Upcoming Opportunities

September 13-17 | Democracy and Civic Action Week

Events explore diverse perspectives about the role of democracy and civic engagement in the United States. This year's theme is "Bringing Community Together". This event is free and all virtual events are open to the public.

September 22, 6:00 - 7:00 PM | Using Blackboard Ally to Improve Your Course

Blackboard Ally is an easy-to-use tool for checking accessibility for certain content in Blackboard. This session addresses the tool, its limits, and what are the best ways to use Ally to improve a course. The Kenai Peninsula College Educational Technology Team invites faculty from all UAA campuses to join them for this training. This event is virtual and can accessed using this Zoom link.

September 30, 2:30 - 3:45 PM | Books of the Year talk: Changing Minds in a Divided World

Join us for the first Book of the Year event: 'Changing Minds in a Divided World: The Art of Strategic Dialogue'. This talk will be lead by Justin Lee, author of UAA Book of the Year, Talking Across the Divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree with & Maybe Even Change the World.

Ongoing Programming

Tuesdays, 8:15 - 9:30 AM | Headwaters

Headwaters is our onboarding and support series for new/junior faculty. Building on topics introduced at New Faculty Orientation, we cover a range of essentials and provide opportunities for new and junior faculty to raise questions and discuss areas of uncertainty. Learn more and register on the Headwaters page.

Tuesdays, 10:00 - 11:15 AM | CAFE Focus Sessions

CAFE Faculty Associate Stasia Straley is leading weekly sessions to help faculty accomplish their goals. Each session will start with a quick (1-2 minute) productivity tip, goal-setting, and then we’ll leave our cameras on (optional!), microphones off, and work for 65 solid minutes. Learn more and register on our Upcoming Events page!

Fridays (second of the month), 1:00 - 2:00 PM | Contemplative Practices in Higher Education

Starting September 10, our community of practice exploring contemplative practices in higher education will run the second Friday of the month from 1:00 - 2:00 PM. Learn more and register on our Upcoming Events page!

Dates TBA | Academic Leaders Development and Support Series

Watch for our ongoing series for chairs/directors of academic departments and associate deans. Grounded in Jason Lane's Six Domains of Knowledge for Leaders in Higher Education, this series includes guest speakers and conversations designed to help academic leaders address some of their most pressing concerns. If you have or will be a new chair/director this fall, send the updated information to uaa_cafe@alaska.edu.

UAA Faculty Calendar

Embracing UAA's Role as a Community Partner

Since 2006, UAA has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “Community Engaged Institution.”

UAA uses the Carnegie Foundation's definition of community engagement for our work with communities: "Community Engagement describes the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity."

The Center for Community Engaged Learning serves as a central locus for the intersection of student learning, faculty research, and community engagement.

Learn more about Community Engagement at UAA

Help Resources

For assistance preparing your courses for the new semester, check out the guidance under Teaching Resources and Learning Technologies. If these don’t answer your questions, please contact us! Due to a transitional reduction in capacity, AI&e instructional support will give priority to:

• New instructors
• Meeting accessibility requirements
• Selecting appropriate tools/activities to meet course goals
• ePortfolio
• Remote test proctoring (RPNow)
  

If you need further assistance with Blackboard functions (including course copies, developmental shells, editing and publishing courses, and troubleshooting) or other UAA core tools, please contact IT Services. Kenai Peninsula College instructors should start with the KPC Educational Technology Team.

Visit our Help page to sign up for a course design or RPNow testing consultation.

Faculty Development & Instructional Support Help