WPCC Center for Teaching and Learning

In addition to providing faculty and staff professional development and LMS support, the Center for Teaching and Learning also provides curriculum and instructional design services. This summer, the CTL has been working on the following projects:

Redesign and updating WPCC's new student "Orientation to Online Learning and Moodle" online course.
Redesigning and updating WPCC's "5 Low Hanging Fruits of Accessibility" online course for new and returning faculty.
Designing new courses in "Classroom Administrative Management" and "Introduction to Moodle" for new and returning faculty.
Working with a faculty member to integrate web conferencing tools in her online class.
Helping an instructor convert a seated course to an online course.
Improving appearance and accessibility in an online course.
Collaborating with Academic Affairs, Compliance and Quality, to improve our Adjunct Faculty Orientation.

The CTL is here to help and support students, faculty, and staff in their in-person and online course experiences!

Facebook followers, do you recognize any of the books that the CTL has been using in curriculum and instructional design?

We're excited to announce a stronger partnership with NC State Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research. WPCC will be serving as one of the two co-host colleges, along with Isothermal CC, for the West Teaching and Learning Hub. Our CTL Director, Dr. John Kiser, will also be serving as a co-director of the West Hub, alongside Karen Taylor from Isothermal.

Last week, John completed co-director orientation with the Belk Center. Starting this summer, John will be working with other CTL Directors and Professional Learning Leaders at community colleges west of Interstate 77 and statewide to develop faculty-driven and research based professional development focused on faculty and student success.

For more information about the Teaching and Learning Hubs, check out the link below.

https://belk-center.ced.ncsu.edu/leadership-and-learning/teaching-and-learning-hubs/

And while it may seem like a quiet week with most faculty and students on a well-deserved break, the CTL has been active behind the scenes. Check back next with for some projects we've been working on during the summer.

Teaching and Learning Hubs We distill knowledge into actionable insights, create meaningful opportunities for collaboration, and equip leaders to tackle pressing issues in higher education.

Another road trip for the CTL! Last week, we were in Mount Airy, NC, at the beautiful Cross Creek Country Club for the annual NCCCS Virtual Learning Community Summit. Director Dr. John Kiser and Digital Learning Specialist Debbie Pennington attended the summit. The summit agenda consisted of 3 days of learning about academic branding, online course development tools, AI applications, online test integrity and security, digital accessibility and compliance, online resources to identify and help at-risk students, online course quality metrics, legal and policy issues related to out-of-state online students, and the basics of Canvas LMS.

The fun doesn't stop - check back next week for an exciting partnership with the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research.

What has the CTL been up to lately? Our Director, Dr. John Kiser, served on the planning team for the North Carolina Community College Chemistry Consortium (NC5) meeting held recently in Fayetteville NC. John also served as a presenter about "Challenge Labs" in General Chemistry 1 and 2 and as a facilitator for discussions about chemistry courses in an 8-week format.

More information about another exciting conference is coming up soon!

WPCC’s summer semester is off to a strong start! ☀️ With nearly 100 curriculum courses, 700+ students, and 50 dedicated full-time and adjunct faculty, it’s shaping up to be a busy and exciting season. The Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) team is here to support it all—through Moodle, educational technology, and beyond!

So what’s on the CTL agenda this summer?
🔹 Updating the Advisor Training Course.
🔹 Enhancing our adjunct faculty fall orientation.
🔹 Planning fall professional development aligned with college initiatives like NC Reconnect and our Strategic Plan.
🔹 Attending statewide conferences on online teaching and learning.
🔹 Coaching faculty to strengthen online course design.
🔹 Exploring new tech to support academic integrity and navigate AI challenges.
🔹 Improving data tools to better identify and support students.
🔹 Strengthening statewide partnerships with the Belk Center for Community College Teaching and Research.
🔹 Saving the biggest for last —planning for the upcoming Canvas transition!

Wishing everyone a fun, productive, and successful summer!

✨ As the spring semester comes to a close, the Center for Teaching and Learning is excited to wrap up with one final project. This semester, the CTL partnered with WPCC’s QEP Director and Dean of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Ann Marie Radaskiewicz, to offer an Advisor Training Course for new faculty and staff who serve as student advisors.

🎓 This course provides a strong foundation in the concepts, information, resources, and relationship skills needed for effective advising at WPCC. Participants engaged in campus tours, technology training, selected readings and videos, case studies, mentoring sessions, shadowing, and other hands on activities.

✅ We are pleased to announce this semester’s course completers:
• Anna Allman, Horticulture Coordinator/Instructor
• Jenny Beck, Director of Advising and Enrollment Management
• Mikayla Johnson, EMS Programs Coordinator/Instructor
• Sarah Morgan Bunton, Dental Programs Coordinator/Instructor
• Sarah Ledford, Nursing Instructor
• Karli Lilley, Psychology Instructor
• Craig McGee, Mechatronics Instructor
• Kiersten Proctor, Student Success Advisor
• Kyndal Propst, Student Success Advisor
• Hal Robinson, Welding Instructor
• Luke Setzer, Student Success Advisor

🌟 We also extend our sincere appreciation to the following advisors who served as mentors for the course:
• Dr. April James, Medical Lab Technology Coordinator/Instructor
• Dr. John Kiser, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning
• Jordan Lowe, Student Success Advisor
• Dr. Ann Marie Radaskiewicz, QEP Director and Dean of Arts and Sciences
• Michael Spath, Life Science Coordinator / Biology Instructor
• Katharine Wright, Health Sciences Department Head / Recreational Therapy Assistant Instructor

👏 We are proud of the hard work shown by both our completers and mentors and are excited about the role these advisors will play in shaping student success at WPCC.

The Center for Teaching and Learning recently hosted a Lunch and Learn focused on Helping Students Thrive: Campus Support Services. The goal of the Lunch and Learn was to connect WPCC faculty with the many campus resources available to support student success. These connections support WPCC’s continuing work on our Quality Enhancement Plan and Title III grant and our upcoming NC Reconnect initiative.
We were glad to hear from:

Deanna Keller, Director of Accessibility Services, who shared how students access academic accommodations and accessibility resources
Nick Evitt, TRIO Director, who highlighted the TRIO program and support for first-generation students
Kiersten Proctor, Student Success Advisor, who introduced TimelyCare, Single-Stop (food and housing security), counseling, and community resources
Star Baughman, Director of the Library & Academic Success Center, who covered library, tutoring, and testing services
Lisa Shaw, Director of Career Services & Experiential Learning, who discussed resume and interview coaching, career counseling, and employment connections.
Dr. John Kiser, Director of Center for Teaching and Learning, who emphasized the importance of connecting students with campus resources and reminded faculty on how to use technology tools to keep students and their support team connected.

We’re grateful for these campus partners who are making a real difference for our students and we’re appreciative of them taking the time to share what they do with faculty and staff!

After a short hiatus with A/B term transitions and Spring Break, the Center for Teaching and Learning is back in full swing as we head toward the end of the semester!

We’re excited to welcome Deb Pennington, who joined us in early April as our new Digital Learning Specialist. Deb will support and administer our digital learning technologies, including our Learning Management System. She brings extensive LMS experience from the University of the Virgin Islands and City of Hope / Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and we’re thrilled to have her on WPCC’s team.

On Wednesday, April 15, we hosted a great session on QEP and Advising Updates. Dr. Ann Marie Radaskiewicz, QEP Director, shared progress and student success data; Jenny Beck, Director of Advising and Enrollment Management, highlighted updates to WPCC’s advising model and QEP success stories; and Leigh Ann Angle, Title III Project Director, offered helpful tips for using Aviso to keep advisors, students, and instructors connected.

We wrapped up the week on Friday, April 17, with a trip to Chapel Hill for the Carolinas Canvas Connect Conference. The conference gave us deeper insight into WPCC’s new LMS, Canvas (Starting in Summer 2027), along with valuable sessions on AI in course design, online teaching trends, and practical Canvas tools to support teaching and learning.

Stay tuned—there are a few more great things ahead as we finish out the spring semester!