March 2024

Institutions of higher education are facing numerous stressors and challenges in an evolving landscape of learner and employer needs. Newly established universities and colleges may have certain advantages to well-established institutions, in that they can focus their programs, curricula and pedagogies on what learners need now and will need in the future. How can established and respected institutions such as Duke evolve and innovate based on strong foundations, to expand their quality offerings to reach new audiences of learners, teach new skills and capabilities, and develop new ways of recognizing and tracking learner accomplishment? 

This webinar series will highlight some of the ways that innovation can and is happening at the university (macro), program (mezzo), and individual course (micro) scales in higher education. These events are open to all. Please join us for one or all of the events in the series:

Duke Associate Provost Noah Pickus and guests will discuss innovative new universities of the 21st century around the world. The discussion will explore themes highlighted in Pickus’ and Bryan Penprase’s new book, “The New Global Universities: Reinventing Education in the 21st Century and how higher education can set new standards for teaching and learning and nurture a new generation of leaders.

Alternative credentials can make visible the discrete skills, knowledge, and mindsets acquired by learners. Join us for a conversation about the future of alternative credentials with Noah Geisel, Duke alumnus and current Micro-Credentials Program Manager in the Office of the Registrar, University of Colorado Boulder.

Many faculty at Duke engage in applied educational research or scholarship of teaching and learning in which they routinely explore questions about teaching and/or student learning, innovate their own practice based on what they learn, and disseminate their results to grow the body of knowledge around teaching and learning best practices. This webinar will feature faculty in different disciplines providing brief 10-minute overviews of their recent research and course-level innovations.

Support for Gathering Mid-Semester Feedback

Curious about how your course is going so far? LILE now offers a new approach to collect anonymous feedback from students through our Mid-Semester Feedback Survey program. This serves as an alternative to the existing Small Group Instructional Feedback (SGIF) program. Check out this page for more details about both opportunities.

Duke University is conducting a study on how generative AI technologies are affecting teaching and research practices. Would you be willing to participate in a one-hour interview to share your unique experiences and perspective? If so, please complete this quick survey which asks for your contact information, field of study, and rank at the university. The Duke research team will contact you with further details on survey participation.

As educators, we have a mandate to be personally informed about generative AI and articulate our stance on the use of generative AI in our classrooms and disciplines. This is a challenge for instructors who are short on time and don't have a background in the study of artificial intelligence. This presentation provides an opportunity to get a jump start on this work. It presents suggestions about how to become AI literate ourselves and speak to students about this important topic.

If you were unable to join us for our workshop on "AI Fundamentals: A Beginner’s Guide to Generative Artificial Intelligence," the recording is now available.

A group of LILE staff will be participating in AAC&U's "Teaching with AI" 4-part workshop series, and invite interested Duke instructors to join us. We will meet in person to attend the workshops together. Find out about the workshops and, if you would like to participate, email us at [email protected]. The first workshop is this Monday, March 11 at 1 pm.

Courses in the Duke Graduate Academy cover topics not typically included in a graduate curriculum, or they provide an intensive introduction for graduate students and postdocs who might not have the time or inclination to pursue a full course in a subject. Learn more & see the Summer 2024 courses now > 

All events are virtual and in Eastern time unless otherwise noted.

Canvas Workshops

Spring 2024 is the last term instructors may use Sakai at Duke. Join one of our upcoming live, virtual workshops for guided instruction on how to use Canvas:

Introduction to Canvas

Mon, March 11, 12 - 1:30 pm >  |  Tue, April 9, 10 - 11:30 am >

This workshop is recommended for anyone who has not used Canvas as an instructor before or those who would like a refresher on Canvas. It will cover basic “getting started” and Canvas configuration information. 

Designing Your Canvas Site for Student Success

Tue, March 12, 12 - 1:30 pm >  |  Wed, April 10, 10 - 11:30 am >

This workshop is strongly recommended for all instructors. This session will focus on the core of Canvas – the Modules tool – and how to use it and several other key Canvas tools to best organize your site. 

Assessing Student Learning in Canvas

Wed, March 13, 12 - 1:30 pm >  |  Thur, April 11, 10 - 11:30 am >

This session will cover assessing student learning in Canvas using quizzes, graded discussions, assignment submissions, and the gradebook.

*NEW* Accessibility in Canvas

Thur, March 14, 12 - 1 pm >  |  Fri, April 12, 10 - 11 am >

This workshop will cover the principles of accessibility and how to apply them when designing your course sites in Canvas. We will also review tools within Canvas you can use to improve the accessibility of your course. 

Pedagogies of Care Lunch & Learn Series: Service Learning

Monday, March 25  |  12 - 1 pm

How might you incorporate ethical partnership into your classes through service learning? Dr. Minna Ng, Assistant Professor of the Practice in the department of Psychology and Neuroscience, and Kathy Sikes, Senior Fellow for Civic Engagement at Duke Service Learning, will share about their experiences with service learning and how it can be done ethically. This session will be an hour-long virtual lunch and learn, with about 30 minutes of presentation and 30 minutes of discussion/Q&A. Register Now >

Inclusive Teaching Practices

Tuesday, March 26  |  9 - 10:30 am  |  Rubenstein Library 349 (Breedlove Conference Room)
This event is sponsored by Duke Service Learning

Teaching strategies that emphasize structured active learning can create more equitable classrooms and improve learning for all students. As an introduction to inclusive teaching techniques, Professors Kelly Hogan and Viji Sathy will ask participants to reflect on inequities and diversity in their classrooms through interactive, hands-on activities. Drawing upon their own teaching experiences and educational research, they will model approaches that can be readily implemented with any discipline or class size to help all students achieve to their potentials. Register Now >

A Commitment to Changing as Readers: Reading and Listening Like You Want to Be Read

Wednesday, April 3  |  4 - 5 pm
This event is sponsored by the Thompson Writing Program

Participants will hear a presentation by professor Sharieka Botex focused on spotlighted scholarship that calls educators to embrace students' language, literacy practices and rhetorical decisions and participate in activities and reflection that calls them to consider their past and future experiences providing and receiving feedback. Register Now >

Every summer, LILE's Duke Pre-College Program provides advanced academic opportunities and an introduction to the college experience to hundreds of motivated middle and high school students. We are currently hiring for many positions for our upcoming Summer 2024 sessions. These temporary roles are ideal for Duke students or staff who do not typically work during the summer. Learn more about this excellent opportunity to support the academic and social development of an incredible group of adolescents.

Undergraduate Course Costs Survey
Deadline: March 20

In order to explore the true cost of a Duke undergraduate education, the Duke Libraries are conducting a survey of teaching faculty to assess course materials costs for undergraduate students. Take the survey >

Intellectual Community Planning Grants
Deadline: April 15

The Office of the Provost is offering support to Duke faculty who are interested in convening a group of colleagues to begin or test a new collaboration around a shared intellectual interest. Learn more >

Aria Chernik named Duke Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Applied Research >

Summit Reflection: Grading, Gamification, and the “Game” of School >

Meet the Spring 2024 Bass Digital Education Fellows > 

We are excited to introduce Lile the crocodile, LILE's unofficial mascot! Inspired by one Duke urgent care office's adoption of the honeybee as an unofficial mascot, we felt that adding Lile to our team would be a fun way to get comfortable with our unit's new name (learn more about why we are now LILE) and put a smile on some faces. 

Lile will occasionally appear in this newsletter as well as on our social media channels as they explore Duke, Durham, and beyond - we hope you enjoy Lile's exploits with us!

Lile's first adventure was their introduction to the LILE team at our latest all-hands meeting held in Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center. Where will Lile go next?