HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE CITI TEAM!

As you head into the break, the CITI Team wishes you peace, joy, and rest this season. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, another holiday, or simply enjoy the time off, we hope it is meaningful and refreshing. We look forward to working with you in the New Year!

Please enjoy the holiday song below, along with the holiday images of our team, created using a combination of Adobe tools, including Express, Firefly, and Photoshop:

FOCUS ON AI

On Wednesday, December 3, CITI hosted a Lunch and Learn panel discussion on AI from a WSSU and UNC System perspective. Moderated by Dr. Jeremiah Shipp, the discussion explored vital topics including student use of AI, system-level perspectives on AI, and issues of responsibility and ethics, and featured the following panelists:

• Dr. Stevie Lawrence, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
• Dr. Heather McCollough, Director, Learning Technology and Open Education/ UNC System
• Lance Gill, WSSU Junior Information Technology Major
• Dr. Debzani Deb,  RJ Reynolds Endowed Professor of Computer Science
• Dr. Zagros Madjd-Sadjabi, Professor of Economics
• Dr. Jack Monell, Professor of Justice Studies

WSSU AI Faculty Development Workshop Series 2025-2026

This series has been created to engage faculty with topics in generative AI relevant to ethics and safety, curriculum integration, teaching practices using generative AI tools, and many other topics over the course of the acdemic year. The AI series is funded by the Adobe Foundation, and CITI is excited to have many national experts serve as guest facilitators for the sessions who will share innovative ways to explore and apply generative AI in teaching and learning.

The sessions are one time per month; days vary, but each is always from 12:00 pm-1:00 pm. These professional development sessions will be shown in your Outlook Calendars for your convenience, along with the other CITI Workshop opportunities this year.

Join us on this AI journey of innovation and transformation as a learning partner. If you have any questions, please reach out to CITI. Meanwhile, check out the videos below from our AI Faculty Development Workshop Series:

Code Meets Culture: Teaching Responsible AI in the Humanities (Dr. Sheneese Thompson, Associate Professor of English/Afro-American Studies, Howard University)

From Panic to Power: why GenAI Belongs in Every College Syllabus (Dr. Justin Hodgson, Strategic Director, GenAI Faculty Initiatives, IU)

Ethical AI; Responsible AI. What Does it Mean? (Dr. Darryl Scriven, Executive Director of the FAMU Cyber Policy Institute)

RESOURCES

Are you looking for innovative ways to use AI in your course? Check out how our sister institutions are leveraging AI in their pedagogy:

• Analog Inspiration Sheet
• AI Exemplars from UNC-Asheville

CITI BLOG

ARE RUBRICS IMPORTANT?

The CITI Blog is a collaborative space to explore innovative instructional techniques, course design, and instructional technology. This month, Darien Robinson, Lecturer in the Department of History, Politics, and Social Justice and CITI Faculty Fellow, offers a compelling answer to the question of his blog, "Are Rubrics Important?"

Read more about the importance of rubrics below:

Are Rubrics Important? Professor Darien Robinson

  Rubrics + Communication = Student Success What is a rubric?  In the world of academia, one can see how this may seem like a rhetorical question.  However, we must create a base understanding of what a rubric is to understand its importance.  According to the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning at Yale University, “A rubric describes the criteria that will be used to evaluate a specific task, such as a student writing assignment, poster, oral presentation, or other project. Rubrics allow instructors to communicate expectations to students, allow students to check in on their progress mid-assignment, and increase the reliability of scores.”  Having clear directions when completing assignments, both inside and outside of the classroom, will help stimulate students’ ideas and creativity.   Communication of Concepts According to the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University, a clear and well thought out rubric can steer students toward a deeper understanding of their progress and areas for improvement.  As faculty, it is essential that our rubrics effectively communicate the outcomes we want our students to achieve.  We must remember that what makes sense to us may not make sense to our students.  Sometimes, asking your students if the rubric makes sense and clarifying the details can go a long way.   Outcome = Student Success Having an effective rubric and clearly communicating the goals and outcomes of the assignment are two straightforward ways to ensure student success.  In the words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

DON'T FEAR...WE'RE HERE!

The Center for Innovative and Transformative Instruction (CITI) is an inclusive, supportive, and collaborative common area for faculty, staff and administrators to pursue innovation and transformation in higher education teaching and learning, including the scholarship of teaching & learning (SoTL).​ CITI will keep you updated on the latest innovative and transformative instructional methods and technologies.​ CITI Team personnel are all experienced college faculty with a strong background in teaching and learning, course design, instructional technology, and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). ​