Smeal Academy Newsletter: Keep Learning Edition

By June 5, 2024June 17th, 2024Smeal Academy Newsletter

Smeal Academy Newsletter: Keep Learning Edition

The Smeal Academy is brought to you by the eLearning Design and Innovation Group at the Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University. The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip the Smeal community with best practices and strategies for teaching and learning with technology to support Smeal’s business education and research needs.

John Dziak, CCO, via Wikimedia Commons

The Power of Professional Development

This week we are focusing on the opportunities for professional development around teaching and learning and educational resources. This week’s Smeal Academy podcast features Kitt Camplese, Director of Learning Design for the eLDIG team. Kitt talks about the importance of continual learning and a willingness to adapt.

This summer, professional development opportunities abound! Consider these approaches when planning your summer learning:

  • Smeal Academy: This option is, of course, our top recommendation! Check out the eLDIG website for dozens of Smeal Academy recorded sessions on everything from recent Canvas updates to strategies for approaching AI in teaching. And keep reading to see the upcoming Smeal Academy sessions you can attend this month!
  • Library Workshops: Lauren Reiter, Interim Head of the Schreyer Business Library at Penn State, recently shared some upcoming sessions that might be of interest. See below for dates, times, and links to register:

Want to learn more about Kitt and the eLDIG team? Check out this week’s new podcast, Meet the eLDIG Team: Kitt Camplese, Director of Learning Design, by clicking below! Smeal Academy Podcasts are released frequently, and housed on our eLDIG website, or follow the Smeal Academy Podcast on your preferred podcatcher!

Upcoming Smeal Academy Sessions

  • Smeal Academy Summer Book Club
    This summer, we will read The Spark of Learning by Sarah Rose Cavanagh. We will meet three times over the summer to discuss the book. Join us for our first discussion on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. EST via Zoom. Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/710269538?pwd=VmNhWEl5R241YlloWHF5WTFpODVKZz09. Password: Smeal.
  • Smeal Academy: Exploring the Affordances of AI for Assignments
    In this session, we will explore assignments that actively involve student use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. We will discuss the potential affordances of AI and uncover practical strategies for integrating these AI capabilities into various types of assignments. Additionally, we will address the ethical considerations of using AI in education. Join us on Friday, June 21, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST via Zoom: https://psu.zoom.us/j/710269538?pwd=VmNhWEl5R241YlloWHF5WTFpODVKZz09

NOTE: Recordings and resources from previous Smeal Academy sessions can be found on our eLDIG Website.

eLDIG ID Tips

  • Tip #1: Practice Canvas Hygiene. At a recent Smeal Academy session, the eLDIG team advised attendees to remove old files from Canvas to help improve their course’s Ally accessibility score. Want to know more? Check out the recording to learn more.
  • Tip #2: Use AI to Jumpstart Idea Generation. Generative AI is great at brainstorming ideas. Feeling stuck? Give AI a try to get the juices flowing for creative tasks.

Contact Us

Email us at [email protected] or fill out the eLDIG Contact form and we will be in touch.