Events, Workshops, and Communities
WMUx hosts a variety of events and communities throughout the academic year. These opportunities are geared toward instructors, graduate assistants, and any others involved in creating learning experiences at Western Michigan University. Can't make it to an event? No problem! Check out our past event archive, which includes materials shared during the session and/or a session recording.
Do you not see what you are looking for here, or would you like a training or event more specific to your needs?
Our team is available to come to a department or group meeting to facilitate specific or targeted teaching and learning training. Reach out and let us know what challenges you are hoping to solve for instructors, learners, or both and we can support you by connecting you with resources and facilitating conversations around curriculum, course design, or instructional best practices. These can be single meetings or extended workshops depending on your goals.
Contact the WMUx Teaching and Learning Team to discuss your needs.
Upcoming Events
May 13
10 a.m.
NCFDD
Virtual Writing Session
Date: Tuesday, May 13 Time: 10 a.m. Location: Online
Join NCFDD for your daily writing session! NCFDD will provide a brief introduction, you'll write for 30 minutes, and you'll close out with reflections. What counts as writing? Drafting a manuscript "counts,” but so does freewriting, generating field notes, editing and revising, outlining, mind-mapping, describing a new idea, preparing a bibliography, consolidating reviewers' comments into a list for revision, etc. Expanding your notion of what writing is will help you to reduce your resistance by making daily writing feel like a regular part of your everyday routine.
Visit the WMUx Institutional Memberships page if you need to activate your NCFDD Membership.
May 15
2 p.m.
NCFDD
What I Wished I Would Have Known About Being an Interim Leader
Date: Thursday, May 15 Time: 2 p.m. Location: Online
Interim academic leaders can play a vital role in helping departments, programs, colleges, and universities during periods of transition, change, and uncertainty. Recognizing the rise in interim leadership positions in higher education, this panel aims to provide academics with valuable information, insight, and advice.
At the beginning of the session, panelists will present (a) some of the strengths and challenges of interim leadership, (b) key considerations about the decision to become an interim leader, (c) practical tips and strategies for interim leaders, and (d) recommendations on how institutions of higher education can better support interim leaders. Next, NCFDD will invite audience members to engage in a meaningful Q&A session with the panelists. We hope you can join NCFDD!
Visit the WMUx Institutional Memberships page if you need to activate your NCFDD Membership.
May 21
3 p.m.
Quality Matters
Designing for Gen Z: How Quality Matters was Made for Gen Z Learners
Date: Wednesday, May 21 Time: 3 p.m. Location: Online
Presented by Dr. Shannon Stoker, Associate Director of Instructional Development and Course Design at Tarleton State University
Born between approximately 1997 and 2012, Generation Z now dominates our college campuses, including the online classroom. These digital natives are comfortable texting, playing a game, and watching Tik Tok, all while completing their coursework. This presentation will examine the contextual factors that shape Generation Z learners and how the implementation of Quality Matters Standards can foster a successful learning environment for all students in our college classrooms.
Visit the WMUx Institutional Memberships page to learn how to activate your Quality Matters Membership. The instructional design team is trained in applying the Quality Matters Higher Education rubric, can offer training in the application of the rubric, and would be happy to talk with you.
May 28
1 p.m.
Online Learning Consortium
Leveraging AI for Accessible and Inclusive Learning: Practical Strategies for Diverse Learners
Date: Wednesday, May 28 Time: 1 p.m. Location: Online
Presented by Kaitlin Garrett and Katie Fife Schuster, Online Learning Consortium
In an era where inclusivity is essential to educational success, AI offers powerful tools to help educators create more accessible, equitable, and engaging learning environments. This interactive webinar provides practical insights into harnessing AI to meet the diverse needs of all learners, with special attention to students experiencing visible and invisible disabilities—such as mobility, sensory, cognitive, and learning challenges.
Attendees will explore how AI-driven technologies can be employed to generate accessible learning content, including automated alt text for images, captions for videos, and accurate transcripts for audio resources. Additionally, the session will demonstrate how AI can support inclusive assessment practices by aiding in rubric creation, exemplar generation, and personalized feedback.
Throughout the webinar, educators and instructional designers will engage with case studies and hands-on demonstrations highlighting strategies to utilize AI effectively while mitigating biases and ensuring representation of diverse perspectives. By the conclusion of this engaging session, attendees will gain practical strategies and a curated toolkit of AI resources designed to enhance inclusivity, accessibility, and equity in their teaching practices.
Key Takeaways:
- Discover practical AI tools to enhance accessibility and inclusivity in course content
- Examine methods to leverage AI for equitable and personalized assessment practices
- Develop skills to recognize and mitigate biases in AI-driven educational content
- Access ready-to-use strategies and resources for immediate implementation
Visit the WMUx Institutional Memberships page to learn how to activate your Online Learning Consortium Membership. The instructional design team has presented at OLC conferences and works with OLC materials regularly and would be happy to talk with you if you have any questions.
June 6
1 p.m.
NCFDD
Weekly Wrap-Up: Reflections & Planning for Success
Date: Friday, June 6 Time: 1 p.m. Location: Online
Join NCFDD for a 30-minute weekly planning meeting! Together on Zoom and using strategic plans, you will wrap up the week and plan the next one. You'll look ahead to make sure that everything that needs to get done actually gets done. We want you to be as successful as you can be at the start of each week so why not plan together with NCFDD?
Visit the WMUx Institutional Memberships page if you need to activate your NCFDD Membership.
June 10
10 a.m.
NCFDD
Virtual Writing Session
Date: Tuesday, June 10 Time: 10 a.m. Location: Online
Join NCFDD for your daily writing session! NCFDD will provide a brief introduction, you'll write for 30 minutes, and you'll close out with reflections. What counts as writing? Drafting a manuscript "counts,” but so does freewriting, generating field notes, editing and revising, outlining, mind-mapping, describing a new idea, preparing a bibliography, consolidating reviewers' comments into a list for revision, etc. Expanding your notion of what writing is will help you to reduce your resistance by making daily writing feel like a regular part of your everyday routine.
Visit the WMUx Institutional Memberships page if you need to activate your NCFDD Membership.
June 12
2 p.m.
NCFDD
Moving from Resistance to Writing
Date: Thursday, June 12 Time: 2 p.m. Location: Online
- Have you been putting off your writing all year by promising yourself that summer is when you'll buckle down and get it done?
- Are you finding yourself continuing to procrastinate and avoid your writing even though summer has arrived?
- Have you ever wondered why it is that you really want to write, but just don't do it until there's a looming external deadline?
In this webinar, you will learn:
- What resistance is and why academic writers experience it in pursuit of work we want and need to complete.
- How to identify what's holding you back from writing and completing your ___________ (article, dissertation, book manuscript, grant proposal, etc...).
- The three most common types of writing funk and how to move around them.
- How to create the types community, support and accountability for your writing that will help you to ride through whatever type of writing funk you are currently experiencing.
Visit the WMUx Institutional Memberships page if you need to activate your NCFDD Membership.
June 17
12 p.m.
NCFDD
5 Secrets to a Super Productive Semester
Date: Tuesday, June 17 Time: 12 p.m. Location: Online
- Do you need to have a breakthrough in your writing and research productivity?
- Do you promise yourself every term that you're going to be highly productive, but end up falling short year after year?
- Do you want to learn why NCFDD's Faculty Success Program consistently improves over 90% of participants' productivity every session?
If so, join NCFDD for one of their most popular webinars where you will learn:
- How to avoid the biggest mistakes academic writers make during the academic term
- How to maximize your research and writing productivity
- How to combat professional isolation and create a supportive writing community
Visit the WMUx Institutional Memberships page if you need to activate your NCFDD Membership.
June 17
2 p.m.
Quality Matters
Optimizing Online Learning: Bridging UDL, Cognitive Load Theory, and Usability
Date: Tuesday, June 17 Time: 2 p.m. Location: Online
Presented by Amy Grincewicz, Director of Instructional Design - ACCBE at Kent State University
Explore how integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) principles enhances the usability and effectiveness of online lectures, promoting inclusive and engaging learning experiences.
Visit the WMUx Institutional Memberships page to learn how to activate your Quality Matters Membership. The instructional design team is trained in applying the Quality Matters Higher Education rubric, can offer training in the application of the rubric, and would be happy to talk with you.
June 25
2 p.m.
NCFDD
Framing and Maintaining Your Research Agenda
Date: Wednesday, June 25 Time: 2 p.m. Location: Online
One of the most critical topics that faculty must address in academe is how to frame and operationalize a research agenda. From developing a researchable topic to revising and resubmitting a peer-reviewed publication, understanding the complexities of navigating the research terrain is key. The Framing and Maintaining a Research Agenda Workshop will focus on the steps necessary to frame and maintain an active research agenda.
Participants will be involved in both theoretical and practical applications in an effort to promote their success. Specific objectives of the Institute include:
- To understand the importance of a research agenda.
- To understand the publication process.
- To provide participants with tools to move their research agenda forward.
- To understand the importance of mentoring (establishing networks)
Visit the WMUx Institutional Memberships page if you need to activate your NCFDD Membership.