Faculty Development Programs

The Winter Institute reflects Cal State Monterey Bay’s commitment to year-round professional development and continuous improvement in teaching and learning. Hosted by TLA, the Institute provides dedicated time and space for faculty to reflect, collaborate and innovate in their courses.

Programming focuses on:

• Advancing inclusive and innovative pedagogy

• Sharing cross-campus perspectives and best practices

• Preparing for upcoming courses

• Supporting progress toward accessibility and compliance goals

Participants are asked to complete a reflection form outlining how they plan to apply their learning in their courses.

Registration and schedule details are shared in advance of each Winter Institute.

The Summer Institute provides a dedicated time for faculty to reflect, recalibrate and strengthen their teaching practices in response to evolving student needs.

As students navigate changing academic, technological and social landscapes, faculty play a critical role in creating learning environments that are engaging, inclusive and supportive. The Summer Institute offers practical, research-informed strategies that promote student success and instructional innovation.

Why Summer Institute?

Summer Institute creates space for intentional reflection and collaboration.

Participants explore approaches that:

• Advance inclusive and equitable teaching

• Strengthen alignment with Undergraduate Learning Outcomes

• Support student engagement and persistence

• Foster faculty collaboration and leadership

Details about upcoming Summer Institute programming are shared in advance of each session.

Teaching Cooperatives are faculty-led learning communities designed to support innovation in pedagogy, scholarship and professional practice.

These collaborative spaces allow faculty to:

• Explore emerging issues in teaching and learning
• Engage in sustained, multi-semester dialogue and application
• Share research and instructional strategies
• Build faculty leadership and cross-campus partnerships

Spring 2026 offerings include Communities of Practice, Discussion Groups and Undergraduate Learning Outcome (ULO) Scholar meetings. Dates and times will be updated as details are finalized.

Communities of Practice

Reading Apprenticeship: Deepening Our Practice

Facilitator: Rebecca Kersnar
Dates: Feb. 26; March 12 and 26; April 9 and 23; May 7
Time: 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Location: Zoom

A second meeting option will be announced.

Culturally Responsive Teaching (Hybrid)

Facilitators: Yhashika Lee, George Station, Salina Lopez and Ibrahim Shelton
Schedule: To be announced
Location: To be announced

Lecturers only.

Developing AI-Enhanced Instruction and Course Activities

Facilitator: Chris Beem
Dates: Feb. 19; March 5 and 19; April 9 and 23
Time: 2-3 p.m.
Location: Zoom

Discussion Groups

Junior Tenure-Track Faculty Support and Networking

Facilitators: Kelsey Nordstrom, Jimmy Guilinger, Sam Ogden, Jill Talley and Renee Penalver
Schedule: One-hour monthly meetings (scheduled via participant poll)
Location: Zoom

Tenure-track faculty only.

Building Community Through Dialogue

Facilitators: Vivian Waldrup-Patterson and Rebecca Kersnar
Schedule: To be announced
Location: Zoom

Critical Digital Pedagogy Learning Series

Facilitator: George Station and guest speakers
Schedule: To be announced
Location: Zoom

Faculty, staff and administrators welcome.

Writers’ and Artists’ Salon

Facilitator: Shannon Snapp
Schedule: Wednesdays, 10-11 a.m., beginning Feb. 4
Location: Zoom

Pedagogy, Scholarship and Career Development Workshop

Facilitators: Rixing Lou, Cate Liu and Alexis Lee
Schedule: To be announced
Location: Zoom

Faculty and Staff Spanish Conversation Group

Facilitator: Rebecca Pozzi
Dates: Feb. 25; March 25; April 22
Time: 12-1 p.m.
Location: Zoom

ULO Scholar Groups

ULO Scholar groups support faculty collaboration around undergraduate learning outcomes. These groups provide space to:

• Align assignments with ULOs
• Share assessment strategies
• Strengthen curriculum design
• Advance integrative and high-impact practices

Additional topic descriptions will be posted as available.

Faculty interested in joining a ULO Scholar group should contact Vivian Waldrup-Patterson, TLA Director, vwaldrup-patterson@csumb.edu.

Meeting schedules and locations are coordinated by each ULO facilitator.

ULO1 — Oral Communication (GE A1)

Facilitator: Lee Ritscher
Email: leritscher@csumb.edu

ULO1 — Written Communication (GE A2)

Facilitator: Kelly Medina-Lopez
Email: kmedina-lopez@csumb.edu

ULO1 — Critical Thinking (GE A3)

Facilitator: Patrick Belanger
Email: pbelanger@csumb.edu

ULO1 — Information Literacy

Facilitator: Sarah Dahlen
Email: sdahlen@csumb.edu

ULO1 — Quantitative Reasoning

Facilitator: Peri Shereen
Email: pshereen@csumb.edu

ULO2 — Personal, Professional and Social Responsibility

Facilitator: Hojin Song
Email: hosong@csumb.edu

ULO3 — Integrative Knowledge

Facilitator: Amanda Pullum
Email: apullum@csumb.edu

Assessment is only as meaningful as the conversations it generates.

The ULO Scholars Program invites faculty to engage deeply in collaborative assessment work that advances student achievement of Cal State Monterey Bay’s Undergraduate Learning Outcomes (ULOs).

Call for ULO Scholars

From the Academic Senate Assessment Committee

All faculty — part-time and full-time lecturers and tenure-line — are invited to apply to serve as ULO Scholars. Participants contribute to funded projects designed to strengthen assignment design, pedagogy and professional development in alignment with CSUMB’s ULOs.

Faculty may apply to one or more projects and may participate in one or both components described below.

Program Structure

Each ULO project includes two integrated components:

1. Teaching Cooperative

A collaborative faculty group that meets for 1–2 hours approximately six times during the semester.

2. Work Group

A focused working session in which faculty examine student work to inform:

• Assignment design
• Instructional practices
• Assessment strategies
• Professional development priorities

Work groups meet for 2-3 consecutive days during summer, fall, winter or spring.

Meeting dates and times are determined by project facilitators in consultation with participating faculty.

Background and Resources

Faculty participants are encouraged to review:

• CSUMB Undergraduate and Graduate Learning Outcomes
• Holistic Alignment framework
• ULO assignment guides, rubrics and threshold concepts
• Guidance on using assessment results
• CSUMB assessment philosophy and practice

Each project cohort includes up to six faculty members.

Why Participate?

The ULO Scholars Program supports:

• Faculty leadership in assessment
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration
• Improved assignment design and transparency
• Meaningful use of assessment results
• Stronger alignment between ULOs and MLOs
• Enhanced student achievement and equity

Interested in Becoming a ULO Scholar?

Application information and deadlines will be posted when available.

For questions, contact the Academic Senate Assessment Committee or TLA for additional details.

Current ULO Projects

ULO1 — Oral Communication (GE Area A1 Focus)

Facilitator: Lee Ritscher

This cooperative explores oral communication assessment practices, including identifying and addressing bias in evaluation.

ULO1 — Written Communication (GE Area A2 Focus)

Facilitator: Kelly Medina-Lopez

Project details to be announced.

ULO1 — Critical Thinking (GE Area A3 Focus)

Facilitator: Patrick Belanger

This group examines the intersection of critical thinking and artificial intelligence, including current classroom practices and student guidance. Upcoming work includes developing a digital platform to house teaching materials related to critical thinking, building on Spring 2025 efforts.

ULO1 — Information Literacy

Facilitator: Sarah Dahlen

This project focuses on revising assessment materials in response to updates to the Information Literacy rubric and developing assessment questions for summer 2026.

ULO1 — Quantitative Reasoning

Facilitator: Peri Shereen

Project details to be announced.

ULO2 — Personal, Professional and Social Responsibility

Facilitator: Hojin Song

This cooperative continues development of ULO2 training modules to strengthen student growth in ethical reasoning, civic engagement and professional responsibility.

ULO3 — Integrative Knowledge

Facilitator: Amanda Pullum

Participants are refining assignment wrappers to enhance General Education assessment and support students in making meaningful connections across disciplines.

ULO4 — Specialized Knowledge (Capstone Focus)

Collective Facilitation

This cooperative builds on the 2017 CSUMB Capstone Self-Study and explores strategies to strengthen the university’s capstone requirement. The group focuses on how ULOs can enhance student achievement of Major Learning Outcomes (MLOs) and deepen integrative learning at the culmination of the undergraduate experience.

About the Reading Apprenticeship Framework

Reading Apprenticeship is grounded in a four-dimensional framework that views the classroom as an interaction of:

• Social — building a community of learners

• Personal — developing student confidence and identity as readers

• Cognitive — making thinking processes visible

• Knowledge-Building — engaging deeply with disciplinary content

Rather than treating reading as a general skill, Reading Apprenticeship helps students apprentice into the specific problem-solving strategies of each discipline. Faculty model how experts approach challenging texts — including moments of confusion and recovery. This transparency empowers students to persist, reflect and grow.

Reading Apprenticeship has been widely implemented in community colleges and universities and aligns with Cal State Monterey Bay’s commitment to inclusive excellence and student-centered learning.

Reading Apprenticeship and Teaching for Transfer

Reading Apprenticeship supports students in transferring strategies across courses and contexts. By explicitly teaching how experts read, analyze and question texts, faculty help students develop habits of mind that extend beyond a single assignment or class.

Faculty Learning Opportunities

Reading Apprenticeship Online Course

Faculty may express interest in participating in a six-week, asynchronous Reading Apprenticeship course designed to support implementation in higher education classrooms. Participation is limited to CSUMB faculty and supported as funding allows.

The course provides:

• A structured introduction to the RA framework

• Practical classroom routines and strategies

• Opportunities to reflect on disciplinary reading practices

• Tools for strengthening student engagement with complex texts

Reading Apprenticeship Communities of Practice

Faculty trained in Reading Apprenticeship facilitate semester-based Communities of Practice that meet several times throughout the term. These sessions provide collegial support, shared problem-solving and space to refine implementation strategies.

Communities of Practice are open to faculty teaching at any level and in any discipline. Participants are expected to apply Reading Apprenticeship routines and strategies in their courses and to have prior exposure to the framework.

Social Justice Dialogues is a collaborative initiative between the Center for Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TLA) and the Office of Community and Belonging (OC3). Together with faculty partners, we create spaces where students, staff and faculty engage as equals in meaningful conversations about community, diversity, equity and inclusion at Cal State Monterey Bay.

These dialogues are grounded in mutual respect and shared learning. Participants are invited to listen deeply, reflect critically and contribute thoughtfully to conversations that shape our campus climate and collective future.

Leave Your Title at the Door

Social Justice Dialogues are designed to flatten hierarchy and foster authentic connection. Whether you are a student, staff member or faculty colleague, your voice matters.

Join us to explore timely and relevant topics impacting our campus and broader communities.

All Social Justice Dialogues are offered in both virtual and in-person formats to support broad participation.

Cal State Monterey Bay maintains an institutional membership with the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD), an independent professional development and mentoring community that supports faculty, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students throughout their academic careers.

NCFDD provides evidence-based strategies for professional growth, with particular attention to the experiences of underrepresented faculty and those navigating complex teaching, research and service demands.

Why NCFDD?

Through CSUMB’s institutional membership, faculty have access to:

• Online professional development workshops and multi-week training programs
• Intensive mentorship programs
• A confidential, moderated community for peer support
• Downloadable and self-paced learning resources
• Tools grounded in research and proven success strategies

This membership strengthens faculty effectiveness, well-being and long-term career development — all in service of student success.

Who Can Participate?

Many NCFDD resources are highly relevant for lecturers, in addition to tenure-line faculty. While some programs focus specifically on tenure-track progression, most offerings support professional growth at all career stages.

Activate Your Membership

To register and activate your free institutional membership, visit members.ncfdd.org/join, select Cal State Monterey Bay, and complete the registration process using your @csumb.edu email address.