Events

September 21, 2021 | 4-5:15pm GST

Rubrics are assessment tools that help communicate faculty expectations for a given assignment to students, while also helping the faculty member assess work fairly. We will discuss how to use rubrics for improving instruction and learning by designing assessments to match learning outcomes. Join this workshop to develop your own rubric for consistent evaluation, clarity of expectations, and alignment with your course learning goals.

Speaker:
Nancy Gleason, Director HBCTL, Associate Professor of Practice, Political Science

October 5, 2021 | 5-6:15pm GST

Azza Abouzied, Associate Professor of Computer Science, will share her innovative living textbook developed during COVID-19 induced remote instruction. Learn how she structured her course as going through weekly chapters of a “home made” online textbook, and how she integrated weekly low-stakes assessments to give students regular feedback and motivate their engagement. Join this session to gain inspiration for your own innovations, and learn how a colleague made database systems and operating systems into new courses for more student engagement.

Speaker:
Azza Abouzied, Associate Professor of Computer Science

October 26, 2021 | 5-6:15pm GST

Join this syllabus laboratory with colleagues from NYU Berlin to explore the opportunities and challenges of “glocal” approaches to teaching and learning. We will discuss key strategies that integrate course narratives with communities, discourses, and developments that form our respective ecologies. Particular focus will be on translating these goals into learning outcomes, instructional activities, and assessments that are inclusive of diverse “glocal” voices and perspectives. Taking the evolving relationships between NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Berlin as a starting point, we will explore new forms of partnership that are at the core of such an approach.

Facilitators
Katrin Dettmer (Arts Coordinator & Faculty, German Studies and Theater Arts) NYU Berlin,
Linn Friedrichs (Assistant Director for Student Life, Lecturer Experiential Learning) NYU Berlin

November 15, 2021 | 5-6:15pm GST

Faith and spirituality are important in both belief and practice for many in the NYU Abu Dhabi learning community. As educators, our inclusive practices include recognizing the role a faith tradition or spirituality may play in how an individual student makes meaning in the classroom. Recognizing the diversity of spiritual, secular, and religious beliefs of our students (and ourselves) helps foster positive and meaningful learning environments that enable belonging and an appreciation of other traditions. Join this session to learn more about the religious and spiritual context of NYU Abu Dhabi and hear practical guidance on how to build a welcoming community for all beliefs in your classroom.

Speaker:
Saman Hussain, Assistant Director of Spiritual Life and Intercultural Education

November 22, 2021 | 12-1:15pm GST

Knowledge development is at the center of the artistic process and can help us understand the ways in which bodies of knowledge are not fixed. Art and artists allow us to place students directly in touch with elements of the course content so that they can reflect upon their own prior experiences relative to the work. Students develop inquiry, analysis, evaluation, and growth through these unexpected pathways of learning. The Arts Center at NYUAD is committed to artists that open up the creative process for faculty and students to engage not just in arts practice but research and methodologies that cut across programs and genres. Join this session to learn about active learning approaches that embed the artists in your course. Examples and resources will be shared, as well as new ideas for engaging your students with your course material and concepts.

Speaker:
Linsey Boswick, Director of Artistic Planning at The Arts Center NYUAD
Linsey Bostwick is the Director of Artistic Planning at The Arts Center at New York University Abu Dhabi. Bostwick spent many years producing works in New York City and internationally prior to her position at NYU Abu Dhabi. From 2010-2016 she worked on the producing team of Pomegranate Arts with artists such as Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Lucinda Childs, Robert Wilson (Einstein on the Beach) and Taylor Mac.  She had been a long time creative/producing collaborator with Big Art Group and worked with Cynthia Hopkins, Susan Marshall, Nina Winthrop among others artists. Bostwick has been published in the Yale Theatre Journal and the International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media.  In Spring 2020 Bostwick guest edited the Electra Street journal dedicated to the relationship of art and research. Bostwick is leadership fellow with the Association of Performing Arts Professionals.  Bostwick holds two Bachelor’s degrees from University of Washington, Seattle and a Master of Fine Arts from Brooklyn College in Interactive Performance and Media Arts.

August 23, 2021 | 9:30-10:45am GST

Join this session to learn how classrooms have been reconfigured for social distancing and what technology you can expect to see in the classroom. Re-entering the face-to-face teaching environment will require some adjustments compared to pre-covid-19 practices. The Academic Technology team has prepared for our return to in-person learning and teaching. This session will provide information on what to expect in our learning spaces.

Speaker:
Ron Berry, Senior Director of the NYUAD Library

Monday, August 23, 2021, 2-3:15pm GST

Join this session to learn from Dipesh Chaudhury, Assistant Professor of Biology, about how to organize engaging science labs. The laboratory setting enables representation of science as a process that includes analysis, collaboration, communication, and experimentation. But getting all that done is challenging while teaching the basics of inquiry and knowledge simultaneously and inclusively. Bringing his research interests in behavioral and integrative neuroscience, Dipesh will share practical ways in which experimental laboratory activities can lead students to more expert-like scientific thinking. From understanding the nature of science to developing investigative skills, tune into this session to enhance student learning in your own laboratory, or laboratory-like classroom context.

Speaker:
Dipesh Chaudhury, Assistant Professor of Biology, NYU Abu Dhabi

Monday, August 23, 2021, 4-5:15pm GST

Designing effective syllabi and courses for NYUAD means understanding the distinctive context of the diversity of the students. This session will share details about the makeup of our student body, and what course design and teaching method practices can be best deployed to foster belonging in your classrooms, whether they are online, hybrid, or fully remote. Join in to hear about how to leverage diversity in the classroom for deeper and more inclusive learning.

Speaker:
Keziah Johnson and Nancy Gleason, HBCTL

Tuesday, August 24, 2021, 2-3:15pm GST

Through Community-based Learning Programs in the UAE and abroad, January Term, and the Engineers for Social Impact Program, NYU Abu Dhabi guides students in reading and engaging with the dynamic text of the real world. This is a different kind of literacy that requires disciplined observation, recognition of a variety of experts within and beyond academia, deep listening, spirited inquiry, collaboration with the local community with humility and respect, and bringing critical reflection to direct experience. Join Carol Brandt for this special session to gain inspiration for community-based learning in your own class. Learn about examples from NYUAD, and get inspired to bring Abu Dhabi, or other parts of the world into your practices of teaching and inquiry.

Speaker:
Carol Brandt, Vice Provost and Associate Vice Chancellor, Global Education and Outreach

Tuesday, August 24, 2021, 4-5:15pm GST

As we return to our campuses under new covid-19 regulations and social distancing requirements, there are new beginnings to consider. In this session we will reflect on what we have learned in the past 18 months and what can stay from our remote classroom contexts. We will ask what we can and should change about the way we teach. We will reflect on how we have changed as teachers, and we will consider how the NYUAD students have evolved throughout the pandemic. Join this session to work in groups and think about how we can best support our students through another year with different uncertainties with compassion and empathy as we reintegrate into the face-to-face classroom. This session will be led by Hoda Mustafa, a renowned faculty development expert and the director of the center for teaching and learning at the American University of Cairo.

Speaker:
Hoda Mostafa, Director of the Center for Learning and Teaching at The American University in Cairo

Wednesday, August 25, 2021, 11am-12:15pm GST

Making connections with students and building trust are key to successful student engagement and inclusive learning. Establishing communication channels early on, and designing synchronous lessons that build community are just two examples of what will be covered during this session. Join Senior Lecturer of Arabic Language, Laila Familiar, as she shares insights and best practices in getting to know your learners in week zero and week one to set up your learning community to empower each other through their strengths. Dr. Familiar will provide practical next steps to help your students learn best, and actions you can take for a range of learning experiences. Join us to build communication for optimum student engagement and learning in our upcoming semester.

Speaker:
Laila Familiar, PhD, Senior Lecturer of Arabic Language, Arts and Humanities, NYU Abu Dhabi

Wednesday, August 25, 2021, 2-3pm GST

Join this session to learn how Professor Alberto Gandolfi and his students deployed technology to help with learning needs during remote instructions. This presentation is about the outcome of a month-long exploration, done together with other colleagues, of suitable tools to keep students engaged and still be effective in communicating during online teaching. There was specific emphasis on technical areas in which presentations are usually done at the board in the f2f classroom. To address these needs we used GoodNotes on a Tablet. Learn from Alberto about how and why to use GoodNotes -- and other softwares like it. The case study reveals how some technologies can enable student interaction during an online class, and emphasize student engagement, in spite of challenges communicating via Zoom. Students from this class will also share from their perspective on the intervention and how it helped them learn. Join this session to hear about an exciting intervention that could enhance your course organization and teaching context.

Speaker:
Alberto Gandolfi, Professor of Practice of Mathematics, Division of Science, NYU Abu Dhabi

Monday, January 25, 2021, 5-6:15pm

Primary resources are an exciting way to engage students in authentic learning. Sources may include personal papers, correspondence, speeches, interviews, photographs and photo albums, moving images, maps, government documents, gray literature, travelogues, institutional records, court cases. When applied through thoughtful pedagogy, primary sources can be a catalyst for creativity and help contextualize a specific time period, region, or topic for our diverse student body. Engaging with primary sources also helps students grow their research and information literacy skills. Join NYUAD archivists Lauren Kata and Brad Bauer for an interactive session on the array of primary resources and archival collections available to you at NYUAD. This workshop-style session is an opportunity to gain some practical advice and connect with other colleagues on ideas for integrating primary sources to help you meet your course learning objectives.

Speakers:
Lauren Kata, Assistant Academic Librarian for Archives and Special Collections, Archives and Special Collections, NYUAD;
Brad Bauer, Librarian for Archives and Special Collections, Archives and Special Collections, NYUAD

Monday, February 8, 2021, 12-1:15pm

Join Director of the Writing Program at NYUAD, Dr. Marion Wrenn, and Writing Instructors Nkem Chukwumerije, Neelam Hanif, & Kimberly Specht for a special session on how to teach your students the art of academic writing. This session will cover a range of teaching strategies with both practice activities for developing writing abilities as well as guidelines and tools for assessment tasks and critical feedback best practices. The session will consider several genres of writing, from academic essays to reflective journaling to research projects  and reports across the disciplines. Join this session to enhance your students’ writing skills, and develop your feedback strategies to help move them forward.

Speakers:
Marion Wrenn, Director of Writing Program at NYUAD
Nkem Chukwumerije, Neelam Hanif, & Kimberly Specht

Monday, February 15, 2021, 5-6:15pm

This session will address how to implement a mid-term course evaluation and how to reflect on and respond to the outcome responses. Mid-term course evaluations help students feel more engaged and committed to the course while giving you enough time to make teaching adjustments specific to their needs. They offer ample space for personalization and foster a culture of completion at the end of the semester. Giving students an opportunity to respond to the course in an anonymous format will encourage them to communicate responses that they may not feel comfortable providing in-person – including positive comments. We will discuss how to share the results and take-aways with your students after reviewing the feedback and how to use such a conversation to further illuminate your teaching goals and expectations for students.

Speakers:
Nancy Gleason, Director, Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning

Monday, March 1, 2021, 5-6:15pm

Students experience deeper learning and recall from being actively involved in faculty research and inquiry-based learning. Authentic learning can happen when students learn research processes and methodologies, as well as explore timely and exciting findings. Join colleagues to learn how they have brought their disciplinary and methodological expertise to their teaching and to their students’ learning. They will share examples from their work in bioengineering, music, and gender studies, for both research-led learning, and research-oriented learning.

Speakers:
Vijayavenkataraman Sanjairaj (Vijay) Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering;
Gwyneth Bravo, Assistant Professor of Music (Musicology),
May AlDabbagh, Assistant Professor of Social Research and Public Policy

Monday, April 12, 2021, 2-3:15pm

Speaker:  Kiruthika Ragupathi, Associate Director of the Center for Development in Teaching and Learning, National University of Singapore.

She co-leads professional development programmes and oversees the centralized teaching quality instruments at NUS — student feedback and peer review. Her research work focuses on assessment, student living-learning experiences, academic development, and technology-enhanced learning.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021, 12-1:15pm

Join Senior Lecturer Sabyn Javeri Jillani for a workshop and discussion on how to diversify your course content for a more inclusive learning experience. Jillani specializes in postcolonial feminism, South Asian literature, and creative writing. She will share insights on how to envision more cultures and knowledge systems in the curriculum with regards to what is being taught, and how it frames the world for our learners. Come join the conversation and take away practical advice for your own course.

Speakers:
Sabyn Javeri Jillani, Senior Lecturer, Writing Program Arts and Humanities, New York University Abu Dhabi

Monday, May 24, 2021, 5-6:15pm

Part of the Spring TechTalk AD Series

Reflecting on our teaching is an important element to enhancing our teaching, and making visible the work we do in preparing our courses and delivering them. It means reflecting on the outcomes regularly, innovating, and improving. End of semester course evaluations are subjected to a variety of factors, which makes them a noisy instrument to measure teacher’s effectiveness. Despite this, they can shed light on areas for potential revision and can ultimately lead to positive improvements. In order to identify and distill representative feedback, we will review how to consider course evaluations in context and read them through the appropriate lens to extract useful feedback. Join this session to receive support in classify comments and identify main themes for reflection.

Speakers:
Nancy Gleason, Director, Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning