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According to the article "Writing Measurable Outcomes for Students from SOIREE"
Learning outcomes help students (and us!) to know what students will be able to demonstrate in knowledge, skills, and values upon completing a module or course. Clear outcomes provide the foundation for evaluating the effectiveness of teaching and learning. 
There are three essential components of a measurable learning outcome:

Student learning behaviors (verb-based)
Assessment methods
Student performance criteria

To write your learning objectives consider:What will students know or be able to do at the end of the course – knowledge, skills, thoughts & ideas? (consider Bloom's Taxonomy)Also, keep active vs. passive learning and their retention rates in mind. While the Learning Pyramid's specific percentages have been debunked, the general gist remains:Based on the objectives you've outlined and the strategies for teaching you have decided to employ, you'll next want to consider how your outcomes will be measured/achieved. In the well-designed course, the learning objectives serve to guide and direct the other various course components. The selected assessments will measure the learning objectives. Learning activities will promote mastery of the objectives. All these things working together is COURSE ALIGNMENT!According to QualityMatters, "all critical course components: learning objectives, assessments, activities, instructional resources and materials, learner engagement and interaction, learner support and even course technologies - work together to ensure that students achieve the desired learning outcomes. Access these resources in greater detail, and more, from the University of Maryland School of Social work IDEA Knowledgebase!Also, check out this Course Alignment Worksheet from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Teaching and Learning Center!Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash

Since 2017, the MSU Strategic Communication Online M.A. has been helping working professionals advance their careers with skills the marketplace demands. A tenet of the program has been the fostering of interpersonal engagement, by creating spaces for student-to-student interaction and student-to-staff interaction. Through surveys and interviews with current students, we measure the importance of program engagement for students by tracking the effectiveness of: various communication mediums and tools; and personal touchpoints with classmates and MSU StratCom staff.

To access a PDF of the "The importance of interpersonal engagement in an online master's degree program" poster, click here.
Description of the Poster 
The importance of interpersonal engagement in an online master’s degree program 
 Introduction 
The purpose of this report is to provide the Michigan State University Strategic Communication Online M.A. a summary of students’ perceptions of engagement in the program. This report focuses on the responses of currently enrolled students as of Spring semester 2021. Students voluntarily responded to a survey sent out via email and social media. Additionally, students were given the option to agree to a second phone interview for further insights. The report looks at engagement through students’ connection to each other, to staff and faculty, and facilitated through various tools and media. 
Methodology 
Survey Purpose and Methodology 
To gain an understanding and perspective of students’ views on engagement in the StratCom program a written survey was sent by Daune Rensing, StratCom Student Advisor, via email.  


The email was sent to the MSU email address of students currently enrolled in either the StratCom master’s or certificate program, on March 15, 2021. 


Written reminders were sent March 22 and March 29. 


A video reminder was posted by Jason Archer, StratCom Director, on StratCom’s Student Life, Teams and Facebook pages on March 29. 




The 24-question survey was closed on April 2, extended from the original deadline of March 25. 


Sixty-two responses were received with 2 incomplete surveys, resulting in 60 responses.  


Phone Interview Purpose and Methodology 
To expand the understanding and perspective students views on engagement in the StratCom program, a follow up phone interview was conducted. Forty students responded positively to a question on the survey asking if they would be willing to participate in a follow-up phone interview with a fellow student. 
Limitations 
The limited nature of the data set needs to be taken into consideration when weighing the meaning and significance of the insights reported here. The written surveys were completed by students enrolled anywhere from their first semester to last in the program, which may affect their perceptions of the program. All phone interviews were conducted by one person, which may result in some bias of interpretation. 
Research Questions 
To measure the importance of engagement in the StratCom program, the research questions in the survey and phone interview fell into three categories:  

What tools and resources are important for student engagement in the StratCom program?  
Do students feel the StratCom program is meeting their engagement needs?  
What changes/improvements does the StratCom program need to make to meet students’ expectations? 

Results 
These graphs highlight responses to our first two questions of what students do value and what they don’t value, and that we are meeting their engagement needs. The conclusion, in more detail, addresses ways in which respondents feel StratCom can improve engagement. 
Conclusion 
Overwhelmingly, respondents felt that StratCom was meeting their engagement needs, in terms of tools used and connection to faculty and staff, and that it was an important part of their time in the program. To continue StratCom’s good start, some respondents had suggestions to strengthen their engagement experience even more:

Set expectations for tools and resources 
More student onboarding  
Intentional diversity throughout the program 
Develop stronger bonds with fellow students and instructors 
Standardization in the curriculum 
Use the coursework to develop student-led engagement activities in the program 

Future Work 
Planning for StratCom’s future and creating a sustainable engagement model are themes respondents suggested. For instance, leadership contingency plans, consistency among courses and “keeping their finger on the pulse” of student needs and industry requirements were all important things to consider moving forward. 
  
 

Who did you work with and what was their role in your project? I led the executive board and committee chairs as we collaborated with our expert speakers to put together our two-day conference. In total, we offered 22 sessions including workshops, lectures, networking opportunities, and social events. How did you manage relationships with key stakeholders in your college to achieve your project goals? I reached out to the Deans and department chairs to schedule meetings with them if they wanted more information. The initial email was very detailed about what we were trying to accomplish. I have met with these stakeholders in the past before too so that was helpful.  What is the impact of your project? Who was your target audience and what difference did your project make for them?  Our conference helped to bring together individuals who are passionate about science communication. Our attendees included a mix of students who were interested in entering science communication fields and experts looking to connect to peers and provide advice to the next generation. Our formal sessions included presentations and workshops that were targeted to specific interest areas, and we also offered space for networking and other informal conversations, all of which was well-received by our attendees.  If someone were to continue your work in the future, what advice would you have for them?  It was very important to us to highlight the diversity of science communicators as we worked to put together this conference, and we would encourage anyone else looking to plan a similar event to do the same. For anyone looking to host a virtual conference, make sure that your technology is accessible, and have members of your team ready to assist with any technical difficulties.  How did this work contribute to your personal leadership development? Through the process of planning and executing a conference of this scale, our leadership team was able to gain valuable skills related to event planning, public relations, marketing, grant-writing, and innovative technology use. I was able to guide our team in conducting all of this which helped me feel prepared for future event planning. I learned a lot about what it takes to run a successful large-scale event, and I look forward to the opportunity to use these skills when planning future MSU SciComm programs.  MSU SciComm Conveyance Website

Instructing students during the Covid 19 pandemic has created many new challenges and upended normative pedagogical practices in learning spaces. Teaching in the arts, a traditionally hands-on process, represents a particularly unique set of challenges. Studio art faculty have long been asked to perform with limited resources, particularly those in the domestic arts where practitioners are largely women, people of color, and folks from marginalized populations. In this poster presentation, I will discuss how historically, in times of war, and now a pandemic, domestic work or matriculture, is revisited by societies at large. One needs only to look at the proliferation of bread making advice across social platforms; an intense return to cooking, and the sharing of recipes for meals that are comforting; renewed interest in growing plants and gardening to recognize the need to prioritize domestic activities as high priorities during this time. It is noteworthy to acknowledge that these same domestic activities function as productive distractions from trauma, and offer meditative practices, while providing individuals and their families with activities and outcomes that commonly bring about feelings of comfort, and security. Accordingly, I will discuss how these domestic skills can be applied to experimental learning and how students can draw on these practices with rigor for more personal resilience, innovation and imagination in their studio arts practice.To access a PDF of the "Matricultural Practices in Studio Art Courses" poster, click here.
Description of the Poster 
Matricultural Practices in Studio Art Courses 
Rebecca E. Schuiling Apparel and Textile Design Art, Art, History and Design Michigan State University 
Introduction 
Studio environment, now that we are online, happens in the home. Students are making studios of their kitchen table, twin bed, and basement floors. Creative projects that would have been executed on industry standard machines and equipment are now being created from discarded items in the family garage, recycle bin, and the junk drawer. While creative spaces, commonly known professionally as studios, have always had direct connections to matricultural underpinnings, at this time, studio practices and matricultural practices commingle.  
Students and professors alike take for granted the matricultural items and spaces around them, because they commonly exist in patriarchal spaces such as drawing studios with rigid standing tables, fluorescent lighting, cell structure classrooms with concrete floors. The pandemic forced them to examine their surroundings with a critical eye to discover new approaches and materials for creative outcomes. This returned everyone to a matricultural ethos, where materials and approaches reflect the Hestian sphere. Materials that were readily available commonly were found in the natural environment and in the home, which lead to a new appreciation for  sustainable media and materials readily available when viewed through a lens of multiplicity. 
In my studio courses; Knitwear, Advanced Knitwear, and Explorations in Apparel and Textile Design, I employ matricultural pedagogical strategies. The following are a few highlights as to the use and success of Matriculture as a pedagogy. 
Matriculture as Pedagogy 
In the introduction to her book, Cassandra Speaks 2020, Elizabeth Lesser notes that the stories a culture tells, become the culture. Stories with terms coded as feminine, “the home, the hearth, the “womanly arts” of empathy and care” are erased in favor of stories of warriors and violence (Lesser 2020:11). In this way, matriculture embraces practices commonly considered domestic arts, crafts, and even women’s work, because it offers sustainable practices and compassionate community based outcomes. 
In ReMembering Matricultures: Historiography of Subjugated Knowledges, Irene Wiens-Friesen Wolfstone imagines a future where curricula and syllabi are developed through the conceptual and theoretical framework of Matricultures. Her working definition of Matriculture is mother-centered societies founded on maternal values of care-taking and meeting needs, which become ethical principles for men and women, mothers and not-mothers. Matricultures are socially egalitarian and governed by consensus (2018: 5)  
During the Coronavirus pandemic, many returned to matricultural spaces, materials, and approaches for creative studios without fully realizing the connection. Given these factors, professors commonly asked students to use what is around them for creative outcomes in their studios, such as garden mud and dough used for ceramics; a pile of pots and pans for still life drawing; and onions and beets used for fabric dyes.  
Matriculture Pedagogical Case Study Examples 
Students were asked to be highly resourceful for space and materials while taking creative studios online. Closets of parents and peers were raided so as to locate appropriate materials that can be upcycled or repurposed. Furry family companions and stuffed animals within the home, are now models for knitted items such as scarves, blankets, mittens and hand warmers. 
Reconnecting with Matricutural Relationships 
A student in my Advanced Knitwear class could not afford new yarn or notions for the class. She reached out to her family, and her grandmother was gifted her a stash of materials including yarns. Her grandmother was thrilled that her granddaughter was learning to knit and that the materials she had collected over the years would finally be utilized for a creative outcome. The student had lots of materials for her projects that would not impinge on her affording other supplies. (Studio majors commonly spend more than $500 per course per semester). 
Reconnecting to Matricultural Spaces 
Due to the fact that many students are working in tiny spaces, as they are sharing their homes with extended family members, or are limited to small apartments or dorm rooms. Space is at a premium in the pandemic, especially for students. Students negotiate with family or roommates for space at the kitchen table or for a bedroom to become a studio for the semester. Storing supplies requires communication and innovative thinking to prevent children or pets from inadvertently ruining paints, markers, fabrics, and other creative materials. In return, the students will offer gifts of their time to make roommates dinner or even some of their creative outcomes. 
Reconnecting to Matricultural Resources 
Students in fashion illustration courses are using tea or coffee to paint their croquis figures. Orange peels and strawberry hulls now build the silhouettes to create texture and line for garment illustrations. Collage items are created as students forage around the house collecting and collating mail, paper goods, and other household items. Everyday household objects take on a new life in still lifes created in the home, frequently with family members critiquing and contributing. 
Analysis 
Wolfstone notes that Foucault’s methodology of historiography exposes how knowledge construction is influenced by colonialism, patriarchy and capitalism. Wolfstone posits that this is a useful framework “for exploring questions such as: How did we get to this place where patriarchy is presented as the only viable social order? How can we remember the subjugated knowledge of matricultures?” ((Wolfstone 2018: 7). In a patriarchal society, crafts are coded as feminine and amateur. They do not carry hegemonic institutional accreditations. Furthermore, crafting is often discounted as medium as it is typically associated with clothing and, therefore, considered superficial or surface. The Covid-19 Pandemic has forced a societal reckoning with this prioritization. The anxiety, fear, and unknown of living through a contagion, coupled with societal and economic unrest and institutionalized disparities; has led us back to the familiar; to home; to matriculture. To the domestic work that sustains life. 
By employing Matriculture as a pedagogical method in my creative studios, students are encouraged through their studio practice and design processes to simultaneously reconnect to family, reconnect to resources, and reconnecting to spaces in their own lives and creative practices. Thus, moving away from a traditional patriarchal lens of institutionalized learning to an authentic, sustainable, and community based matricultural practice. 
Summary 
In times of crisis, the domestic or matriculture is revisited. In my studio pedagogy, I employed matricultural practices, materials, and approaches because many students were isolated in home environments, where they were also engaged with domestic activities that were applicable to experiential learning and creative outcomes. Students reconnected with family, the home, and resources found in the home. Students draw on these practices with rigor for more personal resilience, innovation, and imagination in their studio practice and creative outcomes. 
Bibliography 
Foucault, M. (1984). Nietzsche, genealogy, history. In P. Rabinow (Ed.) The Foucault reader (pp. 76-100). New York: Pantheon Books. 
Kimmerer, R. W. (2015). Braiding sweetgrass. Milkweed Editions. 
Lesser, E. (2020). Cassandra Speaks. Harper Wave. 
Wolfstone I.W.F (2018).  ReMembering Matricultures: Historiography of Subjugated Knowledges. Accessed April 19, 2021: https://www.academia.edu/37336416/ReMembering_Matricultures_Historiography_of_Subjugated_Knowledges 
In her book, Robin Wall Kimmerer notes that “cosmologies are a source of identity and orientation to the world. They tell us who we are. We are inevitably shaped by them no matter how distant they may be from our consciousness…..On one side of the world were people whose relationship with the living world was shaped by Skywoman, who created a garden for the well-being of all. On the other side was another woman with a garden and a tree. But for tasting its fruit, she was banished. And then they met- the offspring of Skywoman and the children of Eve- and the land bears the scars of that meeting, the echoes of their stories” (Kimmerer 2015: 6-7).  
Wolfstone continues, “Matricultures do not presume the subordination of men, and thus are not the reverse of patriarchy. Matricultures assume a reciprocal relationality between land and culture” 
My research is an exploration of the material culture of dress and appearances, specifically knitted dress. I draw from disciplines including but not limited to Dress, Cultural Studies, Sociology, and Visual Culture in order to build qualitative methodological frameworks, studies, and analyses that allow for better understanding of the rituals of craft. My research and scholarship reveal how crafting practices and rituals of handcraft are vehicles of empowerment.  

November is here and with this time of year, we often see an increase in messaging around gratitude, appreciation, and giving thanks. Gratitude is something I’ve always found great value in, and touted anecdotal benefits of. In 2015, I wrote ‘Tis the season of giving thanks: Why gratitude is important in leadership for MSU Extension. Then later, in 2018, I founded MSU’s Thank an Educator Initiative. I saw the invaluable work that people across roles were doing to support students and MSU’s teaching and learning goals. Not only did I see important work, I saw educators making huge impacts on learners' lives and experiences. Simultaneously, I noticed the sheer size (and let’s face it- siloing) at MSU as huge barriers to a) educators being celebrated for their work, and b) educators being about to learn with and from one another. So I started the “Thank an Educator” initiative. 
Thanking an educator is super simple. Any Spartan can visit the Thank an Educator page on the #iteachmsu Commons. At the page, folx will see a brief form where they enter the information on the educator they’d like the thank, and then a short story/sentiment of thanks. That’s it! #iteachmsu does the rest. Every person who is recognized will receive a personalized message via email thanking them for their important work (the submitted story is included here). Then at the end of the academic year, all of the educators submitted for Thank an Educator are also recognized by the Provost with a #iteachmsu Educator Award. Since its initial conception, the Thank an Educator initiative has recognized educators over 550 times! We care about and are committed to celebrating and elevating the work of educators, and know that these efforts make an impact.
In January of 2020, when my son was born, I stopped working in person as a Graduate Assistant on the #iteachmsu Commons. During this parental leave I also moved to the west side of Michigan. The plan was to be remote for the remainder of my GA contract after returning from leave in March. Little did I know, I wouldn’t be alone. I returned to work (and continued as a Postdoc and now Academic Specialist) to meet all my colleagues online! Then reality hits (and continues to keep throwing punches). I couldn't access daycares for my infant because they were shut down. My partner’s business- the one we moved for- also shut down. My family unit’s makeup and health history made us high risk for infection; so ultimately we were first time parents, in a new place, in a vacuum. The isolation was terrible and both my partner and I struggled with the impacts of anxiety and depression. During this same time, I watched as colleagues and fellow educators at Michigan State (while dealing with many, if not all and more, of the same challenges as myself) rose to the occasion. Instructors switched to teaching online. Advisors innovated the ways they held appointments. Graduate students began co-working virtually via zoom. Administrators made extra efforts to transparently share the goings on of the university in personal ways that built community. New programs and training were created to support educators. Events were hosted completely online. In the 13+ years I’ve been at Michigan State, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more glaring example of “Who will? Spartans Will.”
We're still "in it". The circumstances have continued to change, but educators are still constantly being kept on their toes, challenged to dodge, dive, and duck around barriers; all the while still supporting student success, still serving the teaching and learning mission of the university, still prioritizing health and safety… I’ve observed the toll this constantly changing, uncertain, and sometimes downright scary time has taken on myself and my colleagues. People seem to be yearning for personal connection, time to really see one another, but packed schedules and increasing demands on capacity make it feel challenging to take that time. 
Now, maybe even more than ever, you all - MSU’s educators- deserve to be recognized for the phenomenal work you continue to do, despite extremely challenging circumstances. I know time is in short supply. I know people are burnt out. But please… submit someone to Thank an Educator. The process takes only a handful of minutes (I timed myself and it literally took me 5 minutes) but makes a huge impact. Every single day, I interact with individuals who are doing high impact work to support MSU’s teaching and learning, student success, and outreach mission. I’d guess you do too. Thank them. 
If you need even more convincing, consider the research on practicing gratitude:

Emmons and McCullough (2003) showed that counting your blessings seems to be a much more effective way of enhancing your quality of life than counting your burdens.
Bartlett and DeSteno (2006) found that small acts of gratitude can cause ripple effects that reach farther than you would imagine.
Sheldon and Lyubomirsky (2007), found the regular practice of gratitude and/or positive visualization can lead to a higher quality of life, measured by affect.

Looking for even more? Check out the Greater Good Science Center (UC-Berkley) and all their tools, resources, research, and more!

Sources:
Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 84, 377-389. 
Bartlett, M. & Desteno, D. (2006). Gratitude and prosocial behavior helping when it costs you. Psychological Science. 17. 319-25. 
Sheldon, K.M. & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006) How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and visualizing best possible selves, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1:2, 73-82