Supporting Student Success Practicum
Advancing the University Priority of building resilient students and a sense of belonging.
Each year, the University Practicum hosts a practical, flexible, and supportive online practicum on a timely topic of learning and teaching. This year, the topic was determined by a survey of Northwestern instructors, who expressed their commitment to enhancing academic rigor and learning enriched by empathy and equity.
Working alongside educational developers and faculty experts, participants will (re)define students' holistic success and advance their techniques for creating, facilitating, and assessing student success.
Designed to complement participants' busy schedules, this practicum offers a flexible choice of synchronous online and recorded sessions, learning labs, individuals consultations, and a faculty panel.
Join the 1,000+ Northwestern participants who have deepened their practice with the University Practicum. Available in February or April.
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“The practicum gives me a space to collaborate with other instructors and discuss how we implement teaching strategies and techniques in our own classrooms—what we’ve tried, and what has worked. I find that to be very, very useful.”
—Arend Kuyper, Director of Undergraduate Studies for Data Science, Department of Statistics and Data Science
Practicum Details
Time Commitment and Schedule
The practicum is 10–15 hours spread over 4 weeks.
Participants may take the practicum in February or April.
The February practicum runs between February 4 and 28. Review schedule.
Tha April practicum runs between April 1 and 25. Review schedule.
- Pre-Practicum Keynote | Dr. Jillian Kinzie January 30 @ 12-1:30pm (CT) (This event is encouraged but not required to participate in the practicum) Register here.
- Synchronous Online Session 1 | How are we (re)defining student success? (Week 1)
- Synchronous Online Session 2 | How are we creating an environment for student success? (Week 2)
- Learning Lab | Create an Accessible Canvas Site in 7 Easy Steps (Week 2)
- Making a Canvas page accessible is often, mistakenly, viewed as a difficult task. In this learning lab, participants will learn seven simple things to do to their Canvas course site to remove barriers for all learners. We will also introduce participants to the Pope Tech Dashboard and Accessibility Guide, tools to help easily identify and fix accessibility issues in Canvas. The second half will offer one-on-one support to implement the seven core accessibility skills in an existing site or an opportunity to ask questions about building a site. At the conclusion of the lab, participants will be well on their way to eliminating accessibility errors on Canvas.
- Synchronous Online Session 3 | How are we facilitating student success? (Week 3)
- Learning Lab | Creating Rubrics x AI for Student Success (Week 3)
- Rubric creation is often perceived as time-consuming and complex, but with the assistance of generative AI tools, this process can become more efficient and accessible. Grounded in the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework, this learning lab will guide participants through the steps of creating a rubric for an assignment using Copilot. There will be a peer review component to share and receive feedback on the rubric creation process. Participants are encouraged to bring a past or potential student assignment for which they would like to create a rubric.
- Synchronous Online Session 4 | How are we assessing student success? (Week 4)
- Faculty Panel on Student Success: Reflections and Illustrations (Week 4)
- Colleagues across academic disciplines at Northwestern will share their experiences with (re)defining, creating an environment for, facilitating, and assessing student success for their classroom. Participants can further engage by asking questions for faculty panelists.
Can’t attend all the sessions? Register anyway and get access to recordings!Outcomes
By participating in this program, participants will:
- Identify multiple factors shaping student’s holistic success.
- Explore strategies for co-creating and communicating course expectations with transparency and collaboration.
- Integrate resources into course design that support equitable access to learning opportunities.
- Apply a student-centered framework to reflect upon current assessment practices.
Eligibility
The Practicum is open to all Northwestern instructors, graduate students and postdocs preparing for future instructor roles, and staff—such as program coordinators—whose work shapes course content and delivery.
All levels, backgrounds, and teaching contexts are welcome.
Registration
Digital Badging
This year, we are piloting a program to demonstrate participants’ investment and learning. Participants who complete a flexible set of required components will receive a digital badge, which they may display on digital platforms. They may also elect to be featured in special communications to participants’ deans and chairs.
This practicum is a collaboration of faculty and staff from AccessibleNU, Northwestern IT Teaching and Learning Technologies, Office of the Provost, School of Professional Studies Distance Learning, Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, and University Libraries, and will draw on expertise and experience from around the University, including Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, and Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.