The Pittsburgh Regional Council on Higher Education [PCHE] has announced an open call for proposals focusing on teaching and learning or educational development for the third annual Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Symposium on Friday, March 27, 2020. Planners are now accepting proposals across four session types from faculty, graduate students, librarians, instructional designers, and others involved in higher education teaching and learning or educational development. Deadline to submit is Friday, Nov. 1.

Faculty may apply for the opportunity to become an Early Adopter and teach a course in Canvas during the spring term at Pitt. If you are interested in teaching a course using Canvas, you can apply on our website. Applications will close on Oct. 25 and those accepted will be notified by Nov. 1. Please note that opportunities are limited and spots will fill quickly.

Join the Mentoring Academy for its second session of the academic year on October 18: Aligning Expectations and Assessing Understanding. In this workshop, attendees will have an opportunity to discuss best practices for these mentoring competencies, with trained faculty facilitating the conversation. Register online to attend.

Gradescope, a popular grading software, is now available for all Pitt faculty and students at no cost. The software makes administering paper-based assessments much easier for instructors, while simultaneously providing students with quicker and more meaningful feedback on their work. Learn more about Gradescope and upcoming webinars on this software in our latest article.

The Office of the Provost and the Teaching Center are now accepting proposals from Pitt faculty for funding to assist in the redesign of large courses through the Course Incubator project. Funding will be provided to support initial planning and proposal development, as well as development and implementation activities. Pre-proposals are due on Nov. 4, 2019. The goal of the Course Incubator project is to radically redesign large enrollment classes to increase the success of our students. Three grants were awarded in 2018 for strategic changes to large enrollment courses for Chemistry, Biology, and Economics. For more information, visit the Course Incubator page.

The Provost’s Award for Diversity in the Curriculum recognizes faculty who have taught a modified course or revised curricula to strengthen diversity and inclusion, resulting in changes of impact. Any full-time or part-time Pitt faculty member who has participated in diversity initiatives at the University may apply for this award. Please encourage faculty who have embraced inclusive teaching practices to submit an application. The guidelines for the award and the application form are available on the Provost's Award for Diversity in the Curriculum web page, and the deadline for applications is October 18, 2019.