TLC Newsletters 2013 by Christa Crawford

Cedar Valley College

January 2013 Volume 79

Teaching Learning Center Adapting PowerPoint Lectures for Online Delivery Best practices for converting a PowerPoint presentation for online delivery: Break long lectures into five minute (or so) chunks. Studies show that online students won’t sit through hour-long lectures—so don’t create them. Instead, create a handful of smaller lecture “chunks,” each of which defines and elaborates a main concept. Chunking lectures in this way also makes it possible for online students to customize their learning by reviewing—and re-reviewing—only those concepts they’re having trouble grasping. Write a script for each concept. Speaking off-the-cuff may work in a classroom, but it doesn’t online. Scripting forces you to organize the presentation of your material—to make sure you don’t leave anything out or throw in anything extra. It also gives you time to think about the most effective approach to convey material in the highly visual online environment. If you decide not to write a script beforehand, be prepared to spend the same amount of time you would have spent on the script in the recording studio instead, recording and re-recording your lecture chunks (in effect, scripting your recordings during the recording process instead of beforehand.) There really is no way around the scripting step in the production of effective content optimized for online delivery; it’s “pay me now or pay me later.” Rework your PowerPoint slides to act as a storyboard for your script. Your PowerPoint slides should contain mostly visuals; you’ll need to reduce text to a few words per screen at most. Animations (recorded PowerPoints) are good at conveying visual information; they aren’t good at conveying text information. Any text that appears on the screen should be the “take aways” or critical notes you would expect students to take, not simply explanations or nice-to-have details. Time any text or images that appear on your PowerPoint slides to display at the same time that you, the narrator, speak the text or discuss the image. Studies show that presenting text causes students to try to read it—which means they’re missing whatever the narrator happens to be saying at the same time. Learning theory also suggests that displaying images and talking about them later isn’t as effective as introducing the images at the very time you begin speaking about them. For some PowerPoint design examples, both good and bad, go here Taken in part from Adapting PowerPoint Lectures for Online Delivery: Best Practices, Emily A. Moore, Faculty Focus

SCRIPTING LECTURES FOR POWERPOINT: It is important to have a script for lectures prior to narrating and recording in PowerPoint. All information should be: 

As concise as possible

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Organized logically

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Relevant to the key concepts

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Rich with stories and/or personal examples

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Primarily visual—little text

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Broken down into chunks—separate 2-7 min recordings covering single concepts.

SUDOKU Fill in the missing numbers so every row, column and quadrant contains the numbers 1 through 9.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. â&#x20AC;&#x153; - Mohandas Gandhi CEDAR VALLEY COLLEGE Teaching Learning Center Room A206A 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134

Phone: 972-860-8083 Hours: M-TR 8:30-7:00 F 8:30 - 5:00 Director: Tim Xeriland Phone: 972-860-8239 email: txeriland@dcccd.edu Instructional Specialist: Timothy Sonnier Phone: 972-860-8031 email: tsonnier@dcccd.edu Instructional Assistant: Christa Crawford Phone: 972-860-8083 email: ckcrawford@dcccd.edu Educational Assistant: Tamma Cannone Phone: 972-860-8083 email: tcannone@dcccd.edu

VISIT THE TLC BLOG! teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

Organizing Your Workspace for a New Year The start of a new year is as good a time as any to get organized. Organizing your workspace can reduce stress and increase productivity. Taking a few simple steps towards organizing your workspace can really help in a time crunch. Monitor Placement: Placing your computer monitor directly in front of you can help to discourage people from interrupting your work. Desk Placement: Positioning your desk so that you can see someone is approaching. Spare Chairs: Avoid spare chairs around your desk to minimize distractions. Important Papers within Reach: Keep important papers or equipment within reach. Your phone, computer, filing cabinet, and printer should be within reach if you use the frequently. Calendar and Clock: A large wall calendar that can be written on with dry erase markers and can easily be seen from your desk can help keep deadlines and appointments in order. File Folders: Keep a clean and organized computer desktop by clearly labeling file folders with logical names for faster recall. Try creating folders labeled To Do, Later, and Archive. All paperwork which must be accomplished urgently goes in the To Do folder. Items which can wait until later in the Later folder and all completed projects or items in the Archive folder. You may wish to add sub-folders within your To Do and Later folders to further organize your space. This simple method can save a good deal of time and energy when it comes to finding what you are looking for. Old Materials: Regularly review your desk and computer files discarding or creating a backup of old or unnecessary documents.

Cedar Valley College

February 2013 Volume 80

Teaching Learning Center ‘One Thing’ Roundtable Discussion Tim Xeriland led a roundtable discussion in the TLC which focused on the ‘one thing’ that has made all the difference. Participants were asked to share the one thing that has impacted their lives in a positive way. Here are the life-changing ideas that were brought to the table:

Learn to listen – Share with colleagues and listen to what they’re doing in their classes. It’s easy to get in a rut and think you have it all figured out. Others can have a great deal of insight and breathe new life into your regular teaching routine. A salad a day – Choose one day and prepare seven salads for the next week. Each salad should have greens like spinach, kale, or romaine and a rainbow of other ingredients including mushrooms, beans, nuts, seeds, onions, carrots, etc… Go light on the dressing. Give yourself a full week; you will see a big difference in the way you feel.

WHY USE THE TEACHING ANALYSIS POLE?:

Get a hobby – A hobby can help you take a step back and gain perspective. You will feel refreshed and avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed or consumed by your job.



The Teaching Analysis Pole (TAP) offers feedback from students.

Groupwise Rules – Use the ‘Rules’ tool in Groupwise to automatically sort your incoming e-mail into more manageable chunks. It’s easy to miss important emails when we receive so many. This simple method of sorting will help you keep track of the ones you really don’t want to miss.

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Quickly obtain an analysis of your teaching.

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Discover how students are responding to your teaching.

Be flexible – Learn to go with the flow. Each class has its own unique personality and should be approached differently. Being flexible will help you adapt to changes more easily.

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The TLC staff will come to your class and pole your students directly.

Control – Letting go of the need to control every aspect of the classroom and our lives can be very liberating, being too controlling affects not only you but everyone around you.

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Fastest, easiest way to identify your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher.

Quizlet – A great resource for students to create flash-cards and quizzes to study.

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It only takes about 10-15 minutes!

Look for role models – Find others you admire and learn from them. Students can offer a multitude of learning experiences for teachers too!

For more information please visit the TLC Blog or contact the TLC directly for information or to set up an appointment for a TAP.

With its planning phase funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation under the former initiative Texas Completion by Design, the Dallas County Community College District Texas Completes team identified key District policies and procedures that would promote By Dr. Tommy Thompson student success and completion of certificates and degrees. Rather than create new committees, the team partnered with existing groups that are implementing broad-based systemic change efforts to dramatically improve student success and completion. The following is a status report on action items as of Fall 2012. Core Curriculum Development: Reduce core curriculum to 42 hours to meet state requirements, involving DCCCD curriculum and discipline committees in making final recommendations.

“When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts. “ - Dalai Lama CEDAR VALLEY COLLEGE Teaching Learning Center Room A206A 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134

VISIT THE TLC BLOG! teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

Advising & Faculty Professional Development: Develop new advising model, incorporating new methodology, technology and faculty advising; provide training for advisors and faculty. Program of Study Guidance: Provide guidance to program of study selection. Reinforce program of study through curriculum and provide clear pathways to completion. Automatic Graduation and Reverse Transfer: Develop process for alerting students with 30+ credit hours on status toward certificate or degree completion and offer a more streamlined, automatic graduation and reverse transfer process. Reverse Transfer Process: The HB 3025 committee, chaired by Nancy Faris and Jamie Templeton, determined that the best way to make this happen was to start using Standardization of Postsecondary Education Electronic Data Exchange (SPEEDE) to receive transcripts. New Graduation Requirements Effective Spring, 2013: Students should apply for graduation prior to the term in which they intend to graduate. Each college may graduate current and former students who have met graduation requirements with or without the student’s permission. Technology Applications for Advising and Graduation: Develop new technology applications and programming to improve advising and increase automation of graduation process. DCCCD District IT will utilize a combination of technologies to further the goals of Texas Completes: Colleague’s Degree Audit module Zogotech’s Estudias student tracking system will be used to augment the Colleague student information system Colleague’s Campus Portal product will be implemented to provide a unified, single signon web interface to a wide range of information and services. Colleague’s SelfService Student Plan module will be considered for implementation to provide a set of web-based tools for student management of their academic program as well as eAdvising services.

Cedar Valley College

March 2013 Volume 81

Teaching Learning Center Using the Rubrics in eCampus Rubrics are now available in eCampus and can be enormously helpful for both instructors and students. Professors are able to clearly detail what is expected for a particular assignment. Students are able to see exactly where and why points were deducted and/or granted. These rubrics provide a simple and user friendly way to communicate grades and feedback to students. Here’s how to get started: 1. 2.

4. 5.

Control Panel -> Course Tools -> Rubrics -> Create Rubric Give your Rubric a name like “Essay 1” for example. a. Add a description of the rubric. b. Select the type of rubric: percent, points, point range, etc… c. Determine how many points your assignment will be worth, the basic criteria, and the levels of achievement. d. Fill in the boxes with details pertaining to each criteria and achievement level, (e.g. A description of what level of work will earn each point value for a given criteria). e. Note: The names for each criteria and level of achievement can be changed by clicking the double down arrows next to each area you wish to alter. Also, rows and columns can be added by clicking the appropriate button. Once you have your rubric the way you like it, hit submit. To associate the rubric you created to a given assignment, click Assessments -> Assignment to create a new assignment or simply edit existing assignment. a. In the Grading area -> Select Rubric to attach a Rubric to the assignment. b. If you wish to make this content visible to students, Show Rubric to Students -> Yes -> Submit once you have finished. Students will now be able to see the rubric and once the assignment is graded. If you choose to enter feedback on the rubric when grading, they will be able to see your feedback as well.

A template is a great way to try out the Rubric feature. Keep in mind the TLC staff is also available if you have any further questions.

YOUR COLLEAGUES CAN MAKE YOUR CLASS BETTER: 

Observe each other teach

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Talk with students from your colleague’s class

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Review a test from your colleague's course

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Complete a set of readings or homework problems

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Read a book about teaching

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Review and discuss student evaluations of each other’s classes

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Be professional

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Draw up a plan for improvement

VANGUARD ONLINE The TLC has opened registration for a new installment of Vanguard Online to be conducted April 1-5th! The faculty and staff of Brookhaven College will be joining us this semester! If you’re interested in brushing up on your eCampus skills or are thinking of teaching your first online course then Vanguard is for you. Vanguard Online is conducted entirely online, designed to help you understand the basics of eCampus and how to facilitate a dynamic, successful online course. Once you earn your Vanguard Certificate you will be eligible to participate in Vanguard², a face-to-face course providing you with one-on-one assistance to update and streamline your own online course. If you’re interested in making your online course the best it can be, sign up today - even if you’ve participated in the past you’re welcome to enroll again. Contact Tim Xeriland to enroll or for more information: txeriland@dcccd.edu ext. 8239

“We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why.” ― Stephen King CEDAR VALLEY COLLEGE Teaching Learning Center Room A206A 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134

By Dr. Tommy Thompson

As part of the 16 week Texas Completes Initiative to promote student success and retention, all faculty are encouraged to use these tips in weeks 7, 8 and 9. This will facilitate that students are hearing the same message from all faculty.

Ideas for Weeks 7, 8 and 9: Phone: 972-860-8083 Hours: M-TR 8:30-7:00 F 8:30 - 5:00 Director: Tim Xeriland Phone: 972-860-8239 email: txeriland@dcccd.edu

Week 7

Instructional Specialist: Timothy Sonnier Phone: 972-860-8031 email: tsonnier@dcccd.edu Instructional Assistant: Christa Crawford Phone: 972-860-8083 email: ckcrawford@dcccd.edu Educational Assistant: Tamma Cannone Phone: 972-860-8083 email: tcannone@dcccd.edu

Week 8

Ask for feedback on how students are using the college and course resources.

Ask students for feedback on which resources seem to be working the best.

Ask students to review their short term and long term goals for the course and have them review their academic plan.

Provide a progress report and encourage students to visit your office, Tutoring Center, or other support services.

Provide positive feedback on how students can improve or how students can keep performing at a high level.

If you do not give a midterm, explain that this is the halfway point of the course/semester and give students and idea of how they are performing and what to expect in the second half of the course.

Discuss course SLOs and provide feedback on how students are mastering course SLOs.

Provide suggestions to improve study habits and tips on how to maintain or improve a positive attitude in the course.

VISIT THE TLC BLOG! teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

Week 9

Cedar Valley College

April 2013 Volume 82

Teaching Learning Center Reflections on Teaching Taken in part from Chris Palmer’s article: Reflections on Teaching: From Surviving to Thriving; Faculty Focus

Here are my favorite specific tips from peers, students, and pedagogical experts for creating a positive learning experience for your students: 1. Syllabus. Make the learning outcomes as specific and clear as possible, and relate these to the assignment and to your grading metrics. Spell out expected student behavior, including professionalism (meet deadlines, show up on time, participate in class, etc.) 2. First Classes. Make a serious and obvious effort to learn your students’ names. Ask your students to address each other by name, rather than “he” or “she.” After you introduce yourself, ask your students to introduce themselves. Have the students fill out a questionnaire about themselves, including goals, interests, passions, and expectations for the course. Meet one-on-one with all students within the first two weeks of the semester and discuss their responses to the questionnaire. Some of the best teaching is done outside the classroom. 3. Classroom Atmosphere. Convey your passion and enthusiasm for the subject and your willingness to provide individual help. Foster a sense of belonging and respect. Encourage high performance and promote active engagement. For a small class, give the students a sense of community by sitting in a circle. Create a safe, nurturing environment in which students feel free to experiment and fail. 4. Classroom Specifics. Show up early for class, take attendance, and end class on time. Start class by asking a student to summarize the main points from the last class, and end by summarizing what was accomplished. Write the plan for the class on the board. Have students stand up and stretch, occasionally play brief games, and, when possible, take field trips as a class. 5. Classroom Interactions. Make the class as interactive as possible to transform the students from passive observers to active players. Constantly call on individual students by name to answer questions without first asking for volunteers. This keeps the whole class alert. Encourage the shy students to speak; don’t allow long-winded or loud students to dominate the conversation. Listen to students actively during discussion. 6. Beyond the Classroom. Manage your office hours: encourage students to drop by even if they don’t have specific questions; have a sign-up sheet on your door so students don’t have to wait. Reach out to students who miss a class. Be responsive to emails and calls from students and give students meaningful and meaty comments on homework assignments.

TIPS FOR FOSTERING LEARNING: 

Raise questions that challenge a students’ preconceived ideas.

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Help them deal with the emotional upheaval that follows having long-term beliefs challenged.

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Encourage them to question everything. The more questions they ask, the more involved they are and the more apt they are to learn.

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Make the subject matter appealing and relevant, and help them want to learn the material. The more they care, the more they learn.

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People learn more if they believe they are in control of their choice to learn.

SUDOKU Fill in the missing numbers so every row, column and quadrant contains the numbers 1 through 9.

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge."

â&#x20AC;&#x2022; Albert Einstein

CEDAR VALLEY COLLEGE Teaching Learning Center Room A206A 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134

By Dr. Tommy Thompson

As part of the 16 week Texas Completes Initiative to promote student success and retention, all faculty are encouraged to use these tips in weeks 10, 11, 12 and 13. This will facilitate that students are hearing the same message from all faculty.

Ideas for Weeks 10, 11, 12 and 13: Phone: 972-860-8083 Hours: M-TR 8:30-7:00 F 8:30 - 5:00 Director: Tim Xeriland Phone: 972-860-8239 email: txeriland@dcccd.edu

Week 10

Send e-mail to students encouraging them to talk to you before they drop. Consider referring students to the early alert program (Journey to Success) for coaching or mentoring. 2. Consider and in-class advising or consider advising your students online. 3. Give students a progress report or send them a reminder about their progress. 4. Review the class calendar and encourage students to stay on track. 1.

Week 11

Provide additional opportunities for in-class advising for students who may have missed class. Consider that many students may be FTIC students. 2. Provide info on core completion and info on how to ensure that students are on the right track for an associateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree or certificate. 1.

VISIT THE TLC BLOG!

Week 12

teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

Provide a progress report and encourage students to visit your office, the Tutoring Center or other support services. 2. Provide positive feedback on how students can improve or how students can continue performing at a high level. 1.

Week 13

Provide a progress report and encourage students to visit your office, the Tutoring Center, or other support services. 2. Provide positive feedback on how students can improve or how students can continue performing at a high level.

Cedar Valley College

May 2013 Volume 83

Teaching Learning Center Three Ways to Change up Your Online Discussion Board Prompts Rob Kelly: “Three Ways to Change up Your Online Discussion Board Prompts”, Asynchronous Learning and Trends, Faculty Focus

Are you having trouble getting students to participate in online discussions? Consider using other types of prompts in addition to the typical open-ended question. Maria Ammar, assistant English professor at Frederick Community College, uses the following prompts in her English as a second language course and recommends them for other types of courses: Articles—Post an article in the discussion board and have students do an activity related to its content. This gives students more content on which to comment than a typical prompt that consists solely of a question. Audio—Post an audio prompt. Listening is an integral part of learning a language. It also is a medium that students are comfortable with and find interesting. Ammar has students post their notes on radio broadcasts in a threaded discussion. “Even though everybody is listening to the same [content], they may catch different things,” Ammar says.

MOTIVATING STUDENTS: 

Become a role model for student interest

Video—Even more engaging is video. Simply post a link to a YouTube video (or one from another source), and ask students to comment or answer an open-ended questions about it.

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Get to know your students

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Use examples freely

In courses that are intended to develop students’ writing skills, the discussion board can be an excellent way to get students to write on a regular basis. However, one of the obstacles to students’ full participation in this type of learning is some students’ reluctance to share things that they consider too personal.



Use a variety of studentactive teaching activities

One way to address this is to have students write in personal online journals that only the individual student and instructor can access. Ammar does not give students the option of posting in the journal instead of posting to the discussion board. They are both required activities, but some students tend to participate more actively in one or the other. In some cases the prompt can be the same for the threaded discussion and the journal entry. For example, she once asked students to view an ABC News video of an art project in New York City in which pianos were placed throughout the city for members of the public to play. The video showed interviews with people who played. In the threaded discussion, students summarized the comments of several interviewees, and she asked students write about their personal reflections about the project. Ammar does not grade online discussion posts or journal entries for grammar or spelling “because I just want to see that they’re able to communicate. I check those things in their [formal] papers.”

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Teach by discovery

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Use cooperative learning activities

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Set realistic performance goals

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Place appropriate emphasis on testing and grading

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Be free with praise and constructive in criticism

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Give students as much control over their own education as possible

SUDOKU Fill in the missing numbers so every row, column and quadrant contains the numbers 1 through 9.

"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

CEDAR VALLEY COLLEGE Teaching Learning Center Room A206A 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134

The DCCCD Texas Completes Team represented all seven colleges (Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake, and By Dr. Tommy Thompson Richland), the Dallas Telecollege and District Offices that provide support. The team worked within existing organizations and the college structures in order to engage stakeholders, develop the four-year action plan for Texas Completes, and begin implementing proposed changes. Two major developments are highlighted.  The new e-advising system that is being released in 2013 by Ellucian/

Datatel, the provider for the DCCCD Colleague MIS has been approved by the DCCCD Foundation. The addition of this functionality has been determined to be critical to provide a sustainable, scalable response to advising needs of over 75,000 students annually. Academic advisors and Student Services administrators are positively anticipating using this advising support tool that guides student choices of schedules, classes, and provides progress monitoring toward completion goals.  Involvement of both the DCCCD Academic Advising Council and the

VISIT THE TLC BLOG! teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

DCCCD Faculty Professional Development Committee has been invaluable in developing a more comprehensive advising approach will help students accelerate through developmental education and their degree pathway. Advisors, faculty and enhanced technology will all provide more effective and efficient services for our students with the proposed new model and tools.

Cedar Valley College

Effective Online Teaching

JUNE 2013 :: VOL 84

TEACHING LEARNING CENTER

facilitate conversations among students, and taking the time to get to know students and referencing that knowledge in interactions with them.

Taken in part from Bernard Bull, EdD, Faculty Focus.com

Teaching face-to-face and teaching online are both teaching, but they are qualitatively different. There are some things that the two have in common, but there are also plenty of differences. With this in mind, consider the following eight roles of an effective online teacher. 1. Tour Guide – The teacher directs and redirects the attention of learners toward key concepts and ideas. A good tour guide doesn’t want anyone to miss out on the highlights of the tour. 2. Cheerleader – As with all learning environments, learners often need some encouragement. Learning is hard work and studying online can sometimes feel isolating, confusing, or discouraging without this important role. As a result, the effective online teacher makes intentional efforts to communicate specific encouraging messages to individual learners and the group as a whole. 3. Learning Coach – A role model throws a perfect spiral with a football while the learners watch. A coach gets the learners on the field, puts the ball in their hands, and then coaches them on how to throw a spiral for themselves. Such a teacher must move beyond simply modeling a love for the subject and personal skill with the content. Instead, find ways to hand the subject over to the students to do something with it. Applied projects and papers work well for this, and it gives the teacher an opportunity to be a coach and mentor. 4. Individual and Group Mirror – Imagine waking up in the morning, getting ready for work, and heading out the door without ever looking into a mirror to see that your hair is sticking straight up in the air. That is good information to know before you walk into the office. Learners need this same sort of feedback about their work. How are they doing? Are they getting closer to meeting the learning objectives or not? The effective online teacher finds ways to give this sort of feedback to individual learners and, when appropriate, groups of learners. 5. Social Butterfly – The online teacher must serve like a great party host, facilitating introductions, using discussion starters to

6. Big Brother – Everything is documented in an online course. The teacher can tell when and how many times a student logs into the course, what pages were viewed or not, how many discussions posts the student contributed, and much more. This data can be abused, but it can also be used to make adjustments and informed decisions as an online teacher. If a student is not logging in, then contact the student. If students are failing to visit pages in the course with key instructions, point that out to the students or reorganize the content so that it’s easier to find. 7. Valve Control – Online courses are rich with content and sometimes students can get lost in all that content. The teacher as valve control intentionally releases content in chunks that are appropriate for students. Sometimes this comes in the form of only releasing content one week at a time. Other times, the teacher releases it all at once, but directs students to only focus on certain parts at a time. 8. Co-learner – Great teachers are lifelong learners, and they can model that learning for their students in a variety of ways in the online classroom. The teacher can be an active (but not too active or it will silence students) participant in online discussions, sharing what they are learning about the subject, and even complete all or parts of some assignments, sharing their work with the students. This goes a long way in building a vibrant and dynamic online learning community where every person in the community commits to embodying the traits of a lifelong learner.

5 TEACHING LEARNING CENTER Cedar Valley College Room A206A 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134 Phone: 972-860-8083 Hours: M-F 8:30-5:00

Instructional Assistant: Christa Crawford Phone: 972-860-8083 email: ckcrawford@dcccd.edu

VISIT THE TLC BLOG: teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

9 2

Fill in the missing numbers so every row, column and quadrant contains the numbers 1 through 9.

4 9

8 9

5 7

9 4

1 6

Sudoku

Director: Tim Xeriland Phone: 972-860-8239 email: txeriland@dcccd.edu Instructional Specialist: Timothy Sonnier Phone: 972-860-8031 email: tsonnier@dcccd.edu

2 1

8 9

9 5

Being a Successful Online Student We have complied a list of the top ways to become a successful online student. These tips can start a student off on the right foot, making them more comfortable and prepared to learn in the online environment. Feel free to pass this information on to your students: 1.

Develop good time management skills - Learn about yourself and how long it takes you to complete certain tasks and plan accordingly.

Be aware of deadlines - Print out a copy of the course calendar and keep it handy. If you are aware of impending deadlines you will be more capable of planning ahead. Some students find it helpful to make lists of the tasks that need completion, crossing things off a list can be quite a confidence booster. 3. Take the course just as seriously as a face to face class There is a misconception that online courses are easier and take less time and effort than face to face classes. 4. Respond to emails and discussion board posts promptly Discussions move rapidly and keeping up is vital to receiving the most out of the course. 5. Be sure to give the instructor a valid email address that you check frequently - Teachers often provide important course information via email. 6. If assignments are unclear always ask for clarification - If something is unclear, don’t agonize over it, ask for clarification. 7. Log in everyday to each course - It’s important to log in each day to respond to discussion board posts, check for the availability of new course information and to keep to a routine. 8. Resolve problems quickly i.e. if you are unable to log-in contact your instructor immediately - Don’t waste time! Resolve problems quickly. It’s easy to get behind. 9. Actively participate in discussions on the discussion board, it is often a requirement - Not only is it often a requirement, peers have valuable insights. Many fresh ideas and answers to questions come from other students. 10. Turn your work in by the deadline - Missing a deadline can come with a steep penalty, make it harder to catch up, and result in lower grades and/or motivation.

Cedar Valley College

Education in the Cloud A panel of the nation’s top technologists discusses new technologies changing higher education. Taken in part from Interviews by: Victor Rivero, EdTech Digest http://edtechdigest.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/education-in-the-cloud/

CIOs from Cornell and Notre Dame, and the Director of Infrastructure Services at the University of Michigan, as well as Internet2’s Senior Vice President, sit down to discuss the current “education in the cloud” trend. What has the overall response been to the cloud? People seem to be cautiously optimistic. They like that it is easy to get started, but when they delve into some of the details, they become a bit more cautious. How is your university using cloud technologies? The “unbundling” of the university experience includes supporting access to content and academic experiences independent of geography. That is dramatically facilitated by utilizing cloud services that can scale globally with interest and enrollment. So when designing a course, the ability to allow enrollment from a class to go from 50 to 10,000 in a physical space is impossible, but with cloud computing that constraint is removed. Research activities are also increasingly globalized, as are the business and administrative functions of the university. Box in particular allows collaboration and sharing of content without regard to geography. Researchers can share files seamlessly and work jointly with colleagues from other universities anywhere in the world. Staff, faculty, and students can access their files on mobile devices when they travel. In your view, does cloud adoption help your university gain a competitive edge in terms of recruiting students and professors?

JULY 2013 :: VOL 85

TEACHING LEARNING CENTER

The most compelling aspect of cloud services is that they allow us to move quickly into new areas and then scale quickly. If we can deliver new services and achieve savings by adopting cloud strategies, we can reallocate existing budgets to other core needs. How are cloud technologies changing the way your campus runs, and how do you envision that looking in the future? Cloud is all about nimbleness, resource elasticity, utility grade IT, and the ability to deliver a new service quickly. The primary things changing are how services are managed, we must do much more with vendor relations, and we must become much more sophisticated with developing and managing contracts. What concerns do you still have with cloud technology? Cloud technology itself is extremely fast moving and almost by definition speed will create errors that otherwise may not occur. Simultaneously technological improvements in current areas of concern like security, privacy, and data portability will likely address issues nearly as fast as they emerge. The real concern seems less about cloud technology itself and instead about whether universities as research and educational entities are going to help direct innovation in the industry by working with cloud providers. The danger for higher education institutions lies with not engaging seriously with cloud technology.

Effective Course Design for the Online Classroom TEACHING LEARNING CENTER Cedar Valley College Room A206A 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134 Phone: 972-860-8083 Hours: M-F 8:30-5:00 Director: Tim Xeriland Phone: 972-860-8239 email: txeriland@dcccd.edu Instructional Specialist: Timothy Sonnier Phone: 972-860-8031 email: tsonnier@dcccd.edu Instructional Assistant: Christa Crawford Phone: 972-860-8083 email: ckcrawford@dcccd.edu

VISIT THE TLC BLOG: teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

By: Rob Kelly, Faculty Focus The design of your course pages can have a significant effect on the learning experience in your online course. Good design can draw students in, help them comprehend the information the first time they read it, and enable them to easily retrieve information, says Sheree Webb, an instructional designer at Tyler Junior College. In an interview with Online Classroom, Webb suggested designing courses in a simple, consistent manner, employing the following principles: Use meaningful headings and subheadings. One of the most common errors in course design is pages and pages of plain text without any entry points. “I think that overwhelms students. It makes them not want to even start reading the page,” Webb says. She suggests breaking up the text using headings and subheadings that provide clues as to the kind of information that will be found in that section, such as “What is a sonnet?” “What are some famous sonnets?” and “How can I recognize a sonnet?” rather than “Purpose,” “Summary,” or “Conclusion.” Use bulleted and numbered lists where appropriate. Webb recommends using numbered lists if you’re providing students with a sequence of steps to follow and bullets to highlight lists. Like headings and subheadings, these vertical lists provide a visual hierarchy and clues as to what is on the page. These help the student process what’s on the page before reading the actual words. Select typeface for on-screen readability. Webb recommends Verdana, Georgia, Trebuchet, or Lucida. Webb says that designers and readers often have different opinions on what font size is appropriate for on-screen reading. Designers often select 10-point font for aesthetic reasons and to fit more information on a page. Readers typically prefer 12-point font, which is what Webb generally recommends with one caveat: not all 12-point typefaces are the same size. For example, 12-point Verdana is larger than 12-point Trebuchet, so you might need to use a 13 - or 14 -point font. Provide enough contrast to improve readability. Color can add an interesting element to a page, but use it sparingly and not if it reduces the contrast between the text and the background to the point where readability is diminished. Webb recommends black text on a white, light blue, or light yellow background. Divide text into manageable chunks. Webb’s rule of thumb is to create pages that contain no more than one or two screens of information (or one to one-and-a-half pages when printed). The reason for this is that when readers scroll, they may not be able to see which section they’re reading from and as a result may lose the context of what they’re reading. If chunking the information in this manner does not seem appropriate for your content, consider creating a PDF that contains all the information for students to print and create an online version that is in manageable chunks. Align text and heading on the left. The reader’s eyes tend to go down the left side of the page; therefore, centering headings or text makes the reader work hard to go from centered text to the left margin. Use graphics and tables to help communicate your information. “Think of where a graphic might work. I’m very text focused, so it takes me some thought and work to figure out where a graphic would work. If I’m talking about some sort of theater design, I’ll show pictures of various designs. Don’t just tell them what a proscenium stage looks like. Show a picture of it. If you’re talking about parasites, put up some pictures of what those parasites look like instead of just describing them,” Webb says. Tables are another way to convey information graphically. Webb uses if-then tables. These are two-column tables with a scenario in the lefthand column and its implications on the right.

Cedar Valley College

Benefits of the Flipped Classroom Taken in part from: Charles a. Hill, Faculty Focus.com

A small but growing number of faculty at major universities are experimenting with the inverted or flipped classroom. It’s an instructional model popularized by, among other influences, a Ted Talk by Khan Academy founder Salman Khan, which has received more than 2.5 million views. Institutions as varied as Duke University’s School of Medicine, Boston University’s College of Engineering, and the University of Washington School of Business have joined Clemson, Michigan State, the University of Texas, and many others in experimenting with changing from inclass lectures to video lectures and using class time to explore the challenging and more difficult aspects of course content. The flipped classroom approach offers clear advantages:

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Video lectures can be edited, polished, and rerecorded. Students can pause, replay, and watch lectures repeatedly at their convenience. Faculty may even find that with editing, lectures become shorter and more on point.

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By a simple analysis of performance on past examinations, identification of trends in frequently asked questions and student course evaluations, faculty can determine areas where students often falter, and use this information to determine how classroom time will be used.

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Faculty can then devote time to helping students develop synthesis and explore application during class time through: experiential exercises, team projects, problem sets, and activities that previously had been assigned as independent homework. In particular,

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students can receive direct faculty input on those segments of the material that have historically been the most difficulty or ambiguous. Many faculty spend considerable unpaid, out-of-class hours helping individual students make sense of difficult course material and bring it all together in a relevant way. And that’s if they’re lucky enough to have students who proactively seek help when they are “stuck.” The flipped model allows instructors to help students during assigned, compensated class time within their respective teaching loads; guiding students as they engage with the content in any number of active learning activities. It also makes it easier for faculty to identify and correct stumbling blocks to learning as they are happening. I also suspect the increased focus on the synthesis and application of knowledge will find considerable favor with employers who deride the lack of a more competencybased approach in much of higher education. For small institutions, as well as those facing increased budget constraints, the combination of inverting or flipping which activities occur in the classroom and which occur online, independent of the classroom offers an affordable entry to the online arena with a compelling approach to faculty involvement, student engagement, and learning outcomes.

CVC Introduces Echo 360 By: Todd Troost

DCCCD has made a big investment in a new software technology called Echo 360. The “lecture capture” technology digitally records lectures, panel discussions, and PowerPoint presentations, allowing teachers to make them available to students for convenient online viewing. Echo 360 can be useful as a powerful enhancement to students’ learning experience by allowing them the opportunity to review lectures online as a way to refine their understanding of difficult concepts and prepare for examinations. Echo 360 is especially beneficial for students with learning disabilities and non-native English speakers. By using iTunes or a web browser, students may check their understanding via navigation buttons and thumbnail images that let them pause and repeat lecture topics to ensure mastery. Another advantage is that students absent from class don’t get behind as they can review important lectures and class discussions. Additionally, it can prove very helpful to instructors teaching the same class in both traditional and online settings. Using Echo 360, instructors are able to connect their face to face lectures with online learning modules. Lecture capture software, and Echo 360 in particular, have become an important element in contemporary education worldwide over the last five years. To find out if Echo 360 would be a valuable asset to your classes, please stop by the TLC and find out how it can improve student learning.

“Clever people master life; the wise illuminate it and create fresh difficulties.” -Emil Nolde The TLC Welcomes its Newest Intern Cedar Valley College is happy to welcome its newest intern to the Teaching and Learning Center, Todd Troost. Todd will be working for Tim Xeriland on various projects related to his Master’s program in Cognitive Science and Computer Education and the University of North Texas, including the creation of online educational modules, tutorials and videos. Most recently, he has worked in accounting for Marriott. Mr. Troost was formerly an instructor in English as a Second Language for seven years in Shanghai, China, Seoul, Korea, and Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, working at language schools, Hong-Ik University and Proctor in Seoul, and for the Department of Education in the U.A.E. He is especially interested in the integration of technology in the classroom, especially the use of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. He currently spends the majority of his time going to working and going to school full-time, as well as gaining experience through his work with Mr. Xeriland. According to Mr. Troost, “this internship is really more valuable than my actual classes, as most of my coursework deals with abstract theories and models, so it is great to be able to bridge the gap between Instructional Design theory and how it is actually used in the real world.” At the current time, it is mostly work and little play for Todd, but he enjoys traveling, running, playing tennis and basketball, hiking, playing board and computer games. Most of his reading consists of academic material, but he enjoys fitting in a good science fiction or suspense novel. His favorite television program is Homeland.

Conducting Class TEACHING LEARNING CENTER Cedar Valley College TLC: Room A206A 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134

Phone: 972-860-8083 Hours: M-F 8:30-5:00 Director: Tim Xeriland Phone: 972-860-8239 email: txeriland@dcccd.edu Instructional Specialist: Timothy Sonnier Phone: 972-860-8031 email: tsonnier@dcccd.edu Instructional Specialist: Christa Crawford Phone: 972-860-8083 email: ckcrawford@dcccd.edu Intern: Todd Troost Phone: 972-860-8083

VISIT THE TLC BLOG: teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

From “What the Best College Teachers Do,” Ken Bain

A study was conducted to settle the debate over whether the lecture is the most effective way to deliver material to students. Ken Bain, author of “What the Best College Teachers Do,” uncovered seven fairly common principles among the teachers studied. 1. Create a Natural Critical learning Environment: “’Natural’ because students encounter the skills, habits, attitudes, and information they are trying to learn embedded in questions and tasks they find fascinating. ‘Critical’ because students learn to think critically, to reason from evidence, to examine the quality of their reasoning using a variety of intellectual standards, to make improvements while thinking, and to ask probing and insightful questions about the thinking of other people.” Some teachers are able to create this environment with their lectures while others use discussions, role playing, field work, or a variety of other techniques to achieve this environment. 2. Get Students’ Attention and Keep It: Teachers are most successful when beginning a class with “a provocative question or problem that raises issues in ways that students had never thought about before, or by using stimulating case studies or goal-based scenarios.” 3. Start with the Students Rather Than the Discipline: Socrates used this method as explained by Michael Sandel, a Harvard political theorist, “by attending to what people thought they knew, and then he tried to gradually and systematically to wrench them from their familiar place.” This forces the students to grapple with an issue from their own perspective, prior to them knowing much about it, getting them to articulate a position. 4. Seek Commitments: This is often carried out on the first class day. Teachers lay out the plans, promises, and commit to making the course worthwhile, and then invite the students to make a commitment to the learning objectives and to attend class. 5. Help Students Learn Outside of Class: Teaching students material that will best help and encourage them to learn outside of class is much more beneficial than teaching material simply because it’s traditional or because it covers a subject. 6. Engage Students in Disciplinary Thinking: Ken Bain notes “the most effective teachers use class time to help students think about information and ideas the way scholars in the discipline do.” They don’t concentrate on only teaching their discipline; they focus on “teaching students to understand, apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate evidence and conclusions.” 7. Create Diverse Learning Experiences: “The brain loves diversity,” as stated by Jeanette Norden. The best teachers seemed to offer a nice balance between the systematic approach and the creative, non-traditional approach.

The TLC - Adjunct Office Combined By Brad Benefield

This year, to help better serve adjunct instructors, the Teaching Learning Center (TLC) and Adjunct Office have been combined. Currently, we are in Building A, rooms 108A and 206A, with future plans to consolidate into a single convenient location. For the time being, room 206A will be open Monday through Friday 8:30am-5:00pm with room 108a being open Monday through Thursday 8:00AM8:00PM and Friday 8:00AM-5:00PM. As a result of the Adjunct Office and TLC merging, this newsletter formerly focused on events related to the TLC will now also provide adjunct faculty with helpful articles as well as pertinent information concerning our upcoming workshops and professional development opportunities. The TLC is here to provide all faculty members and staff with basic classroom support such as printing and making copies of important documents such as assignments. The copier in room 108A is primarily used for large copy jobs, while the copier in 206A can be used when colored graphics are needed. We also offer an array of general classroom supplies. However, the TLC is not merely a classroom supply department. Our primary function is to aid faculty with technology related pedagogical needs or problems, particularly those related to eCampus. We have qualified staff members knowledgeable of eCampus that can assist in learning its basic use or help create a desired layout. Our team can also aid in designing course assignments as well as help transform course material into learning modules that can be easily integrated into eCampus. Along with eCampus assistance, the TLC can help with other software issues such as those related to Microsoft’s Office suite. For new faculty members, especially new adjunct faculty, beginning a new semester can seem daunting and classrooms difficult to manage. At teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com a number of useful classroom and administrative tools are available for download (roster and grade book templates, etc.) to help instructors start the new semester in an organized manner. Remember, the TLC’s purpose is to make faculty members’ teaching experience more productive and classroom management easier.

TEACHING LEARNING CENTER Cedar Valley College Adjunct Office: Room A108 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134 email: cvcadj@dcccd.edu

Phone: 972-860-8230 Spring/Fall Semester Hours: M-R 8:30AM - 5:00PM F 8:00AM - 5:00PM Director: Tim Xeriland Phone: 972-860-8239 email: txeriland@dcccd.edu Brad Benefield email: bbenefiield@dcccd.edu Tamma Gunn email: tcannone@dcccd.edu Wilma Sosbe email: wsosbe@dcccd.edu Jahara Browder email: jbrowder@dcccd.edu Taylor Willams email: tmwilliams@dcccd.edu

VISIT THE TLC BLOG: teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

Project Chicanery

VOL 86

Cedar Valley College

OCTOBER 2013

TEACHING LEARNING CENTER

project in quick fashion. I strolled out to the car, got in, and shoved my brake pedal to the floorboard. An exposition of By Brad Benefield my mechanical endeavors is unnecessary. I spent most of the day dealing with the brake issue, ultimately We are almost a third of the way through the 2013 Fall surrendering in failure. Still, though, I had just enough time Semester, ample time for faculty to experience a skill many to finish the project—but not the tools! I had recently of their student’s possess, that at times is seemingly upgraded my computer’s operating system but had yet to peerless—the ability to craft excuses. This much maligned install the software needed to finish the project. Three student skill was brought to my attention last week in the hours of rather violent searching finally uncovered the TLC while an adjunct colleague vented at her eCampus infernal software I had hid in a distinctively special place so grade book, weighing the legitimacy of a student’s excuse as not to forget where it was stored. Upset, exhausted, and in relationship to the grade he would receive for an out of time, I went to bed. assignment turned in late. Having been a college instructor Ultimately, I finished the project a day late and the earth in the past, I offered my colleague an empathetic ear, and we proceeded to righteously accost all the myriad facets of continued its routine of spinning. Although I may seem to mendacious student behavior. The conversation was a nice be making light of late work, my purpose is to illuminate the imperfect world students must try to navigate. I had to work break from the project I was working on and I admit to full time while making my way through college (like many of experiencing some form of catharsis in rebuking the wiles our students here at CVC), and my recent experience with of student chicanery. Perhaps, reflecting back, we “the project” revived old memories of my epic battles with proceeded too righteously. college assignment deadlines. It is very difficult to discern That I had plenty of time left to complete the what is true and false regarding student excuses. For the aforementioned project, there can be no doubt. I am sure of many new faculty and adjuncts we have here at CVC, I it. Yes, I had been aware of the project deadline for over assure you, if a student “gets one by you,” the earth will two weeks, but time was very much on my side. The project continue to spin and there will always be plenty of advice was due in three days, was well over half way finished, and coffee in the TLC. required merely four more hours of attention for completion, and I was off the entirety of the following day. If necessary, when I returned to work, time was available in the morning for polishing the project. Surely, one can understand my being contented with my efforts and decision to finish the project on the morrow. Waking the next morning, I determined that a strong cup of coffee would be just the thing to help me knock out the

Advice for Department Chairs: Building a Healthy Department Taken in part from: Rob Kelly, Advice for Department Chairs: Six Steps for Building a Healthy Department, Faculty Focus

Ongoing problems within a department can have profound consequences, including difficulty in recruiting and retaining faculty and students, loss of funding, and even program termination. While the health of a department cannot be the responsibility of a single person, the department chair plays a pivotal role in getting departments out of trouble and maintaining a healthy, positive direction. Marjorie Chan, professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah, has seen her share of thriving to struggling departments from multiple disciplines during her seven years as department chair. She reviewed and worked with other departments that she considers dysfunctional—where faculty members were angry at and avoided each other and often skipped department meetings. This experience has given her some useful insights into managing the health of academic departments. She offers the following advice to department chairs: 1.

Set strategic goals. Being a visionary leader means acknowledging problems and setting specific goals and objectives in an open manner. “In most departments, it helps to lead by team-building consensus as opposed to a dictatorial approach,” Chan says. Some decisions a chair makes are inevitably unpopular but necessary. Having open communication about decisions helps faculty understand how the decision was made. They may not agree with the outcome, but they should feel that the process was fair.

Encourage faculty contributions. “It is extremely valuable to acknowledge the participation of the faculty. Thanking them is a huge part of having a strong department because a lot of times there’s no budget for monetary rewards. But the one thing that we really appreciate and look for is just somebody acknowledging and thanking us for what we did. A lot of [faculty members] go above and beyond the call of duty, and if those efforts are just ignored, faculty members might say [to themselves], ‘Why should I keep doing this? Nobody cares what I’m doing.’ And that’s when I think people start going off in their own directions,” Chan says.

“Clever people master life; the wise illuminate it and create fresh difficulties.” -Emil Nolde 3.

Build on individual faculty members’ strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Each faculty member has a unique set of strengths and weaknesses. Rather than one size fits all, it’s better to consider how each person can contribute in ways that provide the most benefit to the department. “Take time to pay attention to what is going on, and try to be sensitive to how to approach people on their own level. Not everybody is going to be a star who hits the ball out of the park each time. You still need people on the team who can get the base hit or people who can play multiple positions even though they’re not the star. Realizing what people’s strengths and weaknesses are and trying to maximize those strengths and minimize those weaknesses will be a positive move forward that builds community,” Chan says.

Work closely with alumni, friends, and advisory boards. Alumni are a valuable asset to a department, and they need to be kept abreast of what is happening in the department through visits, newsletters and annual reports. “When alumni feel positively about the department, they want to give back, and then good things happen,” Chan says. “If the department ignores its constituency and lacks communication with alumni, it will be much more difficult to get support to move the department forward.” Because they are familiar with the department and yet are outside of it, advisory boards can provide valuable advice and insights. They can also help build endowments and address particular projects or goals.

Engage students. Current students are also a source of department vitality. Chan recommends using the student workforce to mutual advantage. “An engaged student body is really the lifeblood of the department,” Chan says. “When the students are involved, they learn responsibility and feel that what they’re doing is a contribution to the department.”

Look beyond the department. Chan recommends that departments take an outward and future-oriented view—focusing on where a department and its impact on the community ought to be and how to get there. Different components might include how to raise visibility, extend outreach, bring in more students, and build community. Bringing in guest lecturers, alumni, or others can provide new and different perspectives on research and teaching methods. Strong outside support from alumni and friends can help raise the stature of the department in the eyes of the administration.

Boosting Student Creativity and Motivation TEACHING LEARNING CENTER Cedar Valley College

TLC: Room A206A 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134

VISIT THE TLC BLOG: teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

Taken in Part From: Elizabeth “Betsy” Lasley, EdD, Faculty Focus

Teaching to students’ strengths and interests can promote creative and critical thinking. But requesting creative responses often engenders the exact opposite of creativity. “Just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it.” “How many words does it need to be?” “What should I write about to get a good grade?” “I’m not creative.” Often these comments are accompanied with sighs, groans, or no responses at all (in the case of online students), indicating just how much students resist when asked to be creative. And these responses are even more prevalent in required and prerequisite courses. So how do we overcome the resistance and encourage creative ideas and thinking from our students? Creativity has been described as the inclination to generate or recognize and communicate ideas and possibilities when solving problems. Students become creatively motivated when allowed to solve problems, find novel and varied stimulation, and communicate ideas and/or values. I’ve designed and used with some success a semester -long personal preference project assignment. To illustrate how these work, I’ll use the assignment students complete in a required special education survey course I teach. Personal preference project assignment—tiered assignment: Students may select one of the projects listed below or generate their own project concepts. They may work independently or in small groups. The project must be completed and presented to the class at the end of the course. The content of the project must reflect the course learning outcomes as well as professionally specified standards. Topics that may be considered include IDEA and No Child Left Behind, differentiated instruction, collaboration, standardized assessment, advocates for students with disabilities, inclusion vs. resource instructional settings, parent rights and responsibilities, response to intervention, or any topic that addresses the course’s learning outcomes. Students submit their topic choices for approval in the second week of class. Possible project selection:

        

Research paper (one per student) Classroom debate (four to six students—two or three pro/two or three con) Website analysis and Web page construction (one per student) Literature group (two books)—(three or four students per group) Podcast (two students) Documentary with oral or written interviews (one or two students) Simulated YouTube video (one per student) Differentiated instruction unit (one or two students for each project) Open for student suggestion (one or two students)

Project requirements: Other projects details are presented in course syllabus materials. Presentations: Presentation dates are determined by class lottery. Dates for the presentations are placed in a paper bag and each student draws his or her date from the bag. Presenters must conduct a 30-minute interactive lesson. The common thread that provides continuity among the projects is the required focus on course content. Each presentation demonstrates the results of individual or group research through a student-created, innovative, interactive, learner-centered format. Due dates: Because this is a term-long project, specific due dates that update project progress and student self-reflections are scheduled throughout the semester. Evaluation: Project evaluation rubrics and a presentation rubric are included in course syllabus materials. Two key features add to the success of this assignment. Student progress needs to be monitored and grading criteria need to be clear. Creative juices flow when there is a structure that students understand and can follow. Criteria for each product or performance is necessary to reduce student stress, meet learning outcomes, and increase productivity. Each project has a separate rubric tailored to fit its unique characteristics. Criteria are then discussed during a scheduled office meeting to confirm project clarity, expectations, and student ideas. The instructor and student(s) determine if adjustments to the pre-established rubric and project concept are necessary at that time.

Sudoku

2 3 8

5 7

7 6

8 1

3 8

9 5

Fill in the missing numbers so every row, column and quadrant contains the numbers 1 through 9.

Adjunct Office: Room A108 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134 email: cvcadj@dcccd.edu

Phone: 972-860-8230 Spring/Fall Semester Hours: M-R 8:30AM - 5:00PM F 8:00AM - 5:00PM

8 9 5

TEACHING LEARNING CENTER Cedar Valley College

myPortal: A Portable Office myPortal is now available throughout the district and is designed to be a ‘portable office’ that is available anytime, anywhere on any device. With myPortal files can be accessed from anywhere. Online conversations with team members are possible and access to eConnect, eCampus, or PaperWise is possible, all with one login.

Director: Tim Xeriland Phone: 972-860-8239 email: txeriland@dcccd.edu Brad Benefield email: bbenefiield@dcccd.edu Tamma Gunn email: tcannone@dcccd.edu

The Web address for myPortal is: myportal.dcccd.edu The first thing you will see will be an Online Services sign-In screen. Your Online Services Sign-In is the same user name you received upon employment, although it may have been referred to as your Novell ID. It is the same personal account information you used to log in to your computer each day. Example: abc1234 After you input your Username and Password, hit ‘Sign In.’ Long term the districts hopes to implement a Single Sign-On through myPortal allowing access to many district Web services reducing the number of longin IDs and passwords for you to remember. If you need help, the Help Site is located on the Information Site menu bar just below the myPortal branding bar. There you will find FAQs, training information, videos, community support, and additional support. As always, the TLC is also here to help if you find you need assistance.

Wilma Sosbe email: wsosbe@dcccd.edu Jahara Browder email: jbrowder@dcccd.edu Taylor Willams email: tmwilliams@dcccd.edu

VISIT THE TLC BLOG: teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

VOL 87

Cedar Valley College

NOVEMBER 2013

TEACHING LEARNING CENTER

How to Handle Student Excuses Taken from Maryellen Weimer, PhD, Facultyfocus.com

“Grandpa’s heart exploded, but he’s fine now,” one student reported the morning after missing a scheduled exam. “I caught dyslexia from another student last semester,” responded another when his teacher asked him about all the spelling mistakes in his paper. And then there was the pet rabbit that swallowed a needle on the day of the big group presentation. Excuses like these are so preposterous that they can’t help but make us laugh, but dealing with them is no laughing matter. As a book for new psychology teachers points out, “The way you handle excuses conveys a message to your students about your teaching philosophy, and most particularly about whether you view students as partners or adversaries, the degree to which you trust them, and how you care about them” (p. 137). The trick is separating the legitimate, bona fide excuses from the contrived, just plain made-up ones, and there are lots of gradations in between. Sometimes a teacher needs the wisdom of Solomon. Some faculty opt for the hard line . . . no excuses accepted, none, under any terms. That was my policy early on. Then one semester a responsible, dedicated student lost his father in a car accident. He missed an exam to attend the funeral. In a situation like that, the hard-line policy fails pitifully. On the other hand, it does seem absolutely true that the more excuses you accept, the more you are asked to consider. You can err on the side of gullibility. And learning that an excuse placates for missed deadlines, scheduled presentations, and far-in-advance exam dates should not be the lesson reinforced by experiences in college. And so the teacher must adjudicate with firmness and with finesse. I’d like to report that it gets easier with age. It doesn’t. Some students are very good at making up stories, and some with legitimate excuses don’t present them very persuasively. The net result is that sometimes even concerned and caring teachers make mistakes. If they can be rectified, fine; if not, life does go on. As for a general rule of thumb, the book reference below recommends “taking a firm, consistent, rational and caring approach to excuses that incorporates a ‘trust, but verify’ policy. Treat every excuse as genuine, but in fairness to the entire class, required that it be accompanied by supporting documentation” (p. 137). Reference: Lucas, S. G. and Bernstein, D. A. Teaching Psychology: A Step by Step Guide. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2005.

Nine Online Course Development Tips Taken in part from: Rob Kelly, Facultyfocus.com

As an instructional designer and online instructor at the Community College of Baltimore County Catonsville, Dionne Thorne has worked with many instructors as they develop their online courses. Based on this experience, she offers the following advice on the course design process: 1.

Take advantage of the opportunity to work with an instructional designer. The relationship between the instructional designer and faculty member works best when viewed as a collaboration that brings together the instructor’s content expertise with the instructional designer’s knowledge of pedagogy and technology. “It’s not going to happen in six weeks. I’d like to have three to six months to load it, test it, and have time for feedback,” Thorne says.

Collaborate with another instructor. Regardless of whether you have the opportunity to work with an instructional designer, look to peers for ideas and advice on designing your online course. Having a peer review your course can help determine the source of a problem—the course design, the facilitation, or the students.

Make sure you are addressing the learning objectives. Always have the course objectives in front of you and match each objective to elements of the course as you design the course. “If you can’t justify or explain how [an element] meets the course’s learning objectives, it needs to go,” Thorne says.

“Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.” - Unknown 4.

Match the content to the appropriate format. For variety, workload considerations, and good design, be sure to consider how to best engage students with the material. “For example, you can’t have five discussions in one week,” Thorne says. Consider self -graded assignments, journal entries, and even optional assignments.

Provide a variety of ways to communicate with students. “Some students want to talk online only. Some need to hear your voice or meet you in person. Give them a variety of ways to contact you. People forget the telephone. When you ask them to introduce themselves in the discussion forum, also ask them to include their contact information—email, phone number, etc.,” Thorne says.

Maintain consistent course design. For each module, Thorne has five or six learning objectives that she explains in an introduction. This helps students understand what they’re doing and why.

Minimize the use of online lectures. Thorne does not include online lectures in her courses. She includes PowerPoint slides but does not narrate them. (Students tell her that they do not like narrated PowerPoint presentations.) For instructors who want to include lectures, Thorne says to limit them to five- to seven-minute sessions. “Don’t put a 45-minute lecture online,” she says.

Try to remain within the learning management system. When you introduce course elements that reside outside the LMS, you create the potential for technology support issues. Not all students have the same comfort level with new technologies. If you can avoid taking students outside the LMS, you have more control of the support they get. Also, from a navigation standpoint, having a single place to go helps ensure that students will not get lost in the course. Thorne advises adopting the three-click rule—having all the course content accessible within three clicks of the course home page.

Revise your course every semester. In addition to the expected content-related course updates, online courses also involve the technology component. Online courses evolve over time. Don’t expect to get everything right the first time. Expect it to take at least three times of teaching it and revising it to get it to the level you would like. Avoid including too much content and technology in an online course. Faculty often do this because they’re not convinced of the efficacy of the online learning environment and they need to ensure that students meet the learning objectives. This can actually backfire, resulting in an unreasonable faculty workload—the so-called course-and-a-half syndrome. “Take baby steps,” Thorne says.

The Inquiry Process, Step by Step TEACHING LEARNING CENTER Cedar Valley College

Created by educators in Australia, this diagram can be a helpful resource for students, as they embark on the inquiry learning process.

TLC: Room A206A 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134

VISIT THE TLC BLOG: teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/10/the-inquiry-process/

Sudoku

7 2

8 2 9 1 3 5 1 4 6 6

3 2 5

7 2 3

5 9

1 7 3

7 4

Fill in the missing numbers so every row, column and quadrant contains the numbers 1 through 9.

Lemons for Turkeyade By: Brad Benefield

White lies tend to serve as a diplomatic means to spare friends’ and loved ones’ feelings from harsh realities. When Aunt Elmira proudly presents a Thanksgiving turkey that smells and tastes like day-old Halibut, most of us will add some sweetener to our tea to help force down the fishy tasting fowl and refrain from expressing “Gosh almighty aunty, the bird tastes and smells like refuse from the docks.” Uneducated youngsters who innocently exclaim the culinary truth are schooled about proper Thanksgiving protocols during the trip home. Benevolent as the sentiments to spare Aunt Elmira may seem, it is still a deception. As an educator I have found it unwise to practice benevolent deception, particularly when students are involved. The fallout resultant from a misinformed student tends to be far greater than Aunt Elmira’s feelings concerning a misbegotten turkey. From an educational viewpoint, benevolent deception is a kind of classroom management tool that can be invoked in hopes of eliciting certain behaviors from students to facilitate the progression towards meeting class objectives. For instance, a class that began a semester strongly may fall behind desired expectations. In hopes of reviving class momentum, a professor might praise his or her class for doing a fairly good job on the current course material and that the test scores for chapter “x” were quite decent. In actuality, though, the test scores reflect an unexpected horror—that the class taken as a whole is irremediably racing towards academic meltdown and there is not enough time left in the semester to correct the situation. This “time left to correct situation” ratio is usually determined in relationship to current method. Of course, cagey veterans of numerous class meltdowns have developed a vast arsenal of avant-garde methods with which to correct such a seemingly irreparable situation. For new instructors, though, a typical response is to more stringently impel the current method. “Perhaps,” thinks the instructor, “I have been lax in delivering the infallible course design.” However, just as students are unique individuals, an entire classroom of students can form a unique group that may have compatibility issues with a particular course design. Part an educator’s skill resides in flexibility. If Aunt Elmira is reeled in before heading out of the kitchen to present a questionable turkey, she can be urged to bring the bird back to the kitchen, splash it with some lemon and serve it up in gravy boats as a kind of Thanksgiving surprise. Once the traditionalists’ suspicions subside, the somewhat shocked diners may very well praise Aunt Elmira for her daring take on an old theme and quite possibly Thanksgiving might be saved. No benevolent deceptions were necessary, only an adjustment to the menu.

TEACHING LEARNING CENTER Cedar Valley College Adjunct Office: Room A108 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134 email: cvcadj@dcccd.edu

Phone: 972-860-8230 Spring/Fall Semester Hours: M-R 8:30AM - 5:00PM F 8:00AM - 5:00PM Director: Tim Xeriland Phone: 972-860-8239 email: txeriland@dcccd.edu Brad Benefield email: bbenefiield@dcccd.edu Tamma Gunn email: tgunn@dcccd.edu Wilma Sosbe email: wsosbe@dcccd.edu Jahara Browder email: jbrowder@dcccd.edu Taylor Willams email: tmwilliams@dcccd.edu

VISIT THE TLC BLOG: teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

VOL 88

Cedar Valley College

DECEMBER 2013

TEACHING LEARNING CENTER

Nine Characteristics of a Great Teacher Taken in part from: Maria Orlando, EdD, Faculty Focus

A great teacher respects students. In a great teacher’s classroom, each person’s ideas and opinions are valued. Students feel safe to express their feelings and learn to respect and listen to others. This teacher creates a welcoming learning environment for all students.

A great teacher creates a sense of community and belonging in the classroom. The mutual respect in this teacher’s classroom provides a supportive, collaborative environment. In this small community, there are rules to follow and jobs to be done and each student is aware that he or she is an important, integral part of the group. A great teacher lets students know that they can depend not only on her, but also on the entire class.

A great teacher is warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring. This person is approachable, not only to students, but to everyone on campus. This is the teacher to whom students know they can go with any problems or concerns or even to share a funny story. Great teachers possess good listening skills and take time out of their way-too-busy schedules for anyone who needs them. If this teacher is having a bad day, no one ever knows—the teacher leaves personal baggage outside the school doors.

A great teacher sets high expectations for all students. This teacher realizes that the expectations she has for her students greatly affect their achievement; she knows that students generally give to teachers as much or as little as is expected of them.

A great teacher has his own love of learning and inspires students with his passion for education and for the course material. He constantly renews himself as a professional on his quest to provide students with the highest quality of education possible. This teacher has no fear of learning new teaching strategies or incorporating new technologies into lessons, and always seems to be the one who is willing to share what he’s learned with colleagues.

A great teacher is a skilled leader. Different from administrative leaders, effective teachers focus on shared decision-making and teamwork, as well as on community building. This great teacher conveys this sense of leadership to students by providing opportunities for each of them to assume leadership roles.

A great teacher can “shift-gears” and is flexible when a lesson isn’t working. This teacher assesses his teaching throughout the lessons and finds new ways to present material to make sure that every student understands the key concepts.

A great teacher collaborates with colleagues on an ongoing basis. Rather than thinking of herself as weak because she asks for suggestions or help, this teacher views collaboration as a way to learn from a fellow professional. A great teacher uses constructive criticism and advice as an opportunity to grow as an educator.

A great teacher maintains professionalism in all areas—from personal appearance to organizational skills and preparedness for each day. Her communication skills are exemplary, whether she is speaking with an administrator, one of her students or a colleague. The respect that the great teacher receives because of her professional manner is obvious to those around her.

Teaching Through Community-Based Projects Taken from Mario Guerrero, Facultyfocus.com

In my teaching experience I have come to the conclusion that many college students are unaware of the cultural differences and social issues in their communities. I have also realized that some teachers are often limited in delivering academic content inside the classroom, which might prevent learners from contextualizing the knowledge in real-life situations. Therefore, helping students understand that there is a relevant relationship between their professional skills and their role as citizens within their communities is important. The purpose of including community-based projects in your syllabi is to instill in students a sense of social responsibility and cultural awareness at an early stage in their professional life. To accomplish this, it is important to understand the meaning of contextualization, field trips and community-based instruction. Community-based instruction is defined as systematic instruction that integrates community settings with meaningful learning and it is age-appropriate to the skills of the students. Implementing community-based projects in our classes does not mean organizing sporadic field trips. A field trip does not involve the “doing” because it is generally limited to observation. Field trips are useful as they help enhance learning outside the classroom. However, they generally lack the possibility for students to learn from social interaction. Getting students into the community: One of the goals for my Spanish class was to teach students how to interact at a restaurant using the target language. In addition, students had to learn popular recipes and regional ingredients used in the different Latin American countries. Each group visited different Latino restaurants in their neighborhoods, conducted interviews with cooks, and learned about the differences of ingredients. It would have been easier to have each group bring a different dish to the classroom and explain its ingredients, but that approach

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” - Helen Keller would provide little interaction with their communities. Their evaluation consisted of a lunch at a Cuban restaurant in which students had to discuss their experiences with the cooks, interact with Spanish-speaking waiters, and try the traditional Caribbean dishes. At the end, students mentioned that this experience not only helped them practice real-life Spanish but they also learned about real Latin American food and people living and working in the city. The final project for my English class was a theory-based presentation that would improve students’ academic speaking skills. The students are future language teachers who are required to intern in their last two semesters. Therefore, I implemented a communitybased project. My students had to compare the theory with the practice and report back to the class. Each group chose a public school from their own community. Students interacted with school administrators, teachers, and students. They observed the teaching conditions in which a second language is taught. Their final presentations included a reflective analysis about the language theories. Students were aware of the realities of the schools and understood that not all of the proposed theories were applicable in their communities. Skills that students can gain from a community-based project: Altruism and Social Awareness – Altruism in education should help students develop a sense of belonging to their communities. In addition, the main objective of these experiences should not only be the improvement of the students’ professional skills but it should raise awareness about the realities of others. As a result, these activities might instill in students a sense of inclusiveness, diversity, belonging, and respect for others. Teamwork – Using teamwork in your community-based projects will help students improve their interpersonal relationships by empowering them with their own decision-making and problem solving. Critical Thinking – It is very important to teach students to become critical thinkers. It allows them to make decisions through their own reflection and judgment. Community-based projects give students an opportunity to observe and analyze real-world situations while improving their professional skills and learning from the realities of their community. Interpersonal Skills – When students work in groups in community-based projects, they learn to move beyond their comfort zone to interact with people from diverse backgrounds to find collective solutions. These activities foster enhanced student interaction, which implies communication, peer-assessment, and continuous feedback.

TEACHING LEARNING CENTER Cedar Valley College

6 3

Phone: 972-860-8083 Hours: M-F 8:30-5:00 Director: Tim Xeriland Phone: 972-860-8239 email: txeriland@dcccd.edu Instructional Specialist: Timothy Sonnier Phone: 972-860-8031 email: tsonnier@dcccd.edu

TLC: Room A206A

3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134

8 1

Sudoku Fill in the missing numbers so every row, column and quadrant contains the numbers 1 through 9.

9 7

2 7 4

3 9

Instructional Specialist: Christa Crawford Phone: 972-860-8083 email: ckcrawford@dcccd.edu Intern: Todd Troost Phone: 972-860-8083

VISIT THE TLC BLOG: teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com

eCampus Gradebook in Excel Format Here is a refresher on downloading and formatting your eCampus Gradebook. There are some specifics that all online instructors should know to make sure their spreadsheet is done correctly. Once you are logged in to eCampus and ready to download your grades, do so then save them to your desktop (click ‘work offline’ in the grade center, then choose download). They will then be able to be opened in Excel. Please remember the following: Do a separate spreadsheet for each section in Excel

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Always include a grading scale on the spreadsheet (may choose to display it via a footer)

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Make sure your Excel document is set to ‘landscape’

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Format the cells so all text is visible (center & expand cells as necessary)

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The necessary columns are the students first and last name, student ID, & grades

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The Header (custom header) should include: (left) name of course, (center) college, (right) date, semester, & section number

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Save the file as the course title, section number, & semester (English1301_3001_Fa2013)

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Always include each students’ final grade on the spreadsheet (include all ‘W’ grades)

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Please choose to show gridlines, it makes it easier to read once it’s printed If you have any questions, feel free to drop by the TLC.

Paper Gifts By: Brad Benefield

Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is upon us. Around this time, U.S. Postal Service mail carriers begin stuffing mail boxes with an assortment of Christmas cards, Christmas coupons, holiday seasonal flyers, and all manner of product evaluation surveys pertaining to Yuletide stuff. Also, within the next few days, I imagine Santa Clause begins the second evaluation of his legendary and rigid pass/fail list. Educators too participate in the evaluation festivities, grading end of semester exams while checking their lists twice to render for each student a climacteric Fall Semester final course grade. Santa Clause’s annual discernment between naughty and nice, separating wheat from chaff, is assuredly less sophisticated than the A through F evaluation system used by most educators; nonetheless, St. Nicholas’ assessment method is perfect for evaluating physical mail, particularly when applied to the contents of an adjunct’s CVC mailbox. During the Yuletide season, burgeoning Christmas stockings hanging on a mantle or wall are wondrous to behold. Not only do they add jollity to Christmas atmosphere, but they also possess a strange, mystical quality that compels people of all ages to empty them. Such is not the case with work mailboxes. This disparity probably stems from the undesirable possibility that a visit to one’s work mailbox may result in the mailbox fulfilling its namesake—more work. In the adjunct office, though, we have a device and methods to ease the burden of a mailbox check. Unbeknownst to many and utilized by few, near the back of the office resides a Fellowes Intellishred SB-89Ci confetti-cut power shredder. I’m confident that it could consume a metropolitan phonebook in less than ten minutes. This is not to imply that adjuncts need to shred their unwanted mailbox dross. If constrained by time, simply throw unwanted material into the recycle bin. For educators, the holiday season generates an added dimension of exuberance because of the long holiday. Notwithstanding and as formerly noted, before the merriment can commence evaluations must be made. But the task of grading is not entirely the instructor’s burden. Near the end of the semester, for a brief few minutes, students are endowed with the power to grade their instructor. They are allowed to assess the assessor. The assessment is accomplished through student surveys. Adjuncts, it so happens, receive these student surveys via their mailboxes. Adjuncts that teach face-to-face classes must have a mailbox so they can receive these student surveys. So, if not for any other reason, adjuncts need to check their mailboxes at least once to get the student surveys. Unfortunately, adjuncts who check their mailbox once or twice a year are problematic for the adjunct staff as mailboxes gorged with stuff become unmanageable. So, while checking out for the holiday season, please muster the courage to do a mailbox check. If a mailbox purge qualifies as the thirteenth labor of Hercules, recall the St. Nicholas Assessment Method and apply generously. Christmastime, itself, is not merely a time for sharing and generous application but giving to the needy and downtrodden as well. Please donate all unwanted paper products to the Intellishred. Happy Holidays

TEACHING LEARNING CENTER Cedar Valley College Adjunct Office: Room A108 3030 North Dallas Avenue Lancaster, Texas 75134 email: cvcadj@dcccd.edu

Phone: 972-860-8230 Spring/Fall Semester Hours: M-R 8:30AM - 5:00PM F 8:00AM - 5:00PM Director: Tim Xeriland Phone: 972-860-8239 email: txeriland@dcccd.edu Brad Benefield email: bbenefiield@dcccd.edu Tamma Gunn email: tgunn@dcccd.edu Wilma Sosbe email: wsosbe@dcccd.edu Jahara Browder email: jbrowder@dcccd.edu Taylor Willams email: tmwilliams@dcccd.edu

VISIT THE TLC BLOG: teachinglearningcenter.blogspot.com