptionally talented support staff, faculty and academic staff who bring our educational mission to life. You do so much to teach, inspire and support our students’ success in all they do. An important part of my job, and that of my administration, is recognizing your efforts and supporting your success." And the way in which Stanley recognized those efforts, was to award a new, annual winter break, which for this academic year will run from Dec. 23 through Jan. 2.In my experience, this is a time that many employees would use vacation days or accrued time off, but the act of intentionally gifting MSU staff this time means that the days they would have otherwise allocated to ringing in the new year can be distributed to other times in their work cycle. But will they? According to a study done by Glassdoor, the reasons U.S. workers don’t use their vacation time includes:

Their workload is too great and no one else at their company can do the work in their absence without fear they will fall behind.
They worry they will miss out on participating in an important project, decision or meeting.
They feel guilty about leaving the office too long because they think their team might feel lost or overwhelmed.
Some worry their desire to take vacation time will make them appear less motivated or dedicated.

Additionally, the Glassdoor study found that of those who did use vacation time, only 54% were able to fully "check out" while 27% were expected to stay aware of work issues and jump in if need be. This data-- combined with that from a study from the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization that found working 55 hours or more a week was associated with a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared with a working week of 35 to 40 hours-- has a few important take aways for us...

Over working ourselves has negative health implications.
Taking the time off that we're provided by our organization is important for both employees and employer.
Workplace culture, division of labor, and human capital/capacity all impact workers' ability to let go while taking time away (or taking time at all).

"While taking a vacation may make employees temporarily feel behind, they should realize that stepping away from work and fully disconnecting carries a ripple effect of benefits. It allows employees to return to work feeling more productive, creative, recharged and reenergized. In turn, employers should consider what a vacation really means – to actually vacate work – and how they can support employees to find true rest and relaxation to avoid burnout and turnover within their organizations," said Carmel Galvin, Glassdoor chief human resources officer. Additionalluy, in a report on the impacts of a reduction to 32 hour/4-day work-week in 27 companies, scholars at Boston College, the University College Dublin and Cambridge University found improvement in many well-being metrics. "Stress, burnout, fatigue, work-family conflict all declined, while physical and mental health, positive affect, workfamily and work-life balance, and satisfaction across multiple domains of life increased." Download a copy of the report for all the details.I love the way this Forbes article by Caroline Castrill puts it, "Don’t be a vacation slacker. Time off is linked to a slew of benefits, including better sleep and improved mental health. So, what are you waiting for? Put the guilt aside and plan your next holiday. Your body and mind will thank you." The article also links to multiple studies that support the assertions that vacation time:



increases mindfulness
improves heart health
reduces stress
boosts brainpower
improves sleep



The bottom line is taking vacation time is essential to employee survival. We (the royal "we") still have a long way to go when it comes to employee health and workplace wellbeing, but taking full-advantage of employer provided breaks is one place to start. So as the year comes to an end... leave your computer at work, set your away message, turn off notifications, and respect your own PTO boundaries. Photo by Bethany Legg on Unsplash

Project Title: Early Career Access to Flow CytometryProject Leads: Dr. Susan McQuistonElevator Pitch: Flow Cytometry is an important tool used in medicine and research to analyze specific features of individual cells as they flow past a laser. These features allow scientists to understand how different cells grow and function, leading to new medical and scientific discoveries. Flow Cytometry is used to analyze the specific category and treatment for leukemias and lymphomas.This cell analysis technique is also used to develop new drugs and treatments for cancer, autoimmune diseases, dementia and many other diseases.Team Bios:Dr. McQuiston graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology and earned a Master of Science in Clinical Science with a focus in Immunology from San Francisco State University. After 15 years in medicine and scientific research, she earned a Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco with an emphasis in Intellectual Property. She is ASCP certified and a member of the California Bar and the United States Patent Bar. Dr. McQuiston has experience in clinical laboratories, academic research laboratories, and at biotechnology companies, and in patent law. Dr. Susan McQuiston has been with the Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics Program since May 2009. She was the first laboratory skills instructor in BLD and served in that role for ten years, in addition to serving as Faculty Mentor and Co-Mentor for the BLD Student Association. Dr. McQuiston currently teaches Hematology and Hemostasis lectures, in addition to Flow Cytometry classes for undergraduate and graduate students. She is also an Academic Advisor. Dr. McQuiston currently serves as the BLD Scholarship Committee Chair and BLD representative to the CNS DEIAC. She is a 2013 graduate of the Walter and Pauline Adams Academy for Instructional Excellence and Innovation. Dr. McQuiston also serves on the board of directors for the Medical Technology Internship Match Program of Michigan (MTIMPM). She awarded the Outstanding Academic Advisor for 2013 and received a CNS Faculty Teaching Prize in 2014.What are some of the successes?
In my original budget, I requested 5 computers and analysis software. When we received our flow cytometer instrument with the help of TLE money, software came with it. This software can be used for analysis and installed on numerous computers. To quote the installation technician, "No one has reached the limit on the number of computers it can be used on". I've decided to use this software as it will be easier for students to use software for analysis that is similar to what is used for data collection on the instrument. Instead, I would like to purchase a 6th computer to use as an analysis station in the teaching lab (Room 160 GH). The computer display is fed to multiple HDTVs. While students will perform analysis in groups in the computer lab, we can also discuss analysis as a class in the teaching lab. What are some of the challenges that you have experienced on this project?The current computer in that room is more than 10 years old and cannot run the software. Due to the expense of the reagents in this field, we have used expired, donated reagents in the past. These are no longer suitable for the new lab exercises. Recently we purchased some reagents to start with that totaled about $1560.00.Image attribution:"Flow Cytometry" by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - PNNL is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

"I would like to Thank Tracy because she was extremely helpful throughout the course. She made sure that students understood what was going on before moving forward and she always welcomed questions and made things easier for us students. She is overall a great person and really deserves to be thanked for all her hard work and patience with struggling students."
-A fellow Spartan
 

 
Tracy is a doctoral student in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources' (CANR) Fisheries and Wildlife Department. According to MSU Today, "Melvin has an extensive conservation background. She has served as a Science to Action Fellow for the United States Geological Survey's National Climate Adaptation Science Center and in 2018 was chair of the Wildlife Society’s Climate Change and Wildlife Working Group." Her dissertation focuses on stewarding climate-induced ecological transformation in the context of global biodiversity conservation. According to Tracy, her work is "global in scope, but focuses on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska as a case study". Tracy has also taught an "award-winning study abroad program, titled 'A Fragile Fiji: Integrating Ecosystems and Human Dimensions in the Face of Climate Change,' with MSU." 
 
In addition to her scholarly and in-class educator roles, Tracy serves as the Graduate School's Leadership Fellow in CANR. She has embarked on her third and final year in this role, and through this position has led in-college initiatives such as CANR Rising, a public storytelling event in which key leaders in the college shared their experiences with failure and how they have resiliently persisted to be where they are today. Tracy describes her fellow activities as "an eclectic mix of 1. Determining the health, wellness, and needs assessment of the graduate students in her college through a unique survey 2. Creating an-all college website for graduate students to learn about self-care and resiliency, and 3. Creating opportunity for all-college community building through graduate student focal activities meant to build resilience, including physical fitness, personal finances, meditation, and faculty-student communication."

Online Test Security Issues
Unfortunately, it has become far too commonplace for students to “help each other out” by posting test questions and answers on websites. Try a google search for your course code and exam title and you may find sites listing your exam (e.g., Course Hero, Koofers, Chegg, and Quizlet). Also try a search of specific questions to see what’s out there. Most of these sites are meant to help students study and they post honor codes* but not all students will abide by them.
As the instructor, you can ask these study sites to remove your material when you find it.
Here are some ways to minimize issues when using the D2L Quiz tool, while also promoting honesty and learning. 
Recommendations to reduce cheating

Limit the opportunity to use outside sources by enforcing a time-limit.
Add a mandatory academic honesty question at the beginning of the exam, asking students to certify that the test represents their independent work.
Create large question pools (reword questions and choices each semester so they cannot be easily searched).
Randomize the question sequence and/or answer choices.
Display one question per page, or at least fewer questions per page. This makes it harder for students to take a screenshot of the questions in bulk. 
Craft questions that require critical thinking: Avoid straightforward identification questions, where students can answer through a quick search.
Ask students to select all of the correct answers (use multiple-select type and change the setting to "correct answers" to award partial credit).
Provide limited views of results upon submission. Limiting the viewing window does not prevent copying but it can reduce the ability to go back later to copy.
Use remote proctoring opens in new window for high-stakes exams. The downside can be technical obstacles, cost, and privacy issues (e.g., use of webcams).

Time limits on exams/quizzes
If you are giving an online exam, time-limits help to both reduce cheating and encourage more studying. See The Value of Time Limits on Internet Quizzes opens in new window.
"Time limits on exams are associated with better learning and exam performance because they reduce the opportunity to look up answers in lieu of learning the material."
There is also a setting in D2L quizzes to disable right-click. This prevents students from doing a quick copy of the whole question in order to search for answers in another window. 
Another potential issue: Submission Views
If the submission view shows all of the questions and what they got right and wrong as soon as they submit it, this can easily be copied and sent to another student without you seeing it posted on the internet. Random selection helps to make this less of an issue but it would be better to have clear end-dates with restricted submission views. Keep the default submission view as "score only" and then don’t show the other details until after the end-date.
Here are recommended Submission View settings.
DEFAULT VIEW
Date: immediatelyShow Questions? NoStatistics: none(Saying "No" to Show Questions means students will only see a score)
ADDITIONAL VIEWS
Display right/wrong answers after the due dateDate: ##/##/####Show Questions? Yes, Show all questions with user responsesShow question answers: NoStatistics: none (or show statistics - your preference)
Back to score only at end of courseDate: ##/##/####Show Questions? NoStatistics: none
Bring the second additional view back to “score only” at the end of the semester so that views are not left open when you copy the course to a new semester.
Reviewing Quiz results
To review quiz activity, go to Assessments > Quizzes and select "Grade" on the pull-down menu by the quiz title. Go to the attempts tab, and click on individual attempts to review results by student. Click on "Attempt Logs" to see the quiz entry and completion for each student.
Use the pull-down menu next to a Quiz title in the Quiz list view, and select Statistics to view Quiz/Question stats (view each tab).
Also, watch student activity within your course content to understand patterns that may alert you to issues. Look at Table of Contents > related tools > view reports > users tab, to compare quiz results with content views to discover potential issues.
Here are the recommendations from the D2L Brightspace Community to help prevent cheating:

On the Edit Quiz page, in the Optional Advanced Properties area, select Disable right click.
Select Disable Email, Instant Messages and alerts (but only if there is an enforced time-limit). Students will not be able to use D2L email in any of their courses while the quiz is pending.
Incorporate question pools into your quizzes to distribute unique sets of questions to users.
In the Quiz Questions area, select Shuffle questions at the quiz level.
If Sections are used, select Shuffle questions in this section.

Note:  You can shuffle within sections rather than shuffling questions at the quiz level if you would like to present auto-graded items first (MC, M-S, T/F) and then present essay (WR) questions later.
*Examples of honor codes

MSU Academic Integrity (PDF) opens in new window
Spartan Academic Pledge opens in new window
Course Hero honor code opens in new window
Chegg Honor Code opens in new window
Quizlet Honor Code opens in new window
Koofers Terms of Use opens in new window

Go to Brightspace D2L Documentation for more on creating and managing quizzes opens in new window.

As teachers or students, we each enter the classroom with expectations and norms that have been cultivated by the communities and cultures from which we come. As in many social spaces shared by people with diverse identities and backgrounds, it takes explicit effort to ensure that equity and inclusion are truly guiding principles for interactions in the classroom. These are important considerations for all educators; in your reflections and preparations for classroom instruction, interactions with graduate teaching assistants and advisees, and even in many engagments with other educators.CLASSROOM DYNAMICS

Be aware of power attached to social roles and power attached to social identities. Unequal power manifests in the classroom, for one, due to the differing social roles of instructor and student. Instructors exercise power in designing courses, leading class discussions or activities, deciding grades, and offering mentorship and connection to resources for student support and development. 
Acknowledge and counter bias in the classroom. In the classroom, bias shows up implicitly and explicitly by way of course materials, classroom discussions, grading, evaluations, and more.When critically examining your course or classroom for bias, you may consider explicit and unacknowledge norms and expectations, financial burden of your course, representation in your syllabus (reading materials, cases, scenarios etc.), weight of class participation in grades, and other class policies. 
Recognize and counter stereotype threat and lift. Stereotype threat is a phenomenon in which certain groups’ academic performance is negatively impacted due to increased vigilance about possibly confirming existing stereotypes. It's important to respect each of your students as individual learners and encourage a growth mindset in the classroom. This means normalizing mistakes and failures, emphasizing the value of challenge, and offering students a variety of ways to demonstrate their learning. 

EARLY IN THE TERM

Introduce yourself to your class. Tell them about your background: how you first became interested in the subject, how it has been important to you, and why you are teaching this course. Genuinely convey your enthusiasm for the field and the subject; sharing your "why" for teaching in an authentic way. If you are comfortable doing so, introduce yourself so that your students know more than your name and contact information (e.g., outside interests, family, academic history, personal experiences). Centering yourself as a whole-human can set the tone for students doing the same. 
Give students an opportunity to meet each other. Ask students to divide themselves into groups of three to five and introduce themselves. Or go around the room and ask all students to respond to one question, such as “What’s the one thing you really want to learn from this course?” or “What aspect of the course seems most appealing to you?”
Invite students to fill out an introduction card. Suggest that they indicate their name, year in school, major field of study, goals in the course, career plans, and so on.
Learn students’ names. By learning and using your students’ names, you can create a comfortable classroom environment that will encourage student interaction. Knowing your students’ names also tells them that you are interested in them as individuals. Did you know 
Divide students into small groups. Give groups a small task, such as a brainstorming exercise, then place responses on the board for discussion and interpretation. These groups can change over time, regardless setting group agreements should be an established practice. CTLI has a student-facing survey library that includes a group agreement form. Learn more on accessing this library here.
Encourage students to actively support one another. Help them connect with at one or two other students in the class whom they can contact about missed classes, homework assignments, study groups and so on. You might also use the learning management system to create an online discussion forum where students can respond to each other's queries.  

THROUGHOUT THE TERM

Let students know that they are not faces in an anonymous audience. In large courses, students often think that their classroom behaviour (eating, talking, sleeping, arriving late, etc.) goes unnoticed. Remind students that you and their classmates are aware of -- and affected by -- their behaviour. 
If your class has extra seating space, ask students to refrain from sitting in certain rows of the classroom. For example, if you teach in a room that has rowed seating, ask students to sit in rows 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 and so on so that you can walk through the audience where there is an empty row.
Recognize students’ extracurricular accomplishments. Read your campus newspaper, scan the dean’s list, pay attention to undergraduate awards and honours, and let students know that you are aware of their achievements.
Listen to students with warmth and respect. Give them your full attention. Be personable and approachable – remember the positive power of a smile.
Validate all comments and questions, even those that might seem irrelevant.
Welcome criticism and receive it with an open mind. Model for your students how you would like them to reflect on the feedback that you will be providing to them. 
When you don’t know something, ask your students for help. For example, during class, ask someone with a laptop to do a Google search for a fact or piece of information that pertains to class discussion. 
Be inclusive. Use gender-inclusive language and when giving examples make them culturally diverse.
Capitalize on outside events or situations, as appropriate. Relate major world events or events on campus both to your class and to the fabric of your students’ lives outside the classroom.
Arrive early and chat with students. Ask how the course is going. Are they enjoying the readings? Is there anything they want you to include in lectures?
Seek out students who are doing poorly in the course. Write “See me during my office hours” on all exams graded C- or below to provide individualized feedback.
Acknowledge students who are doing well in the course. Write “Good job! See me after class” on all exams graded A- or above. Take a moment after class to compliment students who are excelling.
Schedule topics for office hours. If students are reluctant to come, periodically schedule a “help session” on a particular topic rather than a free-form office hour.
Talk about questions students have asked in previous terms. Mention specific questions former students have asked and explain why they were excellent questions. This lets students know that you take their questions seriously and that their questions will contribute to the course in the future.
When feasible, give students a choice in the type of assignments they can do. For example, rather than assigning a traditional essay, give them the option of making a podcast, analysing a case study, giving a poster presentation, and so on. 
Consider providing options for how the final grade will be calculated. For example,  individual students can decide that the midterm will be worth 25% and a major project worth 35% -- or vice versa. 
Listen attentively to all questions and answer them directly. If you will cover the answer during the remainder of the lecture, acknowledge the aptness of the question, ask the student to remember it, and answer the question directly when you arrive at that subject.
Try to empathize with beginners. Remember that not all of your students are as highly motivated and interested in the discipline as you were when you were a student. Slow down when explaining complex ideas, and acknowledge the difficulty and importance of certain concepts or operations. Try to recall your first encounter with a concept – what examples, strategies, or techniques clarified it for you? 
When a student seems disgruntled with some aspect of the course, approach him or her in a supportive way and discuss the feelings, experiences, and perceptions that are contributing to the issue.
Celebrate student or class accomplishments. Instigate a round of applause, give congratulations, share cookies! 

Thank you to colleagues in university educator development at the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University, the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo, and others for their materials that informed or were adapted into this resource. 
Resources

Eble, K. E. (1988). The Craft of Teaching: A Guide to Mastering the Profession and Art. 2nd Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Forsyth, D. R, & McMillan, J. H. (1991). Practical Proposals for Motivating Students. In Menges, R. J., & Svinicki, M. D., eds. College Teaching: From Theory to Practice. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, No.45. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, p.53-65.
Gross Davis, B. (2009). Tools for Teaching, 2nd Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Ralph, E. G. (1998). Motivating Teaching in Higher Education: A Manual for Faculty Development. Stillwater, Oklahoma: New Forums Press, Inc.
Wlodkowski, R. J. (1978). Motivation and Teaching: A Practical Guide. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association.
Fostering Student Morale and Confidence. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

Finishing up the academic year isn’t the same flavor as past years. We’ve had a taste of a much different year and there’s no better time than the moment to reflect on what was accomplished, set aside, or re-imagined. With the spring sun comes a deep breath out, then pause, and inhale hope for the opportunities ahead.
Start with a 3 Breath Reset
At the start of each session of the Living in a Daring Way course, Lisa Laughman helps participants pause for a three breath reset. This practice is common in mindfulness-based stress reduction courses. Try this short technique to help you refocus and recenter yourself.

First breath: focus on your breath coming in and leaving your body.
Second breath: notice your tension in your body on the inhale. On the exhale take a more relaxed position.
Third breath: on the inhale try to connect to your deepest wisest self. On the exhale stay with your deepest wisest self and acknowledge that part of yourself.

Learn from Lisa Laughman, LMSW & ACSW in Health4U and the Employee Assistance Program. 
Season with Gratitude
“Throughout my career, I have found myself committed to appreciating the contributions of my colleagues, and the communities we served. Whether it was uplifting the stories of others or building structures to support gratitude sharing, giving thanks and holding space to appreciate others has been a constant,” said learning designer Makena Neal in a recent piece, Gratitude and the Culture of Care.
There’s evidence to support the importance of gratitude in the workplace. Practicing gratitude has significant impacts on positive affective well-being, can also promote kindness and generosity, and highlights our connection to one another. Moreover, triggers that inspire state gratitude, such as letters of appreciation, as well as institutionalized gratitude have been found to be predictors of job satisfaction.  
At MSU, you can formally Thank an Educator. You can also nominate your supervisor/administrator for this year’s Outstanding Supervisor Award by July 31, 2022. Anywhere you are you can send an email, verbally share your gratitude or send a token of appreciation. A small amount of gratitude can make a huge impact. So… who will you thank today?
Reflect on Accomplishments
Take a look at your personal accomplishments - not just the big hurray moments, but the moments of holding peace, wrapping up a long-tail project, and even finishing a very hard academic year. Sometimes survival is a success. Life isn’t just about reaching higher and higher peaks, sometimes it's about moving through the valleys, and just reaching a resting place is an endeavor worth honoring.
You can choose to track your professional success 
Jaimie Hutchison of the WorkLife Office provided this insight:
Often, after speaking with people, I learn how much more they actually have to offer than what shows up on their resume or LinkedIn profile. Here in the WorkLife Office, I do career consultations for faculty and staff. I have worked with faculty, executives, and staff members of all levels. In the end, the same advice and encouragement comes out:

By thinking through your impact and accomplishments, you can have a better sense of your contribution to your workplace.
You can have a better sense of yourself.
You can reflect on things you have done where you used your skills to the best of your ability.
You can reflect on projects or positions where you felt “meh” and it wasn’t the best fit for you.
You can also reflect on what skills, experience, and abilities you have that are not getting utilized. 

The Three Levels of Praxis: A Model for Reflection on Teaching 
Written by E. Cuevas, educator in WRAC, the article draws on what Paulo Freire called praxis, or reflection and action. “A belief in praxis accepts that we are both instructors and learners; we have much to learn from our students. Engaging in reflection is an important part of figuring out how to align your goals, with your teaching, with your research, and your place in your institution. In this post, I will continue to reflect on my personal positioning to offer a model for reflection and I will do this by meditating on my positionality on three levels: the personal, the classroom, and the institutional,” wrote E. Cuevas
 
Give it Time
The Well-being at Work Guide sheds insights on taking time away from work, in the forms of breaks, vacation time, or strengthening boundaries around employees’ workdays, is important. Taking breaks throughout the workday has benefits for both the employee and the organization, but many employees often neglect to take them. Skipping breaks can lead to faster burnout and higher stress levels. Employees stepping away from work for a few minutes increases their productivity, job satisfaction, mental health and wellbeing, in addition to restoring their motivation (Kohll, 2018; Selig, 2017). 
Taking a break from work increases focus when employees return to work, thus improving their productivity. Additionally, taking breaks relieves some stress, which helps employees’ mental health and wellbeing. These factors contribute to increased job satisfaction (Kohll, 2018). 

Learn from Nature
Nature can positively affect employees. There is evidence that time spent outdoors boosts people's wellbeing, and even five minutes of time in nature can improve mental health. Spending time outside benefits people because breathing fresh air increases oxygen intake and allows the lungs to work at their full capacity (Sandborn, 2018).  Exposure to vitamin D from the sun boosts people's moods, too. Time outside also can reduce employees’ chronic stress, physical and social stressors. These benefits are at their strongest when experiencing 21 to 30 minutes of nature time (Hunter, Gillespie, & Chen, 2019).

Beronda Montgomery talks "Lessons from Plants"
Watch the Replay 
Beronda L. Montgomery explores the vigorous, creative lives of organisms often treated as static and predictable. In fact, plants are masters of adaptation. They “know” what and who they are, and they use this knowledge to make a way in the world. Plants experience a kind of sensation that does not require eyes or ears. They distinguish kin, friend, and foe, and they are able to respond to ecological competition despite lacking the capacity of fight-or-flight. Plants are even capable of transformative behaviors that allow them to maximize their chances of survival in a dynamic and sometimes unfriendly environment.

Grow in Your Own Way
However you reflect, disconnect, recharge and rejuvenate this summer; do it in the way that works best for you. Try new things or shut out the world for a few hours at a time. Explore new skills, areas, and ideas, or retreat to your own quiet place to let your mind wander. Plot your next year or reflect solidly on the past. Remember all the challenges you’ve overcome, the people you met, and the opportunities you’ve discovered.

Leadership Fellows

2017-2019: Elijah Simmons
2019-2020: Rachel Robinson & Cameron Chase
2020-2021: Sharieka Botex
2021-2022: Philip Montgomery
2021-2023: Hima Rawal

 
Elijah Simmons (2017-2019)As the first College of Arts & Letters Leadership Fellow, Elijah Simmons sought to bring awareness to the Leadership Institute’s resources and gain an understanding of what more could be done to improve the graduate student experience within the College.Rachel Robinson and Cameron Chase (2019-2020)Rachel Robinson and Cameron Chase worked closely with the College of Arts and Letters’ leadership team to organize CAL Care Week, a week-long event focused on how Spartans can take care of themselves as well as make positive contributions to the MSU community. The planned events for the week included writing workshops, yoga sessions, and painting the Rock in an effort to promote positivity, self-awareness, and connectivity. Examples of workshops include “How to be a Caring Reviewer,” “Creating Academic Boundaries with Care,” and “Teaching to GenZ: Navigating Anxiety and Depression with Art in the Classroom.” Unfortunately, CAL Care Week was scheduled for late March 2020 and had to be canceled due to COVID-19. CAL Care Week was featured on the College of Arts and Letters’ website and in an MSUToday article.Sharieka Botex (2020-2021) | Coordinator (2021-2023)Sharieka Botex, a PhD student in Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures was informed by her interest in community-focused work and engaging in a way that took into account her experiences and the experiences and work of Black people on a local and national level. Her project, Shaping Society Through Scholarship and Action, which took place on September 25, 2021, featured Black women scholars whose work classifies them as community-engaged scholars and/or scholarly activists. The event gave them a platform to share their professional and academic journeys and to discuss those who informed and influenced their work on panels moderated by graduate students. It also provided a platform for community organizers and leaders to share their efforts and discuss how and why they view their work as essential. To accomplish the goal of providing stories, resources, and support to those interested in scholar activism, Sharieka hosted multiple panels to spotlight discussions about individuals’ experiences with academia and community work. Her work received the prestigious graduate student award for “exemplary community-engaged scholarship” from MSU’s University Outreach and Engagement (this write-up was adapted from an article written by Kara MacKenzie for the WRAC website).Philip Montgomery (2021-2022) | Coordinator (2022-2023)Philip started a peer mentoring program through a Graduate Student Organization in his graduate program pairing incoming graduate students with established students. The program aimed to increase a sense of belonging and connection from the very beginning of a student’s time in graduate school. With the support of faculty in his program and the Associate Dean of CAL, Philip launched a peer-mentoring scheme that paired incoming graduate students with a returning student in the program. He held several workshops for mentors and mentees to define mentoring, set common goals, and get pairs working together. His assessment determined that the mentor-mentee pairs were successful in sharing resources for meeting program requirements, brokering relationships with other students and faculty members, getting feedback on writing and practice presentations, and one pair even launched a collaborative research project. Philip is looking for ways to embed this program within the structure of his GSO in order to ensure its continuation.Hima Rawal (2021-2023)Hima worked with Social Sciences Fellow, Qi Huang, to address international students’ use of mental health services on campus. They hope to build bridges to increase access to and decrease stigma of mental health services. They collaborated with the Office of International Students & Scholars, Counseling and Psychiatric Services, the Trauma Services Training Network, and more to learn more about how these offices support international students. They also interviewed over a dozen international students to deepen their understanding of the concerns and barriers international students have concerning mental health. Using this data and their partnerships, Qi and Hima hope to create a Wellness Ambassador program where selected international students are trained to reach out to other international students to help them learn about mental health services on campus.

 
“It’s not what you know, but who you know.” is one of the largest colloquialisms when it comes to career trajectory. In addition, a big part of attending higher education is to help propel student careers. While we may want to prepare students by just giving them the necessary knowledge for their future endeavors, we should also strive to take this time to help establish connections and reasonable paths forward for them as well.   
 
Engagement/Participation:
Student engagement is defined by how actively and enthusiastically students are involved in the learning process during class.  Meanwhile, participation refers to actual involvement of the students. So, it is possible for:  

A student may participate and not be engaged,
Or a student to be engaged but not participate.

This is important to consider when defining your pedagogical approach to classroom engagement and participation, and how you define it within your class. If you plan to award student participation, or your class heavily relies on discussion and active student engagement, you may even want to provide these definitions in the syllabus.
 
However, you may not directly explain these ideas and instead focus on whether ask these questions of your syllabus:

Does your teaching style facilitate your views of participation/engagement?
Is your syllabus communicating whether you want students to participate?
Is the syllabus itself engaging for students?
Do your assessments reflect your goals for participation/engagement?
In what ways is your syllabus contributing to student participation and engagement?

 
Peer-to-peer Interaction 
Students working together is crucial for learning and development. It helps students build necessary social skills, establish relationships between current/future colleagues, increases active participation and engagement and often increases student self-efficacy towards the course topic.
 
Therefore, it is encouraged that you construct course materials that facilitate peer-to-peer interactions and foster some sense of community within your classroom. As far as what to include in the syllabus, you should specify what types of activities you will hold that require peer-to-peer interactions, and what expectations you have of students during these interactions.
 
For example, the syllabus may contain:

A list of classroom rules that you or your class develops:

Developing them yourself lets you be in control of exactly what values you want accentuated in your class.  
Developing them as a class can communicate that students have autonomy over their learning and increase classroom engagement.  


Examples of peer-discussion techniques you use:

Whole Group Discussions:  

Ask your class to consider a question/topic and facilitate a group discussion on the topic, allowing students to speak freely and challenge one another.


Think-Pair-Share:

Ask students to individually consider a question/topic, discuss it with a partner, then share their insights with the whole class.


Mingle-Pair-Share:

Similar to think-pair-share, except students can move freely about the class and have discussions with multiple students.


Discussion Groups:

Breaking students into smaller groups to hold discussions on a question/topic, which can then be brought into larger group discussions.


Jigsaw:

Break down a larger topic into smaller pieces and allow each group to focus on an individual piece to share out in a whole class discussion.


Collaborative Assignments:

Students work together in small groups to develop material specified by a rubric or find solutions to laid out problems.


Socratic Seminar:

This is an open discussion based on an assigned set of readings. Instead of generating a question or specific topic you want students to consider, just allow them to openly discuss the material and explore at their own pace.





                               
There are numerous other ways you may facilitate peer-to-peer relationships and communication, but however you choose to do so, it is helpful to communicate that to students upfront and through the syllabus.
 
 
Instructor-Student Interaction:
Fair or not, how students reflect on course material, or a specific subject, largely depends on their (impression of)/ (relationship with) their teacher. For this reason, it’s important to have a positive relationship between an instructor and their student. The syllabus, again especially as a first impression, can help facilitate this relationship and help an instructor feel more approachable. For this reason, it’s important that your syllabus:

Sets a welcoming/positive tone:

Clearly communicate your enthusiasm for the course and the students participating.
Set expectations but don’t dictate them.
Include words with positive connotations

As an example, instead of describing student work as “acceptable” consider saying it is “valid” or “commendable”


Avoid negatives (such as “do not” or “unable to” as much as possible)


Encourages engagement:

You’ve explained what types of engagement you’re looking for, but now it is important to encourage that from students. To do so:

Give examples of your interactive content.
Engage in storytelling by sharing personal details you feel comfortable sharing.
Ask for and encourage student feedback.
Be authentic.




Promotes your own availability:

One of the leading reasons students don’t attend office hours is because they feel they are “awkward.” To break through this barrier, you might:

Explain the value office hours provide students:

Promote the benefits such as improved understanding and better test scores.
Highlight success stories


Offer flexible scheduling for office hours.
Consider Location/Modality:

Are you available via video or only in-person?
If in-person, where are you available to meet and how accessible is that to the students?


Set one-on-one meetings during the semester.

These can be informal and short to get students familiar with the process, or perhaps there is a specific purpose tied to the meeting.







 
Students who feel more comfortable with their instructor tend to perform significantly better in a course and have a stronger sense of confidence in their own ability. Fostering this relationship is one of the most crucial for the educator to create a positive classroom environment.
 
Provide Connections:
With the goal in mind that students attend college to increase career success, it is important to use our abilities and connections to help them achieve it. This will appear vastly different depending on the field of study, and possible career paths, but here are some forms this may take:
 
Connect students with other faculty: Perhaps another member of the department or institution you know has better connections that align with a student’s career aims, or areas of interest.
 
Have guest speakers: You can’t know everything, and having a guest speaker can help students gain exposure to the community around the topic they’re studying and form meaningful connections with them.
 
Utilize connections in the field: You more than likely studied this material at your own university/had a job in the field. Consider connecting students to relevant contacts or having them be a guest speaker.
 
Ask Alumni: If you’ve had students who have gone into the field, especially if you’ve stayed in contact with them, consider having them be a guest speaker or asking them to explain how your class helped prepare them for industry. What types of things could you change in your class to help make this transition more effective?