23 Aug Welcome back to campus, UIC United Faculty!
Fall is always a semester of inspiration and excitement for faculty and students alike–this fall is also the first full semester of implementation of our new faculty contract, won through our collective efforts of last winter. We will be using these updates to discuss features of that new contract, as well as give updates on campus initiatives and union programming this fall. UICUF leadership encourages you to reach out if you have any questions about the new contract, or concerns about implementation in your unit.
Conversations for Creating Inclusive and Accessible Practices
A collaboration between UIC United Faculty (UICUF), the Center for Advancement of Teaching Excellence (CATE), the Disability Resource Center (DRC), and the Disability Cultural Center (DCC).
In response to growing faculty interest in better supporting disabled students on campus, UICUF, CATE, the DCC, and the DRC have created a discussion series meant to allow UIC faculty an opportunity to meet and discuss how they can create more accessible learning environments at UIC. These conversations will include information on campus resources, best practices, and pragmatic advice from other faculty, but even more an opportunity for all faculty to come and discuss their classrooms with peers, ask questions, and co-mentor each other. RSVP requested, not required–Click here to RSVP, ask questions, or make requests. Please feel free to come as you are, spend as much time as you have, and share with your colleagues.
All workshops are scheduled as hybrid events in the Teaching Excellence Building (TEB), room 201.
To join via Zoom:
Link: https://uic.zoom.us/j/84551227428?pwd=bEJ4UStBS1Yzb2ladjlPbklJVnhMQT09
Meeting ID: 845 5122 7428
Password: IAP4U&ME
The Teaching Excellence Building is located at 924 S. Morgan street, near the corner of Morgan and Taylor.
Letters of Accommodation: From Registration to Implementation
Monday, August 28 10-11am
This workshop will focus on faculty/student conversations about Letters of Accommodation. Facilitators will lead faculty through strategies to maximize student inclusion while maintaining the integrity and rigor of their curricula. Workshop will include hands-on practice on sample LOAs!Facilitators: Sophia Irini-Hamilton, DRC Director and Jeffery Kessler, Senior Lecturer in English
Making Your Course Materials Accessible (Part I)
Monday, September 25, 3:30-4:30pm
This workshop provides an overview of POUR principles (perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust) from Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). You will receive resources and guidance on how to use these principles to make your course materials more accessible.
Facilitators: Patrick Horton and Nicole Messier, Instructional Designers at the new Instructional Design and Media Production Studio (formerly with CATE); Lauren Woods, Associate Director for Teaching Development Pathways and CATE; Matt Stockman, Lecturer in the UIC Tutorium
Universal Design for Learning
Tuesday, October 10, 2-3pm
This workshop will introduce instructors to strategies for maximizing accessibility for students via course and instructional design. We’ll give an overview of universal design approaches that build accessibility proactively into our teaching practices. Participants will leave this workshop with some concrete ideas for practices that will increase accessibility for all learners. Facilitators: Margaret Fink, DCC Director and Kate Floros, Clinical Associate Professor in Political Science
Making Your Course Materials Accessible (Part II)
Tuesday, October 17, 10-11am
Want to ensure equitable access to all the instructional materials on your course site? This workshop will provide practical tips to make your course materials more accessible, including adding alternative text, embedding descriptive hyperlinks, using headers, and more. We will cover how to create accessible documents and review existing documents for accessibility errors. Please bring a laptop with you so you can practice these skills during the workshop
Facilitators: Patrick Horton and Nicole Messier, Instructional Designers at the new Instructional Design and Media Production Studio (formerly with CATE); Lauren Woods, Associate Director for Teaching Development Pathways & CIRTL@UIC and CATE; Kate Floros, Clinical Associate Professor in Political Science
