Winter Quarter 2014 News & Reminders

Now that Chicago is recovering from the deep freeze and the quarter is underway, SNL Writing would like to pass on a few notes and reminders for Winter Quarter. 

UCWbL Relocating

The Lincoln Park UCWbL office is now located in the Schmitt Academic Center (SAC) at 2320 N. Kenmore, next to the Richardson Library. The online appointment scheduler will be available beginning January 10, and the center will open on January 13. The Loop office is still in 1600 Lewis (25 E. Jackson). Instructors can request an in-class "orientation" for their students by clicking here. 

Digication

Beginning this quarter all WTC and WW students are asked to create their course portfolios using Digication. Click here to view the UCWbL's comprehensive how-to guide for both instructors and students. Instructors can request additional support and resources from the Teaching Commons, FITS, and the UCWbL. 

SNL Writing Instructor Handbook

The Handbook for SNL Writing Instructors Digication site includes sample syllabi, rubrics, activities, and other instructional resources for instructors of both WW and WTC. 

Digication Training & Resources for Faculty

Just in time for kicking off Autumn Quarter, FITS announced several upcoming Digication training workshops for instructors:

LPC: Friday, August 30 at 10:00 am in SAC 240

Loop: Wednesday, September 4 at 2:00 pm in Lewis 1006

LPC: Thursday, September 5 at 2:00 pm in SAC 240

Loop: Monday, September 9 at 10:00 am in Lewis 1006 

Click here to register for any of these sessions. 

And as you begin to introduce Digication in your courses, remember that several departments have developed excellent resources for both you and your students: 

• Click here to visit SNL's own Digication resource site.  
• The Writing Center's site provides a step-by-step guide for creating portfolios, adding text and multimedia, and designing portfolios.
• You can also request in-class workshops facilitated by a team of tutors from the Writing Center. 

News From the Teaching Commons & An Introduction

Reading and Assessing Digital Portfolios: Background and Strategies

Assessing individual assignments during a course is common protocol in most college classrooms, but what about holistic assessment of students’ learning at the end of a course? What happens when we move from analytic assessment of individual pieces of student work to holistic assessment of a body of work presented to us in reflective and digital forms? How do we know what our students have actually learned and what was significant for them in our courses? In this workshop, we will provide an overview of grading and assessment theory and practice and help faculty consider new ways of assessing learning from a holistic perspective with portfolios. Presented by Katie Wozniak (SNL) and Michael Moore (WRD).

May 30, 12-2pm - Loop - DePaul Center 8011 
May 31, 12-2pm - LPC - Richardson Library 400

Mobile Learning: What is it? How can it help my students?
Learn how web-enabled mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are being leveraged to increase students' participation and engagement in their classes. That's right, there's more to these technologies than Angry Birds and Facebook.

Join a Faculty Writing Group
Are you interested in participating in WRITE, DePaul's new faculty Writing Group? Since this will be a high-tech, inter-campus, inter-disciplinary effort, read the specifics and guidelines for the group in advance so you can be ready when the time comes.

Register Now for the 18th Annual DePaul Faculty Teaching & Learning Conference
Friday, May 3, 9am-5pm
DePaul Center, 8th floor

And a Brief Introduction
Dear SNL Writing Faculty, 
My name is Claire Rooney, and I started earlier this week as the new program assistant for SNL Writing and International Study. (In short: the new Kaitlin.) I'm coming over to SNL from the Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse department, where I taught WRD 104. I'm also a DePaul alum: I finished my MA in Writing & Publishing last June. During my MA program, I had the pleasure of working at the UCWbL as the assistant coordinator for the Writing Groups team, the role in which I was first introduced to SNL and its Writing program. I'm very excited and fortunate to be here, and I look forward to meeting everyone soon!