Teaching Conversations

All full-time and part-time faculty are invited to participate in the Teaching Conversations program, a series of six workshops across the full academic year offered online through Zoom.  

The Teaching Conversations (TC) program offers workshops topics covering multiple areas of the learning and teaching experience at UNG while fostering camaraderie and promoting teaching excellence and professional development. One of the most beneficial aspects of the program arises in the sharing of experiences and insights from our classroom practices.  

Certificates

In order to qualify for a program certificate, Teaching Conversations participants must attend a minimum of four of the six sessions offered during the academic year and answer some reflective questions about each session. After attending the required number of sessions, faculty must complete a two-page assessment of how program content influenced practices. If you must miss a required session, please make every attempt to contact CTLL prior to the session or up to a week after the session so alternative accommodations can be made. In most cases, you will be requested to register for another upcoming session if possible. A certificate cannot be earned by anyone who does not attend at least three sessions in person.

Register for and attend at least four of the six sessions.
After the session, provide a substantial response to open-ended questions posted as a quiz in eLearning (D2L). The questions are designed to provide self-reflection. You can respond to questions up until the start of the next session. In the case of the last session, you will have until Friday, May 16, 2025, to complete the questions.
After responding to four sessions, write and submit to eLearning (D2L) a two-page assessment of how these sessions influenced your practices. Submit this two-page assessment in the Assignments folder by Friday, May 16, 2025.

Agenda and Calendar

**Fall 2024**
Date	Facilitator	Topic	Location
Date Wednesday, September 4, 2024 Noon to 1 p.m.	Facilitator Kelly McFaden and Ralph Hale	Topic Teaching Them How to Student – Soft Skills Help prepare your students for the workforce by teaching them skills that will make them good employees, such as working in groups, writing emails, asking questions, and meeting deadlines	Location Zoom
Date Wednesday, October 9, 2024 Noon to 1 p.m.	Facilitator Susan Brantley and Nathan Price	Topic Teaching Them How to Student – Hard Skills This session will explore strategies to assist your students in preparing for formal assessments such as exams. We will discuss note-taking strategies, effectively utilizing review sheets and class review sessions, and helping students learn how to prepare for exams.	Location Zoom
Date Wednesday, November 6, 2024 Noon to 1 p.m.	Facilitator Kelly McFaden	Topic Alternative Grading Techniques and Feedback Looking for alternatives to traditional A-F grading systems? This conversation will discuss mastery, contract, and “ungrading” methods.	Location Zoom

**Spring 2025**
Date	Facilitator	Topic	Location
Date Wednesday, February 5, 2025 Noon to 1 p.m.	Facilitator Lori Furbush and Nathan Price	Topic Authentic Assessment Create assessments to gauge student's understanding and proficiency in the subject area through real-world tasks and activities.	Location Zoom
Date Wednesday, March 5, 2025 Noon to 1 p.m.	Facilitator Ralph Hale	Topic Using AI to Promote Student Success Explore how AI-driven tools and techniques can enhance educational outcomes and support student achievement.	Location Zoom
Date Wednesday, April 2, 2025 Noon to 1 p.m.	Facilitator Susan Brantley, Lori Furbush, Ralph Hale, Kelly McFaden, and Nathan Price	Topic Choose Your Own Adventure Revisit a topic you found particularly valuable from any of the Teaching Conversations this year! Each breakout room will offer an opportunity for a more in-depth discussion, led by the same experienced educators you met before. Move between breakout rooms as you wish-stay for one or explore them all!	Location Zoom
Date Friday, May 16, 2025	Facilitator	Topic Reflective Analysis Due	Location