FLORIDA GuLFCoast UNIversITY ——— College of Arts and Sciences Reed Hall, 207F Department of Language and Literature Florida Gulf Coast University 10501 FGCU Boulevard Fort Myers, FL 33965 Email: jgriffin@fgcu.edu Tel: (239) 590-1456 February 24, 2015 ATTN: Faculty Teaching Excellence Award Committee This is a letter of support for Ms. Sheila Boldue-Simpson, nominee for the Senior Instructor Teaching Excellence Award, Thave known Ms. Bolduc-Simpson since 2009, when I was an adjunct instructor and Professional Writing assistant for ENC 3250, Professional Writing (online). When I became a full-time English Instructor for the Language and Literature Department, Ms. Boldue-Simpson and I became colleagues and have worked together in many aspects of our professional careers, And with the knowledge obtained from many professional development workshops and additional courses taken at the graduate level, specifically the Lucas Center’s Course Design ‘Academy and EDF 5259: Classroom Management and Organization, I am confident in supporting and evaluating Ms. Boldue-Simpson. Peer Evaluations: Overview Currently, Ms. Bolduc-Simpson and I are engaged in a year-long peer evaluation process, using the Peer Teaching Review Instrument the College of Arts and Sciences developed. This professional development opportunity came to fruition after Ms. Bolduc-Simpson attended one of the training sessions aimed toward using this peer-teaching instrument effectively. In the Fall of 2014, we observed one another's classes and had instructor access to each other's Canvas courses; in Spring 2015, Ms. Bolduc-Simpson and I are continuing our peer evaluation process by her observing/evaluating my face-to-face Composition II courses and I observing/evaluating her online Composition II sections. Peer Teaching/Course Design Observation (1): October 23, 2014, 2:00-3:15 p.m., Palmetto Hall, ENC 1101, CRN 80358, (239) 5907150 PAX: (239) 590-7200 10501 FGCU Boulevard South + Fort Myers, Florida 33965-6565 ‘An Affirmative Action Equal Opporcuniy Employer + A member ef the State University System of lcd ~ wePeer Teaching/Course Design Observation (2): January through February, 2015, conducted online over several sittings (1.5 hours total), ENC 1102, CRNs 11717 & 11718. Evaluation Criteria: Demonstration of Excellence From such observations and professional interactions with Ms. Bolduc-Simpson, the following items that illustrate her creativity and proficiency will be highlighted: 1) Innovation; 2) Learner- centered approach; 3) Ability to assist students, both in-and-out of the classroom; 4) Respect and concem for students; 5) Communication of ideas; 6) Articulation of course goals; 7) Encouragement of students’ participation and involvement. 1) Innovation: Ms. Bolduc-Simpson is one of the most innovative educators I know. In her face- to-face Fall 2014 Composition course, Ms. Boldue-Simpson crafted assignments, in-and-out of the classroom, which focused on learning concepts in new and interactive ways, For example, for extra credit, students prepared PhotoPeach reflections as a way to capture the week’s activities and lessons in a visual way and to look back on each week’s concepts as form of student-guided review. Since Composition I and I is a skills-based course and mostly consists of first-year students, Ms. Bolduc-Simpson recognized the importance of aiding students with navigating college in Composition I and had all students create a Mind Map of ways to thrive in college, and through brainstorming (a skill which is vital to writing) and honesty, Ms. Bolduc-Simpson taught students that reflecting, innovating, and practicing are areas to refine in all aspects of their academic careers. Additionally, in her online Composition II courses this semester, Ms. Boldue-Simpson holds a very innovative learning environment by offering interactive videos and interactive discussions to ensure distance-learning students are getting the concepts in a multitude of ways. Specifically, one concept that Ms. Bolduc-Simpson covers in an innovative way is evaluating websites using the C.R.A.A.P. test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose). For this lesson, students are to watch an interactive video, listen to a C.R.A.A.P. song, and participate in a discussion forum with a variety of interesting topics (road rage and Islamophobia, as some examples), all of which ensure the students are learning the concept in a multitude of ways. 2) Leamer-centered approach: Ms, Boldue-Simpson’s classes are nothing less than leamner- centered. In both my face-to-face and online observations, Ms. Bolduc-Simpson displays a teaching style that places the student at the forefront of the learning process. In the face-to-face observation of her Composition I class, where peer review was the purpose for the activity, Ms. Bolduc-Simpson stepped aside and let the students engage by having them first practice the skills of peer review in groups and then by had them engage in partner peer review, which is an effective and powerful technique when it comes to reviewing and synthesizing a peer’s work. Inher online Composition II courses this fall, Ms. Boldue-Simpson structures her courses in a Jeamner-centered approach by providing multiple discussion forums on Canvas, which allow students to reflect upon and demonstrate their learning in a multimodal format.3) Ability to assist students, both in-and-out of class: Ms. Bolduc Simpson, as an excellent educator in both the face-to-face and online learning environments, makes herself accessible to students, which is especially vital with first-year students. In her face-to-face Composition course, Ms. Boldue-Simpson held weekly student lunches in South Village, and in her current, online Composition II course, she is holding various “Meet and Greet” and “Paper Conference” sessions, either in South Village or in her office, to give distance-learning students a chance to ‘meet her and fellow students and get any questions about the course or assignments answered. She also has the Anything Else Café where students can post their questions, news, drafts of their participation assignments, announcements, photos, videos, etc. The purpose of this Café is to build a social and learning community. In the classroom, Ms. Bolduc-Simpson’s ability to assist students does not wane. In my peer evaluation of her in Fall 2014, she readily made herself available to students by responding to individual questions, working with teams to clarify confusion, and bringing the class together at various times to clarify or expand upon ideas. Without a doubt, Ms. Bolduc-Simpson makes her students her main priority and assists them to be successful, confident learners, 4) Respect and concem for students: To avoid being redundant with aforementioned Section Three above, I will only say that respect and concem for students and ability to assist students in and out of the classroom go hand-in-hand. For first-year students especially, they need to be helped and guided in a way that makes them feel unique in a sea of unfamiliarity. Ms. Bolduc- Simpson not only does this, but she does it well, all the while encouraging them and treating them as human beings in the process. 5) Communication of ideas: Because Ms. Boldue-Simpson uses Canvas extensively, ideas are not only presented in a face-to-face class (through clear leaming objectives and an agenda for the day) but also in the online leaming environment. Within the online-leamning context, course content is divided into weekly modules, then divided into easily navigable sections, entitled “Read,” “View and Interact,” and “Submit.” Additionally, under each week’s “Read” section, there is a week overview document, which provides the week’s guiding questions and learning goals. Additionally, Ms. Boldue-Simpson, both face-to-face and online, posts weekly announcements that offers reminders, feedback, and various other bits of information. 6) Articulation of course goals: Ms. Bolduc-Simpson’s use of Canvas (which is a crucial ‘component of both face-to-face and online learning) is how she explicitly states course goals. As mentioned above, Ms. Bolduc-Simpson has weekly modules, which are labeled according to the ‘week and dates, as well as the learning goal(s) for the week. As well, she further articulates these goals in each week's overview document, breaking the larger goal into smaller articulations of objectives for the week. 7) Encouragement of students’ participation and involvement: Because Ms. Bolduc-Simpson cteates an inclusive learning community, student involvement comes naturally. It is important to note, however, that this is no easy feat, especially because inclusivity is created by a conscious building of community within the classroom. And in an online-learning environment, this can be even more of a challenging goal to accomplish, but Ms. Bolduc-Simpson does it exceedingly well,In some of the ways mentioned above, Ms. Boldue-Simpson meets students where they are at: with music, videos, and online learning. In other ways, however, she far exceeds that and highlights students’ abilities in a multitude of ways. In what she calls “Eagle Writer of the Week,” Ms. Bolduc-Simpson highlights a different student or students, where interests, Canvas page views, early submission of assignments, outstanding writing, and other admirable actions are showcased on the course home page. As someone who strives very hard to build and ‘maintain community in the classroom and create an environment in which students feel heard and appreciated, I am awed and moved by the efforts Ms. Boldue-Simpson puts toward encouraging and involving her students. Asa fellow First Year Residential Experience (FYPRE) Fellow and Composition instructor, I cannot emphasize how well Ms. Sheila Boldue-Simpson both teaches and mentors students. Her devotion to students, teaching, and course design all contribute to her being a stellar professional in academe. Without a doubt, Ms. Bolduc-Simpson is a dedicated and passionate teacher—and I use the word “teacher” on purpose. I find it so important in skills-based courses to be such a thing: a teacher, one who steps aside and lets the students teach themselves through inquiry and application. Ms. Bolduc-Simpson is inspirational and reminds me to approach teaching in very similar ways. Ms. Sheila Boldue-Simpson has my very highest level of support in hopes of receiving the Senior Instructor Faculty Teaching Excellence Award. If you require any additional information about Ms. Bolduc-Simpson, please do not hesitate to a ‘me. Cf xt Julianna Griffin’ M.A. Instructor I, Department of Language & Literature