reinventing connections

Reinventing Connections

April 13, 2022 1 PM – 4 PM EDT

April 14, 2022 1 PM – 4 PM EDT

Online

Register

Overview

The Interface Teaching Conference provides faculty, staff, TAs, GAs, and post-docs with new strategies for great teaching and learning through interactive breakout sessions. This year’s theme is Reinventing Connections. The last two years have inspired new ways to teach, learn, and connect. New technologies, innovative strategies, and creative teaching practices have allowed faculty and students to build and foster connections and keep learning! Let’s celebrate these successes and reconnect with one another.


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Tentative Agenda: April 13, 2022 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT
1:00-1:05pm

Welcome

Location: Zoom
Dr. Marsha McGriff, Chief Diversity Officer

1:05 - 1:35pm

Faculty Learning Community Deliverables

Location: Zoom
UF’s Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) are peer-led groups of faculty who engage in a year-long collaboration structured to provide encouragement, support, and reflection while actively developing teaching resources.

  • Adding AI to Your Courses

  • Formative Assessment Rubric for Peer Evaluation of Teaching (FARPET)
  • 1:45 - 2:30pm

    Breakout Sessions A

    • Cross-Cultural Communication Differences: Pragmatics and Speech Acts of High- and Low-Context Cultures
      Dr. Marina Klimenko & Gaillot Jr Andre
      Location: Zoom
    • Creating Authentic Assessments
      Dr. Diba Mani
      Location: Zoom
    • Meet students where they are: Using intersectionality as a framework for teaching and learning
      Dr. Erica McCray
      Location: Zoom
    2:40 - 3:25pm

    Breakout Sessions B

    • Incorporating Transferable Skills into Undergraduate Courses
      Dr. Anthony Auletta
      Location: Zoom
    • Increasing Students' Engagement and Diversification of STEM Instructional Teams with Learning Assistants
      Dr. Sujata Krishna & Dr. May Mansy
      Location: Zoom
    • Using Student Development Theories to Support Students
      Dr. Cliff Haynes
      Location: Zoom
    • Exploring Virtual Exchange From STEM to the Humanities
      Dr. Crystal Marull, Dr. Erika Brooke, Dr. Elizabeth Wood, Megan Mocko & Natalie Asorey
      Location: Zoom
    3:35 - 4:00pm

    Faculty Learning Community Deliverables

    Location: Zoom
    UF’s Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) are peer-led groups of faculty who engage in a year-long collaboration structured to provide encouragement, support, and reflection while actively developing teaching resources.

  • Affordable Access for Student Success

  • Tentative Agenda: April 14, 2022 1:00 PM-4:00 PM EDT
    1:00 - 1:05pm

    Welcome

    Location: Zoom

    Nicholas Suriel

    1:05 - 1:50pm

    Keynote

    Location: Zoom
    Dr. Michelle Pacansky-Brock

    Finding Ourselves Through Identity-rich Online Teaching

    2:00 - 2:30pm

    Resource Fair

    Location: Zoom
    Learn about resources across campus that help realize innovative teaching practices discussed in the breakout sessions. Meet colleagues from the different offices and centers on campus that support your teaching practices.

    2:40 - 3:25pm

    Breakout Sessions C

    • Course Design with Students in Mind: Humanizing and Culturally Relevant Syllabi Development
      Dr. Taryrn Brown & Domenic Durante
      Location: Zoom
    • Effective Mentoring of Students
      Dr. Samira Daroub
      Location: Zoom
    • Rethinking Online Participation Grades: Aligning with Professional Competencies
      Dr. Alyson Adams & Dr. Trevor Hershberger
      Location: Zoom
    • Ensuring Student Success with Honorlock
      Kimberly Pulda
      Location: Zoom
    3:35 - 4:00pm

    Awards, Raffle & Wrap-Up

    Location: Zoom
    Join the Center for Teaching Excellence in congratulating the Rising Star Award winners and Exemplary Online Award winners.

    Keynote Speaker

    Michelle Pacansky-Brock

    Dr. Michelle Pacansky-Brock
    Faculty Mentor for the California Community Colleges CVC-OEI/@ONE

    Dr. Michelle Pacansky-Brock is a noted leader in higher education with expertise in online teaching, course design, and faculty development. Michelle’s work has helped online instructors across the nation understand how to craft relevant, humanized online learning experiences that support the diverse needs of college students. In her current role as Faculty Mentor for the California Community Colleges CVC-OEI/@ONE, she coordinates professional development in support of quality online teaching and learning and is leading an intersegmental California Learning Lab grant project that will examine the impact of humanized online instruction on diverse students in undergraduate online STEM courses in California. Connect with Michelle on Twitter @brocansky.

    Presenters

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    Alyson Adams, Ph.D.

    Alyson AdamsDr. Alyson Adams
    Clinical Professor, School of Teaching and Learning

    Alyson Adams is a faculty member in the Teachers, Schools, & Society program in the College of Education, and serves as the Associate Director for Teaching and Teacher Education. Dr. Adams' teaching and research is largely focused around online graduate programs for practicing educators at the masters and doctorate levels in the areas of teacher leadership and professional learning.

    Anthony Auletta, Ph.D.

    Anthony AulettaDr. Anthony Auletta
    Lecturer, Entomology and Nematology

    Anthony Auletta is a lecturer in the Entomology & Nematology Department at the University of Florida. At the heart of his teaching program are course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), which bridge the gap between the classroom and laboratory by engaging students in authentic research projects as part of their curriculum. Through this and his other teaching efforts, he hopes to help students foster a lifelong interest in science and a greater appreciation for insects.

    Cliff Haynes, Ph.D.

    Cliff HaynesDr. Cliff Haynes
    Clinical Associate Professor, College of Education

    Dr. Cliff Haynes is the Coordinator the Online Master’s Program in Student Personnel in Higher Education. He teaches courses related to historical and contemporary issues in student affairs administration and researches students experiences outside the classroom. His teaching primarily occurs online in both synchronous and asynchronous modalities. Dr. Haynes’ work has been recognized with Blue Ribbon Online Course Designation, the Rosser Education Excellence Award from the College of Education, and multiple certifications from CITT.

    Crystal Marull, Ph.D.

    Crystal MarullDr. Crystal Marull
    Senior Lecturer, Spanish and Portuguese Studies

    Dr. Marull is the Coordinator of the Online Spanish Program. Motivated by her research in Second Language Acquisition, she adopts an innovative approach that incorporates virtual exchanges to facilitate student conversations with native speakers. Dr. Marull’s work has been recognized with awards such as the “Online Teaching Award for Higher Education,” the "1st place Distance Education Best Practice Award" by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, the "Teacher of the Year" and “International Educator of the Year” by UF CLAS.

    Diba Mani, Ph.D.

    Diba ManiDr. Diba Mani
    Instructional Assistant Professor, Applied Physiology & Kinesiology

    Diba teaches small- and large-enrollment undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in-person, hybrid, and fully online. This broad range of course formats require Diba to incorporate different types of activities in her classroom to provide her students with the most effective and efficient methods of learning. Amid the changes in higher education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Diba has engaged in many workshops and seminars offered by the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Center for Instructional Technology & Training, which have given her an opportunity to learn and incorporate different teaching techniques and opportunities for her students.

    Domenic Durante

    Domenic DuranteDomenic Durante
    Senior Instructional Designer, College of Education

    Domenic Durante has worn many hats in his educational career including park ranger (naturalist), elementary school teacher, science coordinator, and instructional designer. As Senior Instructional designer, he works with faculty to to design online, blended, and hybrid courses using established research, national standards, and best practices of instructional design. He recently earned his MAE in Education Technology from the University of Florida in 2015.

    Elizabeth Wood, Ph.D.

    Elizabeth WoodDr. Elizabeth Wood
    Clinical Assistant Professor, Environmental and Global Health

    Dr. Wood builds human and institutional capacity to foster engagement within low- and middle-income countries within the Department of Environmental and Global Health. In the classroom, her students can see this applied global public health work as well as participate through experiential learning using study abroad, internships, and virtual exchange. Dr. Wood’s accomplishments include the 2021 UF International Educator of the Year and the UF Leadership and Service Advocate of the Year.

    Erica McCray, Ph.D.

    Erica McCrayDr. Erica McCray
    Director & Associate Professor, School of Special Education

    Dr. Erica D. McCray is an Associate Professor of Special Education and Director of the School of Special Education, School Psychology, & Early Childhood Studies at the University of Florida. Currently, she is a Co-PI for the CEEDAR Center and PI on the MARC Project at UF designed to support including antiracism content across the undergraduate curriculum. Dr. McCray has been recognized on multiple levels for her teaching and research, which emphasize the influence of diversity on educational practice and policy.

    Erika Brooke, Ph.D.

    Erika BrookeDr. Erika Brooke
    Senior Lecturer, Criminology

    Dr. Erika Brooke provides hands-on experience with the justice system through creative, innovative, and meaningful assessments that build cultural competence. Using training gained from the CTE, CITT, and UFIC, she is in her fourth semester of implementing a virtual exchange project where students compare global differences in justice system practices. She has successfully incorporated projects in two courses using peer discussions and guest lectures with global experts.

    Gaillot Jr Andre

    Gaillot Jr AndreGaillot Jr Andre
    Ph.D. Student, Department of Youth Development and Family Science

    Gaillot Jr Andre is a PhD student in the department of Youth Development and Family Science. Mr. Andre is a Haitian native, from Port-au-Prince. He received his BS degree in Psychology from the University of Florida in 2020. As an undergraduate student, Mr. Andre conducted a study focusing on the moral themes in video games. His current research interests pertain to the factors that promote more effective cross-cultural mentorship at the graduate level. His is hoping to begin data collection for his master’s thesis in the fall of 2022.

    Kimberly Pulda

    Kimberly PuldaKimberly Pulda
    Sr. Director of Customer Services, Honorlock

    Kim has a thorough background in the educational technology industry, working to implement Honorlock at dozens of institutions over the last 2 years. As a Sr. Customer Success Manager, she works to successfully onboard and support new institutions as well as hosting on-site training workshops.

    Marina Klimenko, Ph.D.

    Marina KlimenkoDr. Marina Klimenko
    Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology

    Marina Klimenko teaches developmental psychology with special emphasis on culture and global competence. She designed a virtual exchange program in her developmental psychology online course to foster students’ cultural competence and deeper understanding of cultural effects on human development. In addition to teaching, Dr. Klimenko conducts research focusing on the issues of culture, moral development and higher education. She mentors undergraduate research, and is a member of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), which is an organization that supports and promotes high-quality undergraduate research, scholarship, and other creative work. She was awarded Faculty Mentor/Advising of the year for 2017-2018.

    Marsha McGriff, Ed.D.

    Marsha McGriffDr. Marsha McGriff
    Chief Diversity Officer & Senior Adviser to the President

    Dr. Marsha McGriff has more than two decades of experience in developing and leading strategic efforts to support diversity and inclusion in higher education. Prior to her arrival at UF in 2020, she served as associate vice president for inclusive excellence at Ball State University, where she led the campus in creating its first inclusive excellence strategic plan. Prior to Ball State, she was director of the Hudson & Holland Scholars program in the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs at Indiana University. She previously served as director of student services and admissions at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University and as director of the Nina Mason Pulliam Legacy Scholars Program at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI).

    May Mansy, Ph.D.

    May MansyDr. May Mansy
    Assistant Instructional Professor, College of Engineering

    Dr. Mansy is a lecturer & the founder of the Learning Assistant program in the Biomedical Engineering (BME) department. She teaches Biomedical Signals & Systems, Biomedical Instrumentation and the LA program’s pedagogy course. Dr. Mansy takes a neuroscience approach in her teaching & has received the departmental Teaching Excellence award in 2021. She has served as the president of the Women in Science & Engineering (WiSE) student organization, and is now the organization’s faculty advisor. She is also a mentor in the University Multicultural Mentor Program.

    Megan Mocko

    Megan MockoMegan Mocko
    Lecturer, Statistics

    Megan Mocko is a lecturer at the Warrington College of Business. She teaches statistics to undergraduate and graduate students. In addition to her teaching, Megan’s involvement in statistics education led to her work as co-chair on the recently updated 2016 GAISE Guidelines report. The American Statistical Association endorsed the revised 2016 GAISE report. She is interested in engaging everyone in the classroom through the use of educational technology. She has worked with partners in Scotland, Ecuador, and Colombia to create virtual exchange activities.

    Natalie Asorey

    Natalie AsoreyNatalie Asorey
    Lecturer, College of Journalism and Communications

    Natalie Asorey is a lecturer in the Department of Public Relations and Associate Director, Student Engagement at The Agency, a strategic communications firm at UF. Most recently, she’s leading the development of CJCxNYC, a new immersion program at the College of Journalism and Communications that connects students to opportunities in New York City. Prior to joining the faculty in 2018, Asorey worked in U.S. Hispanic communications for Fortune 50 clients.

    Nicholas Suriel

    Nicholas SurielNicholas Suriel
    Senior Student, College of Journalism and Communications

    Nicholas Suriel is a senior graduating from the University of Florida’s public relations program. Raised in Tampa, Florida, he is pursuing a master’s degree in mass communications specializing in Public Interest Communications. Through his work at the Agency he has worked with brands such as Siemens, the Florida Museum and Smirnoff on research and strategy. One day, he hopes to use his experiences to give back to his community and help marginalized people gain access to the same resources through communications.

    Samira Daroub, Ph.D.

    Samira DaroubDr. Samira Daroub
    Professor, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

    Samira Daroub is a Professor and Acting Center Director at the Everglades REC and the Distance Education Coordinator in the Soil and Water Sciences Department. Dr. Daroub teaches undergraduate and graduate online soil and nutrient management classes. She is a leader in the development of innovative approaches to Distance Education. Dr. Daroub co-facilitates the College of Ag and Life Sciences Mentor Academy offered annually to improve mentoring capacity of faculty.

    Sujata Krisha, Ph.D.

    Sujata KrishnaDr. Sujata Krishna
    Assistant Instructional Professor, Physics

    Dr. Krishna teaches Physics at UF and is the founding coordinator of the Physics Learning Assistant Program. She has taught in a variety of settings in the UK and USA from red brick, HSI to Oxbridge, introductory large courses to small post-baccalaureate courses. She mentors students and conducts Physics and STEM education research with a view to improving the teaching and learning. She is a member of the Learning Assistant Alliance Leadership Council and Physics Education Research Leadership and Organizing Council. She is always open to collaboration.

    Taryrn T.C. Brown, Ph.D.

    Taryrn BrownDr. Taryrn T.C. Brown
    Clinical Assistant Professor, College of Education

    Taryrn T.C. Brown is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Schools, Society, and Policy Specialization. Her teaching and research broadly examines interpretive, normative, and critical perspectives of education that challenge the standard assumptions about the purposes of schools in society and the role that race, class, and gender play in aspects of teaching and learning. As a scholar-practitioner, her scholarship focuses on Black Girlhood Studies and Black Feminist Thought.

    Trevor Hershberger, Ed.D.

    Trevor HershbergerDr. Trevor Hershberger
    Adjunct Lecturer, College of Education

    Trevor is an adjunct lecturer in the Teachers, Schools, and Society program in the College of Education and a full-time high school English teacher in Orange County, California. His recent dissertation at the University of Florida explored the experiences of high school students in a standards-based classroom and reflects his interests in equitable teacher practices and qualitative research. Trevor's other research interests include teacher learning and teacher leadership.

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