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Author: Bart Everson

Creative Generalist in the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development at Xavier University of Louisiana

About Bart Everson

Creative Generalist in the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development at Xavier University of Louisiana

Published on Leave a comment on Student Essay Contest: How Is AI Changing What It Means to Learn?

We wanted to share an essay contest from AI Consensus, about the question “How is AI changing what it means to learn?”

Leo Wu is a senior at Minerva University and the president of AI Consensus, a student organization working to responsibly integrate AI into education. He writes that "the goal of the contest is to publish a series of short (400 word) student essays in an education journal to empower the student voice in education. Students are the ones with the most experience using these tools for learning and are able to bring out unique perspectives, yet are also often neglected within conversations." Through this contest, AI Consensus hopes to both advance the conversation around AI and learning, and empower students to speak up more.

The ask to students is simple: share a single idea (400 words is not a lot!) about how AI will impact learning for the chance to be published and win a $200 stipend. Please consider sharing this opportunity with your students. Here again is the submission link.

Published on Leave a comment on Time to Jet
Cover of Jet Magazine, February 27, 1964

Heads up, folks. It's time to Jet.

No, I'm not referring to the legendary Jet magazine, founded in 1951 by John H. Johnson. That would be cool and interesting and educational in its own right, but I'm afraid I'm talking about something much more mundane.


As we announced back in December, we're moving our "CAT FooD" newsletter to the JetPack platform. That's transition is almost complete. Your receipt of this message indicates success — assuming it came to your email.

Yes, our inboxes are clogged these days, but email remains the best way to stay in touch for certain things. We hope timely info from CAT+FD is one of those things!

Jetpack Logo

We didn't make this change lightly, but it should offer several advantages. For one thing, it gives you more power to customize exactly how often you get your newsletter delivered. Also, it integrates more seamlessly with our publishing platform, WordPress.

What do you have to do? Nothing! If you were subscribed to the old newsletter, we've already added you directly to the new newsletter. In fact, an email version of this post should come directly to your inbox. You should get it twice, actually: once via the new system, instantaneously using JetPack, and once via the old system, overnight using MailChimp. We'll shut the automated MailChimp newsletter down after this one last post. It will be strictly JetPack after that.

Having said all that, there are a couple things you could do to make sure you continue to get the newsletter smoothly.

  • The new newsletter comes at you from CAT FooD <donotreply@wordpress.com>, so you could add that address to your contacts, in order to keep it from getting flagged as spam.
  • Speaking of which, if you didn't already get this post via email, that may have happened. Please check your spam filters and folders, and if you find the CAT FooD newsletter languishing there, please be sure to mark it as legitimate.
  • If you're using the "Focused Inbox" in Outlook, you may find the newsletter in your "Other" tab. And maybe that's just where you want it. I mean, that's entirely up to you. If you'd rather see our newsletter in your "Focused" tab, you can move it by selecting Move > Always move to Focused inbox, so that our future messages land in the Focused tab. Read more about this from Microsoft.

Again, those steps are optional. We envision a smooth transition. The only potentially confusing issue that we foresee might arise if you already subscribe to some other WordPress.com newsletters. That scenarios probably only applies to a handful of subscribers. We're happy to work with you to resolve anything that comes up on a case-by-case basis.

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We're moving our newsletter to the JetPack platform.
Published on 1 Comment on Let’s Get Set to Jet

For at least 15 years, Xavier faculty have gotten timely updates from this blog delivered to their inboxes. We hope to continue that tradition for many years to come, but we're making a few changes. Well, just one change, actually, but it's kind of a big deal.

We're moving our "CAT FooD" newsletter to the JetPack platform, which should offer several advantages.

Jetpack Logo

For one thing, it gives you more power to customize exactly how often you get your newsletter delivered. Also, it integrates more seamlessly with our blogging platform, WordPress.

What do you have to do? Nothing! If you are subscribed to the old newsletter, we'll add you directly to the new newsletter. We anticipate doing this during the winter break for minimal disruptions.

However, if you like, there are a few things you could do to make your transition even smoother.

  • The new newsletter will be coming at you from <donotreply@wordpress.com> so you could add that address to your contacts in order to keep it from getting flagged as spam.
  • You could even add yourself to the new JetPack newsletter now. (You will need to verify your subscription.) You might get a few duplicate issues, but that will resolve itself when we stop the old newsletter.

Again, those steps are optional. We envision a smooth transition. The only potentially confusing issue that we foresee might arise if you already subscribe to some other WordPress.com newsletters, but that is probably only a handful of you. We're happy to work with you to resolve anything that comes up on a case-by-case basis.

Yes, our inboxes are clogged these days, but email remains the best way to stay in touch for certain things. We hope timely info from CAT+FD is one of those things! We look forward to seeing you on the other side, in our brand-new shiny jet-powered future.

Some fun factual footnotes for those who read to the end: The origins of the CAT FooD newsletter are lost in the mists of time, but we believe it got started in 2009 using the Feedburner service. In October of 2016 we made the switch to MailChimp. We currently have 216 subscribers, a quarter of whom are not affiliated with Xavier.

Published on Leave a comment on ICYMI: Copyright, Copyleft

Copyright, Copyleft [23:35]

So many pretty pictures on the internet, all just a click away! When is it OK to use those images in your presentations and projects? What, you mean there are rules?

Thanks to those of you who attended our workshop, "Copyright, Copyleft," earlier this semester. We gave a quick rundown on digital media and intellectual property rights. We talked about common pitfalls to be avoided and showed how to find images you can use with impunity.

In case you missed the session, or if you were there and want a refresher, we have an excellent video for you. You can find the workshop recording and other resources in support of the workshop on the CAT Base wiki.

Any questions? Just ask. We love a good question.

Published on Leave a comment on A Little Peace and Quiet in the Middle of the Week

Meditation Room

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development invites you to join us for a regular group meditation. We'll meet each Wednesday afternoon throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. Drop in when you can.

What to expect?

As the meditation room is located directly beneath the bell tower, we are using the bells in our meditation. They chime quarterly, so our period of silence begins at 2PM and ends at 2:15.

But I've never done this before!

You needn't have any experience with meditating; just stop by and give it a try. There's no commitment and no pressure.

Why meditate?

Meditation has numerous well-documented benefits, including stress management, improved emotional balance, increased focus and awareness and increased responsiveness to student needs.

All welcome

This is open for everyone in the Xavier community, for people of any faith or no faith.

  • Date: all school year (whenever classes are in session)
  • Time: 2 - 2:15 PM
  • Location: Meditation Room, St. Katharine Drexel Chapel
  • Sponsor: CAT+FD

Photo credit: Bart Everson

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Published on 1 Comment on New Year, New Director

Every year, CAT+FD welcomes a cohort of new faculty to Xavier's campus. After many years of coordinating New Faculty Orientation, we've come to expect there will always be a few familiar faces in the group. Some faculty attended Xavier in the past. Other were hired mid-year and so already have a semester teaching here under their belt.

That seems appropriate to remember, as we welcome this year's new faculty, because we are also welcoming a new director who is nevertheless a familiar face.

Congratulations Jason S. Todd, PhD, new director of CAT+FD
Read Xavier's official announcement

Our new director, Dr. Jason Todd, is no stranger to Xavier's campus or to CAT+FD, for that matter. In fact, Jay served as Associate Director of CAT+FD for seven years. As such, his appointment as director represents a path of continuity. In the midst of hurricanes, pandemics, and disruptive technologies, a little continuity is welcome! At the same time, we know that Jay will take CAT in new directions. Continual innovation is just part of what we do in pursuit of our shared mission.

We look forward to working with Jay to support your development, as Xavier faculty, across all career stages and areas of professional responsibility.

Welcome back, Jay, and congratulations!

PS: It's also worth noting that Jay is the second CAT director named Todd. That puts our cumulative Todd ratio at something like 20%.

Published on Leave a comment on The End of an EYHra

I'm marking 25 years at Xavier this month. I planned to formulate some sort of reflection, which undoubtedly would have been insightful and profound if only I'd ever got around to actually writing it.

Instead, I'd like to focus on a different milestone which seems much more significant.

As most everyone knows, Elizabeth Yost Hammer is stepping away from the directorship of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development to return to full-time teaching. After 17 years, this truly marks the end of an era. Future historians might call it the EYH Era, or perhaps just EYHra for short.

For fun, here's a brief retrospective video that captures some scenes of EYH's tenure at CAT+FD. (Please note this video has no audio; it's just a montage of stills.)

The EYH Era at CAT+FD

On a personal note, I have to say it's been a pleasure and an honor to serve under Dr. Hammer's guidance. Rarely have I encountered such resolute positivity in another human being. For the better part of two decades, she's kept us focused on our part of Xavier's mission: supporting our faculty in the endless quest to deliver the best for our students. I look forward to our future collaborations as she moves into the next phase of her career.

But I can't look back at the past too long. We're also excited about CAT+FD's next chapter. Stay tuned!

Published on Leave a comment on You’ve Got Camtasia 2024
[Camtasia Logo]

This just in: Camtasia 2024 has now been released. What's more, Xavier's faculty site license for Camtasia still covers the new version!

For those just tuning in, Camtasia is a tool for making videos by recording from your screen and camera. A common use for teachers is to record short lectures.

In addition to the software, we have access to TechSmith's tech support as well as extensive training materials, which are excellent.

So what are you waiting for? Yes, you can download and install Camtasia now. Here's the link.

Oh, perhaps you're already using Camtasia and everything's working just fine, and you're wondering why bother? Well, there are some new features, but you should probably check the system requirements before you consider upgrading.

Please note: You will need a Camtasia License key to unlock the software beyond the free trial period. To get the key, please contact me, Bart Everson. You can send me an email: bpeverso at you-know-where.

Published on Leave a comment on AI Resources, Created and Curated for You

In May, CAT+FD hosted a week-long seminar focused on Human Learning in an AI World (generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation).

For those who were unable to attend, we have collected the seminar resources on the CAT Base wiki for your reference. Check them out! By staying informed and embracing innovative approaches, we can continue to provide our students with meaningful learning experiences and serve our shared mission.

Feel free to reach out to CAT+FD (or any of the seminar participants that are listed on the wiki page) if you have any questions.