Center for Community Engagement

Faculty & Staff Resources

Professional Development

Fall 2026 Writing Group

Fridays, September 4 - December 11, 2026
1:00-4:00pm (You may join for all or part of the time!)
Via Zoom

Faculty have so many competing demands, we often prioritize what needs to be accomplished this week and deal with next week… next week.
Our goal in offering a writing group is to create a simple, structured day & time for faculty to come together and write. Writing can include drafting or revising manuscripts, developing grant proposals, collecting and analyzing data, or organizing scholarly documents and your next dossier. With a little accountability of having it on your calendar each week, you can make significant progress on longer-term goals.

A typical writing block includes 5 minutes for goal setting, 50 minutes of focused writing, and a 5-minute break. Come for one hour or all three - we’ll have hourly breaks to stretch, talk and encourage one another!
No registration needed.

Co-hosted by Xuan Xie (CoBE) & Julie Mowrer (CCE)

Fall 2026 Designing Learner-Centered and Equitable Courses

October 19 - December 11, 2026
Asynchronous Online Learning Experience

This course from the Association of College & University Educators (ACUE) supports instructors who are building a course from the ground up as well as those teaching predesigned courses. This course is part of the 4 courses in ACUE's Effective Teaching Practice Framework and contains 6 modules that take approximately 8 weeks to complete.

Module 1: Ensuring Learner-Centered Course Outcomes
Module 2: Designing Aligned Assessments and Assignments
Module 3: Aligning Learning Experiences with Course Outcomes
Module 4: Creating Equity with Checklists and Rubrics
Module 5: Developing Equitable Grading Practices
Module 6: Preparing an Inclusive Syllabus

Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a badge from ACUE!

Fall 2026 Promoting Active Learning

August 24 - October 16, 2026
Asynchronous Online Learning Experience

This course from the Association of College & University Educators (ACUE) provides instructors with evidence-based teaching practices to facilitate group work and actively involve students in quality discussions during lectures and class sessions. This course is part of the 4 courses in ACUE's Effective Teaching Practice Framework and contains 6 modules that take approximately 8 weeks to complete.

Module 1: Developing Effective Class Sessions and Lectures
Module 2: Teaching Powerful Note-Taking Skills
Module 3: Using Groups to Ensure Active Learning
Module 4: Using the Active Learning Cycle
Module 5: Planning Effective Class Discussions
Module 6: Facilitating Engaging Class Discussions

Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a badge from ACUE!

Summer 2026 Fostering a Culture of Belonging

May 18 - July 10, 2026
Asynchronous online learning experience

The Association of College & University Educator's (ACUE) Fostering a Culture of Belonging course equips faculty and campus professionals with evidence-based practices that expand on "Embracing Diversity in Your Learning Environment," a key topic area in ACUE's research-backed Effective Teaching Practice Framework. This course contains 4 modules that take approximatey 8 weeks to complete.

Module 1: Managing the Impact of Bias
Module 2: Reducing Microagressions
Module 3: Addressing Imposter Phenomenon and Stereotype Threat
Module 4: Cultivating an Inclusive Environment

A badge will be awarded upon successful completion of the course!

Spring 2026 Writing Group

Tuesdays, January 27 - April 28, 2026
2:00-5:00pm
CCE Classroom, PB-5
Faculty have so many competing demands, we often prioritize what needs to be accomplished this week and deal with next week… next week.
Our goal in offering a writing group is to create a simple, structured day & time for faculty to come together and write. Writing can include drafting or revising manuscripts, developing grant proposals, collecting and analyzing data, or organizing scholarly documents and your next dossier. With a little accountability of having it on your calendar each week, you can make significant progress on longer-term goals.

A typical writing block includes 5 minutes for goal setting, 50 minutes of focused writing, and a 5-minute break. Come for one hour or all three - we’ll have some snacks and hourly breaks to stretch, talk and encourage one another!
No registration needed.

Co-hosted by Xuan Xie (CoBE) & Julie Mowrer (CCE)

Fall 2025 Career Readiness Teaching Fellows

While we use the term “career readiness,” what we’re really talking about is helping students connect what they’re learning and how they’re learning it to their future goals. For example, dancers develop amazing skills in collaboration, but without some guidance in helping them to see that and be able to articulate how those might be applicable to multiple situations in the workforce, our students might not see the relevance in what they are doing.

Participants will:

  • Receive a copy of the text “How Learning Works: 8 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching,”
  • Develop an awareness of what the key job competencies across disciplines are today,
  • Identify one or more competencies that one of your courses develops & co-create sample activities that can be shared out to the campus of how to bridge those connections & increase students’ understanding of an activity’s relevance,
  • Integrate at least one activity created into a fall 2025 or spring 2026 course.

Fall 2025 Introduction to Mindfulness

Wednesdays, September 10, 17, 24 & Oct. 1
3:30-4:45pm
12 participants limit, on Zooom
Our wellbeing is key to being effective role models for our students. Spend time in a supportive community learning the core techniques of mindfulness through the curriculum developed over 20 years at Duke University, and evolved into the Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults (MIEA). No experience needed, this is open to any faculty or staff member interested in mindfulness. It is a combination of practice, as well as learning the philosophy, structure and science of mindfulness.

Participants will:

  • Receive a copy of the text “The Mindful Twenty-Something,”
  • Receive the MIEA app for guided practice and reflection,
  • Learn & practice 7 guided meditations,
  • Develop an understanding of the science and research around the effect of mindfulness on wellbeing.

Fall 2025 Community-Engaged Scholars

Faculty that implement community engagement within their classroom help students gain a more adaptable skill set by engaging in experiential and community-based learning, better preparing them for post-graduation. This approach also provides a deeper connection to class content by encouraging students to apply their classroom knowledge to a real-world setting. In addition, students are able to expand their professional networks and potential career paths, while developing their intercultural understanding by working with Hawai’i’s diverse communities.

Participants will:

  • Build understanding of how community engagement is connected to student success and retention,
  • Develop competence in designing community-engaged projects, developing course outcomes and building community partnerships based on reciprocity and mutual benefit,
  • Integrate a community-engaged component/project into one of your spring 2026 courses,
  • Be eligible for a $2,000 course development grant to assist in implemeting your project.

Building Online Teaching Confidence

UH Hilo Lamakū Training

Lamakū Insider & Lamakū Spark

UH System Training

Syllabus Templates (ADA compliant)

Other Academic Resources

Other Technology Tool Support

Third-party Tools for Online Courses

To help faculty better protect themselves and students when using third party online tools, UH Information Technology Services reviews these tools and provides a spreadsheet with extensive information. The ITS Approved Third Party Online Tools or Microservices review provides information that includes privacy, accessibility, cost, and important notes.

  • If you don’t see a tool you’d like to use, you can submit it to ITS for review
  • For questions about the approved tool list, contact the UHOIC at uhoic@hawaii.edu.
  • For help integrating approved tools into your Lamakū course, please reach out to lamahilo@hawaii.edu instructional design support

Contact Us

Or visit us on the UH Hilo Campus in PB-2.