Request a CFE Session
The Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) offers customized sessions for BGSU departments, colleges, and units on a wide range of teaching and learning topics. These sessions can be designed to support faculty and instructional staff in creating, adapting, or assessing course content, integrating academic tools and technologies, or exploring best practices in pedagogy.
You may select from the list of possible session topics below. The session durations provided in the session descriptions below are estimates. Session duration may vary depending on modality, number of participants, activities involved, etc. Most sessions can be offered either in-person or online to meet the needs of your group.
If you don't see a session topic that fits your department or unit's goals, the CFE team can collaborate with you to design a custom session that aligns with your unit's specific teaching, learning, and professional development needs.
To request a CFE-facilitated session for your department, college, or unit, please complete the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) Session Request Form using the button below. Session requests should be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the desired session date. To ensure a meaningful and engaging experience for all participants, there must be minimum of at least 8 participants for your requested session. Sessions may be rescheduled or canceled if this minimum is not met. Session scheduling is subject to the CFE calendar, staff availability, and logistics. Se If you have any questions about available sessions and the session request process, please contact the CFE at cfe@bgsu.edu.
If you need services, assistance or appropriate modifications for participants to fully participate in the event, please contact the CFE office or Accessibility Services at access@bgsu.edu or 419-372-8495. Please notify Accessibility Services and/or the CFE office prior to the event.
Session Duration: 1 hour
Unlock the potential of generative AI in your teaching practice. This virtual workshop will guide you through using AI for course preparation, crafting AI-resistant assessments, and developing effective prompts. Learn to apply prompt formulas, utilize AI tools for content creation, and refine AI-generated outputs for better quality. Additionally, discover how to create unbiased prompts that enhance learning experiences for all students. Join us to explore how AI can elevate your instructional strategies.
By participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Discover how generative AI can help you with course preparation and teaching.
- Outline strategies for crafting AI-resistant assessments.
- Apply a prompt formula to create effective AI prompts.
- Compare and refine AI-generated outputs for improved quality.
- Develop unbiased prompts that enhance learning experiences.
Session duration: 2 hours
During this session, you will explore a variety of strategies and tools to help you adapt your course to an online condensed format. You will have time to reflect on your current course design and begin to apply strategies and tools to set you up for success.
By participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Reflect on your course content using the Must Know, Need to Know, Nice to Know matrix.
- Apply backward design principles to your overall course design.
- Describe online teaching tools to support student engagement and motivation in an online course.
Session Duration: 1.5 hours
This session serves as an introduction to the creation of two types of accessible documents: word processor files and slideshow presentations. You will learn the basic steps to making Word Documents and PowerPoints accessible to visually impaired readers. During this session, you will also engage with the accessibility checker provided by Microsoft Suite to investigate and remedy accessibility issues present within existing documents. All BGSU faculty members, staff, and graduate students interested in learning how to create accessible documents will benefit from the opportunity to practice remediating sample documents.
By participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Identify the basic steps required for document accessibility
- Design basic accessible documents
- Locate and utilize the Accessibility Checker provided by Microsoft Suite
- Fix accessibility issues discovered by the Accessibility Checker
Session Duration: 1 hour
Ready to transform your conference presentation or departmental workshop into a dynamic, engaging learning experience? Whether you're preparing an interactive session for the Teaching and Learning Summit, a conference session, or a one-time workshop, this hands-on session will introduce you to the building blocks of creating an engaging session, from captivating openings to impactful closings. We'll explore how to design compelling opening activities that grab attention and set the stage for learning and discover strategies for balancing content delivery with interactive engagement throughout your session. Finally, we'll delve into effective closing activities that prompt reflection, solidify takeaways, and inspire action planning.
By participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Design compelling opening activities to immediately engage participants and set the stage for learning.
- Enhance learning by activating prior knowledge and outlining foundational concepts.
- Design the middle of a session to effectively balance content delivery with interactive engagement and knowledge application.
- Implement closing activities that prompt reflection, solidify key takeaways, and create actionable plans for participants.
Session Duration: 1 hour
In this session, you will learn the principles of Canvas New Quizzes. New Quizzes is an updated assessment engine that integrates with Canvas and replaces the Classic Quizzes functionality. If you are novice user of either Classic Quizzes or New Quizzes, this session will guide you on using the various question types, building your own quizzes, and exploring quiz settings that you can customize. By the end of this session, you will be able to use Canvas New Quizzes to build effective assessments.
By participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Evaluate the principles of Canvas New Quizzes and compare them with Classic Quizzes.
- Design various question types and build your own quizzes using Canvas New Quizzes.
- Analyze the different quiz settings available and customize them to suit your needs.
Session Duration: 1 hour
Join the CFE for a hands-on tour of the Instructor Video Recording Studio. During this interactive session, you will have an opportunity to explore the Instructor Video Recording Studio, a sound-proofed space where you can record educational videos for your courses.
By participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Gain familiarity with the Instructor Video Recording Studio and its equipment, including an HD camera, screens, and lighting kits.
- Identify different types of videos you can create using the Instructor Video Recording Studio.
Please note: This session takes place in-person in Olscamp 109.
Session duration: 2 hours
If you're new to teaching with Canvas, this workshop is for you! You’ll have the opportunity to customize your Canvas course ensuring that your courses are suited to your teaching style. We will work together to explore Canvas features and best practices in course design.
By participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Use global navigation and access your course
- Customize the course settings and navigation
- Upload course files and documents
- Create and add content, assignments, and weekly modules
- Manage Gradebook & Speedgrader
Session Duration: 2 hours
If you're new to teaching with Canvas as a graduate student instructor, this workshop is for you! You’ll have the opportunity to customize your Canvas course ensuring that your courses are suited to your teaching style. We will work together to explore Canvas features and best practices in course design.
By participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Use global navigation and access your course
- Customize the course settings and navigation
- Upload course files and documents
- Create and add content, assignments, and weekly modules
- Manage Gradebook & Speedgrader
Session duration: 1.5 hours
Taking a proactive approach to modifying or creating accessible course content (images, documents, presentations, videos, etc.) can be helpful for both you and your students. A demonstration of key accessibility practices will take place during the workshop. Followed by time to practice a skill and ask questions. This session is only an introduction. You will leave with additional information and resources about accessible content creation.
By participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Identify accessibility best practices for common course content types
- Identify the relevant features of A11y LTI for Canvas
- Locate additional resources related to accessibility and accommodations for students
Session duration: 1 hour
Are you looking for ways to make a lasting impact on students while engaging them with your course content? Join us to learn more about what micro-learning means and what it takes to create personalized micro-learning videos that will connect learners to your material. We will identify the benefits of producing micro-learning videos for your classes and discuss best practices for creating effective, accessible videos as well as exploring different platforms where you can host your videos. In this session, you will have the opportunity to create a script or outline for a topic from one of your courses to prepare for your first video!
By participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Define micro-learning videos
- Identify the benefits of producing micro-learning videos
- Discuss steps and best practices involved in creating micro-learning videos
- Explore the different platforms for hosting videos
- Discover closed captioning best practices
- Create a script or outline based on a topic from your course
Session Duration: 1 hour
In this session, you will learn how to optimize your Canvas course to create a student-friendly learning environment. Clear course navigation, effective communication, and streamlined content set up students for success by reducing navigational rigor, allowing them to focus on contextual rigor. This interactive session will provide you with practical strategies for keeping your Canvas course organized, whether you teach online or in-person.
In this session, you will learn how to:
- Understand the principles of effective course navigation and how to apply them in Canvas.
- Prepare to organize course content to enhance student engagement and accessibility.
- Explore best practices for communication within Canvas, including announcements and messaging.
- Discover module design frameworks that enhance course navigation.
Session duration: 1 hour
Let the CFE guide you in charting a course to professional success! In this session, you will define your professional development goals and areas of focus, explore resources and programs offered by the CFE and campus partners, and learn strategies and tools to track your progress.
By participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Develop a clear professional development plan.
- Identify available resources and programming to support your goals.
- Learn effective tracking strategies.
- Set a plan to celebrate and share your growth.
Session duration: 2 hours
Are you looking for ways to create interactive videos to engage students in discussion and assessment? Canvas Studio is a screen capture tool that allows you to create engaging videos right within Canvas. The Studio interface allows for in-video commenting and low-stakes quizzing.
By participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Identify Canvas Studio features
- Compare and contrast BGSU approved screen capture software
- Discover how to record and edit videos
- Create in-video quizzes and discussions
- Apply auto-closed captioning
- Utilize student analytics
Updated: 07/11/2025 12:30PM