Olivia Drake – Page 24

On Sept. 11, members of the Wesleyan community remembered the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. In 2002, a September 11 Memorial Garden was planted in front of North College and honors those who "gathered at this place to console one another, to remember those lost, to share and learn, to pray for peace." Wesleyan's grounds crew annually decorates the garden with fresh flowers and flags during the annual commemoration. (Photos by Simon Duan '23)

Several remote teaching and learning "success stories" are now published on the Office for Faculty Career Development's (OFCD) Teaching Matters website. "We hope the stories inspire others to make changes and make it clear to everyone that it was possible to make the transition well," said Mary Alice Haddad, the John E. Andrus Professor of Government and director of the OFCD. The stories are based on surveys administered by Academic Affairs last spring. Although there were many courses that went well in spring 2020, Haddad selected to present a diversity of courses drawn from different class sizes, pedagogy styles, synchronous/asynchronous…

On Sept. 4, Student Activities and Leadership Development (SALD) hosted a four-part series of Black Lives Matter-themed workshops celebrating the contributions of the Black community at Wesleyan.

When the COVID-19 outbreak disrupted in-person classes last spring, several faculty found innovative and creative ways to adapt to online teaching and learning. In the first of a fall-semester series, we'll be highlighting ways faculty from various departments are coping with teaching during a pandemic, and showcase individual ways courses are thriving in an online or hybridized environment. In this issue, we spotlight Naho Maruta from the College of East Asian Studies; Alison O’Neil from the Chemistry Department; and Ron Jenkins from the Theater Department. Naho Maruta, associate professor of the practice in East Asian studies, chose to teach her…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the university community was under a quarantine period from Aug. 24 to Sept. 6. Students were asked to take a COVID-19 test prior to leaving home, were tested again upon arrival, and will be tested twice a week as the semester gets underway. Through multiple platforms, including Zoom and Moodle, faculty taught all classes remotely during the first week. Following the quarantine period, faculty have the option to teach courses entirely online, in-person, or through a hybrid system through the Thanksgiving break, after which all faculty are prepared to return to distance learning.

Starting last March, Information Technology Services and the Center for Pedagogical Learning began offering a number of workshops to assist faculty in the transition to remote teaching. Wesleyan is using Zoom, a cloud-based video and online chat platform ideal for distance education, and Moodle, an open-source learning management system for the majority of online teachings. Workshop topics include how to schedule and start a Zoom meeting, meeting controls, sharing a Zoom recording, managing Zoom breakout rooms, and using Moodle. The training workshop videos are online here. In addition, this fall 30 faculty are participating in the newly established Remote Teaching Cohorts.…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and state regulations, Wesleyan is delivering its annual Orientation Program virtually through live Zoom meetings, townhalls, and webinars. Orientation activities began in mid-July, where members of the Class of 2024 and transfer students participated in sessions on charting a course through the open curriculum, sustainability at Wesleyan, wellness, financial aid, student employment, career center information, and working with an academic peer advisor. They also learned the Wesleyan fight song and participated in virtual social events including a virtual escape room, Jeopardy!, drag race bingo, and a magic show. Sudbury, Mass. resident Sabrina Ladiwala ’24 chose…

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This fall, Wesleyan welcomes 782 students to the Class of 2024. University faculty and staff worked tirelessly over the summer to ready the campus for opening this semester while providing a safe and healthy environment for all. Those students unable to come to campus in the fall may continue their Wesleyan education remotely, and may join us on campus in the spring. "The Class of 2024 is dynamically diverse, exceptionally talented, and incredibly resilient," said Amin Gonzalez '96, vice president and dean of admission and financial aid. "I’m immensely proud of the members of this class and not just because…

Wesleyan's First Year Matters (FYM) program is designed to help first-year students establish on-campus community connections, engage in shared learning experiences, explore new opinions and ideas, and acquire the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in Wesleyan’s rigorous liberal arts environment. The FYM committee annually selects a "common experience" for the incoming class as an intellectual introduction to Wesleyan. This year, the Class of 2024 watched and discussed the documentary This Changes Everything, directed by Avi Lewis and based on the award-winning book of the same title by Naomi Klein. View screenshots below and watch the entire keynote address online…

Sept. 11 Memorial Garden Decorated with Flowers, Flags for 19th Commemoration of World Trade Center Attacks

OFCD Collects, Publishes Remote Teaching ‘Success Stories’

Black Lives Matter Events Celebrate History, Navigate Race Conversations

Faculty Share Insights on Teaching during a Pandemic

WesWOW Participants Attend Virtual Speed Friending, Game Night, Club Fair

Classes Begin Online during Quarantine Period

Wesleyan Offering Wealth of Resources for Remote Teaching, Learning

Wesleyan Illuminates 2 Campus Buildings in Support of Restart Day of Action

Class of 2024 Attends Virtual Orientation Program

Students Participate in Virtually Choreographed “Common Moment” (with Video)

782 Students Join Wesleyan’s Class of 2024

Author, Environmental Activist Naomi Klein Delivers First Year Matters Keynote