LISC Report for February 9th, 2022 Senate Meeting
LISC last met on February 4th, 2022. We approved minutes from the December 8th meeting and received
updates from the Dean of Libraries, CIO, Aviva Bower, ITLAL representative, and Lindsay Van Berkom,
LISC Chair.
The Dean of Libraries provided updates about:
Staffing. The Libraries have been given permission to initiate searches for a Director of Finance
and Administration and a Library Personnel Coordinator. These positions will become vacant
May 1 and September 1, respectively. Both are professional positions which are promotional
opportunities, so they’ll be posted internally for two weeks, then externally if needed. A staffing
proposal has been submitted to the Provost to help begin re-staffing the Libraries, given that
we’ve lost nearly 20 positions in the past three years, forcing us to make significant cuts in
services and library hours.
Library hours. We were able to add some weekend hours back to the Dewey Graduate Library
this semester, and we may be able to offer longer hours during finals this semester, but the
latter is contingent on filling some vacant positions, which have not yet been approved.
Collections update. The SUNY Libraries Consortium is completing a license that will provide
access to more than 5,000 e-books on diversity, equity, and inclusion. These will be available to
all SUNY faculty, staff, and students as well as walk-in visitors to the libraries.
The CIO updates included information about staffing and Blackboard.
Aviva Bower provided updates from ITLAL about Spring offerings to faculty, instructional staff, and
graduate students. Information about those offerings is also included.
ITLAL’s spring instructional workshop series begins next week. These workshops focus
on Small Changes to Support Student Success during challenging times.
Helping Students Persist through Your Course
Tuesday, February 8, 10:30 – 11:45 am, Zoom
Helping Students Succeed in Class Discussions
Wednesday, February 9, 1:10 – 2:25 pm, Zoom
Helping Students Succeed on Assignments
Thursday, February 10, 1:30 – 2:45 pm, Zoom
Our spring series of workshops to prepare graduate students for the academic job
market focus on key elements of Zoom Interviews for Academic Jobs.
Workshop 1: Making a Strong Impression in Zoom Interviews
Friday, February 18, 10:00 – 11:15 am, Zoom
Workshop 2: Powerful Zoom Teaching Demonstrations
Thursday, February 24, 10:00 – 11:15 am, Zoom
Workshop 3: Secrets of an Excellent Zoom Job Talk
Friday, March 4, 2:00 – 3:15 pm, Zoom
A fully asynchronous course begins next week for those who want to learn more about
designing effective online courses.
Designing for Online Learning Professional Development Course
February 7 - March 14, 2022, Asynchronous
Full Descriptions of these workshops can be found at the end of this report. In addition, all
workshops and events can be found on this page. Please feel free to share with any faculty,
instructors, and graduate students who would be interested. Thank you!
We continue to plan our summer workshop and academy offerings to faculty,
instructional staff, and graduate students.
We will publicize our early semester survey service soon. This service helps instructors
get useful feedback from students on their experiences in their courses. ITLAL
consultants are available to help instructors interpret and make the most of this
feedback to improve the student (and instructor!) experience. Requests for surveys can
be made here.
ITLAL Spring 2022 Workshops for Faculty and Instructional Staff
Small Changes to Support Student Success
As we transitioned back to a semester with more in-person classes in the fall semester, faculty were
frequently dismayed to find many students struggling. While the challenges students are facing can feel
overwhelming, the good news is that you can make small changes that will have a big impact on their
motivation, preparation, and tenacity. Join us for a week of workshops that focus on high-impact
strategies that will support student learning—without adding a lot of extra work for you!
Helping Students Persist through Your Course
Tuesday, February 8, 10:30 – 11:45 am, Zoom
Registration: https://albany.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_50cwWCjafTJxocC
When students are struggling, it’s easy to believe that this means they aren’t prepared for the
academically rigorous work our disciplines require. In many cases, however, we can improve their
chances of success—and their motivation to persist when hard work is required—by building more
guidance into the course. This workshop will introduce simple strategies for helping students become
better learners while still doing meaningful, challenging work. You will leave with ideas for small, easy-
to-implement changes that will make a big difference in students’ persistence and success.
Helping Students Succeed in Class Discussions
Wednesday, February 9, 1:10 – 2:25 pm, Zoom
Registration: https://albany.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_39idtk7IGcSSNDM
Faculty were excited to get back to real-time, in-person discussions in the classroom this year but
discovered that many students were not as skilled in or confident about participating in discussions as
they had hoped. If we want students to discuss challenging problems or complex concepts, we need
strategies for getting them accustomed to and involved in engaging discussions. In this session, we will
explore why and how classroom discussions go well (or don’t go well) in our courses. Participants will
learn and experience strategies for designing and managing discussions that can be adapted to any
classroom situation.
Helping Students Succeed on Assignments
Thursday, February 10, 1:30 – 2:45 pm, Zoom
Registration: https://albany.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7UwojKtMeOVy7tQ
Often we create assignments that we hope will motivate students and lead to greater learning, but we
find ourselves disappointed and frustrated by the end results. If we want students to feel motivated to
persist and learn from our assignments, we need to clearly communicate some key aspects of the work
those assignments require. In this interactive workshop, you will learn what the research has to say
about designing and communicating assignments effectively, and you will leave with a template that you
can put to work right away.
Designing for Online Learning Professional Development Course
February 7 - March 14, 2022, Asynchronous
Registration: https://albany.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eyXcMcWzP6JrhXg
This semester, OTL is offering an opportunity to catch up on the Designing for Online Learning
Professional Development offerings through an asynchronous online course. The five core modules in
the series will be offered as a course running from February 7 through March 14. It is set up to be taken
in a self-paced manner as well as facilitated. This means that participants can do all five modules in
sequence on a weekly plan as the course is intended (this maximizes potential contact with colleagues
around the same materials at the same time), or you can complete only the modules you are interested
in and/or need to complete the DOL series. Completion of the five core modules earns a letter of
acknowledgement from OTL. Either way, all individual practice activities related to your teaching
practice will receive professional feedback.
ITLAL Spring 2022 Workshops for Graduate Students
Preparing for the Job Market: Successful Zoom Interviews
The academic job market is more competitive than ever, and now prospective candidates must be
prepared for screening and extended interviews (what we used to call the “on-campus interview”)
conducted entirely on Zoom. In this three-part series, you will learn how to prepare for interviews, how
to prepare a teaching demonstration, and how to prepare your “job talk” (the overview of your research
required for most searches). This series of short, high-impact workshops will prepare you for the new
reality of the academic job market. Register for all three or choose those you need most.
Workshop 1: Making a Strong Impression in Zoom Interviews
Friday, February 18, 10:00 – 11:15 am, Zoom
Registration: https://albany.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_38BBdPV2XQJPrSu
If you’re getting ready for the academic job market or you’re on it, you must be prepared for interviews
in the age of Zoom! In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn about the different purposes of interviews
and the best ways to prepare for them. You’ll leave with a clearer sense of what to expect during
interviews, how to avoid potential pitfalls, and how to make the most of the Zoom platform so that you
come across as the calm, collected professional they are looking for. You will have an opportunity to
begin planning for the interview and be invited to work further on your interview skills and strategies
with an ITLAL consultant.
Workshop 2: Powerful Zoom Teaching Demonstrations
Thursday, February 24, 10:00 – 11:15 am, Zoom
Registration: https://albany.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7X4jjFaruQruYg6
Are you ready to demonstrate your teaching skills on the Zoom platform? Don’t wait to prepare!
Whether you’re applying for a teaching-focused or a research-focused faculty position, you will be
required to demonstrate your teaching ability during the extended interview (what we used to call the
“on-campus interview”). This interactive workshop will help you make good decisions based on the
context of the demonstrations you may be asked to do and give you some ideas of how to best
communicate your teaching skills in this high-pressure situation. You will have an opportunity to begin
planning for the teaching demonstration and be invited to work further on the demonstration with an
ITLAL consultant.
Workshop 3: Secrets of an Excellent Zoom Job Talk
Friday, March 4, 2:00 – 3:15 pm, Zoom
Registration: https://albany.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Fj9KcHnjQpRxZA
Whether you are interviewing for a position that focuses on teaching or research, you are likely going to
be asked to give the “job talk,” where you share your research with the search committee and other
attendees. But what are you really being asked to do when you give the job talk? If you don’t know the
secrets of the job talk you risk confusing or boring your audience during this crucial part of the extended
interview (what we used to call the “on-campus interview”). In this interactive workshop you’ll learn
how to create a Zoom job talk that impresses the audience and communicates more than just your
research. You will have an opportunity to begin planning for the job talk and be invited to work further
on the job talk with an ITLAL consultant.
LISC will meet again on March 7th.
