[https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://mcusercontent.com/2bf982422cf9fae883f983... ]<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cetll/ > The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Leadership Newsletter May 2026 In the Spotlight: Amy Wan (English) Pedagogies of Writing [Amy Wan.] Amy Wan This month, we interviewed Amy Wan, Special Assistant to the Provost on Writing and Professor of English, to discuss writing pedagogies related to generative AI, career-oriented and disciplinary writing assignments, and the challenges that QC students face when it comes to writing courses and assignments. CETLL: Can you tell us about your role as the Special Assistant to the Provost on Writing? Amy Wan: This position is divided into a few different parts. One deals with curriculum and thinking about how our different writing classes, first-year writing, English 110 classes, the College Writing 2 (CW2) classes, and the Writing Intensive classes, are all working together. The second is about faculty development and supporting faculty across campus in how they teach writing and support student writers. The third is administrative in the sense of thinking about writing policies, placement policies, and things that help students move through their writing sequences, or help faculty or departments propose classes working with the other writing elements on campus, like the Writing Center or places like CETLL, to help deliver the work that I do to its various constituencies. Please click here to read the full interview.<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://sway.cloud.microsoft/ecCSeI6cDHP0vTMn?re... > Here & Now Brightspace Advanced Training for Faculty — Spring 2026 This Spring, CETLL hosted a series of workshops covering advanced features in Brightspace<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cetll/brightspace-advanced-training-for-faculty/ >. The sessions focused on Brightspace topics such as Gradebook, Assignments + Turnitin, Quizzes + Question Pools, Discussions, Accessibility + Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and Engagement + Communication. Please join us for our final session “Ask Me Anything,” on Thursday, May 7, 2:00 p.m - 4:00 p.m. on Zoom. The CETLL team will be available to answer any questions you have about Brightspace! Click Here to Register<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/NbJSWwMuv0__;!!E... > For assistance with Brightspace, email Brightspace@qc.cuny.edu<mailto:Brightspace@qc.cuny.edu?subject=&body=> or join CETLL’s Virtual Drop-In Hours, every Tuesday and Wednesday, from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Zoom<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://bit.ly/QCxCETLL__Zoom__;!!E8lrGBvW!udSIU... >. [Illustration of person in front of computer screen.] Faculty Resources Promotion to Full Professor: information for faculty Introducing a new resource from CETLL: Promotion to Full Professor: information for faculty<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cetll/promotion-to-full-professor/ > On February 11, 2026, CETLL and the Provost’s Office hosted a panel discussion about guidance for faculty who are interested in applying for promotion to full professor. The goals of the discussion were to review the promotion process, discuss expectations and evaluation criteria, and identify best practices for documenting scholarly impact, teaching excellence, and service contributions to build a strong and compelling case. The panel discussion and the open Q+A that followed emphasized the following points: * The rank of Full Professor reflects sustained leadership and impact across research, teaching, and service. Successful candidates demonstrate continued growth beyond tenure through an evolving scholarly trajectory, effective teaching and mentorship, and meaningful service contributions at multiple levels. * Faculty are encouraged to begin planning early—well before they feel ready—by consulting mentors and chairs, as expectations vary by field and there is no fixed timeline. * The process typically takes over a year and centers on a comprehensive portfolio, including a CV, a concise personal statement, and strong letters from external reviewers, which are critical to evaluation. * Clear, accessible documentation of impact is essential, along with careful preparation of materials and alignment between the CV and statement. * Mentorship and institutional resources can support the process. Candidates may reapply if their application is not successful. This informational document<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cetll/promotion-to-full-professor/ > condenses the panelists’ remarks. We invite you to read the full document<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cetll/promotion-to-full-professor/ > to have the benefit of panelists’ insights, and to share this information widely with your faculty colleagues. This document is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.... >. [Preparing for Promotion to Full Professor Panelists, pictured from left to right: Emilia Lopez, Ashima Kant, Kate Pechenkina, Maria DeLongoria, Michael Nelson, and Larissa Swedell.] Preparing for Promotion to Full Professor Panelists, pictured from left to right: Emilia Lopez (Professor, School Psychology), Ashima Kant (Professor and Chair, Department of Family, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences), Kate Pechenkina (Professor, Anthropology; Dean of Faculty Social Sciences), Maria DeLongoria (Associate Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs and Graduate Studies), Michael Nelson (Associate Professor and Department Chair, Art History), and Larissa Swedell (Professor and Department Chair, Anthropology) Course Content Accessibility Support for Faculty [Rosenthal Library's clock tower.] In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued new ADA Title II regulations requiring public universities to ensure that actively used digital content is accessible. These regulations apply directly to course materials such as websites, documents, videos, media, and other web-based instructional resources housed in Brightspace and otherwise used in teaching. Please be advised that the deadline for compliance with the federal website and services accessibility requirement is being extended to April 26, 2027. At CETLL<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cetll/ >, we recognize that accessibility is not simply a compliance requirement—it is part of a commitment to inclusive pedagogy. Ensuring that course content is accessible enhances student success, improves the usability of online materials, and supports learners with a wide variety of needs, regardless of disability or assistive technology use. Go to CETLL’s website for more information on digital accessibility<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cetll/accessibility/ >. We recommend you conduct a review of your syllabi, announcements, presentation slides, and required readings, videos, and other materials in your course to identify what revisions are needed. QC instructors can use the Ally Accessibility Tool to help assess and remediate accessibility issues in Brightspace. Make use of our new guide, Make Your Course Content Accessible<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cetll/make-your-course-content-accessible/ >. Come to CETLL’s (expanded) virtual Drop-In Hours on Fridays from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., beginning March 13 for 1:1 support. We will continue to hold Drop-In Hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. You’re welcome to bring your materials to DIH to work in real time in the Zoom room. No appointments are needed—you can simply drop into the Zoom by clicking on this link: CETLL Virtual Drop-In Hours<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://bit.ly/QCxCETLL__Zoom__;!!E8lrGBvW!udSIU... > You can email us anytime at CTLOnline@qc.cuny.edu<mailto:CTLOnline@qc.cuny.edu?subject=&body=> with questions, requests, and/or to set up an appointment with a member of our Instructional Technology team. End of the Semester Checklist [An illustration of a checklist written on a sheet of looseleaf paper.] With the end of the semester approaching, CETLL has prepared a checklist of tasks that you may want to take care of over the next few weeks, including resolving incomplete grades, reserving course materials for next semester, and submitting grades. For more suggestions for wrapping up the semester, visit the End of the Semester Checklist<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cetll/end-of-semester-checklist/ >. In Case You Missed It… Teaching & Learning Showcase [A collage of photos taken of panelists and faculty members from CETLL's Spring 2026 Teaching & Learning Showcase.] On April 17, 2026, CETLL hosted the Spring 2026 Teaching & Learning Showcase: Assignments That Build Student Skills in the Age of Generative AI. The half-day event featured guest speaker Dr. Gina Rae Foster (Teaching and Learning Center Director, John Jay College of Criminal Justice), who discussed the publication Flipping the Pyramid: Developing Critical Thinking Skills with GenAI<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://pressbooks.cuny.edu/flippingbloomai/__;!... >. The showcase also featured a faculty panel: Assignments in Progress and the Evolution of Learning. Panelists included Dr. Sebastian Alvarado (Assistant Professor, Biology, Queens College, CUNY), Dr. Spring Cooper (Associate Professor, Department Chairperson, Community Health and Social Sciences, School of Public Health, CUNY), Dr. VĂctor Torres-VĂ©lez (Associate Professor, Latin and Caribbean-American Studies, Hostos Community College, CUNY), and Dr. Holly Weisberg (Lecturer, Psychology, Queens College, CUNY). Participants were given hands-on worktime to develop or revise an assignment. Visit the CETLL website to view the full Showcase program<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cetll/spring-2026-teaching-and-learning-showcase/ >. We will be sharing the video recordings of the Showcase presentations and additional resources in the near future. Stay tuned! Pedagogy Pop-Ups [An illustration of a chalkboard that reads "Pedagogy Pop-Ups".] Last year, CETLL started the Pedagogy Pop-Ups<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cetll/pedagogy-pop-ups/ > series to create a space for faculty to engage in peer-based discussion about teaching and learning at Queens College. The series features innovative and engaging presentations by QC faculty showcasing their work. In February, Susan Davis (Music) presented Career Competencies in our Courses and discussed different ways to encourage career readiness through group work, class discussions, presentations, writing assignments, and more. At the April pop-up, Jorge Alves (Political Science & Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS)) discussed Global Development Theories at Your Doorstep, coursework developed to support students to critically reflect on how global ideas are present in their communities broadly construed, but also physically in the neighborhoods/enclaves in which they live in. Our final pop-up of the year in May featured Johnathan Thayer (QC School of Information Studies). This presentation, “Local History and Community Memory in Queens College Classrooms” focused on place-based learning through local community history curricula and the development of a local community memory program for Queens College graduate students. We invite QC faculty members to bring their ideas to the table for presentation and discussion. If you are interested in presenting at or facilitating a future pedagogy pop-up, please fill out this short form<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://forms.office.com/r/VxmcfAp0wT__;!!E8lrGB... >. CETLL is located in Kiely 111 Phone: (718) 997-4650 Email: CTLOnline@qc.cuny.edu - If you are experiencing issues with Brightspace, please visit our drop-in hours on Zoom<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://bit.ly/QCxCETLL__Zoom__;!!E8lrGBvW!udSIU... >: Tuesdays, 2pm - 4pm Wednesdays, 2pm - 4pm - For future newsletters and other CETLL updates, subscribe to our mailing list: Socrates<https://lists.qc.cuny.edu/mailman3/lists/socrates.lists.qc.cuny.edu/ > - View email in browser<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://mailchi.mp/17ffc7de7c2b/may-2026-cetll-s... > [https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://mcusercontent.com/2bf982422cf9fae883f983... ]