Faculty Professional Development Newsletter

May 2025

Professional Development Opportunities 

CTOL Calendar of Events 

SBCTC statewide calendar of events 

SBCTC How to Use Open Education Resources (OER 101) Online 5/5 - 5/19 

Monthly Highlight – Alternative grading (AKA ungrading) 

Ungrading, contract grading, labor-based grading, there are a lot of different names and techniques for alternative grading. I went on a deep dive into alternative grading with some AI and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as well during my winter 25 quarter. I have talked to several people interested in my journey, and I would like to share some of the experiences I had, lessons I learned, and data I gathered.  

First off, if you are unfamiliar with alternative grading, I recommend you read these articles by leaders in ungrading, contract grading and alternative grading techniques:  

Here is a report I created about my Adventures in Ungrading that has areas about how I prepared the class content and syllabus, introduced the structure to students, navigated the challenges that came up, and feedback I got from the students throughout the class. A the end I reflect on what I would change and what went well. Please note you will need to log into your SPSCC Office 365 account because I am sharing student feedback, and you must be logged into your SPSCC account to access.  

SPSCC Diversity Events  

Lunch and Learn 

Uncomfortable Conversations 

Voices of Social Justice 


Professional Development Opportunities 

Monthly Highlight – Pressbooks 

Pressbooks is simple book production and content management system software based on WordPress technology. You can find and publish OER (Open Educational Resources) textbooks, online media collections, scholarly articles, syllabi, fiction and non-fiction books, white papers, and more in multiple formats. Books designed in Pressbooks also have integration with H5P activities, can be imported into Canvas, and can be customized to serve your own courses. As such, they can be a robust alternative to expensive textbooks. Check out some great information on getting started with Pressbooks. 

More OER resources are at Open Washington. Find a large collection of OER classes, books, images, simulations, and video and audio clips. If you want help with OER, reach out to Ryer Banta our OER Librarian. 

AI in Teaching and Learning 

From e-Learning Council and from SBCTC colleges: 

SBCTC Resources 

English 101 Redesign and beyond 

Anti-racist writing assessments are a way to ensure students in English 101 courses are taught and assessed without negative racial bias.  

Promising Practices webinar: Supporting Neurodiverse Learners! 

Monday, April 28th from 11 am – 12 pm (online) 

Monica Olsson (SBCTC) and Sara Gardner, director of the Neurodiversity Navigators program at Bellevue College, will share efforts to support neurodiverse learners.