Faculty Development Day is a concentrated block of time for instructors to join together, discuss teaching, and develop their skills.  Multiple offerings will be scheduled at the same time to provide as many opportunities for participation as possible. All are encouraged to attend!

Faculty Development Day is co-sponsored by the Faculty Resource Center and the Instructional Design Center (IDC). However, other groups on campus are encouraged to offer development opportunities on this day as well!

Please be sure to continue to check out this page for more updates as the date approaches!

Schedule:

Timeslot 1 (12:30 – 1:30 p.m.)

Option A (12-1:30 p.m.): A Survival Guide for Faculty Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum
Students with an Autism Spectrum diagnosis represent one of the fastest growing segments of students attending college and affiliating with the Office of Specialized Services (OSS).  The OSS recognizes the challenges that may occur in the classroom with this growing population and we want to offer faculty an opportunity to ask questions, gain knowledge and learn practical strategies to use when interacting with students on the spectrum.

Vincent Varrassi, former Campus Director of the Regional Center for College Students with Learning Disabilities at Fairleigh Dickinson University and faculty member at both the undergraduate and graduate level in the Peter Sammartino School of Education at FDU, will provide this opportunity. Vincent can tailor this program specifically to the concerns we have here at Ramapo College.

Please send your questions, scenarios and concerns to Abbe Benowitz in OSS (abenowit@ramapo.edu) by February 15^th.  Vincent will address as many of them as he can during the presentation.

Light lunch will be served!  Sponsored by the Office of Specialized Services

Location: ASB-230

Option B: Video Games for Learning and Instruction
Explore some of the ways in which gaming can impact teaching and learning. Resources include Gamestar Mechanic, Twine, Scratch, and other game building platforms.

Location: ASB-226

Option C: The First Line of Response: Student Disclosure of Sexual Assault
As a faculty member, you serve an integral role in preventing, addressing, and ending sexual violence. You interact with students on a daily basis and support them in their academic, personal, and social endeavors. As such, there may be a time when a student chooses to talk with you directly about their experience as a survivor of sex or gender based discrimination. A student who becomes the survivor of a sexual assault is often times affected academically in significant ways. This session is designed as a way for faculty members to learn how to best respond to a student who has disclosed a sexual assault and increase faculty awareness of the campus resources that have been developed to support our students.

Location: ASB-221

Timeslot 2 (1:30 – 2:30 p.m.)

Option A: Incorporating Experiential Learning into Your Classroom
People often learn best by doing – but as teachers, we know that it isn’t always that easy to create effective experiential “doing” activities.  These types of activities can often be time-intensive and tricky to execute.  The goal of this session is for participants to learn how experiential learning and activities can be incorporated into the classroom as well as to share suggestions and ideas.  Nick Salter (SSHS) will begin by giving an overview of what experiential learning entails.  Next, Leah Warner (SSHS) will discuss how experiential learning will be incorporated into the new Social Inquiry class, and Yvette Kisor (HGS) will discuss how experiential learning is incorporated into First Year Seminar.  Finally, participants will be encouraged to share their ideas and ask questions.

Location: ASB-230

Option B: New Tech Resources for the Classroom
Technology is changing rapidly, and new tools for the classroom come online all the time. Resources include wikispaces for group projects, edublogs for classroom discussions, and wix for content presentations.

Location: ASB-226

Timeslot 3 (2:30 – 3:30 p.m.)

Option A: And Now This: DACA Action! Strategy Session to Generate Resources for Former Dreamers

This is an action-planning and clearinghouse session for the benefit of students facing indeterminate action on their immigration status. Not abstract talk!  We are responding to the issues raised about those who are in danger of losing their legal protections imminently.  Our modest hope for this session is to be able to provide a place for candid discussion, clarifying questions, and sharing of skills between engaged faculty and staff. As an additional take-away, we would like to be able to generate a list of campus offices and outside agencies that stand ready to help students/their families in need of social services or legal representation. An ideal list would include resources that are: legal, mental health, and social services.  No one office in the college is responsible for advising these students. If a student trusts you, he or she may come to you. It will take all of us together being informed and vigilant to reduce the stress on students during this time of uncertainty. Are you in?

The legal posture is that DACA is an internal Homeland Security policy based on two Obama Executive Orders that constrain ICE discretion.  These can be revoked without legislative action.   DACA eligible persons include those renewing from the original 2012 policy, as well as those who were granted status after the injunction against the more broad 2014 policy, including persons up to age 31 who entered the US before the 2010, was lifted.  The status has a three-year limitation.   The political posture is that Trump, Pence and Priebus have signaled opposition to deportation of DACA protected students.  Bannon advocated immediate action including deportation.  On January 30, Steve Bannon was appointed to the National Security Council. As renewals expire, we can expect students will face Homeland Security Action, if not before.

Location: ASB-230

Option B: TLTR Grant Recipients Showcase
Come learn about the most exciting technological innovations in the classroom from recent TLTR recipients. Also, learn about how to apply for TLTR grants and brainstorm ideas with committee members.

Location: ASB-226

Timeslot 4 (1:30 – 3:30 p.m. SPECIAL SESSION)

Crisis Intervention: Campus Connect Suicide Prevention Training
Are you worried about any of your students? How do you intervene in a crisis situation?  Today’s students face increasing pressures that can lead to emotional distress, depression, and anxiety, and even thoughts of suicide.  Attend Ramapo’s Campus Connect Suicide Prevention Training to learn best practices in suicide prevention and intervention.

Campus Connect is a 2-hour long training that provides faculty with information and strategies to help prevent suicide, and refer students to campus and community resources. Counseling Services staff utilizes experiential exercises, including an emphasis on acknowledging and working with gatekeepers own fears about suicide. Campus Connect prepares faculty with an opportunity to learn about suicide prevention, and practice strategies for interacting with a student who is in crisis.

Sponsored by the Center for Health and Counseling Services

Location: ASB-221

NOTE: Registration is not required for this event.