CEL Events

The CEL offers events on teaching and learning-focused topics in a variety of formats, each session providing the opportunity to share experiences and knowledge with colleagues. 

If you are interested in facilitating a workshop or have suggestions for future topics, please contact us!

upcoming schedule of events

League of Learning

Engage, connect, learn, and earn points with our League of Learning leaderboard!

Check the leaderboard standings via our CEL online journal.

Here’s how it works:

Earn points for each CEL event you attend
The more you participate, the more points you accumulate
At the end of the program, the top three faculty members with the highest points will win fun prizes!

🏆 Prizes: To be announced at a later date!
🥇 First Place –TBA
🥈 Second Place –TBA
🥉 Third Place –TBA

Points System:

• Workshops – 3 points each (up to 9 points total)
• Hour of Power – 2 points each (up to 12 points total)
• Lunch Bunch – 2 points each (up to 8 points total)
• Join the Book Group (and attend one meeting) – 5 points total
• Join a Community of Practice (and attend one meeting) – 5 points total
• *Author a CEL Journal Post – 3 points each

*Those who author journal posts as part of the 2025 UDL Course Redevelopment are not eligible to receive points

Workshops !

These collaborative events are designed for you to gather with your colleagues, learn together, and leave with a specific outcome to meet your teaching/professional needs. Unless otherwise noted, all workshops are held at the 11 am meeting hour in the CEL HQ (RL6).

Thursday, February 6: Begin at the End: How to make finals week meaningful
Priya Parker, in The Art of Gathering, implores us to 'close with a closing.'  What does that look like for our courses, and how can we make finals week a meaningful closing and transition for our students?

Thursday, February 27: Stuck in the Middle
As we approach mid-terms, what are 10 things we can do in the "middle" of our class periods and semesters to help students learn and stay motivated?

Tuesday, April 15: Playing the Funding Game.
KU has many funding opportunities, from mini-assessment grants to KU Bears grants.  By starting small, you can support your scholarship and teaching.  We'll explore the different types of grants available at KU, discuss effective grant applications, share resources, and develop an action plan.  

Lunch bunch!

Once a month, join the CEL for a brown bag lunch. Bring an interesting new idea, a sticky problem, or just lunch! We’ll chat and share ideas with our colleagues…and yes, there will be cookies! The Lunch Bunch will meet Fridays from 12 – 1 pm in the CEL on the following days:

• January 31
• February 28
• March 28
• April 25

HOUr of power!

Join us for the Hour of Power, a one-hour writing retreat in the CEL! We'll hold your phone, close the door, and track time so you can focus on your work in a distraction-free environment. Sign up for your slots by filling out this form.

• Wednesday February 12, 2-3 pm
• Monday February 17, 9-10 am
• Tuesday March 4, 9-10 am
• Monday March 24, 10-11 am
• Wednesday April 9, 1-2 pm
• Tuesday April 15, 2-3 pm

Grading for growth Book Club

Papers. Presentations. Exams. Projects. Grading, grading, grading. Perhaps there are students that you wish had made more progress. Perhaps you think it’s time for a different approach for you and your students. If that is the case, consider joining the Grading for Growth book group in the Spring Semester!

During the Fall, we read through the first 7 chapters (about 100 pages in total). In the Spring, we will finish looking at examples of alternative grading systems and move on to implementation — “Making Alternative Grading Work for You.” 

If you would like to join us, we will meet every other Friday at 12 pm, starting on January 31 in RL 7 (unless otherwise noted).
The rest of the semester schedule is as follows:

• February 14 (RL 6)
• February 28 (RL 7)
• March 14 (RL 6)
• March 28 (RL 7)
• April 11 (RL 6)
• April 25 (RL 7)
• May 9 (RL 6)

In the meantime, you can catch up on chapters 1 - 7 (links to the eBook).

Comp Conversations!

Thursdays from 11 - 11:50 am in the CEL. You can also join us on Zoom! 

February 13: The Academic Honesty Process at Kutztown University 
Let’s face it: academic honesty incidents can be stressful for both professors and students. This workshop is designed to take some of the anxiety and mystery out of the academic honesty process at KU by explaining the full procedure from the Academic Honesty Committee at KU including
recommendations to aid transparency and efficacy for everyone involved. A discussion of A.I. will be included as well as an explanation of our process of evidence in connection with common issues in composition courses.

March 6: What We Do in the Library
This workshop will discuss tools, techniques, and activities in our use of the library for composition courses. We will visit STEAMworks, discuss ILL, audiobooks and ebook access, how to request materials, course reserves, databases, library scavenger hunts, librarian classroom visits, and more.

March 13: “Gamification,” Games, and Game-Based Learning in Writing Courses
Games are texts, too! This workshop will introduce participants to games as subjects of textual analysis, genres of writing, AND tools for active learning. This workshop will take participants on a tour of the new videogame preservation archive in the library, introduce easy game-building tools like Mentimeter and Twine, give ideas for role-playing and randomization in composition activities, and discuss techniques in incorporating “gamification” into a whole course structure.

April 10: Inclusive and Supportive Composition
How do we support our students who might need it most in divisive political and social times? How do we encourage students to express their voices in writing and discussion and foster a community of respect?

April 14: Remember to include the April 14th KUCC (Kutztown University Composition Conference) on your course and personal calendars! We would love to see you there!

May 8: O.E.R.s and Other Open-Access Resources for COMP
You might be familiar with the fact that your Kutztown composition faculty colleagues wrote an Open Educational Resource textbook! We will briefly go over how to access this resource as well as other free open-access resources, articles, readings, and technology that can assist students in Composition.

YOU are encouraged to participate in any of these workshops not only through your attendance and discussion, but in providing sample materials, activities, or models. If you would like to share any materials, please email sleonard@kutztown.edu a brief description, assignment sheet, or others to share on our D2L page and/or in person at the workshop.

Acknowledgment is given after 5 or more hours of your attendance and participation in these sessions.

In case you missed it...