CITI BEAT October 2025

WE CAUGHT YOU!!

IT'S BACK! CAUGHT IN THE ACT TEACHING (CITA)

"Caught in the Act Teaching" recognizes WSSU faculty who are "caught" by CITI team members teaching in new, fun, innovative, and transformative ways. CITI then acknowledges these faculty in three ways:

• In our CITI Beat newsletter, as seen here
• At the end of the year, at our Adobe Bash Faculty Festival
• With a small gift

This month, CITI is proud to recognize two colleagues who went above and beyond their classroom instruction, Dr. Andrea Patterson-Masuka and Dr. Uchenna IIoghalu:

Students in Dr. Patterson-Masuka's Communicating for Social Justice class were caught in the act engaging in a service learning project.

On September 15th, students participated in the Piedmont Environmental Alliance Green Job Fair. The goal of the fair was to introduce job seekers to career opportunities in the green job economy. One of Dr. Patterson-Masuka's former students—an alum of this very class—now works for an environmental organization, and his group hosted a booth at the fair. He agreed to mentor the students, which created a bridge between past and present learners. Ahead of time, the students developed talking points and a script. They weren’t going in blind—they had tools to guide them, but also room to make the role their own. The alumni mentor came to class and assisted students in creating these communication tools.

On the day of the event, students worked from 11 to 2. They helped set up for the fair, welcomed attendees, shared information about the green job economy, and represented an organization in a professional setting.

These tasks required real communication skills: listening carefully, responding to questions, adjusting their tone for different audiences, and advocating for opportunities in a clear and respectful way.

On October 6, Dr. lloghalu shared a LinkedIn post of her student, Keira Stacker, using natural products to fight antibiotic resistance in the biological science faculty core research lab on campus. This public acknowledge of accomplishments boosts student self-efficacy, confidence and motivation.

CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING "CAUGHT," DRS. PATTERSON-MASUKA AND IIOGHALU!

FOCUS ON AI

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 are always at 12:00pm-1:00pm. 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 series:

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

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENING......

IN YOUR CITI

ACUE QUICK STUDY COURSES

We are excited to announce that our partnership with ACUE includes access to the ACUE Commons. The ACUE Commons includes a catalog of Quick Study courses to help you gain confidence with cutting-edge topics, such as the following:

• Writing Effective AI prompts
• Establishing a Culture of Constructive Conversations
• Developing Students' Media Literacy
• Connecting with Alumni and Peers
• The Wellness Lens: Supporting Students' Mental Well-Being

Additionally, all new faculty members have access to the Effective Teaching 101 course. This self-paced course helps new and veteran faculty set a positive tone, build immediate rapport with their students, clarify course expectations, engage students, and use classroom assessment techniques to monitor student learning. Suitable for in-person, hybrid, or online teaching, this course ensures faculty gain practical skills and inspires them to immediately apply evidence-based teaching practices that enhance their teaching and positively impact student success.

In recognition of your engagement, a short celebratory video (0:31 sec) is accessible at ACUE October 2025.

NEW FACULTY SYMPOSIUM

The New Faculty Symposium is designed to welcome, orient, and support new faculty as they begin their journey with the WSSU Ramily. The symposium will take place monthly on the 3rd Thursday, and will offer essential insights into our institutional culture, instructional resources, and strategies for professional success in teaching, research, and service.

For more information, access the New Faculty Symposium Webpage below:

THE POWER OF HBCU FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

The CITI Blog is a collaborative space to explore innovative instructional techniques, course design, and instructional technology. This month, Dr. Wanda White-Walker, Director of the Center for Innovative and Transformative Instruction, discusses the importance of faculty development at HBCUs in blog, "When Faculty Thrive: Students Rise: "The Power of Faculty Development at HBCUs."

Read more about the power of faculty development at HBCUs below:

When Faculty Thrive, Students Rise: The Power of Faculty Development at Our HBCUs

Dr. Wanda White-Walker- Director of the Center for Innovative and Transformative Instruction (CITI)

Faculty Development in higher education is essential for sustaining best practices, teaching innovation, understanding pedagogical approaches, and learning recent technology integrations that support student learning. In fact, faculty development at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) not only provides instructors with tools for teaching, but also enhances ways to have inclusive pedagogy, which we know is a key factor in graduation rates for student populations at HBCUs. Students in this educational era thrive when teaching practices affirm their identity, culture, and lived experiences. They want practical solutions for a complex world, so making sure that our instructional approaches address their style of learning is important. It is also important to know that faculty development is not just about the instructors, but it is also about students.

Many students who enroll at an HBCU are first generation college students. Certain groups could need additional academic support to be successful in their studies. Navigating the collegiate classroom can be a challenge, so having faculty who are aware of these needs is important. When faculty engage in professional development activities focused on high impact practices, the result is instruction that creates real world scenarios with engagement and experience. There are so many ways to engage students with high impact practices such as creating active learning lessons, including collaborative assignments, reflection assignments, and critical thinking activities used with case studies and role play scenarios. Creating learning modules that include capstone projects allows learners to explore authentic topics as they learn about a subject. Some of the best learning experiences happen outside of the classroom, so opportunities to incorporate service learning, study abroad, or internships can make a dramatic difference in the performance for students.

Professors who feel supported through development opportunities that incentivize and recognize them often pass this energy and enthusiasm on to the students. When students are motivated to attend class, it increases their sense of belonging and academic confidence. One of the best ways to reduce achievement gaps and improve performance for students is to design curricula that reflects diverse perspectives. Some of the celebrated reasons graduates cite for attending an HBCU are the high touch, nurturing spaces that impart cultural pride and push students toward academic excellence. Opportunities for faculty development can support the experience students seek as they prepare for their careers.

Faculty development experiences give professors the tools and confidence to share course content in teaching styles that students can understand. It is no doubt that faculty are the experts of their research and content areas of study. The key to great teaching is sharing information for understanding. When students understand lessons from their courses, assessments become less challenging. Learners walk away with not just grades but with knowledge and skills that last a lifetime.

Professional development that increases growth can translate into teaching with impact and positive outcomes for both the professor and the student. When colleges and universities invest in faculty development, they are also investing in students’ growth. Faculty resources for teaching and learning are essential for sustaining the HBCU mission and strategic goals of an institution. Investing in our faculty is an investment in student success and institutional legacy. It is proven: When faculty thrive, our students rise.

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). ​