As we step into a new calendar year, those of us in academic life feel time in stereo. The world flips the page to January, while we remain midstream in our academic cycle. The teaching, advising, and planning continue as the steady rhythms of campus life move us continuously towards mid-May. The three-and-a-half-week arcs of our beloved academic plan add an additional layer, with each block and each class within a given block carrying its own contours of time. No two are the same, yet we continually arrive at a collective cadence before starting up the next one. Across those shifting rhythms, we keep time together.

Whatever groove you are feeling here at the outset of Block 5, the Crown Center is here to offer support that meets you where you are: practical resources you can use right away, spaces to think alongside colleagues, and opportunities to refine what is working and where things might become stronger. In that spirit, this newsletter shares additional timely Crown offerings to help you enter Block 5 with clarity, care, and a sense of forward motion.

Best wishes for the semester ahead!

Sincerely,
Ryan Raul Bañagale
Director, Crown Center for Teaching

First Year Program (FYP) Workshop: Working with First-Year Writers

Thursday, Jan. 22, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Fuller Event Space
RSVP here
Writing Center peer tutors will share insights into the cool, exciting writing projects students work on in the FYP.  Please post your questions for your tutors—all posts are anonymous.

Crown Center Lunch Workshop: Alternative Assessment Strategies by Liliana Carrizo and Dhanesh Krishnarao 

Tuesday, Jan. 27, 12:15-1:30 p.m.
Tutt Library 105
RSVP here
Alternative grading processes, such as ungrading or contract grading, are becoming increasingly common because they offer students greater agency over their learning evaluations. However, the learning curve to apply these techniques effectively can be steep. This session addresses the advantages and feasibility of different assessment practices.

Crown Center Lunch Workshop: Writing Letters of Recommendation by Eryn Murphy, on behalf of the Health Professions Advising Committee (HPA)

Friday, Jan. 30, 12:15-1:30 p.m.
Tutt Library 105
RSVP here
This workshop focuses on writing effective letters of recommendation for students pursuing graduate and professional opportunities, including but not limited to the health professions. During this session we will discuss strategies to strengthen our recommendations and reduce the workload of letter writing (without using AI). The goal is to support faculty in crafting letters that are both impactful and honest, ensuring our students receive the best possible advocacy in their application process.

Creativity & Innovation Afternoon Workshop: Ten Questions by Jessica Hunter

Thursday, Feb. 5, 2-3:30 p.m.
Honnen Arts 101
RSVP here
This problem-finding activity is designed to help us think through messy, ill-defined problems where the parameters aren’t clearly specified, and the goal isn’t clear. The Ten Questions exercise asks participants to practice using divergent and convergent thinking to generate multiple questions surrounding their problem, then choose the question that best fits what they want to explore.

Career Catalyst Block Info Sessions
Want a more transparent window into CC’s Career Catalyst Blocks (CCB) and a voice in shaping what comes next? Join the Crown Center to hear brief snapshots from recent Blocks, learn what’s on the horizon, and help inform future CCB development for 2026–27 and beyond. Bring your questions, feedback, and ideas as we continue to refine and expand the program.  
Please RSVP for one of two sessions available in Block 5:

Team Instructional Coaching Program

The Crown Center for Teaching invites departments, programs, and small groups of like-minded colleagues to apply for the Team Instructional Coaching Program. The Team IC Program will work with one interested group in the spring semester and then schedule other groups for future semesters.

Dr. Natalie Gosnell, Chair of the Department of Physics, attests that the Team IC Program “has been an enormous benefit to Physics. We received thoughtful feedback on our teaching practices across the department, helping us all meaningfully reflect on how best to implement inclusive pedagogy in the classroom. The student survey and focus group responses have been invaluable in helping focus our efforts to make the greatest impact.”

The Team Instructional Coaching Program is flexible, depending on your goals, needs, and/or shared problems of practice, and can include:

Interested? Please contact Instructional Coaching Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor Tina Valtierra by Thursday, Jan. 29 at kvaltierra@coloradocollege.edu for more information.

Art and Wellness Research Study

This semester, the Colorado Resiliency Arts Lab (CORAL) will be offering Creative Arts Therapy sessions in tandem with the CC Arts and Crafts for Wellness program. Designed to help faculty and staff connect, explore, and reduce stress, the study is open to full-time faculty and staff. Space is limited. Read for more information and to sign up.

CE: PEAK (Publicly Engaged Actionable Knowledge) Project 

Connect to a community partner to co-create community-engaged classroom projects for a summer 2026 course through the PEAK Project (Publicly Engaged Actionable Knowledge). Submit an Educator Interest Form by the end of Block 5 (Sunday, Feb. 15).  

Upcoming in Block 6:

Save the Date: Media Relations Program Info Lunch
Thursday, Feb. 19 at 12:15 p.m.
Location TBD
RSVP here
Ready to bring your scholarship into the public conversation—on air, in print, and beyond? Join us for a Crown Center-hosted lunch as we partner with the Office of Communications & Marketing to share an exciting opportunity for faculty to showcase the impactful work done here at CC. The Media Relations Program enhances CC’s visibility, reputation, and influence through strategic, proactive media engagement that raises awareness of our faculty experts and builds affinity and value for CC. During this session, we’ll explore the ways we will embark on this exciting endeavor.

14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903