Summer 2026 CTLA Faculty/Staff Workshops

Register for Tutorial Summer Workshop

Co-leaders:

• Nick Phillips phillipsn@grinnell.edu
• Liz Rodrigues rodrigue8@grinnell.edu
• Tisha Turk turktisha@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: four-day, in-person

Brief description:

This workshop is designed as a collaborative four-day engagement between Tutorial instructors, with connections to various campus resources and partners. As many know, Tutorial is a unique, challenging, yet rewarding course to teach, and the advising component of the course represents the foundation of Faculty’s role as academic advisors and as facilitators between our students and our Liberal Arts curriculum. This workshop will feature interactive sessions on course material creation and development, especially related to the specific course learning outcomes on reading, writing, oral expression, and research. Faculty teaching Tutorial for the first time are highly encouraged to attend, as well as all faculty preparing to teach Tutorial in the coming Fall or in future academic years.

Target audience: faculty from all departments

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

• Work towards a complete draft of the course syllabus, especially in key areas such as assignment creation and selection, grade breakdown, selection of primary texts, and integrating the chosen Tutorial topic with course materials in development
• Review and implement the Tutorial Course Learning Objectives in teaching materials, assignment creation, and in advising planning
• Draft assignments and receive feedback from fellow instructors on new or existing assignments, methods of evaluation, and strategies for integrating campus resources into assignments, such as the use of a Writing Mentor
• Collaborate on classroom strategies to enhance group activities related to discussions, peer review, and other collaborative activities.
• Develop a cohort among Tutorial faculty and encourage continued collaboration through the Tutorial semester 

Register for Improving Student Experiences in MAT 131

Co-leaders:

• Ahmad Barhoumi barhoumia@grinnell.edu
• Debdeep Bhattacharya bhattacharya@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: three-day, in-person

Brief description:

This workshop is designed to engage the faculty of the Mathematics Department in a focused discussion about the student experience in MAT 131. Our primary goal is to create greater consistency across sections while preserving the distinctive strengths and perspectives of individual instructors.

During the workshop, faculty will identify practical tools and strategies to support this goal, including clarifying core topics for MAT 131 and exploring approaches to coordinating assessments and grading policies. Of particular interest is how this goal can be achieved using standards-based practices. Participants will be encouraged to explore various implementations of standards-based learning that can be adapted to the unique Grinnell math curriculum.

Each participant will receive a copy of Grading for Growth by D. Clark and R. Talbert before the workshop begins.

Target audience: faculty; departments whose majors require MAT 131 (Calculus I)

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

• The development of a departmental plan around the coordination of MAT-131 sections
• Identifying and compiling a list of core learning outcomes for MAT 131
• An intradepartmental discussion of methods faculty use to achieve learning outcomes
• Collecting feasible implementations of standards-based grading practices in MAT 131, and
• A cost-benefit analysis of each of the implementations put forward 

Register for Reimagining Computer Science at Grinnell

Leader: Peter-Michael Osera osera@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: five-day, in-person

Brief description of workshop:

Since the fall of 2024, the computer science department has begun a review and, ultimately, revamp of its curriculum. This work is motivated by (1) a need to respond to the recently-released Associated for Computing Machinery (ACM) Computer Science Curricular 2023 guidelines, which place new emphasis on artificial intelligence and ethics, (2) a desire to better service the computing needs of both majors and non-majors at Grinnell now that the department is reaching a point of stability in terms of staffing, and (3) the desire to reassert our educational values as the department shifts from a senior-heavy to a junior-heavy department. Historically, the department has tracked the ACM computing guidelines closely, going so far as to be an exemplar curriculum in the 2013 guidelines, and would like to continue that trend of innovation and commitment to excellence.

In academic years 2024–25 and 2025–26, the department undertook a self-study guided by the "Workbook for Distinctive Computer Science Curricula" by the Computing Education in the Liberal Arts Group (https://computing-in-the-liberal-arts.github.io/), reviewing and revising its vision for computing at Grinnell and its learning outcomes for its students. Now, the department is ready to begin applying that fresh vision towards a revamped curriculum.

In this workshop, the computer science department will put together an updated curricular document, including both updated major requirements, courses, and a timeline for deployment with the goal of refining and, ultimately, proposing these changes to the college in AY 26–27. Sessions will give faculty members time to discuss the overall shape of the curriculum and allow for sub-groups of faculty members to investigate specific areas of focus in more depth, e.g., introductory programming and theory. Between sessions, participants will be tasked to continue making progress on the design of pathways and courses to bring back to the wider group the following day.

Target audience: faculty in Computer Science

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

The primary output of this workshop is a draft curriculum document for the computer science department. This document will include an updated pathway for the computer science and general science (computer science) majors, high-level descriptions of updated/new courses that support that pathway, and a timeline for development and, ultimately, deployment of those courses. In addition to the document, the department will also identify partner departments (e.g., mathematics and statistics) to further collaborate with after the workshop.

The department envisions completing this draft during summer 2026, finalizing the draft during the fall of 2026, and proposing the changes to the rest of the college during the spring of 2027, although such timelines are subject to change as plans are developed. 

Register for Student Digital Portfolios: How to Support Your Students in Taking Ownership of Their Web Presence

Co-leaders: 

• Tierney Steelberg, DLAC steelber@grinnell.edu
• Mo Pelzel, DLAC pelzelmo@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: two-day, in-person

Brief description of workshop:

Join the Digital Liberal Arts Collaborative (DLAC) and the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS) in exploring student portfolio websites and reflecting on their value as a pedagogical and professional practice.

Attendees will learn about use cases for digital portfolios (an AAC&U high-impact practice!) in their own particular faculty or staff contexts (classes and assignments, student employment, artistic endeavors, etc.).

The CLS provides additional tools for using portfolios to prepare for post graduate opportunities (graduate school, fellowships, full time work).

Participants will then spend time thinking through how to implement exploration of portfolios in their own work with students.

Target audience: faculty and staff from all departments

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

Participants will learn more about the why and how of digital portfolios and will leave the workshop with a possible plan for student portfolio work in their individual context. 

Register for Teaching for Social Change: Building a Community-Engaged Class

Leader: Julie Lascol lascolju@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: two-day, in-person (one afternoon may be held in the Grinnell community)

Brief description of workshop:

This workshop will give faculty the tools and resources to add a community-engaged component to their syllabus. We will be learning about community-engaged pedagogies in all disciplines in a liberal arts environment. We will discuss best practices to generate high-quality community-engaged learning opportunities for students while cultivating mutually beneficial relationships with community partners. Additionally, we will talk about resources and funding available to support this work at Grinnell College and delve deeper into reflection and assessment tools for community-engaged teaching and learning.

This workshop is open to all and does not require any familiarity with or experience of community-engaged learning, but faculty members who already have a project in mind or past experiences are also welcome to attend.

Target audience: faculty from all departments

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

Have the tools and resources to add a community-engaged learning aspect to the syllabus. 

Register for Advising as Craft, Conversation, and Connection

Co-leaders:

• Joyce Stern sternjm@grinnell.edu
• Danielle Lussier lussierd@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: four-day, in-person

Brief description of workshop:

Advising is an extension of teaching for Grinnell faculty, yet it is an area of teaching in which few faculty have received formal training. Grinnell’s faculty comprises scholars from a broad range of academic backgrounds and many have limited exposure to a liberal arts education and this form of engaging students prior to arriving at Grinnell. How can you acquire the background needed to advise Grinnell students effectively? For both new and experienced advisers, the workshop aims to strengthen our capacity as advisers and cultivate a culture of advising that makes it a meaningful practice for both students and advisors.

Questions we will explore in this workshop include: What is liberal education and how is that realized in Grinnell’s curriculum? What are the common pathways students pursue and strategies for guiding them? What is the aim of advising? Is advising gatekeeping or groundskeeping? Control or consultation? What do we need to know about Grinnell, our students, and their post-graduate landscape to advise effectively? How do the various entities within Grinnell’s advising ecosystem fit together and how do we maximize these resources for students? How do we build sustainable advising practices that honestly consider the structural limitations of our time?

While the workshop is focused on the faculty adviser role, staff who engage in academically-related advising will find the week’s conversations helpful and workshop participants will benefit from their contributions. Conversations together will create an opportunity to further enhance understanding of collective advising goals and strengthen our shared capacity for advising.

Target audience: faculty and staff

All faculty who advise as well as staff in offices doing student-facing academic advising work will benefit. We especially encourage faculty across the divisions to join the workshop, so that we can understand and articulate the contribution of these disciplines to the preparation of Grinnell students—and communicate this contribution to our students.

We will heavily consider the ways that faculty advising intersects with advising work done by staff partners, along the lines of the liberal arts to life beyond Grinnell.

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

Participants will (1) feel a renewed excitement to advise students, particularly in a domain (i.e., liberal education) that is challenging for many; (2) feel ready to effectively engage with advisees at all points in their academic journey to craft an individually-planned education in the liberal arts; (3) be able to articulate the long-term value of a Grinnell education; (4) develop tools to use in their advising on a regular basis; (5) come away with a deeper appreciation for each other’s professional expertise across areas (i.e., faculty and staff roles in advising), (6) cultivate a culture of advising that does not view advising as “extra” labor, but as rewarding and enjoyable part of their work. In addition, a yearly workshop on advising is something called for through the Quality Initiative, demonstrating the college’s commitment to excellence in advising and supporting faculty in their development as advisers. 

Register for Grant Writing and Proposal Development: Seeking Funding for Research and Pedagogy

Co-leaders:

• David Borgmeyer borgmeyerd@grinnell.edu
• Susan Ferrari ferraris@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: five-day (five non-consecutive afternoons), in-person

Brief description of workshop:

Participants will learn about external funding programs that can support their research and enhance pedagogy, both directly and indirectly.

Participants will also learn about understanding and identifying funding opportunities, developing proposals targeted for funders, navigating the internal and external proposal submission and review processes, and effectively positioning their work to be as competitive as possible.

They will make progress towards developing proposals by drafting and workshopping proposal components with their peers, and they will develop an accountability plan that gives them a manageable timeline for developing a strong proposal, with a goal of submitting at least one proposal in the next academic year.

Finally, participants will receive a grant writing book of their choice from a pre-selected list.

Target audience: This workshop will benefit faculty across departments and divisions, with content tailored to participants' fields as appropriate.

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

• Increased familiarity with federal and private funders supporting research and pedagogy in academic fields
• Increased familiarity with proposal components and review processes for common grants in their areas of research and pedagogy
• A clearly articulated statement of the significance of the participant's project
• An accountability plan, including potential participation in follow-on workshop activities, for submitting a competitive external funding proposal(s) in the next academic year 

Register for Assessing and Renewing the BIO 251 - BIO 252 Core Course Sequence in Biology

Leader: Josh Sandquist sandquis@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: three-day retreat, in-person

Description of workshop:

During the 2023-24 academic year, Biology participated in the CTLA DAP (Department Assessment Project) as a part of our decennial self-study. During the 2024-25 academic year, we underwent an external review. The main intended action the Biology Department proposed in our response to the external review report was to hold a curriculum retreat. The basic structure of our current curriculum was developed about 25 years ago, and at least half of our current faculty were not here when the curriculum was conceived and instituted. All Biology majors must take our introductory core sequence of Bio150, Bio251, and Bio252. Bio150 introduces students to the process of biological investigation, whereas the 200-level courses build out student understanding of fundamental biological concepts and paradigms. After this core sequence, students take 5 electives of their choosing, which are intended to deepen, expand, and add nuance to the concepts and skills students learned in the core sequence.

The self-study and external review prompted us to ask ourselves questions like: Are there changes we can make to the curriculum that will help with current and future enrollment trends? Are structural changes needed to ensure all students meet our recently revised learning objectives? As the 200-level core sequence was identified as a major pinch point in our curriculum, we propose to use this workshop to assess how this sequence is currently being taught and what revisions/updates are needed to keep our curriculum modern and effective. What follows is a draft plan for our 3-day workshop.

• Day 1 – Evaluating the objectives of the 251-252 sequence.

Biological knowledge keeps amassing. What are the fundamental concepts and paradigms students need to understand?

What are the core skills that should be developed in these courses?

Outcome: A list of concepts and competencies that should be covered across the sequence. What is needed to support our upper-level curriculum and to prepare students for an uncertain future in biology?

• Day 2 – Course development, mixed groups.

Put faculty into smaller groups with mixed representation of faculty who teach Bio251 and Bio252.

Review current syllabi for the courses to examine their alignment with the outcome of the day 1 discussion.

What does it mean for our 251-252 sequence to be a prerequisite for our upper-level electives? Do specific concepts need to be covered or aim for a level of sophistication in “biological thinking”?

Outcome: Begin developing a “sequence syllabus” that ensures the totality of desired concepts and competencies are covered and maximizes connections between the courses.

• Day 3 – Course development, separate groups.

Form faculty into two groups split by course they teach. Begin generating updated / new syllabi for the two courses and/or plan for future course development.

Follow up to day 2, bullet c. Consider how much we do/can rely on the 300-level electives to round out the foundation established with our 3-course core? Should we consider distribution requirements to support even exposure to biological concepts, certain skills, our departmental learning objectives?

Target audience: faculty; primarily the Grinnell Biology Department, but our curriculum interfaces strongly with those of the Biological Chemistry and Chemistry majors.

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

Identify essential learning objectives of the 200-level course sequence as a whole and revise syllabi (or make plans for future syllabi revision) accordingly. Day 3 includes some work to consider the changes proposed in days 1 one 2 relative to our upper-level curriculum.

The final outcome of the workshop might be the above items regarding the 200-level sequence and a renewed confidence in the general design of our curriculum. Alternatively, we may discover that we need a larger overhaul of the major. Maybe we will develop distribution requirements for our upper-level electives. Perhaps we will want to expand the core sequence to 4 courses.

Completing a larger curriculum revision would be too much to expect from a 3-day retreat. In that case, a reasonable outcome would be a general understanding of what changes we want in the curriculum and a plan for getting us there. 

Register for Physics Laboratory Curriculum Workshop

Co-leaders:

• Keisuke Hasegawa hasegawa@grinnell.edu
• Kristen Burson bursonkr@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: five-day, in-person

Brief description of workshop:

This five-day workshop will bring physics faculty together to review and refine our current lab curriculum, focusing on assessment. Participants will work together to develop shared laboratory learning goals, map the core laboratory skills to specific courses, and create grading rubrics and assessment tools. Selected lab handouts will be revised to create concrete examples of how the updated curriculum could be implemented.

Proposed schedule:

• Day 1: Review current literature and recommendations on lab curriculum.
• Day 2: Review the current lab curriculum in the department, including lab skills taught, activities used to teach and assess them.
• Day 3: Draft departmental lab learning goals and identify potential assessment strategies for each goal.
• Day 4: Compare the current curricular map with the new departmental learning goals, identify areas needing additional work, draft a new curricular map, and create assessment tools.
• Day 5: Revise selected lab handouts to align with new learning goals and curricular map and develop common assessment rubrics.

Proposed reading list:

• Instructional Laboratories and Experimental Skills
• W. F. Smith (editor), Experimental Physics: Principles and Practice for the Laboratory, Taylor & Francis (2020).
• J. Kozminski et al., “AAPT recommendations for the undergraduate physics laboratory curriculum,” American Association of Physics Teachers (2014): A report from a committee charged with developing guidance for laboratory curricula.
• P. Heron, L. McNeil, et al. (editors), “Phys21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st-Century Careers,” American Physical Society (2016).

Target audience: faculty in physics department

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

• Departmental lab learning goals. (Day 3)
• Laboratory curriculum map for aligning core laboratory skills with specific courses, identifying in which courses skills are introduced, practiced and advanced. (Day 4)
• Assessment tools for lab learning goals. (Day 4)
• Common assessment rubrics for lab notebooks, formal reports and presentations. (Day 5)
• Revised lab handouts for selected labs. (Day 5) 

Register for Academic Integrity in Our Classrooms: Approaches to Encourage the Behaviors We Want to See

Leader: Andi Tracy tracyand@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: three-day, in-person

Brief description of workshop:

In this workshop, faculty will learn about trends in student academic honesty cases, as observed both at Grinnell and in higher ed more broadly. We will discuss the principles of academic integrity, what constitutes a violation of these principles (and the relation of these principles to Grinnell's honesty policy), as well the conditions under which students are most likely to violate these policies. Using this information as a starting point, faculty will develop strategies for instilling the values of academic integrity in their students and preventing academic honesty violations. These strategies may include specific policies, assignment design, and classroom climate approaches and can be adapted for individual pedagogies, disciplinary conventions, and teaching styles. We will also discuss how to best handle suspected cases of academic honesty violations, including bias considerations and what constitutes appropriate evidence. While the use of generative artificial intelligence will be addressed in this workshop, that will not be the explicit focus.

Target audience: faculty from all departments

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

• Faculty will learn about trends in academic honesty violations at Grinnell and nationally, as well as discuss research and observations on the context and circumstances that lead students to violate academic honesty policies.
• Faculty will develop their own articulation of academic integrity principles and policies, including what they want their students to take away from their classes.
• Faculty will devise policies and practices specific to their own teaching aimed at instilling appropriate attitudes and values in their students and at preventing behaviors that violate academic integrity principles/policies.
• Faculty will better understand appropriate evidence and best practices for handling suspected cases of academic honesty violations. 

Register for Food for Thought: Critical Food Studies Across the Curriculum

Co-leaders:

• Steve Andrews andrewss@grinnell.edu
• Todd Armstrong armstrong@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: five-day, in-person (daily from 11-2 and includes a working lunch)

Co-sponsored by the Center for the Humanities, IGE's Global Kitchen, and the CTLA

Brief description of workshop:

This is a workshop in which faculty and staff will learn how to write about a favorite meal, a food object, or a culinary process from a critical food studies perspective. For purposes of this workshop, we will operate within a framework offered by the Critical Food Studies Caucus of the American Studies Association. They say, in part, that critical food studies "refer to scholarship that marks ways in which food is used to frame a variety of social issues, a critical mode to examine relations of power, membership and belonging, social cultures, and diasporas."

We see the goals of this workshop as aligning with the goals of the Critical Food Studies Caucus, which are to "promote the study of food in all its complexities and by means of collaborative and shared ethical practices both within and beyond the academy."

The "Food for Thought" workshop, using a title borrowed from the Center for the Humanities' upcoming two-year cycle of programming, is grounded in the assumption that we are all intertwined in a global food economy riddled with inequity and rife with privation. The workshop is designed to prompt the following question: if, as the old maxim would have it, we are what we eat, then who are we? Come join us and share your answers.

Target audience: faculty and staff

Since we are gearing up individuals to write academic papers on some aspect of food consumption, we think the research undertaken and methodologies adopted by workshop participants could contribute to course modules for most disciplines in which the faculty member is a member.

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

All workshop participants will turn in an outline for a ~20-page research paper. This outline will suffice as an indicator of the participants’ successful engagement with the workshop.

We will also encourage participants to continue to pursue their research and writing throughout the next couple of years, in tandem with the two-year cycle of programming that the Center for the Humanities will present under the heading of "Food for Thought." 

Register for Open Educational Practices and Your Courses

Co-Leaders:

• Kayla Reed reedkayla@grinnell.edu
• Gina Schlesselman-Tarango schlesselman@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: three-day, online

Brief description of workshop:

As faculty selecting course materials, we often find ourselves in the position of requiring  students to purchase or license content produced by corporate publishers. Open resources, however, offer a different approach and fall within the broader pedagogical movement of Open Education Practices (OEP). In this workshop, faculty will become familiar with OEP and develop a plan to incorporate open resources, scholarship, or pedagogy into the curriculum. From freely available, quality teaching materials to ideas for how to involve students in the co-creation of open knowledge, this workshop will provide participants with a set of new pedagogical tools that centers learners and encourages collaboration.

This workshop is rooted in a framework of open pedagogy, which is interactive, provides real-world motivation for learning, and offers students insight into the processes and practices of producing professional content.

Faculty will explore open educational resources (OER), teaching, learning, and research materials intentionally created and licensed to be free for users to own, share, and in most cases, modify. OER can have many benefits depending on the individual or pedagogical goals; for example, there is no cost to students using the OER, which encourages them to use the text immediately. Instructors can also modify OER and include or remove elements that are not connected to the pedagogy or course goals. In creating OER, creators retain the copyright of the work and can make modifications and re-publish whenever they wish.

Participants will also consider ethical adaptation and use of OER, see real-world examples, and learn about campus offices that can provide support.

Target audience: faculty from all departments

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

• Participants will leave with an understanding of the benefits of Open Educational Practices.
• Participants will develop a plan to incorporate Open Educational Practices into a course (e.g. use an open textbook, adapt an open slide deck, incorporate a discussion of open access, co-create a syllabus with students, etc.) 

Register for How AI is Changing and Complicating Our Teaching Environment

Co-leaders:

• Andi Tracy tracyand@grinnell.edu
• Gina Donovan donovang@grinnell.edu
• Peter-Michael Osera osera@grinnell.edu
• Shanshan Rodriguez rodrigue14@grinnell.edu
• Erik Simpson simpsone@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: three-day, in-person

Brief description of workshop:

In this three-day workshop, participants will learn about and explore the capabilities of generative AI models extending beyond the well-known “chatbot” functions. In higher education, AI tools are becoming integrated into applications from word processors and email clients to our library databases and learning management systems, often with limited availability to turn off or opt out of the tools. Outside of our institutional systems, students have increasing access to rapidly changing tools such as agentic browsers, which can complete online assignments with little explicit guidance and may interact with campus technology.

The current generation of AI tools has implications for many elements of our pedagogy and the learning environment, including academic honesty policies, assistive technology, and the process of gathering scholarly resources, as well as better-known concerns such as the automated production of academic prose. Participants in this workshop will learn about some of these new capabilities, experiment with the technologies, and work together to discuss how each of us can respond according to the needs of our classes, our disciplines, and our values as liberal arts educators.

Target audience: faculty from all departments

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

• Describe current capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence (AI) and available tools as they pertain to classroom technology
• Explore implications of AI technologies across disciplines and pedagogical approaches
• Reconceive course policies (e.g., grading, academic honesty, accessibility) in light of current and emerging AI capabilities 

Register for Restorative Practices: Circle Training Practices

Co-leaders:

• Kay Pranis, guest trainer (https://livingjusticepress.org/kay-pranis/)
• Cheryl Fleener-Seymour fleeners@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: three full days, in-person

Brief description of workshop:

Circle Training is a valuable practice that promotes open communication and community building, which we can apply at Grinnell College and in our personal lives. By utilizing the CIRCLE approach, for example, we can effectively address conflicts, process grief, enhance classroom management, and more. This method encourages respectful dialogue and understanding among participants, fostering a supportive environment.

Target audience: faculty and staff

Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS); Restorative Practices on campus

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

Circle Training is designed to help us create and manage safer spaces where everyone can share their experiences openly. By learning effective communication techniques, empathetic listening and strengthening our community bonds, we can create a space where all voices are valued. 

Register for Language Student as Career Catalyst: Curricular Foundations

Co-leaders:

• Nick Phillips phillipsn@grinnell.edu
• Dani Perkins perkins1@grinnell.edu  

Type of workshop: three-day, in-person

Brief description of workshop:

This three-day workshop will leverage Grinnell’s strong independent language programs as well as faculty working in cultural studies/area studies and/or language and culture areas with offices across campus such as the Center for Careers, Life, and Service. The goal of the workshop is to explore creating new, interlinked language classes and class modules that focus on building students’ skills in career-focused areas such as translation, interpretation, and intercultural competency. Our target population is Grinnell language faculty as well as faculty in other departments that teach subjects in areas other than English and staff partners that work in on-campus offices, especially Careers, Life, and Service, the Institute for Global Engagement, and Academic Success.

Through this collaboration we will spur curricular development in the languages that can enhance undergraduate students’ access to language study, especially among underrepresented groups in the Grinnell language classroom, such as pre-health students, students majoring in the sciences, and students who did not have access to a robust High School language program. We will also focus on how to embed clear communication of career skills and outcomes in language courses, class assignments, and in materials shared with students.

Target audience: faculty and staff

Language departments, any department/program working in language/culture/area studies/global studies, staff areas such as CLS, IGE, Academic Success

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

Enhance curricular development related to language study, cultural studies; improve coordination between departments/programs/areas on campus; foster new potential faculty-staff partnerships related to curricular development and career outcomes; explore external models in order to analyze our own programs and departments. 

Register for Global Scholarship for Public Audiences

Guest Workshop Leader: John Ghazvinan (https://www.johnghaz.com/)

Co-leader: Brigittine French frenchb@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: one full day, in-person (note: for stipends, will count as “two-day”)

Brief description of workshop:

Scholars are increasingly called upon to share their expertise with diverse publics across borders—from policymakers and NGOs to journalists and civic organizations around the world. A critical part of this global public engagement—often the place where it begins—is the publication of a book with a “trade press” (i.e., a commercial, non-university publisher with a powerful international marketing and publicity apparatus).

Not all academics seek to participate in these broader global conversations. However, for those who do want to bring their research into the international public sphere, there is often confusion about where to begin and a lack of institutional resources to help navigate the process. At times, there are even structural disincentives—tenure clocks, disciplinary skepticism or the pressure to produce narrowly defined scholarship—that make this transition feel risky.

This workshop is designed for faculty interested in amplifying the global relevance of their work—whether that means shaping policy debates, contributing to international public discourse or reaching broader audiences beyond the academy. Participants gain a clearer understanding of how to secure literary representation, land a commercial book deal, write in a more accessible register and translate specialized research into compelling narratives for global readerships.

Target audience: This is a global faculty development opportunity to support research and non-fiction writing. 

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

Faculty colleagues understanding and having access to writing for a public audiences more successfully. 

Register for Designing and Sequencing Writing and Research Assignments

Co-leaders:

• Tisha Turk turktisha@grinnell.edu
• Liz Rodrigues rodrigue8@grinnell.edu (or possibly other library faculty)

Type of workshop: three-day, in-person

Brief description of workshop:

This workshop aims to help new and early career faculty design and sequence effective writing and research assignments to promote student learning. Workshop participants will read about and discuss basic principles of assignment design, review models of effective writing assignments from a range of disciplines and draw on feedback from colleagues in the workshop to develop or revise at least one assignment for an upcoming course.

Participants will read a chapter or two from John Bean's Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom (3rd ed), available online through the libraries. Participants have the option of receiving a print copy.

Target audience: faculty (new and early career)

Any departments/concentrations with participating faculty; Tutorial program

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

Improved writing and research assignments; greater attention to writing and research processes, not just products; syllabi that keep student (and faculty!) workloads reasonable through grounding in principles of backwards design. 

Register for Assessing Chinese and Japanese Language Skills and Cultural Knowledge

Co-Leaders:

• Jin Feng fengjin@grinnell.edu
• Vanessa Preast preastva@grinnell.edu

Type of workshop: one full day (hybrid if needed) (note: for stipends, will count as “two-day”)

Brief description of workshop:

The participants will review assessment data collected by the department in Spring 2026 and work together to identify lessons learned and next steps for data-informed decision-making within the Chinese and Japanese Department. The participants would also identify any useful information about student performance on Department Learning Outcomes (DLO) and College-Wide Learning Outcomes (CWLO) and share this information with the Assessment Committee to benefit the whole institution.

Part 1: Review and identify relevant patterns the data collected from the Chinese and Japanese Film festival, class assignments, and other assessments from the 100-, 200-, 300-, and 400-level language and culture classes. Use this information for departmental decision-making and share useful information with college constituents.

Part 2: Plan for the next step in the department self-study, including developing an assessment plan for Fall 2026 and beyond. Consider the implications of the assessment outcomes on the department’s curricular design and on the College-Wide Learning Outcomes. Plan relevant departmental curricular changes.

Target audience: Chinese and Japanese Department faculty and invited guests

Expected outcomes of the workshop:

Part 1:

• Determine what the data tells us about student performance on DLO 1 (Communicate effectively in the target language in both oral and written forms) and on relevant CWLO.
• Evaluate the utility of the assessment instruments developed to assess the student films. Update the instrument as needed.
• Generate a written report for the Assessment Committee that provides evidence of student learning on department and institutional outcomes.
• Share assessment instruments and assignment prompts with colleagues across campus.

Part 2:

• Generate an assessment plan for Fall 2026, possibly examining other departmental and institutional outcomes
• Plan data-informed curricular updates
• Plan for sharing out results as they relate to CWLOs