2021 Teaching Festival: Schedule, registration and video submissions

The interdepartmental planning committee of the 2021 Webster University Teaching Festival invites you to participate in this year’s festival, Reflections on Teaching in a Pandemic. Festival activities are planned for the week of Feb. 8-12, 2021. 

The 2021 Teaching Festival occurs almost one year after faculty and students experienced extreme disruptions created by the global coronavirus pandemic. Our University community navigated new ways to teach, learn, and engage amidst this backdrop of uncertainty and unrest. The 2021 Teaching Festival, an all-remote event, aims to create the opportunity to reflect on the ways that teaching and learning has changed in the past year; to acknowledge hard work, sacrifice, and loss; and to begin to form a shared vision of what the future of teaching and learning looks like as a result of these historical times.  

The theme is reflected in the following tracks that emerged from the sessions submitted by Webster faculty, staff, and students: 

• Caring for ourselves and our community 
• Exploring new definitions of presence and mobility 
• Teaching the moment and learning from the challenges 
• Connecting and collaborating with peers 
• Working with students to find new paths to learning 

Registration

To register to attend the Teaching Festival, RSVP here: 

https://webster.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2m03kkKWldtkv30 

Teaching Festival Schedule

Monday: Caring for ourselves and our community 

Strategies for Supporting Mental Health and Wellness for Both Students and Faculty during the Pandemic 
Monday, Feb. 8, 10-11 a.m. CST 

• Jennifer Broeder, Professor, Dept. of Nursing
• Hasmik Chakaryan, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Professional Counseling
• Shannon Kispert, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences
• William Roberts, Instructor, Human Resources Development, Walker School of Business 

A panel discussion will explore ways to support the mental health of students and faculty during the pandemic. For supporting students, the notion of empathetic teaching while holding students to academic expectations will be discussed. As for faculty, the panel will share ways of facing, tackling, and surviving the intellectual and emotional demands of teaching during a pandemic. 

 

Reflections and Practice in Supporting Gender Expansive Communities 
Monday, Feb. 8, 12-1 p.m. CST 

• Melissa Anderson, Counseling Intern, Webster University Counseling & Life Development, MA Candidate in Professional Counseling '21, Lindenwood University
• Jimmy Lee, Social Work Intern, Webster University Counseling & Life Development, MSW Candidate '21, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis 

This workshop will explore a psychosocial historical model of gender and its evolution to better understand stigma and impacts on gender expansive communities. We will consider the limitations, assumptions, and impacts on an interpersonal level through self-reflection and exploration. Discussions around how these areas shape our beliefs and the consequences to individuals within Webster University will be centered.

For participants interested in attending, we will offer a brief presentation format with the majority of the time spent in discussion. This Level 2 workshop will build upon terminology and concepts included in many Level 1 foundational LGBTQIA+ workshops with the expectation that those terms are understood. We welcome and encourage the participation of staff along with faculty. 

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Tuesday: Exploring new definitions of presence and mobility 

Teaching Abroad from Home
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 9-10 a.m. CST 

This year, Covid-19 has challenged our notions about what teaching abroad means and introduced a chance to further explore how technology can connect faculty and students across our worldwide network. In this session a faculty panel will discuss their experiences teaching abroad remotely, the challenges and lessons learned, and discuss possibilities for the future as we broaden our definition of teaching abroad.

• Hannah Verity, Director of Global Program Development
• Theodore D. R. Green, Ph. D., Professor, Teacher Education Department, School of Education

• William Tippin, DM, CMC, Adjunct Faculty, Management Department, Walker School of Business & Technology

• Gwyneth I. Williams, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Department of History, Politics, International Relations and Religious Studies, College of Arts & Sciences 

 

Expanding Our Ideas of Instructor Presence – Interdisciplinary Lessons from the Pandemic and Beyond 
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. CST 

• Maggi Dueker, Visiting Assistant Professor, Dept. of Dance
• Lasanthi Gamage, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Math & Computer Science
• Kate Sprague, Training Specialist, Online Learning Center, and Instructor, Graduate Dept. of Education
• Bruce Umbaugh, Professor, Dept. of Philosophy 

The pandemic has taken many instructors from the classroom and into virtual spaces for the first time asking many to examine the role of instructor presence in the learning processes they create for students.  This interdisciplinary panel will explore the big ideas of instructor presence, including changes to power dynamics, immediacy of feedback, impacts on student motivation, maximizing contact time, and strategies for developing relationships and community in formats that require greater intentionality. 

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Wednesday: Teaching the moment and learning from the challenges 

Creating an Inclusive Online Environment: Best Practices to Share for Faculty and Students 
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 10-11 a.m. CST  

• Noemi Mena Montes, Head of the Media Communications Department, Leiden Campus 
• Jonathan Talbot, Senior Faculty in the GCP and Media Communications Department, Leiden Campus 
• Artyom Napolskiy, Media Department Assistant, Graduate student in Business Administration, Administrator Webstercanal 
• Nikki Jennings, Student Ambassador, Graduate student in Business Administration, Editor Webstercanal 
• Sophiya Gautam, IR, Media Communications major, Web administrator-consultant Westercanal  

Faculty at the Leiden campus are exploring initiatives that promote interaction among students and activities that create an inclusive environment in an online, multicultural classroom. One of our biggest successes has been with students in media communications classes who are using an online website-platform to practice their skills, show their work, and build community in this time of COVID-19 crisis. We want to introduce you to Webster Canal www.webstercanal.nl.  

 

“Teaching” COVID-19: Considerations When Implementing Current Events into the Classroom 
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. CST 

• Mary Ann Drake, Professor, Dept. of Nursing
• Andrew Elvington, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences
• Julie Smith, Instructor, Dept. of Communications & Journalism
• Jody Spiess, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Nursing 

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many instructors have tried to integrate aspects of the pandemic in ways that are authentic and engaging whilst balancing compassion and sensitivity for the participants’ experiences. Many disciplines are amenable to using current events as teaching moments, be that as a part of teaching materials, assignments, discussions, or experiential learning, to keep course content contemporaneous and engaging. This panel will explore considerations instructors have had when implementing current events into a course. Specifically, the panel will discuss how instructors are integrating COVID-19 as a teaching tool in the classroom, using COVID-19 to create new teaching opportunities, and staying sensitive to the stress and trauma students may have as a result of the pandemic. 

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Thursday: Connecting and collaborating with peers 

Teaching and Caregiving During the Pandemic: A Faculty Panel Discussion 
Thursday, Feb. 11, 9-10 a.m. CST 

• Sue McFarlan, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Nursing
• Kate Parsons, Professor, Dept. of Philosophy and Director of Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies 

Many full-time faculty are adjusting to the new reality of teaching during the pandemic, dealing with children learning at home, elderly parents, and other family members in need during this time. The added stress of caregiving while trying to support students is often overlooked. This panel will consider problems such as compassion fatigue and will focus on how to strategize, build resilience, and engage in self-care in order to help faculty cope during this challenging time. 

 

Junior Faculty Community Discussion 
Thursday, Feb. 11, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CST 

• Morgan Grotewiel, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Psychology 

This is an informal, drop-in discussion for junior faculty members. There is no specific agenda. We can introduce ourselves to each other (due to the pandemic and working from home, many first- and second-year faculty in particular haven’t met many colleagues in person); discuss challenges we’re facing in teaching, research, and service; discuss tenure and promotion; etc. All junior faculty members are welcome. 

 

Digital Strategies Sharing Community Discussion  
Thursday, Feb. 11, 2:00-3:00 p.m. CST 

• Kate Sprague, Training Specialist, Online Learning Center, and Instructor, Graduate Dept. of Education 

This will be a very informal discussion with faculty about engagement with students via technology and a variety of digital strategies. We started with a baseline of Canvas and Webex/Zoom and moved into including Kaltura and Ally. But what else are you using? Come share your ideas about what you incorporated and what worked for you and your students. Facilitator Kate Sprague will have a few ideas of her own to share. 

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Friday: Working with students to find new paths to learning 

Global Student Panel: Learning in the Virtual Classroom - What Works Best? 
Friday, Feb. 12, 9-10 a.m. CST 

• Julianna Bark, Head of Global Citizenship Program, Assistant Professor in Art History, Webster University Geneva
• Sina Amman, Webster student, Leiden
• Andrew Buchholz, Webster student, Webster Groves
• Cassidy Canady, Webster student, Webster Groves
• Dea Dika, Webster student, Geneva
• Amelie Eichenholz, Webster student, Geneva
• Arianna Risola, Webster student, Leiden 

In this session, undergraduate students from multiple campuses will share their experiences with the move to virtual learning and provide their reflections on what worked.  The moderated discussion will explore pedagogical approaches they experienced across multiple formats, their impression of the role of faculty in the classroom and beyond, and the similarities and differences with the traditional classroom experience.  Attendees will leave with a better understanding of the experiences had by a variety of Webster students. 

 

What Webster Students Think about Learning During the Pandemic: Student Survey Results 
Friday, Feb. 12, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. CST 

• Liza Dister, Assistant Director, Faculty Development Center
• Morgan Grotewiel, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Psychology 

What did our students have to say about their pandemic learning experience last year? This presentation reflects on the results of two surveys of Webster students, one conducted in Spring 2020 (284 student responses) and one in Fall 2020 (568 student responses).

While these surveys asked broad questions about student experience and satisfaction, our presentation will suggest small changes we can make as teachers and department chairs to respond to some of our students’ most pressing concerns, revealed in open-ended comments in the surveys. These concerns include the intellectual and emotional challenges of learning during a pandemic, the struggles of learning in remote formats, disconnects between student and faculty expectations, desires for stronger communication and deeper connection. Course format preferences and other logistical choices within departments’ control will also be explored. 

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Video Submissions

Festival organizers welcome student and faculty video contributions to an online gallery of reflections on teaching and/or learning during a pandemic.

Submission details

• Videos should be short and focused, 1-2 minutes in length.
• Videos should include thoughts related to one of the questions below.
• Videos should be recorded and uploaded by Feb. 1

Response Questions

How to Submit

Please record your video and upload it to this folder in Office 365.

NOTE: Your video once uploaded will be available here to anyone with a current Webster ID. The gallery once completed will accessible publicly on a page dedicated to the Teaching Festival.

Questions? Need assistance?

For questions or support, please email askfdc@webster.edu with a subject line of “Festival Gallery Help.”