Grading is a reality of college education and serves many purposes, from motivating students to complete their assignments to providing a differential assessment of the learning of students. For instructors, it is also an optimization problem between the necessary rigor of the course and the time available to the instructor and teaching aides, always wondering if that time could be better spent on other activities. In this session, I propose to provide a brief introduction to specifications grading, lead hands-on exercises in which the participants will structure a course of their choice as a specifications-grading course, and introduce participants to the technology and assessment tools I use in my courses to make specifications-grading a time-efficient grading scheme that can be iteratively and continuously improved. Specifications grading is a grading scheme that relies on the pass/fail grading of assignments, the chaining of assignments into modules related to learning outcomes, and the bundling of modules to determine a final grade for the course. In my experience, this scheme also provides the students with much-needed time and activity flexibility to demonstrate mastery of the subject and get a good grade. This workshop is aligned with several of the themes of the conference. For example, classes and individual students are complex adaptive systems, and complex adaptive systems cannot be evaluated without them adapting; changing the way we evaluate performance in a course affects both teaching and learning, and specifications grading is an innovative learning scheme. The structure that this grading imposes on course activities and the relationships among them ensures that simple yet broadly accepted assessment tools can be used to continuously improve the course. The activities outside of the classroom that students are rewarded for in the course can lead to promoting a culture of care, collaboration, etc.

Presenters:
Dr. Jorge Munoz - Assistant Professor of Physics, College of Science
Dr. Elizabeth Day - Assistant Professor of Chemistry, College of Science

This workshop will provide an introduction of the purpose of academic-based community engagement and models for successful course integration. Participants will gain an understanding of how academic-based community engagement can be utilized as a pedagogical teaching tool and the impact it may have on students’ understanding of citizenship as well as how community engagement can be integrated into high-impact practices. Furthermore, we will provide faculty the opportunity to gain practical tools to support community engagement in their courses. Faculty will learn information about how to identify CE learning objectives, prepare for logistics, navigate university tools and resources, reflect, and assign academic credit for participation. Finally, faculty will gain an understanding of how to navigate conversations that will help prepare them to lead effective and successful community partnerships. Topics to be covered include effective communication, setting realistic expectations, and, most importantly, how to cultivate ongoing partnership success.

Presenters:
Jennifer Lujan – Director of the Center for Community Engagement
Heriberto Garcia - Program Manager
Naomi Fertman - Community Outreach Specialist

Tired of the mundane assignments and classroom dynamics? Come and learn how to increase engagement, expand on digital literacy, and promote creativity in and outside your class! Let's create an environment that you and your students will love being a part of!

Presenters:
Mike Pitcher – Director of CREATE, UGLC, Learning Environments, and Tech E, Technology Support
Brittany Ramirez - Coordinator for Building Services, Technology Support

Come join us for this pre-conference workshop for an opportunity to reflect on existing teaching and learning practices and elevate them through asset-based lenses. We will share innovative models and evidence-based practices for making learning environments more equitable. The objective of this session is to help attendees incorporate new ideas and understand systemic biases. Whether you are a student, an educator, or an administrator, this pre-conference workshop is designed to enrich your vision of student success.

Presenters:
Sara Rodriguez – Coordinator for LSAMP, College of Engineering
Agniprava Banerjee - Research Assistant for LSAMP, College of Engineering
Pilar Gonzalez - Lecturer for LSAMP, College of Engineering

How Edgy are you? UTEP Edge, our Quality Enhancement Plan, enriches student learning and pre-professional achievement through integrative and applied learning experiences, or what we call Edge Experiences, within and beyond the classroom. This workshop will bring together faculty, staff, and graduate student employees (i.e., Teaching and Research Assistants) to identify the level of integration of Edge practices in their curricular and co-curricular programs and events, courses, and lessons and to take a deeper dive into how they can further scale and elevate these efforts to increase student success.

Presenters:
Dr. Toni L. Blum – Vice Provost for Curriculum and Effectiveness and Improvement
Analicia Bañales-Feuille - Coordinator of Engagement Activity Tracking, Faculty Affairs
Karla Iscapa – Director of Assessment and Program Evaluation, Academic Affairs
Lucina Zarate - Director of UTEP Edge