Latest Issue of CELT Notes
June 18, 2025

Note from the Asst. Director

Hello!

For those of you who are working on campus this week, I hear that the Dorian Middle School Camp energy has transformed our buildings and grounds into quite the invigorating space! If you, like my student researcher, find the energy a bit too much in some buildings, please feel free to scoot down to the CELT Office, Valders 240, and work in the peace and quiet (with snacks and bevvies) there!

Summer programming in CELT has gotten off to a wonderful start! The summer book group has begun to read and discuss A Pedagogy of Kindness by Catherine J. Denial asynchronously, via a dedicated KATIE site. If you’d like to see what this looks like, check the site out here.

The summer writing circle is also off to a great start, with participants meeting each week and getting work done on their respective articles.

Coming up next week we have some exciting workshops! First, Jon Jensen will lead a critical workshop for our new curriculum: Tips and Tools for Teaching SEJ Courses. Find specific information below. If you haven’t already done so, sign up now for the in-person session on Tuesday, June 24!

If you feel like your courses are stuck in a rut, or you want to learn a fun new pedagogical strategy, on Wednesday, June 25, Nancy Gates Madsen will lead a workshop on incorporating role-playing games into your course for high impact teaching/learning. 

And our Summer AI Boot Camps kick off next week on Wednesday and Thursday, June 25-26 via Zoom. Erin Zidlicky and I are both finishing certifications in AI for Higher Education this week, and we are so excited to supplement the Teaching with AI curriculum we’ve developed throughout the year with some new studies, strategies and real-world and multi-disciplinary applications. We can’t wait to work with you!

A quick reminder: 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 will also be working in CELT throughout the summer. She is in the CELT Office on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from about 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., except when she is on vacation and will be leading or co-leading many of our programs this summer. Her calendar is also up to date.

Check out the full list of summer programming below, and if you already have ideas for fall, please send them my way! I will begin developing the fall programming schedule in July.

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

CELT Summer 2025 Programming

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.

July 14-17: Designing or (Re)Designing Any Course

Summer 2025 Writing Retreat

This summer, CELT will host a writing retreat for any faculty or staff 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 or other work on campus.

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, around 10:15 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.
Sign up for the Writing Retreat here.

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 and additional course materials will be available on a dedicated KATIE site.

AI Boot Camps will be offered as follows:

• 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.

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.