Recordings of Past Events
Re-Imagining Grading at USF: An Afternoon of Foundational Discussion and Practical Applications
Featuring keynote by Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms
Grading is widely accepted as a fundamental requirement of teaching and learning, theoretically ensuring a meritocratic system in which everyone is given the same opportunity to succeed based on their own hard work, aptitude, and objective performance. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a greater awareness of student inequities and mental health challenges led many faculty to reflect on how effectively and equitably traditional grading practices advance and assess student learning. Is it possible to implement alternatives to the traditional grading process that simultaneously maintains rigor and academic standards?
This event began with a keynote talk by Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms (not recorded). The second half of the event provided attendees with opportunities to share and learn about more equitable techniques for grading that are already being implemented at USF and explore practical ways to incorporate them into their own grading practices.
Imagining Anti-Racist Education at USF: Notes from M2M
The Moment to Movement (M2M) Fellows program aims at transforming faculty engagement with anti-racism by identifying critical pedagogical needs, institutional impediments, strategic priorities, and effective practices for advancing DEI in our teaching and throughout the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS). This project was initially developed in 2021 as part of the Faculty in Conversations on Racial Pedagogy (CoRPs) program in conjunction with the 6 + YOU initiative and the Jesuit Foundation Grant, and through the guidance and leadership of Dr. Pamela Balls Organista. The series is currently funded by CAS to create “opportunities for the University of San Francisco to address racism, and anti-Black racism specifically, in this historical moment.”
This event provided a space to hear from past and present fellows of the M2M program, who shared their strategies, achievements, and dreams for anti-racist education at USF.
Global in the Curriculum: Immersions & Global Perspectives in USF Classrooms
As the world becomes more globally connected, efforts to provide global perspectives across the USF curriculum become more important. On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, USF faculty and staff shared their vision of the importance of equipping students with a global perspective. The event provided tangible best practices for transforming pedagogy with a global approach -- expert panels and faculty experiences highlighted how to bring global into USF classrooms and how to take USF classrooms away from the Hilltop through the global immersion programs.
Improving Student Learning in STEM through Inclusive Teaching Practices
The SEPAL Scientific Teaching Institute, offered by San Francisco State University, aims to build community among Bay Area biology and other science instructors by exploring the core tenets of scientific teaching – assessment, inclusion, active learning, and effective and efficient lesson planning. On Thursday, March 7, 2024, USF Professors Michael Stevenson (Chemistry) and Leslie Bach (Biology) described their recent experience with SEPAL and what tools and strategies for student inclusion, engagement, and learning were provided. USF will host the next SEPAL Institute on August 12-14, 2024.