We found 18 results that contain "gratitude"

Graduate students are at the core of MSU. As our partners in research, as ambassadors of MSU in the scholarly community, as teachers, and often as friends, graduate students are a critical part of the foundation of our community. Their contributions help shape MSU as a premier land grant AAU institution: Their collaboration in inquiry and research with others on campus is perhaps our greatest asset when it comes to generating new ideas and pushing out the frontiers of knowledge and understanding. Their outreach and engagement efforts across the community, state, country, and world are crucial to MSU’s land grant mission. And the impact they have on the lives of the thousands of undergraduate students while dedicating themselves to their educational goals and pursuits is immeasurable.
 
This is true now more so than ever. Graduate student TAs proved critical in supporting faculty to make the transition to online and remote instruction; facilitating course discussions, preparing class materials, and troubleshooting in all sorts of ways. While supporting faculty in making this transition successfully, they also provided tremendous support to our undergraduate students enrolled in these courses. Many undergraduate students find success because a graduate teaching assistant provided the boost they needed to cross the finish line. In this semester the importance of graduate student support for undergraduates was heightened even more: Our graduate students were often faced with similar circumstances as the undergraduate students they were supporting. In many instances graduate students were making the transition to take their own classes remotely even as they, too, were facing added educational and personal stressors; while at the same time assisting undergraduate students in navigating these challenges as well.
 
When graduate students are instructors on campus, they are often the most innovative; their fresh, bold approaches ensure we remain at the vanguard of teaching and learning. In shifting to online and remote instruction this nimbleness and creativity proved critical for many students to succeed. And throughout all this, because our graduate student population is so diverse, they frequently become key mentors who connect with undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds. This mentorship is essential to the functioning of our university, especially in such unusual and stressful times. The collaborative environment they foster at MSU deepens our disciplinary understanding and broadens the appreciation of knowledge among the many members of our community.
 
To our graduate students pursuing the limits of possibility in their fields, while also continuing to support our students even during this time of crisis: you deserve the gratitude and the admiration of all of us in the Spartan community.
 
 

Accessible Presentations Guide
This article series provides an overview of pathways for delivering presentations, workshops, etc. for some of digital composition accessibility requirements. This is meant to serve as a starting place, rather than an end-all-be-all to access. Accessibility should be considered throughout all parts of the presentation design process, and designing accessible compositions benefits all people, not just those with disabilities. This article is the first of three in its series: 

Choosing a Physical Space
Planning for Accessible Presentations
Delivering Accessible Presentations

Choosing a Physical Space
If you're not going to be presenting in a face-to-face modality, you can jump to the next article. Before reserving a physical space for the presentation, consider: 

Food: If food will be provided, consider if there is a way for folks to serve themselves from a table without needing outside assistance. Additionally, avoid snacks and surface contamination from tree nuts, peanuts, gluten and seafood.


Lighting: The lighting in the room should be adequate and flexible. You may want to ask the following questions: 




Are the lights able to be adjusted?






Is there adequate lighting for those that need more to see?






Is there the ability to turn off the glare near projector screens?






Are any of the lights flickering which may affect those with migraine or seizure disorders?




Pathways into Space: The pathways to get to and around the space should be flat (or ramped) and free from obstruction. The doorways should be able to be propped or automatic as well as large enough for mobility devices to enter.


Rest, Lactation, and Health Rooms: The space should be near and able to be navigated to without obstruction to lactation rooms, personal health rooms, restrooms with disability access, and an all-gender restroom.


Seating: The seating in the space is able to be moved for access to the tables. The seating should also have non-arm options to be flexible for different body types. The table heights (for both presenters and participants) should be between 28-34 inches from the floor.


Signage: The signage to the room and its location is easily perceivable and understandable, including the use of Braille. Emergency signage is not above eye height for those in wheelchairs. 


Smells: Avoid a space that may have chemical or deep fragrances. Note that this may also mean that presenters should not wear scented items on days of the presentation.


Travel: The space should be with facilities that allow for disability parking. The elevators should be in working condition, and the path to the room should be unobstructed.


Technology: There is a working microphone and speaker in the room, preferably. If using digital technology, it should be able to be reached and accessible for the presenter as well as have the functionality for assistive devices (e.g., closed caption, Job Access with Speech (JAWS)).

Gratitudes and Resources for Accessible Presentations
The first iteration of this series came from the work of Raven Baugh and Bethany Meadows for the East Center Writing Center Association’s 2022 conference, sponsored by the Writing Center at Michigan State University.

Ada Hubrig’s 2021 "Conference on Community Writing Presentation Accessibility Guide"
Conference on College Composition and Communication’s 2024 "Conference Accessibility Guide"
Composing Access’ “Preparing Your Presentation”

Continue to the next article in this series, Planning for Accessible Presentations.This article, Accessible Presentations Guide: Choosing a Physical Space © 2024 by Bethany Meadows, is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. The cover photo for this article, "Earth Day Presentation" by NASA Goddard Photo and Video, is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

2024 AT&T Awards for Excellence in Teaching with Technology
This awards program, generously funded by AT&T, recognizes outstanding contributions to the use and development of information technology for teaching and learning in courses at Michigan State University. These educators are recognized as campus leaders in contributing to student success through technology integration and enhancement in their courses.The Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation would like to extend joyful congratulations and deep gratitude for the three educators selected this year. They expemplify not only great uses of technology to enhance teaching and learning, but also commitments to the success of learners, engagement in MSU communities, and their own lifelong learning. Learn more about each of the award recipients and their pedagogical contributions by clicking their names below and checking out their nomination videos. Brittany Dillman, College of Education's MAET & MALXD Graduate Certificate Program Director & CTLI Affiliate!Isaac Record, Lyman Briggs College Associate Teaching Professor in Science and SocietyKristy Kellom, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources' School of Planning, Design and Construction Instructor in Interior DesignIndividual MSU faculty, instructors, teaching assistants and staff, or teams of faculty and staff, are eligible to submit practices that use technology to enhance their teaching. Nominations are peer-reviewed by a committee of faculty and staff, which gives due regard to MSU’s commitment to diversity and accessibility, as well as the university’s commitment to outstanding instruction and effective design and technology integration.Michigan State University’s AT&T Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award benefits the winners by conferring peer reviewed recognition. The competition also benefits the larger MSU community because it highlights inspiring and innovative approaches to blended and fully online learning. The disciplinary expertise of applicants and judges reflect the diversity of majors and colleges at MSU.Information on the awards, nomination review rubric, and an archive of past winners can be accessed on the MSU AT&T Awards webpage (link opens in new window).

According to the College of Education website, "Marilyn Amey is a professor of higher, adult, and lifelong education and chairperson of the Department of Educational Administration. In 2017, she was appointed as the Dr. Mildred B. Erickson Distinguished Chair in Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education. She studies educational partnerships, particularly those of community colleges, leadership, including how leaders learn, post-secondary governance and administration, and faculty concerns, including interdisciplinary academic work. Her current work focuses on education partnerships including a multi-year evaluation of a multiple- institutional interdisciplinary consortium and factors affecting student transfer and degree attainment."
 

 
What one Spartan said about Dr. Amey: "I cannot say enough positive things about Dr. Amey. After taking one of her doctoral courses as a part of my PhD electives, I asked Marilyn to be the chair of my dissertation committee (and while the HALE department is filled with talented educators - I feel this was one of the best decisions of my doctoral career). Not only is Marilyn competent in her field and extremely knowledgeable, she is a fantastic educator who creates spaces where learning happens in multiple directions. She is kind, compassionate, and thoughtful - all things she demonstrates as my committee advisor and as a departmental leader. There are few people who have recognized and accommodated me as a "whole person" (with things in my life outside of school), and I will feel forever indebted to her for that. MSU needs more faculty, administrators, and educators like Dr. Marilyn Amey!"
 
Marilyn practices gratitude and recognition herself. Here is what she recently said about the graduate students she works with via the Graduate School's Grad Student Appreciation Week initiatives: "Students with whom I work most closely are all adult learners with very complex lives during these difficult times. They are eldercare providers, researchers whose studies have been totally interrupted as they neared completion of dissertations, those hoping for employment next year on and off campus now on hold due to hiring chills and freezes, those who have to find ways to focus on class while becoming homeschool teachers, and those who have put up my constantly shifting schedule of an academic administrator. Yet, they continue to show up to meet with me on zoom and email, inspire through their insights and leadership in these challenging times, find ways to bolster each other in virtual writing groups, and make it clear that postsecondary education will be in good hands. They remind me why I wanted to be a faculty member and are my motivation every day. Thank you isn't enough to each of them."

Accessible Presentations Guide
This article series provides an overview of pathways for delivering presentations, workshops, etc. for some of digital composition accessibility requirements. This is meant to serve as a starting place, rather than an end-all-be-all to access. Accessibility should be considered throughout all parts of the presentation design process, and designing accessible compositions benefits all people, not just those with disabilities. This article is the second of three in its series: 

Choosing a Physical Space
Planning for Accessible Presentations
Delivering Accessible Presentations

Template Slides
I have created template slides for educators to use and adapt for their contexts. These template slides guide the user through accessibility considerations and were designed to be accessible.
Planning for Accessible Presentations
In addition to the template, there are additional considerations for access with presentations. 
Access Copies and HandoutsAccess copies, also known as scripts, are a way for your participants to follow along. It is also helpful for Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) captioners or sign language interpreters. There are many ways to create access copies, such as providing a transcript of the talk, providing an outline of the talk per slide, and/or providing a list of important terminology (e.g., quotations, proper names, acronyms, jargon). In addition, access copies can be circulated electronically or in print. For print copies, it is generally recommended to bring a third of the prints compared to your total audience attendance. About 30% of these prints should also be in large print of 20-point font. CaptioningHave a plan for captioning the presentation and plan ahead for any CART captioners in attendance to sit near the presenter. Recorded presentations and any videos/audio within them should have captions. To caption real-time presentations, there are many options: 

Captioning with PowerPoint
Captioning with Google Slides
Captioning with Zoom

Content WarningsCertain topics of discussion or multimedia depictions can trigger trauma reactions. For these, consider if they are necessary to the presentation, and if they are, give content warnings for the information. Inclusive LanguageThere are many considerations for presentation delivery: 

The work should avoid jargon and idioms that are not understandable for a wide audience. 
Acronyms should not be used without first defining them.
Avoid using language that excludes and/or harms participants, such as ableist language or genderist language (e.g., “ladies and gentlemen,” assuming the gender of a participant). 

PracticeIn the practice for the presentation, you should be thinking about a final accessibility check. This includes making sure your speaking speed is conversational as well as practicing verbal multimedia descriptions and aural indicators. Multimedia descriptions are the alternative text that is integrated into the presentation aloud. Aural indicators are to announce a new name when switching speakers (e.g., “Bethany here”).
Gratitudes and Resources for Accessible Presentations
The first iteration of this series came from the work of Raven Baugh and Bethany Meadows for the East Center Writing Center Association’s 2022 conference, sponsored by the Writing Center at Michigan State University.

Ada Hubrig’s 2021 "Conference on Community Writing Presentation Accessibility Guide"
Conference on College Composition and Communication’s 2024 "Conference Accessibility Guide"
Composing Access’ “Preparing Your Presentation”

Continue to the next article in this series, Delivering Accessible Presentations.This article, Accessible Presentations Guide: Planning for Accessible Presentations © 2024 by Bethany Meadows, is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. The cover photo for this article, "Planning Key" by Mike Lawrence, is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

What are the #iteachmsu Awards?
Gratitude is so important especially for the wide educator community (including but not limited to faculty, GTAs, ULAs, instructional designers, academic advisors, librarians, coaches, etc.) who help support learning across MSU. At #iteachmsu, we believe in elevating, recognizing, and celebrating those contributions is vital. The #iteachmsu Educator Awards are dedicated to honoring individuals who have been recognized through the Thank an Educator initiative. This is a simple but important act of saying thank you and recognizing the great work of educator colleagues across campus. To learn more about Thank an Educator more broadly check out this #iteachmsu article and this MSU Today article! 
 
Why do the Awards exist?
While the collaborating units and the #iteachmsu project team are excited about the aforementioned “wide educator community”, we have found through informational interviews and observations (as well as conversations with our diverse advisory group and content contributors) that individuals across roles that contribute to the teaching and learning mission of the university may not personally identify as educators. We established the Thank an Educator initiative and are recognizing those individuals with the #iteachmsu Educator Awards to:

help demonstrate the diversity of educators across roles on campus
help individuals associate their name/work with “educator” and embrace their educator identity
celebrate the amazing individuals we have shaping the learning experiences and success of students on our campus. 

How are #iteachmsu Educator Award recipients recognized?
In the inaugural year of the #iteachmsu Educator Awards (2019) a brief ceremony and casual reception were held as a conclusion to the Spring Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Student Success. Awardees were designated with a flag on their name tags and picked up their #iteachmsu Educator Award certificates (along with their nomination stories) at reception with food and drink. Dr. Jeff Grabill, Associate Provost at the time, gave a brief welcome and introduction to some of the foundations of #iteachmsu. Then former Provost Youatt concluded the formal portion of the ceremony with congratulations and thoughts on the importance of educator work.
The global pandemic and resulting remote work (2020-21) forced us to think differently about how to hold public events, and while the shift was challenging and uncomfortable at times we have emerged with a way to uplift #iteachmsu Educator Award recipients in a more public way. Instead of a small reception, recognized individuals are being recognized publically via articles here on iteach.msu.edu. They each receive the same Educator Award materials- which are distributed digitally.
 
How can you submit an educator for an #iteachmsu Educator Award?
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize. 
updated 06/23/2021
 

The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Education. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".

Kris Surla: Kristen’s impact on me has been so great that you’re just going to have to wait to read about it—in my book.
That’s right. That’s how deep it is and how deep it goes.
Kris, from infinity to infinity. There are no words in this language we share to describe the depth, the vastness, the expansive nature of my love and gratitude for you and all that you have done for me, with me, and alongside me.
You are the greatest of all time — a supernova in my galaxy! Shine bright, fight on. You’re the Yuri to my Malcolm.

Candace Robertson: Candace, has been major help as my advisor and mentor. She continues to see the great in me and wants my education at Michigan State to be the best. Setting me up for success in a way my undergraduate never did. Always, checking in to make sure I have what I need and that I'm okay! Candace is what Michigan State is all about. She also has provided me with the resources to begin un-grading in my classroom becoming the first teacher in AACPS to issue that grading policy. I'm so happy to have Candace as apart of my Michigan State experience and I hope she continues to stay proud of me! Thank you for all you do!

Brittany Dillman: Brittany demonstrates the epitome of student support, critical analysis, and curriculum development. For me, she was *hands down* the most supportive educator at MSU during a very difficult Fall 2020 semester due to socioeconomic and health issues caused by the pandemic. Brittany was caring and persistent in her communication with me to make sure I developed a plan to successfully manage my coursework. For many students undergoing a crisis, this kind of "hands-on" advising is needed. Brittany understood that and never once made me feel like I was a "burdensome" or "irresponsible" student-- because that's not who students are when they are going through traumatic experiences. I am not working again with Brittany in Spring 2021 and have received so much practical and thoughtful feedback on my course content. All of the advice and suggestions that Brittany gives me feel so tangible because she takes the time to provide detailed feedback. I have implemented many of the ideas and content I've gained through the MAET program in my other roles at MSU and have received nothing but positive feedback. Brittany is leading the hell out of this program and I have learned so much from her. Thank you for everything you do Brittany, because I see you and am deeply grateful that you are in this role.

Spencer Morgan: Spencer served as the graduate coordinator for the MSU Community Engagement Scholars Program for the 2020-2021 academic year. He is a valuable member of the team in the Center for Community Engaged Learning. Spencer developed positive and sincere relationships with the undergraduate scholars, community partners, and colleagues in our center. His thoughtful planning and willingness to guide the program in a totally virtual format are impressive and appreciated. Spencer is creative, professional, kind, and an outstanding mentor. He facilitated and led professional development sessions for students and partners and has assisted in further developing our program assessment strategies. I am so thankful for his patience and perseverance through a challenging time in the lives of so many. He contributed greatly to our ability to offer this important program during a global pandemic. Thank you Spencer! Your contributions are appreciated and your impact on the lives of the scholars and partners will be lasting. I am confident that your future as a Student Affairs Professional is going to be amazing!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.

Accessible Presentations Guide
This article series provides an overview of pathways for delivering presentations, workshops, etc. for some of digital composition accessibility requirements. This is meant to serve as a starting place, rather than an end-all-be-all to access. Accessibility should be considered throughout all parts of the presentation design process, and designing accessible compositions benefits all people, not just those with disabilities. This article is the final of three in its series: 

Choosing a Physical Space
Planning for Accessible Presentations
Delivering Accessible Presentations

Delivering Accessible Presentations
Multimedia includes any design that pairs text, visuals, and/or sound, such as videos, audio recordings, and graphics. 

Access Throughout:There are two main ways of doing access throughout the presentation. The first is a holistic overview at the beginning, usually through an access statement (sometimes also called an invitation or invocation). The second are ongoing access checks. This includes asking the audience about adjustments to sounds, visuals, the space, etc. (e.g., “How’s the microphone volume? Anything we need to adjust about things right now?”).    
Audio: Always use the microphone whenever it’s available, even if you have a loud voice. For participants who may not have a microphone, repeat their question or comment into the microphone before moving on. As discussed in the previous article in this series, you will also want to have a conversational speaking speed, inclusive speech, and aural indicators.
Introductions: At the beginning of the presentation, it is best practice to introduce yourself and give a brief visual description of yourself. For example, I usually say, “Hi, I’m Bethany Meadows, and I use she/they pronouns in tandem to refer to me. Visually, I am a white femme person with glasses and dark hair, and I’m wearing [specific outfit].” That said, there can be many embodied implications and consequences for certain disclosures of identity, and your safety is also important so only share what you feel comfortable doing.
Pathways for Engagement: Consider access before requiring certain forms of engagement from participants. This includes reflection before asking them to stand up, look at visuals/listen, walk around, talk with others, etc. These pathways may be exclusionary from some who don’t have the ability to move or be in a place to communicate with others. In general, it’s recommended to have alternative pathways for engagement that will not exclude participants.

Gratitudes and Resources for Accessible Presentations
The first iteration of this series came from the work of Raven Baugh and Bethany Meadows for the East Center Writing Center Association’s 2022 conference, sponsored by the Writing Center at Michigan State University.

Ada Hubrig’s 2021 "Conference on Community Writing Presentation Accessibility Guide"
Conference on College Composition and Communication’s 2024 "Conference Accessibility Guide"
Composing Access’ “Preparing Your Presentation”

This article, Accessible Presentations Guide: Delivering Accessible Presentations © 2024 by Bethany Meadows, is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. The cover photo for this article, "Photo of a Woman Doing a Speech with a Microphone" by Mikhail Nilov is licensed for use by Pexels.