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Bridging the Divide Summer Series
Interactive online professional development courses developed, facilitated, and powered by the Universities of Louisiana Content Experts.
The 2022 Bridging the Divide Summer Series is driven by the Universities of Louisiana Content Experts. Each of our four experts will lead a program focusing on their area of expertise: financial literacy, mental health, grant writing & research, and online teaching & learning.
While details about 2022 programming will be released closer to the start of each session, resources from previous years are still available on demand on the Bridging the Divide LMS. Click below to access the LMS and explore active content.
Please contact [email protected] with any questions.
Dr. Brian Bolton, University of Louisiana Lafayette
Financial Literacy Content Expert
Money Matters: A UL System Financial Wellness Series
June 22 – August 3
We all have financial dreams and goals that we want to achieve in the future. Knowing how to invest both strategically and responsibly is the foundation for achieving these dreams and goals. This series will help UL System faculty, staff and students gain the skills and confidence necessary to navigate the world of investing now and in the future.
June 22 – Investing Goals, Habits & Strategies
June 29 – Budgeting & Debt Management
July 14 – Investing for Retirement, Education & Special Events
July 21 – Investing for International Students
July 28 – Tax Planning
August 3 – Career Planning: Your Money & Your Future
Dr. Kevin Yaudes, McNeese State University
Mental Health Content Expert
Mental Health Mondays: A UL System Webinar Series
June 27 – August 1
Mental Health wellness begins with information. Our summer series will share the perspectives of panelists with differing lived experience within our local communities and across Louisiana. This series will address the needs and challenges associated with mental health within our varied communities.
Carla Howell, Northwestern State University
Grant Writing & Research Content Expert
Grant Writing Workshop & Webinar Series
July 18 – August 5
This three-week workshop series will cover the overall basics of grant writing as well as specialized topics with the goal of improving success with grant-seeking for our ULS institutions. Resources will be available in the UL System Moodle instance and webinars on grant topics, as well as an ‘Ask the Grant Writer’ series will be scheduled throughout the duration of the workshop. Our webinar series will give you the insights you need to begin the grant writing process with confidence!
7/19 – Basic Grant Writing – This session will be an introduction to grantsmanship and beyond. The participant will receive a comprehensive introduction to grant writing, a general outline and what should be included in the grant components, and how to steer clear of the most common pitfalls.
7/26 – Grant Writing Power Hour – This session will serve as a forum for professional development, information sharing, and collaboration/support. Plan to spend time talking about your organization, sharing samples of grant funded projects, discuss major funders, and any project ideas that could be a collaboration with other members.
7/28 – Creating Grant Budgets – The program budget is one of the most important parts of your grant proposal. During this webinar, you will learn to draft a thorough budget that tells the same story as your grant narrative. You will learn to create manageable, measurable, and meaningful grant budget line items.
8/2 – Denied a Grant? Revise it with a Funder’s Guidance – Funders look for certain things in each component of a proposal. Bring in your denied proposals for a make-over!
8/4 – Demystifying Competitive Federal Grant Writing – Participants will learn how to break down the components of a federal grant and address registrations and online accounts that will need to be in place. Participants will learn how to walk through federal proposals one step at a time.
Dr. Will Rogers, University of Louisiana Monroe
Online Teaching and Learning Content Expert
Online Teaching Boot Camp
June 27 – August 5
The Online Bootcamp is a six-week intensive survey of best practices for online teaching, open both to faculty new to online teaching and those who have experience. We will focus on inclusive pedagogy, universal design for learning, and assessment and evaluation of online courses. Activities will include the creation/revision of a syllabus meant for an online class and an assignment prompt for the course. Besides the weekly synchronous zoom, we will have various readings and resources to help make online teaching as accessible and successful as possible.
Open Educational Resources (OER) Intensive
July 11 – August 5
Related to the Online Bootcamp, this four-week OER Intensive will introduce participants, both those who are new to OERs and those with experience, to the benefits and challenges that OERs offer. Topics will include finding and defining OERs; the licensing of OERs; pedagogy, innovation, and OERs; formatting, OERs, and Pressbooks; and the limits of OERs. Besides the weekly synchronous zoom, we will have various readings and resources to help demystify OERs and to help discover or create OERs. The goal of this intensive is to convert at least a resources/assignment/assessment or even course to OER.
