Courses & Workshops
With our Courses & Workshops, you can enroll in a CTIDE self-paced course or watch recorded streams of CTIDE Learning Community Events & Learning Community Days. Revisit valuable insights from each session and discover fresh perspectives from your Merrimack colleagues.
Learning Community Days
Our recent Learning Community Day was a successful two-day event. We hosted five sessions with distinguished guest experts who shared their specialized insights on teaching with faculty:
- Joseph J. Slade (Oregon State University)
- Dr. Rachel Bronco (University of Notre Dame)
- Dr. Taralyn Tan (Harvard Medical School)
- Dr. W. Stephen McNeil (University of British Columbia)
Throughout the sessions, faculty engaged with practical topics and hands-on activities designed to strengthen and enhance their teaching and the learning experience for our students at Merrimack College.
On the technology front, Slade and Tan shared how colleagues can explore using generative AI as a partner for research workflows, administrative tasks, assignment design and associated assessment rubrics. These sessions prioritized maintaining academic integrity while using new tools to manage workloads effectively.
In support of the opening of our new Merrimack College Lecture Hall, three sessions focused on the specific challenges and opportunities for teaching large classes (TLC).
Branco and McNeil shared insights on scalable active-learning strategies to facilitate students’ critical thinking and academic engagement. By focusing on syllabus and/or assignment redesign and transparent grading, they provided pedagogical methods to improve the student learning experience. They shared tips and best practices for implementing processes and routines for clear communication of academic expectations to help students succeed.
All distinguished experts emphasized the importance of creating a sense of community by acknowledging students’ voice and identities, integrating students’ motivations and interests in learning content based on their backgrounds, and communicating empathy and compassion as students negotiate learning with life experiences. The day concluded with a reception in the campus bowling alley, providing a relaxed space for colleagues to connect.
Resources from this Learning Community Day are available via this link: Learning Community Day Faculty Resources
