Latest Issue of CELT Notes
May 28, 2025

Note from the Asst. Director

Hi, all!

I hope most of you are done or nearly done with grading for spring semester. Quick reminder: grades are due by 10 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday, May 29).

Summer programming in CELT begins next week on Monday, June 2 with kickoffs for our asynchronous book group and SoTL Writing Circle. If you have not yet signed up for these opportunities, please do so by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 30, so I can get you set up on the KATIE pages for these programs.

A quick FYI: I am working part-time and ad-hoc remote through the summer. When I am in town, I will be working Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in the CELT Office, Valders 240, so please stop in any time. I will hold the same hours when I am remote, so please do not hesitate to email or schedule an appointment with me. I am more than happy to jump on Zoom or on a phone call. I will also keep my google calendar as up-to-date as possible, so it is easy to see where I am and when I am available.

Erin Zidlicky will also be working in CELT throughout the summer. She will be in the CELT Office on Tuesdays and Thursdays, except when she is on vacation and will be leading or co-leading many of our programs this summer.

I hope the summer months provide a chance for some rest and rejuvenation for everyone. And I look forward to seeing many of you in our programs as we move into this new season!

Warmly,
Christy
1:1 Consultations | vrtich01@luther.edu | Valders 240 | 563-387-1587 | Mobile: 804-201-1688

CELT Spring Programming

Core Curriculum Assessment with LAB (GE and DATA)

Friday, May 30: 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. (lunch provided), CELT Conference Room, Valders 242.

CELT Summer 2025 Programming

Summer-long Programming

Sign up for Summer Programming here.

Summer Book Group

For our Book Group this summer, we will read A Pedagogy of Kindness by Catherine J. Denial. The Summer Book Group will operate as a hybrid group, meeting twice in-person (once at the beginning of the summer and once at the end of the summer), with asynchronous discussion forums and other activities built into a dedicated KATIE site. Participants are encouraged to request a copy of the book through Inter-Library Loan or via ebook or audiobook. Participants who would like a physical copy of the book to keep may request a copy by emailing celt@luther.edu. Register by May 30, 2025.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Writing Circle

All faculty and staff who are involved in research related to teaching and learning, and who are hoping to publish their work, are invited to participate in the SoTL Writing Circle this summer. Participants will meet every other week, in person or virtually, throughout the summer, beginning June 2 and ending on August 18.

The Writing Circle will follow the guidance prescribed by Wendy Laura Belcher in her book Writing Your Journal Article in 12 weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success. Participants are encouraged to request a copy of the book through the Luther College Library (1 copy) or through Inter-Library Loan (many copies available). Participants who would like a physical copy of the book to keep may request a copy by emailing celt@luther.edu. Please register by May 30, 2025.

Multi-Day Programming

Sign up for Summer Programming here.

Course (Re)Design Institutes (CDIs)

Each summer, CELT offers CDIs that are intensive, multi-day workshops in which instructors design or redesign courses based on backwards course design, universal design for learning and TiLT, active learning strategies, and other key pedagogical strategies for course success. Each day of the CDI includes instruction, hands-on activities, discussion and time dedicated to working on your course. Participants can expect to be working from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. each day of the institute, with a one-hour break for lunch. Each participant who successfully completes a CDI and submits deliverables will receive a $250 stipend.

June 9-12: Redesigning Courses with High DFW Rates
July 14-17: Designing or (Re)Designing Any Course

Summer 2025 Writing Retreat

This summer, CELT will host a writing retreat for any faculty member who is working–or would like to start working–on a writing project. Writing projects can be academic, creative, lecture notes for a new course or new unit–whatever writing project you need to work on this summer that relates in some way to your teaching.

The purpose of the writing retreat is to build community and provide participants with uninterrupted, scheduled writing time and some strategies to help ground oneself in place before beginning to write. Each day of the retreat will begin at 9 a.m. with a group activity (prairie walk, trail walk, meditation, etc…) followed by reflection and refreshments. Then, at 10:30 a.m. we will set our goals/intentions for the day and write until 12 p.m. The second writing block will be from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. At the end of the session, we will reflect briefly on our progress before we break for the day.

The 2025 Summer Writing Retreat can accommodate up to 10 participants and will run July 14-17, from 9 a.m.-3:15 p.m.

AI Boot Camp, facilitated by Christy Vrtis and Erin Zidlicky

Throughout the summer, CELT will offer 2-day AI “Boot Camps” wherein participants will receive up-to-date pedagogical training on how to utilize and incorporate AI into their courses and work. Additionally, participants will develop compassionate AI use policies that make sense for their courses and align with their course SLOs. Required reading/viewing of supplementary materials will be available on a dedicated KATIE site.

AI Boot Camps will be offered as follows:

• Monday, June 23 and Tuesday, June 24  (CELT Conference Room, Valders 242): 1:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m. each day
• Wednesday, June 25 and Thursday, June 26 (Zoom): 9 a.m-11:30 a.m. each day
• Monday, July 21 and Wednesday, July 23 (CELT Conference Room, Valders 242): 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. each day
• Tuesday, Aug. 19 and Wednesday, Aug. 20   (CELT Conference Room, Valders 242): 1:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. each day

June Workshops

Sign up for Summer Programming here.

Promoting well-vetted sources to summer student researchers, facilitated by Library Director Kay Bronshteyn.
Tuesday, June 3 (CELT Conference Room, Valders 242): 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.
Thursday, June 5 (Zoom): 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

This workshop will cover the value-added functionality in library databases versus freely available internet searches, such as Google Scholar. Awareness of this functionality, such as  type of publication limits, peer review limits, date range, and more, will serve student researchers well even after graduation, when they return to freely available searches and are able to exercise more critical thinking.

We will do a deep dive into EBSCO brand database functionality for vetting sources – this includes the popular database Academic Search Elite, a more subject specific database selected by the audience, and even a “power search” of everything we subscribe to by EBSCO.

We’ll briefly discuss the benefit of the literature review and how to automate notifications of new citations for your search or of a specific source. Then we’ll spend solo time developing some scholarly alerts in a relevant database(s) – such as ScienceDirect, Sage Journals, Taylor & Francis Social Science and Humanities Library, or PsycInfo & PsycArticles.

You’ll leave with alerts set for your own research and a higher level awareness of the quality of sources that students have access to and how to empower them to locate the best sources.

Tips and Tools for Teaching SEJ Courses, facilitated by Jon Jensen.
Tuesday, June 24  (CELT Conference Room, Valders 242): 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.
Thursday, June 26 (Zoom): 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

High Impact Teaching: Incorporating Role-Playing Games into the Classroom, facilitated by Nancy Gates Madsen.
Wednesday, June 25 (CELT Conference Room, Valders 242): 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Have you used a role-playing game in your classroom? Or wondered how to inject more active learning into your teaching? Whether you’ve used games in your classroom in the past or are simply role-play curious, this workshop will help you understand how role-playing games can be used to engage students in active learning and support your pedagogical goals.

July Workshops

Sign up for Summer Programming here.

Community Engaged Learning, facilitated by Britt Rhodes.
Tuesday, July 8 (CELT Conference Room, Valders 242): 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.
Thursday, July 10 (Zoom): 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Kindness Pedagogy and Compassionate Course Policies, facilitated by Christy Vrtis.
Tuesday, July 22 (CELT Conference Room, Valders 242): 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.
Thursday, July 24 (Zoom): 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Accessibility Services Updates, Scenarios, and Using Panorama within KATIE, facilitated by Ann Smith and Erin Zidlicky
Tuesday, July 29  (CELT Conference Room, Valders 242): 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.
Thursday, July 31 (Zoom): 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

August Workshops

Sign up for Summer Programming here.

Getting to Know Students Before Day 1, facilitated by Christy Vrtis.
Wednesday, Aug. 6 (Hybrid: In-person, CELT Conference Room, Valders 242 and via Zoom): 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.

KATIE Basics for New Faculty, facilitated by Erin Zidlicky.
Thursday, Aug. 7 (Zoom): 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Writing assignments across the disciplines: Assigning, supporting, and assessing, facilitated by Mike Garcia.
Tuesday, Aug. 12 (CELT Conference Room, Valders 242): 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.
Thursday, Aug. 14 (Zoom): 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

KATIE Rubrics, facilitated by Erin Zidlicky.
Thursday, Aug. 21 (Hybrid): 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

iClicker Cloud training for polling in class, facilitated by Erin Zidlicky.
Wednesday, Aug. 27 (Hybrid): 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.