New Faculty Seminar

New Faculty Seminar is a community of practice that provides faculty newly appointed to lecturer and tenure-track roles support and connection. This is especially helpful as people adjust to a new campus or to new types of evaluation such as tenure review. All content will be linked to the criteria for teaching and tenure evaluation at Highline College. The majority of time will be dedicated to meeting the immediate needs of the participants.

90 minute meetings weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 of each quarter that can include:

• Discussions about what you’re seeing in your classes

• Short presentations or resources sharing related to the content/theme of the session

• Activities: short self-reflection writing activities, peer input, guest speakers, visits to departments/programs on campus

2026 Fall Quarter Schedule:

Fall quarter meetings will be on Fridays from 11:00am - 12:30pm in the Faculty Center (9-109) 

October 9 (in-person) — Becoming a Liberated Educator at Highline: Identity, Students, and Teaching Practice

• Reflect on your educator identity and how your values shape students’ learning experiences. We’ll connect these ideas to practical ways of modeling skills, writing the syllabus, supporting students, and maintaining academic rigor.

October 23 (zoom) — What’s Culture Got to Do With It? Practicing Cultural Responsiveness

• Explore how culture shapes classroom expectations and practice culturally responsive teaching. We’ll also be visited by guest speakers to share campus programs and resources that work to meet the needs of our diverse students.

November 6 (in-person) — Making Teaching Visible: Teaching Values, Class Observations, and Reflective Practice

• Discuss teaching values, workload, and how to document what students (and you) are learning. A faculty guest will share their experience with classroom observations and reflective writing, and you’ll begin describing one of your own teaching practices.

November 20 (zoom) —The Path to WITH: Energy, Power, and Possibility

• Explore how power and culture show up in assessment, including questions raised by student use of AI. We’ll discuss practical approaches to grading and providing substantive feedback, while reflecting on what sustains your teaching at the end of the quarter.

Facilitator Information:

Samora Covington, Psychology faculty, scovington@highline.edu