Events
The Trefny Center offers a range of programming around topics in teaching and learning. Please see below for a list of our upcoming workshops, learning communities, and other gatherings!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Join us this Spring for our Spotlight Series on Collaborative & Cross-Disciplinary Pedagogy and consider joining an Alternative Grading Group! Explore the upcoming events below, and be sure to register!
Kira Marshall-McKelvey, Faculty Developer, Trefny Center
Guided Discussion: Course Coordination as Co-Teaching
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 | 11:45 AM-1:00 PM | Green Center 224
This guided discussion is a chance for course coordinators and instructors of coordinated courses to think through obstacles in course coordination, and to develop collective best practices in both developing and facilitating coordinated courses at Mines. We will begin our session by summarizing, synthesizing, and interrogating relevant literature across disciplines. Following our active literature review, you will have a chance to engage in guided discussion with other instructors to share your experience and needs and learn from others’ practices and perspectives. Course coordinators will walk away with some ideas to develop effective courses and support instructors. Course instructors will develop strategies to balance consistency with autonomy, as well as navigate the instructor-coordinator relationship.
Lunch will be provided.
Kira Marshall-McKelvey, Faculty Developer, Trefny Center
Panel Discussion: Cross-Disciplinary Connections
Friday, April 4, 2025 | 12:00 PM-1:00 PM | Green Center 224
Hear from faculty at Mines who develop and teach interdisciplinary courses at Mines! Throughout our 45 minute Q&A session, you will learn the benefits of cross-disciplinary teaching and learning, our panelists’ approaches to interdisciplinary teaching, and strategies for navigating difficulties in cross-disciplinary courses. You will have a chance to voice your burning questions or concerns about interdisciplinary teaching during the second half of our panel discussion. You will leave the session with some concrete tools to 1) step outside of your home discipline and 2) introduce ideas from other disciplines in a focused and meaningful way in your courses.
Lunch will be provided.
TREFNY CENTER: 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 | 11:45AM-1:00PM | Student Center Ballrooms ABC
Join us in celebrating 10 years of the Trefny Center, dedicated to effective and innovative teaching and learning at Mines. We’ll have lunch, giveaways, activities, and celebrity guest speakers to help us reflect on a decade of collaboration and leadership in innovative instruction. We hope to see you there to mark this exciting milestone with colleagues and friends of the Trefny Center!
* While we encourage participation in the entire event, you are welcome to drop in when you are available!
College Teaching Certificate: End of the Year Showcase
Thursday, April 24, 2025 | 3:00 PM-5:00 PM* | Student Center Ballroom A
We invite all Mines faculty, staff, and prospective graduate students to join us for our College Teaching Certificate (CTC) End of the Year Showcase, where CTC participants and Graduate Teaching Fellows will showcase their work in the program! Throughout the year, these graduate student and postdoc leaders have been developing their own original syllabi, engaging in peer observations, and exploring topics in teaching and learning. We’ll have multimodal presentations, gallery walks, and our Graduate Teaching Fellows will present on their professional development projects on topics including general chemistry lab, game-based learning, geoscience fieldwork, and more! Hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be provided!
Active Learning Communities
Join an Alternative Grading Group!
We’re excited to announce a new approach for the Alternative Grading Learning Community in Spring 2025 with the launch of Alternative Grading Groups! These small groups of 3-4 faculty will meet monthly over coffee (or your beverage of choice) to discuss and develop alternative grading strategies, with initial meetings facilitated by a Trefny Center Faculty Developer. The Trefny Center will provide drink vouchers and host a larger community gathering in April to share insights and progress. If you’re interested, please complete the form by Friday, January 10, 2025, so we can match you with a group based on your schedule and teaching context
Past Event Recordings
Student Panel: What Mines Students Think of Generative AI and their Learning
Event Description: How are Mines students thinking about and using generative AI in the classroom? How do they see it impacting their learning? Join us for this virtual webinar to hear perspectives from a panel of Mines undergraduates and graduate students. You’ll have a chance to ask our student panelists questions during the live Q&A!
Student Panel: Accessibility on Campus from the Student Perspective
Event Description: What accessibility challenges have students faced in their courses and on campus? What strategies can faculty incorporate to make their courses more accessible to all students? A panel of students who have a disability will share their experiences and ways that faculty can support their learning. You’ll have a chance to hear from all panelists, as well as ask more specific questions during breakout groups.
Would your program or department be interested in hosting a Trefny workshop, training, or other event?