The University Library Instructional Media Center and the Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (PETAL) are offering a variety of events throughout March 2004. Come and discover some of the research into teaching methods and tools that some of your colleagues here at USA have been involved in. Take a tour of the state of the art PETAL facilities. Consult one-on-one with our staff about your multi-media classroom projects. Below is a schedule of events for the month. For registration and information call PETAL/IMC at 460-7029 or email PETAL@usouthal.edu.
COFFEE AND COLLEAGUES ÂSimulations in Teaching and Learning” Roundtable with Dr. John Smykla Wednesday, March 24, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Room 181. Lunch provided. Registration required.)
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS Assessment Wizardry: Traditional and Non-Traditional Techniques Dr. Kathleen Ingram Thursday, March11, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Friday, March 12, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Room 171. Registration required.)
TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS FOR FACULTY Fast Prototyping in Power Point Tuesday, March 2, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 3, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (PETAL Lab. Registration required.)
Power Point Animation Tuesday, March 9, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 10, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (PETAL Lab. Registration required.)
Charts and Graphs in Motion Tuesday, March 23, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 24, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (PETAL Lab. Registration required.)
Web Design 1: HTML Tuesday, March 30, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 31, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (PETAL Lab. Registration required.)
COFFEE AND COLLEAGUES ROUNDTABLE (Room 181)
“Simulations in Teaching and Learning” Presenter: Dr. John Smykla Come to the PETAL roundtable discussion of educational simulations with Dr. John Smykla. Learn some intriguing details about its application and some first-hand insights in this demanding method from the veteran practitioner. (Lunch provided. Reservation required.)
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS Assessment Wizardry: Traditional and Non-Traditional Techniques Presenter: Dr. Kathleen Ingram No other topic in Education stirs so much heated discussion and juxtaposition as assessment. Come to our instructional seminar and learn about the latest developments in the research on assessment and evaluation. (Room 171)
TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS (PETAL Lab Room 123) Fast Prototyping in Power Point Instructor: Alla Zakharova Optimize your work with the Power Point application: learn to recycle your old presentations, adjust them to new audiences and goals or create specialized templates to serve your specific needs. Discover such features as the Slide Master, customized color backgrounds, word art and slide transitions. Learn about timed and looped options for your presentation and how to make use of your hidden slides.
Power Point Animation Instructor: Alla Zakharova Once you’ve learned the basics of Power Point, wow your Audience with animation. In this workshop, you will learn fast and easy (and fun) techniques to add movement to your Power Point slide show by animating text and pictures. Fueling your presentation with this attentiongetting animation is guaranteed to keep them awake and listening.
Charts and Graphs in Motion Instructor: Alla Zakharova Do you need to present large amounts of information clearly? Then this workshop is for you. Charts and graphs can be very effective organizers of information and are easy to develop in Power Point. In about an hour you will learn how to create and put into motion eye-catching charts that will be sure to grab the attention of your audience and make a lasting impression.
Web Design 1: HTML Instructor: Alla Zakharova This course will teach you the basic steps involved in making a Web page. Learn to write simple codes in HTML, to modify text, make bulleted lists, and insert images. Learn to add functionality to your web pages by inserting external hyperlinks to other sites and creating email tags on your web pages. Learn to read the page source information of other sites on the Internet.
The University Library Instructional Media Center (IMC) and the Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (PETAL) are offering the following schedule of events throughout April 2004. Come and join your colleagues in the discussion of the challenges of online teaching at the PETAL pedagogical forum or pick up some useful tools and tips for writing publishable papers at the PETAL seminar. Sharpen your technology skills in our computer workshops or consult oneon-one with our staff about your multi-media classroom projects. For registration and information call PETAL/IMC at 460-7029 or email PETAL@usouthal.edu.
COFFEE AND COLLEAGUES “Critical Thinking in an Online Environment- Fact or Fiction?”
Roundtable with Dr. Kathleen Ingram Wednesday, April 21, 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. (Room 181. Lunch provided. Registration required.)
CATALOG CLASSES E-Books & E-Reserves - Wednesday, April 21, 1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. SOUTHcat & Media Searching - Wednesday, April 21, 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Room 128. Registration not required.)
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS Writing for Publication Dr. Richard Wood Tuesday, April 13, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 14, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Room 171. Registration required.)
TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS FOR FACULTY Web Design 2: Introduction to Dreamweaver Dr. Alla Zakharova Tuesday, April 6, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (PETAL Lab. Registration required.)
Web Design 3: USA Web Page Standards Jim Kotis Tuesday, April 20, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (PETAL Lab. Registration required.)
COFFEE AND COLLEAGUES ROUNDTABLE (Room 181)
“Critical Thinking in an Online Environment- Fact or Fiction?” Presenter: Dr. Kathleen Ingram (BSET, College of Education) Come to the PETAL roundtable discussion of online teaching to reflect on your own experience or learn about typical pitfalls from more experienced colleagues before you get into virtual trouble. The purpose of this roundtable is two-fold: 1) to discuss the use of research, reflection and action in improving instructional practice and 2) to examine the outcomes of several instructional strategies that emerged from a process of practical research and application. The influence of the theoretical beliefs of instructors on their choices of instructional strategies will also be discussed. (Lunch provided. Reservation required.)
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS (Room 171) Writing for Publication Presenter: Dr. Richard Wood, Dean of University Libraries .
This seminar is designed for faculty members and graduate students who want to write their first journal article for publication. Participants will learn basic information such as: how to get ideas for a topic, steps in the writing process, submitting a proposal, the editorial process, what journals may be appropriate for their article, and submission or other requirements for authors. (Reservation required.)
TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS (PETAL Lab Room 123) Web Design 2: Introduction to Dreamweaver Instructor: Dr. Alla Zakharova, Director of IMC/PETAL This class will teach you the basic skills involved in design and development of a web page with the top of the line authoring tool – Macromedia Dreamweaver. You will be able to create colorful backgrounds, enter text, tables, and images into your web page and create hyperlinks and anchors (bookmarks). You are welcome to bring your own resources (text and images) to be used in the design of a sample page. (Reservation required.)
Web Design 3: USA Web Pages Standards Instructor: Jim Kotis, Director of USA Web Services This class will provide an overview of the web publishing policies and procedures at USA including how to obtain directory space on the USA Web Server. The class will also discuss recommendations for effective web site design and correct usage of USA Official graphics. (Reservation required.)
Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning
During the month of July, PETAL is offering several events that will provide USA faculty with opportunities to learn how to: • • • • •
Create a personal grade book in Excel Retouch, manipulate, and create images using Adobe Photoshop Develop a basic web page using HTML and Dreamweaver Determine how to choose proper assessment tools Integrate the pedagogical tool of debating into the classroom
Date
Day
July 6 July 7 July 13
Tue Wed Tue
July 13 July 14
Tue Wed
July 15 July 20 July 21
Thu Tue Wed
July 21 July 27 July 28
Wed Tue Wed
Event Grade Book in Excel Grade Book in Excel Photoshop-1: Magic Images Mission Possible 2: Assessment Carte Blanche Photoshop-1: Magic Images Mission Possible 2: Assessment Carte Blanche Web Design 1: HTML Debates: A Propitious Tool for Any Classroom Web Design 1: HTML Web Design 2: Dreamweaver Web Design 2: Dreamweaver
Type
Time
Instructor
Workshop Workshop Workshop
10:00-11:00 am 3:00-4:00 pm 10:00 am-12:00
Libby Jones Libby Jones Denice Buxton
Seminar Workshop
3:00 -4:00 pm 3:00-5:00 pm
Dr. Alla Zakharova Suhana Chikatla
Seminar Workshop Roundtable
3:00-4:00 pm 10:00 am-12:00 12:00-1:00 pm
Dr. Alla Zakharova Dr. Alla Zakharova Dr. Mir Husain
Workshop Workshop Workshop
3:00-5:00 pm 10:00-12:00 pm 3:00-5:00 pm
Dr. Alla Zakharova Dr. Alla Zakharova Dr. Alla Zakharova
Advanced registration is required for all events.
Contact and Registration Information: Phone: 460-7029 Email: PETAL@usouthal.edu http://www.southalabama.edu/univlib/imc/imcpetal/petal/petal_web/petalhomepage.html
PETAL/IMC – 06/24/04
COFFEE AND COLLEAGUES ROUNDTABLE Library Room 181 July 21 12:00p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
“Debates: A Useful Pedagogical Technique in the Classroom” Presenter: Dr. Mir Husain (Political Science) Come to the PETAL roundtable discussion on using debates as a pedagogical tool with Dr. Mir Husain. Learn some intriguing details about its application and some first-hand insights. Lunch will be provided. Reservation required.
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR Library Room 171 July 13 (3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.) & July 15 (3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.)
Mission Possible 2: Assessment Carte Blanche Presenter: Dr. Alla Zakharova
In this seminar, review your personal “menu” of assessment tools and have a look at other forms of holistic and analytical grading. Find out what CATs have to do with Cards, Logs, and Human Tableau. Learn to put your “freedom of choice” in a realistic instructional context. Registration is required.
TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS PETAL Lab Room 123
Grade Book in Excel July 6 (10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.) & July 7 (3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.) Instructor: Libby Jones
Spend an hour with Excel and save many hours down the road with a personal grade book. Create your own grade book that automatically assigns average, maximum, and minimum scores for the individual student and the whole class, automatically adds bonus points on an individual basis, calculates the student’s final grade using a weighted scale, and assigns a letter grade. Registration is required.
PhotoShop-1: Magic Images July 13 (10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) Instructor: Denice Buxton & July 14 (3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.) Instructor: Suhana Chikatla
This class will teach you how to manipulate and edit images, crop, resize and save them in different formats. You will learn to change colors and add text to your images. For enhanced fun, bring your own digital image. Registration is required.
Web Design-1: Introduction to HTML July 20 (10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) & July 21 (3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.) Instructor: Dr. Alla Zakharova
This course will teach you the basic steps involved in making a Web page. Learn to write simple codes in HTML, to modify text, make bulleted lists, and insert images. Learn to add functionality to your web pages by inserting external hyperlinks to other sites and creating email tags on your web pages. Learn to read the page source information of other sites on the Internet. Registration is required.
Web Design-2: Introduction to Dreamweaver July 27 (10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) & July 28 (3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.) Instructor: Dr. Alla Zakharova
This class will teach you the basic skills involved in design and development of a web page with the top of the line authoring tool – Macromedia Dreamweaver. You will be able to create colorful backgrounds, enter text, tables, and images into your web page and create hyperlinks and anchors (bookmarks). You are welcome to bring your own resources (text and images) to be used in the design of a sample page. Registration is required.
PETAL/IMC – 06/24/04
The Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (PETAL) serves as a resource center for USA faculty by providing instructional events such as roundtable discussions, faculty development seminars, and technology workshops. PETAL roundtable discussions provide a pedagogical forum for the discussion of professional issues in teaching and learning. The faculty development seminars offer effective ways of creating instructional materials. Technology workshops are designed to assist faculty in the development of their multimedia skills. During the month of June, PETAL events will provide several opportunities to learn how to: • • •
Increase presentation power using Power Point (Technology Workshops) Design an effective syllabus (Faculty Development Seminar) Recognize and prevent student plagiarism (Roundtable Discussion)
Schedule of June Events Date
Day
June 8 June 9 June 15 June 15 June 16 June 17 June 22 June 23 June 23
Tues. Wed. Tues. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Tues. Wed. Wed.
Event Power Point in 60 Minutes Power Point in 60 Minutes Fast Prototyping in Power Point Mission Possible: Syllabus in an Hour Fast Prototyping in Power Point Mission Possible: Syllabus in an Hour Power Point Animation “Integrity of Academic Assignments” Power Point Animation
Type
Time
Instructor
Workshop Workshop Workshop Seminar Workshop Seminar Workshop Roundtable Workshop
10:00-11:00 a.m. 3:00 -4:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m.-12:00 3:00 -4:00 p.m. 3:00-5:00 p.m. 3:00-4:00 p.m. 10:00a.m.- 12:00 12:00 p.m.- 1:00 3:00 -5:00 p.m.
Libby Jones Libby Jones Dr. Alla Zakharova Dr. Alla Zakharova Dr. Alla Zakharova Dr. Alla Zakharova Dr. Alla Zakharova Dr. John Dempsey Dr. Alla Zakharova
Advanced registration is required for all events.
Contact and Registration Information: Phone: 460-7029 Email: PETAL@usouthal.edu http://www.southalabama.edu/univlib/imc/imcpetal/petal/petal_web/petalhomepage.html
COFFEE AND COLLEAGUES ROUNDTABLE Library Room 181 June 23, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
“Integrity of Academic Assignments” Presenter: Dr. John Dempsey Come to the PETAL roundtable discussion on preventing plagiarism with Dr. John Dempsey. Share your own experience with this problem and personal techniques to avoid it. Learn more about alternative assessment and technological tools for early detection of the problem. Lunch will be provided. Reservation is required.
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR Library Room 171 June 15 (3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.) & June 17 (3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m)
Mission Possible: Syllabus in an Hour Presenter: Dr. Alla Zakharova In this seminar, we will review a general framework for quickly drafting an easy-to-use and student-friendly syllabus. You will outline course goals, define performance objectives, specify assessment and practice activities and state requirements and special rules for your sample course. Bring your own time-saving tips and course syllabi samples to share with your colleagues. Registration is required.
TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS PETAL Lab Room 123
Power Point in 60 Minutes June 8 (10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.) & June 9 (3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.) Instructor: Libby Jones This is an absolute must for all beginners. In less than an hour you will be able to present information through a well-organized and visually attractive slide show. You will learn the basics of visual design and easy techniques that made Power Point the most frequently used application in the academic and business worlds. Registration is required.
Fast Prototyping in Power Point June 15 (10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) & June 16 (3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.) Instructor: Dr. Alla Zakharova Optimize your work with the Power Point application: learn to recycle your old presentations, adjust them to new audiences and goals or create specialized templates to serve your specific needs. Discover such features as the Slide Master, customized color backgrounds, word art and slide transitions. Learn about timed and looped options for your presentation and how to make use of your hidden slides. Registration is required.
Power Point Animation June 22 (10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) & June 23 (3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.) Instructor: Dr. Alla Zakharova Once you’ve learned the basics of Power Point, wow your audience with animation. In this workshop, you will learn fast and easy (and fun) techniques to add movement to your Power Point slide show by animating text and pictures. Fueling your presentation with this attentiongetting animation is guaranteed to keep them awake and listening. Registration is required.
Summer 2006
Did you know that... HorizonWimba has released a program called CourseGenie that allows anybody who has MS Word to convert their word documents into web pages in just a few simple steps. The web pages automatically come up with topic menus and navigation buttons turning a written lecture into a web course in just a few minutes. One can easily add quizzes, flashcards and images to the content for more interaction. The new web course can be uploaded to Blackboard, WebCT or other online courses. The single-user license is $ 295.
Learn more and try Course Genie free at:
www.horizonwimba.com/products/coursegenie/
Visit the web site of the Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (PETAL) for the full schedule of Summer events, teaching tips and links to web resources www.southalabama.edu/petal
Advanced Registration by phone or email is required for all events. Phone: 461-1563 FAX: 460-6884 email: PETAL@usouthal.edu
June 14 June 20 June 28 July 11 July 12 July 20
Petal Summer 2006 Events
3 pm- 5pm 10 am -12 pm 3 pm-4 pm 10 am-12 pm 3 pm - 5 pm 2 pm - 3 pm
Turnitin for Administrators Lab 123 Zakharova Turnitin for Faculty Lab 123 Zakharova Writing for Publication Rm 181 Wood Grade Book in Excel Lab 123 Zakharova Grade Book in Excel Lab 123 Zakharova Inviting Guest Speakers to Class Rm 181 Husain
The June-July 2006 Issue of The Teaching Professor includes these topics:
Death by Paper: Ten Secrets for Survival Learning the Lessons of Silence Is there a Place for Games in the College Classroom? Learning and Motivation in the Postsecondary Classroom My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student Putting Students Frist: How Colleges Develop Students Purposefully Critical Thinking: It’s a Hard Skill to Teach Getting to Know Your Students: Three Challenges In-Class Writing: a Technique that Promotes Learning and Diagnoses Misconceptions
The full text of The Teaching Professor is available through EBSCO’s Academic Search Premier PETAL Roundtable: Presenter Dr. Zohair Husain “Inviting Guest Speakers July 20, 2 pm-3 pm Library Room 181 Light refreshments Registration Required 461-1563
petal@usouthal.edu
to Class”
Smart Classroom
Last month, PETAL hosted a presentation of the I-Clicker system that triggered an animated debate among the participants on the effectiveness of such devices in the classsroom. We have interviewed departments who already have used such systems beginning with Dr. Richard Daughenbaugh, professor of the Department of Professional Studies, COE. Dr. Daughenbaugh, Personal Response Systems have become quite popular in today’s classroom but there are so many different models! What kind of device have you used in your teaching? I have been using the CPS (Computer Performance System) from eInstruction. What features did you like best about it? I especially like the attendance taking feature. One click from each of the students and attendance is taken. Then there is the variety of testing features that can be used by the instructor. In the Teacher mode of testing, the questions are projected onto a screen for the entire class to read and respond. The teacher clicks the Stop icon and the results are tallied and displayed as a Histogram. All questions are displayed until the quiz/ test is completed. One can immediately show an item analysis if needed. Individual results can be printed or sent to the students. In the Student mode, the student has the exam and the clicker. What flaws or drawbacks have you discovered about your PRS? One thing I find annoying is recharging the batteries. Without online management feature, the teacher must maintain the student clickers. A bag of 24 clickers and its receiver is $2500 including two hours of professional training. Another thing is the importing of names from PAWS, setting up and importing pre-existing exams from Word. These have to be formatted in a very, very precise manner otherwise the importing will not work. It is simpler in the long run to just type in the student names and the quizzes, tests, exams, and so forth. In what situation is it most effective and for what type of assignments will you never recommend its use? I like this for all of the quizzes, but also for assessing the students’ understanding of the content of the current class lecture. The teacher can go into a Verbal mode and ask Yes or No, True and False, or Multiple Choice questions to review knowledge assimilation. A graph can show how many of the students are understanding the material. This system works well with PowerPoint and most all presentation programs. It is more difficult to pose higher order thinking skills assessments with this system. How did it help you as an instructor? The system records and grades the information within seconds and places this information in a grade book, and allowed me to measure the class’s assimilation at any point. My students loved the clicker assessment system, attendance increased by twenty percent, and responses to verbal questions increased over sixty percent. Even the quiet, non-participating students become active learners with this system.
Critical Thinking: It’s a Hard Skill to Teach Are there any faculty members who don’t aspire to teach their students to think critically? In a truly excellent summary and explanation of what cognitive science contributes to our understanding and efforts to teach critical thinking, van Gelder identifies six lessons that can help our students develop their ability to think critically. Lesson 1. Critical Thinking is Hard Even though it’s basic, critical thinking depends on a complicated process...For teachers, this means there are no shortcuts, no magic bullets, and no technological solutions. We should expect our students to develop this skill slowly. “Critical thinking is more of a lifelong journey than something picked up in a two-week module.”(p.42) Lesson 2: Practice Makes Perfect Even though it’s hard, some people end up being able to do it well. How do they achieve that goal? Plain and simple, they practice. It is practice not just of the skill generically but practice of each individual part that makes up the skill. It is practice that is developmental--it gradually gets harder as more and more of the skills are mastered. It is practice accompanied with close guidance and accurate feedback. Lesson 3: Practice for Transfer Transferring a newly acquired skill like critical thinking can often be a problem. The skill is learned and applied in a specific context. We should not be surprised when students can’t make a transfer from problem A to problem B. Only through deliberate practice do they learn to transfer skills from one situation to another. Lesson 4: Practical Theory Van Gelder doesn’t think students can improve their critical thinking beyond a certain point without knowing some theory. Practice is essential but a bit of theory is like the yeast that makes the bread rise. Lesson 5: Map it Out. At its core, critical thinking rests on arguments, and arguments are expressed in sequences of words that become sentences and then paragraphs of collected thoughts. But arguments can also be expressed diagrammatically. The process is slow and cumbersome, but these mapping techniques enable them to see the reasoning, identify the important issues, check for assumptions and look for the presence of supportive evidence. Lesson 6: Belief Preservation The problems here involve those cognitive biases and blind spots that derive from those beliefs we strongly hold. When we start with strong beliefs, we look for evidence that supports what we believe and ignore that which goes against them. Good critical thinkers understand this tendency, actively monitor thinking and deploy compensatory strategies. Some of these lessons we already know--others may be new. But the lessons together remind us that critical thinking is not an automatically acquired skill. We can and should rededicate ourselves to those activities that will help our students to learn this most important skill.
Abridged from the article by T. van Gelder, Teaching Critical Thinking: Some Lessons from Cognitive Science. College Teaching, 53 (1), 41-46.
August/September 2006
Did you know that...
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s online division has developed a video game that covers the lessons of second-level economics that students can take – or play – for credit. Called ECON 201, the game teaches microeconomics by following an alien species that must learn how to survive after crash-landing on a futuristic, post-apocalyptic earth. The interdisciplinary course game integrates several subjects, such as economics, biology, history, and anthropology. ECON 201 was designed to add some visual excitement and intrigue to a highly theoretical subject of economics. “Ultimately we teach that economics is a way of thinking,” said Jeff Sabaum, an economic instructor for the course.
If you want to get a glimpse of this course you can go to http://econ201.uncg.edu/dcl/econ201/
Petal Fall 2006 Events
August 29 10 am -12 pm August 30 3 pm - 5 pm September 13 1pm - 3pm September 14 3 pm - 5pm September 21 1pm - 2pm September 27 1pm - 3pm September 28 3 pm - 5pm
Grade Book in Excel Grade Book in Excel Course Design and Development Course Design and Development Cooperative Learning Roundtable Motivating Students Motivating Students
Lab 123 Lab 123 Rm 181 Rm 181 Rm 181 Rm 181 Rm 181
Zakharova Zakharova Litchfield Litchfield Litchfield Litchfield Litchfield
The August/September 2006 Issue of The Teaching Professor includes these topics:
7 Strategies for Enlisting Experts Faculty and Diversity-Related Course Content Teaching Problem Solving: A Case with Intriguing Results 10 Articles that Sustain Me Small Group Discussion Tasks 7 Strategies to Enhance Video Use in the College Classroom Three Years and Counting Alignment: A Model that Responds to Teaching Tensions
The full text of The Teaching Professor is available through EBSCO’s Academic Search Premier or through the PETAL website link - http://www.southalabama.edu/petal/resources.htm
Visit the web site of the Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (PETAL) for the full schedule of Summer events, teaching tips and links to web resources www.southalabama.edu/petal
Advanced Registration by phone or email is required for all events. Phone: 461-1563 FAX: 460-6884 email: PETAL@usouthal.edu
PETAL Roundtable: Presenter Dr. Brenda Litchfield “Co-operative
Learning”
September 21, 2006 1 pm-2 pm
Library Room 181 Light refreshments Registration Required Phone 461-1563 or email:
petal@usouthal.edu
Smart Classroom
We continue our series of presentations on the Personal Response Systems (PRS) and interviews with the faculty who use them in their classrooms. A live demo of Interwrite PRS will be held on Sept. 14, from 10 -11 am, in Room 181, University Library. We asked Mr. C. Smoot Major, instructor of Biological Sciences and Assistant Curator of USA Herbarium, to comment on this particular system. -Mr. Major, Personal Response Systems have become quite popular in today’s classroom but there are so many different models! What kind of device have you used in your teaching? Currently we are using the PRS RF system and it is a great improvement over the Quizdom system that we employed last semester. We are now using the Interwrite RF system (PRS). -What features did you like best about your tool? Several things come to mind. First, for large classes we can easily take roll; secondly, this system allows students to do multiple choice, with one answer or more, enter equations, and use short answers. Another feature I find attractive is that I can formulate questions on the fly during a lecture. This provides me with immediate feedback to insure that students comprehend the material. -What flaws or drawbacks have you discovered about your PRS? With our current system the learning curve for me has been the greatest challenge as each system is different. Although this system is far better than our previous system, learning how to merge different programs such as PRS system and PowerPoint can be a challenge and often takes more than one attempt to have it run smoothly. -In what situation is it most effective and for what type of assignments would you not recommend its use? It is very effective for pop quizzes, the students gain immediate feedback and can see charts of how others answered the question. This immediate feedback allows me to know if they have grasped the material or not and if I can move forward to new material without losing the class. -How did it help you as an instructor? The feedback is invaluable and the ability to take roll provides me with tools that I won’t have otherwise in a lecture hall situation. The addition of an interactive device in the lecture hall also engaged some of the students that might not have been engaged otherwise. -What did your students say about this tool? They were very unhappy with our first system and appear pleased with the new one. -How expensive is the device that you are using? Would it be too much of a financial burden for students? The company sold the response units to the bookstore for $39.00.
Learning and Motivation in the PostSecondary Classroom
Marilla D. Svinicki brings her educational background in psychology and experince as director of the Center for Teaching Effectiveness at the University of Texas-Austin to this book which condenses, distills, and makes accessible complicated research work on learning and tells you in very practical ways how to apply the principles of learning in the classroom. Chapter 9, “Putting It All Together” sets forth 10 principles of learning that are described in detail throughout the book. In each chapter they are applied to a specific course, providing a compelling illustration of the principles in action. Principle 1: Empahsize a Few Key Ideas - These central ideas need to be highlighted and stressed across the entire course as well as in each class session. Note that if you use too many, less learning results. Principle 2: Be Aware of Prior Knowledge -- “...prior knowledge and experience affect current behavior and learning” (p. 27). Learners consistently try to connect what is new with what is known. Principle 3: Tap into Motivational Sources -- Motivation powers the learning enterprise, and teachers can do much to influence its affects on students. Principle 4: Build Structural Knowledge to Achieve Understanding -The key idea here is that “knowledge is retained only when embedded in some organizing structure” (p. 40), thus teachers have to help beginning learners build that structure so that they have some place to hang and then find new knowledge. Principle 5: Structure Learning to Support Encoding of the Content -“Failures here are essentially failures to learn. Unless new information can be incorporated into the learner’s long-term memory, it will not be available for future use” (p.24). Teachers must design instruction that supports encoding. Principle 6: Use Modeling to Teach Skills -- Skills are learned via the venerable model of learning: apprenticeship. Beyond that, “deciding what to model is as important as how to model it” (p.74). Principle 7: Give Lots of Active, Coached Practice -- “...so that they can exert their mental energies not on recall, but on expanding their understanding” (p. 32). Principle 8: Teach in Ways That Promote Transfer -- Enable students to transfer what they have learned to new and novel situations (p. 99). The way in which the material is taught can expedite that process -- teach the skill just before students have the opportunity to use it (p. 106). Principle 9: Help Students Become Aware of their Own Learning Strategies - Learning is essentially an individual activity. If prowess as a learner is to develop, then teachers must help them encounter themselves as learners. Principle 10: Respect Individual Differences in Learning -- “By respect, I don’t just mean tolerance of differences. I mean building into the class some flexibility about how each student approach[es] learning” (p. 229). Abridged from The Teaching Professor’s Summer Reading book review of the above mentioned book by Marilla D. Svinicki, published by Anker, 2004, 263
October 2006
Did you know that...
The University of California at Berkley will use Google Video to deliver college courses, including lectures and symposia, free of charge. It will be the first university to have its own featured page on GoogleVideo, according to a report by the Reuters News Agency. As an initial offering, the university has put up a library of more than 250 hours of video for public viewing. Currently, there are a half-dozen Berkley courses in their entirety on the site, including “Physics for Future Presidents,” “Integrative Biology,” and “Search Engines:Technology, Society and Business,” featuring a lecture by Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Also available will be a range of public events and academic symposia on topics ranging from climate change to synthetic biology. To find out more about it go to: http://www.campus-technology.com/news_article.asp?id=1933&typeid=150
Petal October 2006 Events
October 3 9am - 10am Power Point in 60 Minutes October 4 2pm - 3pm Writing for Publication October 11 1 pm - 3pm Class Management and Plagiarism October 12 3 pm - 5pm Class Management and Plagiarism October 18 1pm - 2 pm Inviting Guest Speakers to Class October 25 1 pm - 3pm Problem Solving / Critical Thinking October 26 3 pm - 5pm Problem Solving / Critical Thinking October 31 10 am - 12 pm Power Point with a Bang
Rm 123 Rm 171 Rm 181 Rm 181 Rm 181 Rm 181 Rm 181 Rm 123
Zakharova Wood Zakharova Zakharova Husain Litchfield Litchfield Zakharova
The August/September Issue of The Teaching Professor includes these topics:
7 Strategies for Enlisting Experts Faculty and Diversity-Related Course Content Teaching Problem Solving: A Case with Intriguing Results 10 Articles that Sustain Me Small Group Discussion Tasks 7 Strategies to Enhance Video Use in the College Classroom Three Years and Counting Alignment: A Model that Responds to Teaching Tensions The full text of The Teaching Professor is available through EBSCO’s Academic Search Premier or through the PETAL website link - http://www.southalabama.edu/petal/resources.htm
Visit the web site of the Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (PETAL) for the full schedule of Fall 2006 events, teaching tips and links to web resources www.southalabama.edu/petal
Advanced Registration by phone or email is required for all events. Phone: 461-1563 FAX: 460-6884 email: PETAL@usouthal.edu
PETAL Roundtable Discussion
Inviting Guest Speakers to Class Presenter: Dr. Mir Husain Oct. 18, 2006 Wednesday, 1 pm - 2 pm Library Room 181 Light Refreshments Registration Required
Three Years and Counting
7 Strategies for Enlisting Experts
by Keith Starcher, Geneva College, Pennsylvania kostarch@geneva.edu
A lot can happen when you dare to ask an expert.
(We dedicate this column to our new faculty members and hope they will find the reminiscence of Keith Starcher upon completion of his third year teaching junior college both inspiring and encouraging.)
Instructors do a lot of research, but seldom do we go straight to the source, even though incorporating innovative sources offers students memorable learning opportunities. It invites multidisciplinary involvement, as well. Here are some things we have dared to do:
Teaching is Hard Work. Teaching is not just a job — it’s
a way of life. It’s pouring yourself into your students, your discipline, and your pedagogy. After three years of “pouring,” I am not yet running on empty, but I do sometimes feel drained. A quote from an unknown author says it best, “A good teacher is like a candle - consuming itself to light the way for others.”
• Tracked down the writer of an article that was being discussed in an English course, and asked about his writing process and thesis. • Invited local collectors to bring their original “Model T” cars to our college to discuss assembly line production with students in both an introductory sociology and a mechanics course.
Teaching can be lonely work. Colleagues exhange greetings, serve on committees, and line up according to tenure. But the “collegiality” that I assumed would be ubiquitous in a college setting, especially in regard to conversations about teaching, is a rarity. Everyone is just too busy teaching to talk about teaching.
• Called a local couple who were married in a doughnut shop. They provided copies of their wedding pictures, which were incorporated into a Power Point presentation on the social life of doughnut shops. • Held a teleconference with a New York writer of a just-published true- crime book. The call was teleconferenced with an English class at one campus and a criminology class at another.
Teaching has significance. Education leads to change. What a privilege to help engender change in the minds and hearts of students. Building a legacy in my former business life was measured in dollars and cents. Now my hoped-for legacy will be seen in changed lives. Henry Brooks Adams’ words are frequently quoted: “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” What can be more significant than that?
Here are some specific strategies we have found useful: • Use the Internet and directory assistance. Narrow your search to find the person’s email address or office phone number. It’s worth the time because you contact the person directly. Experts will respond more quickly to a brief email than a phone message. • Be specific. State upfront what kind of information you are looking for - a guest speaker, responses to a set of questions, personal opinion on an issue - the more specific the request the more likely the person will honor the request.
Teaching requires continuous improvement. After three years I’m still changing texts, tweaking experiential learning activities, and dreaming of assessments that truly measure how well the students are realizing the course objectives. Ideas for improvement continue to flow from all directions from books, articles, the recent Teaching Professor Conference, and colleagues - the list goes on and on. Perhaps the joy is truly in the journey. Teaching takes courage. Teaching is a very personal vocation. Standing in front of a class involves a level of vulnerability that I have never experienced before. I have felt the disappointment of a “bombed” lecture and the sting of a hurtful comment from a student evaluation of my course. Then I get an email like this one: “Just a note to thank you for your enthusiasm and committment to teaching, as it showed very brightly in our class. Keep up the good work.” And I begin afresh. Someone once said, “There are three reasons to be a teacher - June, July, and August.” In some ways I agree — but then why am I already yearning for September? Abridged from The Teaching Professor August/September 2006 Issue, Vol. 20, Number 7
• Work together. If your department doesn’t have enough of a budget to cover an honorarium, see if you can combine with other departments to make it feasible. • Think big. Ask multiple experts on the same question. You might end up with a panel! • Use an intermediary. A plublicist at a publishing house or a secretary can be a powerful ally in prioritizing your request. • Make the expert accessible to learners. Let students formulate ques- tions for the expert, as well as encourage them to go directly to sources by using online contact links such as “Ask an Expert” websites. • Don’t give up. Sometimes you have to find the information or contact the expert in a different way.
by Pamela den Ouden and Tanya Helton, Northern Lights College, British Columbia, Canada. pdenoudn@nlc.bc.ca, thelton@nlc.bc.ca Abridged from The Teaching Professor August/September 2006 Issue, Vol. 20, Number 7
November 2006 Did you know that...
MacArthur Foundation quests for secrets to digital learning? The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation said it would donate $50 million for projects that will help understand “the impact of the widespread use of digital media on our youth and how they learn.” The Foundation announced that the research will test the theory that digital youth are different because they use digital tools to “assimilate knowledge, play, communicate, and create social networks” in new and different ways. For more details, check the current issue of Campus Technology: http://campustechnology.com/news_article.asp?id=19450&typeid=150
November 1 November 8 November 9 November 14 November 15
Advanced Registration by phone or email is required for all events. Phone: 461-1563 FAX: 460-6884 email: PETAL@usouthal.edu
3 pm - 5 pm 1 pm - 3 pm 3 pm - 5 pm 10 am -12 pm 3 pm - 5 pm
Power Point with a Bang Assessment & Evaluation Assessment & Evaluation Turnitin-Antiplagairism tool Turnitin-Antiplagairism tool
Rm 123 Rm 181 Rm 181 Rm 123 Rm 123
Zakharova Zakharova Zakharova Zakharova Zakharova
The November Issue of The Teaching Professor includes these topics:
What College Professors Can Learn from K-12 Educators Course Portfolios: The Next Generation Reminders for Improving Classroom Discussion Developing an Alternate Assessment Exercise for an Introductory Chemistry Course Office Hours in a Different Format
Visit the web site of the Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (PETAL) for the full schedule of Fall 2006 events, teaching tips and links to web resources www.southalabama.edu/petal
Petal Fall 2006 Events
Free Webinar
“How to Decrease Time to Proficiency with Blended Learning” with Bill Bruck, Ph.D., co-founder of Q2Learning. November 1, Wednesday, at 12 pm-1 pm. Do you wonder how to ensure that all students are able to absorb and retain content over a short period of time? Then this free online seminar that blends Eastern philisophy, Western psychology, and modern technology is for you.
To register, go to https://www.gotomeeting.com/s/Q2Wbr/A/102406
Common Myths about Grades in College Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman reviewed some most common myths about college grades in their book “Professors’ Guide to Getting Good Grades in College.” If midterms bring you any surprises, it may be a good idea to review your grading system and dispel some of the myths with your students. MYTH #1: “It’s Bad to Be a Grade-Grubber”
Grades, as Jacobs and Hyman put it, are the “currency of college”. Just as pro athletes want to achieve good stats, so too should students aim to do their best.
MYTH #2: “Why Try to Get Good Grades? All I Need is That Piece of Paper?” Employers and grad schools are increasingly looking closely at the achievements of potential students, not just proof that they have done the bare minimum to graduate.
MYTH #3: “College? This is Going to Be a Cakewalk”
Jacobs and Hyman here make a compelling case that is based on some straightforward math: “Most of the students who go on from high school to college are in the top percentage of their high school class.” Simple logic tells you that not everybody can be in the top percentage of a college class, so some portion of students will slide down the grading scale.
MYTH #4: “E is for Effort”
Unlike at middle school or high school, students do not get “a reward” in college simply for turning in all homework, attending and participating in classes, and otherwise making one’s presence known. Efforts to meet all course requirements are expected.
MYTH #5: “A is for Attendance”
However valuable attendance may be, it’s simply not the case that attendance will net you a good grade in a college course. Just as some bosses say, “I don’t care how you do it, just get it done well,” some professors only care about the end product.
MYTH #6: “If Only I Kiss Up Enough...”
Many professors grade tests and submissions blindly, so the student should assume that the work product submitted will form the grade, period.
MYTH #7: “Grades are 100 Percent Subjective...”
Grading is “a system, not just an opinion.” Professors judge their students’ work against certain standards and most make those standards quite explicit.
MYTH #8: “I’ll Never Get Good Grades. I’m Just Not a Good Student”
When some students get consumed by doubts and fears, it is important to tell them: “The fact that you have been admitted to college shows that the college also believes that you can do well.”
Teaching Tips from the winner of twelve teaching awards - Rolf E. Hummel of the University of Florida tells how he does it...
MYTH #9: “The Professor Could Care Less What Grade I Get”
“A bad grade is a sign that the professor has not succeeded in teaching that student…So clearly, professors want their students to do well, not only for the sake of the students but, as Jacobs and Hyman admit, “for the sake of their own egos.”
MYTH #10: “The Professor Will Tell Me All I Need to Know to Get an A”
This one is a bit of a head-scratcher, since “some professors strongly believe that part of the learning experience is for students to figure out for themselves how to get good grades.” In a way, it is good training for the vicissitudes of life. Some things are hard to explain, some bosses are hard to figure, sometimes these universal truths are discovered in the context of a college course and what may be a frustrating short-term issue turns into a valuable, life-long lesson.
I prepare at least one hour per period for classes which I have given before, and about 5-7 hours for each new class. I arrive in the classroom at the right time or even a few minutes earlier to have a chance to chat with my students... I start with a one or two minute review of the previous lecture. I write as much as possible on an old fashioned blackboard and high light important parts with colored chalk, and/or put a box around im- portant equations. I start at the upper, left-hand corner....and do not erase anything during the entire hour. I attempt to write large and legibly enough so that (it) can be read from the last row. During the last three minutes...I repeat briefly what was discussed that day by showing with a pointer the relevant graphs or equations ...and mention how they were arrived at. I attempt not to block the blackboard with my body so that virtually everybody can see what is written on the board. When drawing a graph I carefully label the axes by saying what they represent and describe a curve while drawing it. If there is more than one curve in a given graph, I distinguish them with different colors and write on each curve what parameteres they represent. I encourage questions during class and answer them in a respectful manner. If I do not know the answer I admit so, and promise to answer it next time. I try to speak loudly and distinctly and aim my voice toward the last student row. I address my students by looking at them during the lecture, keeping eye contact. If I see some students drift away, I change the pace. I take a class picture during one of the first lectures and ask the students to write the names next to their image. I am not a friend of projected transparencies because they are frequent- ly removed before the students are capable of fully comprehending what they want to teach, except when putting the respective informa- tion on the board would require too much time or when the students have the same graph in their text book and I need to point out certain details on the image. Before an exam, I hand out tests from previous years, whose answers we discuss in the class immediately before the upcoming midterm or final. I allow my students to prepare a one-page, hand-written, personal “crib sheet” on which they may write all the equations and graphs they consider important. They have to turn in this sheet along with their tests. This promotes academic honesty and gives those students some confidence who are now well prepared for the exam, and they feel confident that they can turn to their sheet when need arises. Needless to say, my tests do not allow mere regurgitation of crammed information, but usually require some thinking. Most of all, I consider my students to be my friends. I am kind to them and am available most of the time for questions and for airing concerns. My door is virtually always open. I teach all classes myself, I write the tests and grade them myself and use teaching assistants only for looking over the homework, which I assign (because one can only learn by “doing” and not so much by just listening).
Adapted from the University of Florida “Pedagogator,” Vol. 3, Issue 13, July/ Aug. 2005.
September 2007 Petal Fall 2007 Events
A Word from the Director‌
My name is Rob Gray, and I have recently become the new Director of PETAL. I am looking forward to getting to know and working with the faculty here at USA to help them to improve their teaching. Primarily, however, it is my sincere hope that PETAL’s primary function will be to make critical reflection on teaching strategies and practices a more conscious part of the daily routine of all faculty, as well as a more prominent place in the discourses, the very culture, of the University. However, the success of PETAL will ultimately depend not on any particular advice or wisdom imparted from our staff or our guest presenters at PETAL activities, but rather in the interactions and dialogues between faculty members at and as a result of those activities. PETAL is offering a large number of faculty roundtables and brown bag lunches this year, as well as many workshops on integrating technology into the teaching process. We are also introducing a new activity, the PETAL Panel Discussion Series, which will feature important issues or innovations in Teaching and Learning, so please visit the newly redesigned PETAL website often for the most updated schedules and resources. Finally I have also created a blog on our site that I plan to post to at least once a week. Please visit regularly, and, more importantly, please feel free to make the blog a truly dynamic and interactive space where teaching and learning happen in both directions, much like a good classroom should.
Visit the web site of the Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (PETAL) for the full schedule of Fall 2007 events, teaching tips and links to web resources www.southalabama.edu/petal
Advance Registration by phone or email is encouraged Phone: 461-1563 Email: PETAL@usouthal.edu
September Seminars - New Faculty Development - Library 181 Wed 12 3 pm - 5 pm Thurs 13 1:45 pm - 3:45pm Wed 26 3 pm - 5 pm Thurs 27 1 pm - 3 pm
Course Design & Development Course Design & Develop.ment Motivating Students Motivating Students
Litchfield Litchfield Litchfield Litchfield
September Workshops - Library 123 Tu 4 Wed 5 Tu 18 Wed 19
10 am - 12 pm 3 pm - 5 pm 10 am - 12 pm 3 pm - 5 pm
The Clicker Workshop The Clicker Workshop Turnitin Workshop Turnitin Workshop
Gray Gray Gray Gray
Roundtable Discussion Writing for Publication: Tips on Disseminating the Results of Research Dr. Richard Wood Dean of University Libraries September 10, 2007 2 pm - 3 pm Room 181 University Library
Dr. Wood will cover the initial steps involved in choosing a topic for research, selecting a journal or other format for publication, and writing a proposal to the publisher. Editing, copyright, and writing tips will also be discussed.
Brown Bag Lunch Student Oral Reports: Utility, Futility and Futurity Dr. Zohair Husain Political Science September 21, 2007 12:00 to 1:00 pm Room 181 University Library
Dr. Husain will share his insights on how to effectively use student oral reports as a teaching strategy.
Normally my role in this newsletter is to format the text, but I’m just this once going to jump at the chance to introduce you to the new PETAL Director. In the past two months I’ve had a chance to work with Rob Gray and observe his interactions with administrators, faculty, university employees, and students. I am convinced that we are very fortunate to have him leading PETAL. His background has prepared him, perhaps uniquely, for this position. An Alabama native, he studied English at the University of Alabama (I won’t hold that against him). He’s a gifted poet and an excellent writer whether he’s reworking a teaching handout or parsing literary theory. His many years of teaching composition and literature inform his views on teaching and learning and his presentations are therefore more facilitative leadership than simply verbal flip-charts. I’ve said elsewhere that vision, by itself, is useless. Vision, talent and timing, however, are a winning combination. I suspect that the best preparation for his role at PETAL might be his experience as a talented bass guitarist. Having learned to absorb himself in the rhythm of an experience, he is quite able to respond to whatever situation arises in his role as facilitator of PETAL activities, whether it’s jumping in to design the new website in just a few days time, consulting with faculty, rewriting a 28 page handout, editing the content of the Teaching Excellence Award booklet, or devising an exciting new schedule of events that not only enhances the teaching experience but offers new and innovative ideas for programs to challenge even the most comfortable among faculty members. A dozen years ago I read a book entitled Thinking Together that focuses on the concept of rational discussion, which it defines as engaging in a “process of inquiry,” a process of “defending and challenging your opinions as well as others through a “dialogue of discovery.” They suggest that the primary responsibility of a discussion leader (or instructor) is to “guide discussion by asking questions, by anticipating replies, and by listening and responding to others,” and define six roles of a discussion leader: “the directive role, the influential role, the persuasive role, the instructional role, the facilitative role, and the collegial role.” Rob will excel in all six as he brings insight, experience, vision and, yes, talent, to those roles.
The Clickers are HERE! Regular readers will remember that we’ve been featuring articles on various Personal Response Systems that have been used on this campus and others, and we are very happy to be able to say that USA has adopted the Interwrite PRS for use campus -wide. (See Summer 2006 and August/September 2006 PETAL Newsletters.) Starting September 4 and 5 we will be conducting workshops in the PETAL lab for faculty who wish to begin using Clicker in their classrooms. What is Clicker? The Clicker is a student response system that allows faculty to easily and efficiently do the following:
How does the Clicker work? Clicker responses are gathered and tabulated by the presenter’s computer; however, the Clicker software and hub must be installed on the presenter’s computer before Clickers can be used. Clicker questions can easily be built-in to a PowerPoint presentation, created in the Clicker software, or administered on-the-fly. How do I start using the Clicker? Let the Bookstore know that you plan to use the Clicker so that they will have enough for students. Let the PETAL office (PETAL@usouthal.edu or 6-1563) know that you plan to use the Clicker, and we will have InterWrite provide you with your own Clicker and hub. We can also get a hub for the computer in your classroom. Attend a PETAL Technology Workshop on the Clicker or schedule a one-onone tutorial.
By the end of the semester, I’ll be addressing him as Dr. Gray, as he’s about to complete his Ph.D. in Instructional Technology. Reading his dissertation (“Towards a Writerly Conception of Online Courses: A Critical [Re]figuration of Interaction”) was key to my deciding to continue working with the PETAL program, as I found the ideas presented there exciting and essential to transforming education in a rapidly changing, digital world. His thoughts on collaborative learning will inform his response to new tools that we as an academic institution must grapple with, and his experience in the “real world” of eCollege and other venues will mean that PETAL will be focused on tangible results in both teaching and learning. So grab a seat. It’s going to be a fun journey. Susan Hales, PETAL assistant. Thinking Together, Making Meetings Work, written by V. A. Howard, Ph.D. and J.H. Barton, M.A., was published by Harvard University in 1992.
Take attendance Give quizzes Collect homework Create “teachable moments” Increase classroom interaction
Winter 2007 Did you know that...
there are practical software programs out there that you can add to your toolkit and they won’t cost you and your students a thing?
The Canadian website Clean Energy Project features software that can be used to evaluate the energy production and savings, life-cycle costs, emission reductions, financial viability and risk for various types of energy. In addition, it hosts product, cost, and climate databases. This site works in conjunction with NASA, UNEP and GEF, and has multi-language support. If you are interested in knowing more about these free programs follow this link to the original article: http://www.techlearning. com/showArticle.php?articleID=196513456
Visit the web site of the Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (PETAL) for the full schedule of Winter events, teaching tips and links to web resources www.southalabama.edu/petal
Advanced Registration by phone or email is required for all events. Phone: 461-1563 FAX: 460-6884 email: PETAL@usouthal.edu
PETAL Winter 2007 Events
January 23 1 pm - 3 pm January 24 1 pm - 3 pm January 30 10 am - 12 pm January 31 3 pm - 5 pm February 7 1pm - 3pm February 8 3 pm - 5pm Februar y 14 1 pm - 2 pm February 28 1 pm - 3 pm March 1 3 pm - 5 pm
Katmar Software and EngNet are engineer conversion calculators. Engineering Power Tools is a converter with additional tables and reference charts packed under the menu headings of Math, HVAC, Mechanical, Electrical, Materials, and Structural. Evaluation Downloads is a sheet layout optimizer for your projects, while Equation Illustrator can annotate a formula into a program. Machine Shop offers free CAD software and the company can actually make the part after you design it (for a fee of course). ThermoAnalytics and AutoFEA are finite element analysis software programs which can also model and import. HoverDesk is a screen capture program and St. Clair is a screen shot program for Mac people.
Course Design & Development Rm 181 Litchfield Course Design & Development Rm 181 Litchfield Grade Book in Excel Rm 123 Zakharova Grade Book in Excel Rm 123 Zakharova Motivating Students Rm 181 Litchfield Motivating Students Rm 181 Litchfield “ThePowerofAuthenticity:Showing DocumentariesinClass” Roundtable Rm 181 Husain Class Management & Plagairism Rm 181 Zakharova Class Management & Plagairism Rm 181 Zakharova
Live Broadcast Increase Enrollment, Retention and Student Success with Web-Based Class Capture Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 9:00 to 10:00 am Room 181, University Library
Learn how St. Mary’s University is putting their students on the path to success in this free, one hour webinar sponsored The f by Tegrity. Campus Technology’s senior editor Matt Villano talks with St. Mary’s president, academic dean and director of instructional technology about how they are using Tegrity’s web-based classroom capture solution to boost enrollment, increase performance levels, and reduce attrition rates. Takeaways include: •Enhancing and supporting the learning process •Securing faculty buy-in •Attracting new students Come armed with questions for the panelists for a QA session following the live presentation. Registration: 461-1563 email: petal@usouthal.edu
Living with Digital Natives and their Technologies
10 ‘Worthwhile Considerations’ for Improving Lectures
We are surrounded by not only new technology but a new lingo - in fact, there are even labels for those who know the lingo - (students are “Digital Natives”) and those who are learning the lingo (“Digital Immigrants” - yikes!).
In his article “Are Lectures a Thing of the Past?”, Conin Jones asserts that “presenting an effective lecture is like writing a good drama - you must have a worthwhile story to tell and tell it in an interesting way.” (p. 454) He suggests the lecturers keep in mind the following considerations:
Which are you? Can you identify these terms?
1. Active Student Involvement - “Sitting for an hour and taking in new infromation is difficult, even for the most internally motivated college student.” (p.454) Interactive components need to be present in all lectures, even those delivered to 500 students.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5: 6. 7.
Nintendo DS MySpace.com Flickr.com YouTube.com RSS Skype iPod
iPod: Not just about music anymore, it’s a digital library of images, video, addresses, maps, podcasts, etc. Can record digital audio for your own podcasts too! Skype: PC software that allows you to call any Skype user for free using a mic and Internet. A new craze worldwide with college students who want to stay connected but avoid the pinch of phone bills. RSS: Really Simple Syndication. With so many news and info-tainment web diaries (blogs) and podcasts being published, you can paste in the RSS address and set your computer to automatically download the blog or podcast entries as they are published. YouTube.com is the video-sharing version of flickr. Your videos are rated and instantly have access to a potential audience of over 35 million users. So called “street journalists” post videos of important events, speeches and the like to be viewed instantly across the globe. Flickr.com is a free photo-sharing site where you can search for images on any topic imaginable. With a staggering breadth of images available, and many millions of members, you can comment on photos you like, see how often your photos have been viewed, and add friends, join groups based around themes and send internal emails to other members. MySpace.com is an all in one webpage serivce with more than 50 million users worldwide, provides a free homepage where you can have a blog, photo gallery, and songs to listen to. It’s a community unto itself where one can easily get in contact with others who have the same tastes in music or the same hobbies, and users can view other people’s profiles and add someone as a “friend.” Nintendo DS: Tends to have less-violent characters than the standard shoot-em games, opens like a clam-shell, has dual screens, a built in microphone and a PDA-like stylus. It has wireless capabilities for messaging other users, and sells for around $180. Abridged from an article by Jonathan Nalder in TechLearning, January 1, 2007. http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196604072.
2. Relevance - Students taking large courses often do not understand why they need to know the Kreb cycle or phases of meiosis. To those outside the discipline it is not generally obvious. 3. Interest - It is difficult to hold students’ attention for an entire lecture. Don’t underestimate how difficult it is. Use various strategies to support your efforts to do so. Maybe you can wear costumes or use props, but if that isn’t your style, opt for interesting facts and intriguing details. 4. Expert/Novice Difference - We all know who’s the expert and who’s the novice in the classroom, but what the experts often fail to realize is that students process course content at different rates and in different ways. What helps all learners process new information is linking it to what they already know, connecting abstract concepts to more concrete ideas, and moving from simple facts to more complex generalities. 5. Cognitive Overload - Information-dense lectures lead to cognitive overload. Students’ minds shut down and their eyes glaze over. If you continue, you are proceeding without them. Stop - provide a brief review, take time for a question, or introduce a colorful example. 6. Scientific Jargon - Science is not the only field with lots of jargon-this applies to every discipline. Sometimes it’s both a new word and a new concept. Other times the words are familiar but refer to new meanings. 7. Mental Lapses - Sometimes students just don’t get it in a lecture. They need to hear you say it in a totally different way, or they need examples, maybe a metaphor. Take a short break so that they can discuss, explore, and explain it to the person sitting next to them. 8. Note-Taking Skills - Not all students have good ones. Help students learn what they need to write down. Sometimes an outline or guide distributed early in the course can help reinforce this lesson. 9. Confounding Misconceptions - Students can memorize right answers, regurgitate them on an exam, and leave the class with their original thinking still unchallenged. Be aware of the common misconceptions students bring to a course and tackle them head on. Don’t let students leave a course with their thinking undisturbed. 10. Learning Modalities - We live in a visual society and many students are visual learners. Lecturers need to reckon with these facts and make use of the wide array of visual supports now available - demonstrations, videos, computer animations, even the venerable overhead transparency. Abridged from Conin Jones, L.L. (2002). Are lectures a thing of the past? Journal of College Science Teaching, 32 (7), 453-457.
October 2007 From the PETAL Blog… As some of you already know, my personal research agenda involves the application of literary theory to the field of teaching and learning, and while most of my writing focuses on the online environment, virtually all of my work is equally applicable to the traditional classroom as well. Wolfgang Iser’s Reader Response Theory is a perfect example of how nicely literary theory can apply to educational issues. For Iser, the meaning of a text is determined solely by the individual reader’s interaction with it. It is important to point out, then, that meaning cannot be located purely in the “author’s techniques or the reader’s psychology,” but rather in the interaction between the two during the “reading process itself ” (Prospecting: From Reader Response to Literary Anthropology, p. 31). I firmly believe that this concept, while obviously oversimplified here, can lend a tremendous amount of depth and insight into our understanding of issues regarding teaching and learning. Indeed, it is this kind of interaction, between the author’s writing and the reader’s reading, between the instructor’s teaching and the students’ learning, that needs to be explored more fully in all areas of education research, both online and in the classroom. For Iser, a text is simply a collection of marks on a page that only comes alive in the experience of a reader, so when we begin to think of teaching in the same way that Iser thinks of texts, we come to realize that teaching is like the proverbial tree in the woods: it is only “heard” if there is someone there to “hear” it. Rob Gray, PETAL Director
Visit the web site of the Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (PETAL) for the full schedule of Fall 2007 events, teaching tips and links to web resources www.southalabama.edu/petal
Advance Registration by phone or email is encouraged Phone: 461-1563 Email: PETAL@usouthal.edu
October 2007 Events Seminars - New Faculty Development - Library 181 Wed 10 Thurs 11 Wed 24 Thurs 25
3 pm - 5 pm 1 pm - 3 pm 3 pm - 5 pm 1 pm - 3 pm
Class Management & Plagiarism Class Management & Plagiarism Problem Solving & Crit. Thinking Problem Solving & Crit. Thinking
Gray Gray Litchfield Litchfield
Workshops - Library 123 Tu 2 Wed 3 Tu 16 Wed 17 Tu 30 Wed 31
10 am - 12 pm 3 pm - 5 pm 10 am - 12 pm 3 pm - 5 pm 10 am - 12 pm 3 pm - 5 pm
Extending the Classroom w/Web Extending the Classroom w/Web The Clicker The Clicker Better Teaching with Power Point Better Teaching with Power Point
Gray Gray Gray Gray Gray Gray
Roundtable Discussion Teaching with Simulators Dr. Aaron Gilligan October 8, 2007 2 pm - 3 pm Room 181 University Library
Ms. Gilligan will demonstrate how the use of simulators can be a very valuable tool to stimulate the “tech” generation of students, as well as how faculty can become more comfortable using them.
Brown Bag Lunch Writing as an Assessment Strategy Dr. William Young & Dr. William Owen October 19, 2007 12 to 1 pm Room 181 University Library
Dr. Young and Dr. Owen will discuss a collaborative project they have designed to make student writing a more central part of their course assessment plan.
Reflecting on Teaching Practice Some of you may have seen James M. Lang’s column in the Chronicle of Higher Education on September 21st, where he introduces a self-published book on college teaching by Joe Ben Hoyle, who is an Associate Professor of Accounting at the University of Richmond. The book is entitled Tips and Thoughts on Improving the Teaching Process in College: A Personal Diary, and Laing praises it for its “folksy and pleasant” style, but mostly for the sound advice it offers. After reading Laing’s tidbits from the book, we thought we would devote this month’s main newsletter article to one of Hoyle’s recommendations. We will also reserve the right to use other tips for future articles in this place. If you would like to see the book in its entirety, however, without waiting for future issues of this newsletter, you can download it for free at http://oncampus.richmond.edu/~jhoyle/. Hoyle’s first tip concerns one of the most important steps in process of becoming a better teacher: reflecting on our own teaching practice. (1) – Think back on your entire educational experience, from kindergarten through graduate school. Who was your best teacher? Select that one person who should be placed at the absolute pinnacle. In my experience, almost everyone arrives at a single name rather quickly without much guidance. People seem to know automatically the identity of that one individual they believe qualifies as their all-time best teacher. (2) – Spend a few moments thinking about this educator. Recall the reasons that he or she meant so much to you. Do not get sidetracked by trivial memories. Why was this teacher outstanding? What did this person do that so many others did not? Now, come up with three terms to describe your best teacher. What are three terms that best exemplify the characteristics that made this individual so special? (3) – One at a time, apply the three descriptive terms generated in (2) to your own teaching. Score yourself on each. As an example, if one of the descriptive terms was “highly organized” or “enthusiastic” or “genuinely caring,” what grade is appropriate for your teaching? For each of these, as a teacher, are you outstanding, good, average, poor, or failing? Most people have a general understanding as to how well they teach. That is not the purpose of this exercise. I want a separate and personal evaluation for the three descriptive terms that you identified as being significant. (4) – Do not consider the grades in (3) as permanent. They are not tattoos. For each of these three terms, come up with one action that you can attempt to raise the score. How can your grades be improved? Think about the kinds of activities that your own best teacher utilized. Let your imagination run wild; people talk a lot about thinking outside of the box but rarely do so. If this outstanding educator was now standing in your shoes, how would he or she go about achieving improvement? These four questions are not designed to guide readers toward some universal descriptor of good teachers because there probably is none. I simply want you to consider the traits that you associate with highquality education. Many individuals have taught for decades without thinking seriously about the fundamental question of what specific attributes cause a teacher to be judged outstanding--not just good but truly exceptional. Improvement is always difficult if a person does not understand the essence of the quest. In the simplest terms: As an educator, what does it take to be good and what can you possibly do to get better? This exercise has one other purpose: The reader is placed in the student position. It is difficult to comprehend fully the essential importance of education and the key role played by effective teachers without vividly recalling the timorous days of being a student. Remembering how significant such individuals have been to our development is a good way to start contemplating actions that might spark a personal teaching evolution. (Hoyle, p. 5)
[Re]Introducing the PETAL Collection at the Library The new and improved “PETAL Collection” of books devoted to issues of teaching and learning in higher education has been moved into the PETAL Office. The Collection, which used to take up three rows of the stacks outside the Instructional Media Center in the University Library, was underutilized. Therefore, we have decided to select what we thought were the most important books in the Collection and move them onto one standard bookcase in the PETAL office. All of the other books are being reintegrated into the library’s main collection. We hope you will come and check out the new PETAL Collection soon!
December 2007
A Word from the Director…
Petal 2008 Events
From the PETAL Blog: There was an interesting article in the September 27, 2007 edition of The Chronicle that talks about a new software called CommentPress. The CommentPress software is essentially a template for the blogging site WordPress, but what makes it so exciting is that it allows readers of online texts to place comments in the margins, just like people have been doing with printed texts for centuries. The template divides the browser screen vertically in half so that the original text is on the left and the comment area is on the right. Each paragraph of the original text has a little comment bubble that you can click to add a comment (and each bubble has a number that shows how many comments have already been posted). While the original text scrolls up and down, however, the comment box remains stationary so that it is always positioned next to the text you are currently reading (although you must click on the bubble of the paragraph you are reading for the contents of the comment box to change). The real advantage of this tool is that it allows a virtual conversation not only between the instructor and students, but also, and perhaps more importantly, between the students and the text itself. It is a means to more meaningfully foster learner-content interaction, as well as to create a truly writerly learning environment. To learn more about the CommentPress project, visit http://www.futureofthebook.org/commentpress/. If you would be interested in using CommentPress, please let us know.
Visit the web site of the Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (PETAL) for the full schedule of Spring 2008 events, teaching tips and links to web resources www.southalabama.edu/petal
Advance Registration by phone or email is encouraged Phone: 461-1563 Email: PETAL@usouthal.edu
New Faculty Development Seminars W 1/23 T 1/24
3-5pm 1-3pm
Course Design and Devel Course Design and Devel
Litchfield Litchfield
Workshops
T W T W
1/15 1/16 1/29 1/30
10am - 12pm 3pm - 5pm 10am - 12pm 3pm - 5pm
The “Clicker” The “Clicker” Grade Book in Excel Grade Book in Excel
Gray Gray Gray Gray
Brown Bag Lunch Discussion Rethinking Interaction: In Person and Online Robert Gray Friday, January 25, 2008 12 - 1 pm
Mr. Gray will lead a discussion on ways we can reconceptualize interaction, both in person and online, by rethinking the relationship between students and the content we are trying to teach them.
Faculty Roundtable Cooperative Learning Brenda Litchfield Monday, January 28, 2008 2 - 3 pm
Dr. Litchfield will present several strategies for improving student engagement and achievement through group activities.
2007-08 at the Midway Point As we look back and evaluate what has been a very successful Fall Semester for PETAL, we are excited by the prospects of the coming Spring semester. Lots of exciting activities have already been planned and several more are on the drawing board. PETAL will, of course, be offering the New Faculty Seminars for those new faculty whose schedules would not allow them to attend in the Fall. The seminars went very well this semester, and attendance was overwhelming. In fact, we had standing room only in all of the Wednesday sessions. Plus, we had 21 complete the series in their first semester and another 9 only lack one seminar for completion. We will be continuing our Faculty Roundtable series in the Spring and have three very exciting sessions planned. In January, Brenda Litchfield will lead a discussion on Cooperative Learning. In February, Peter Wood will share his ideas on teaching using Podcasts. And in March, Jan Sauer will talk about how instructors can make better use of the library in their classes. Our Brown Bag Lunch series will also continue in the Spring. In January, PETAL Director Rob Gray will be leading a session on interaction. In February, Ellen Harrington will lead a discussion on how to build intellectual skills, and in March, Dr. Litchfield will talk about preparing for tenure and promotion. PETAL will also be offering several Technology Workshops in the Spring, and some of these will be a little different than originally published. We will, of course, be offering sessions on the Clicker. These will occur in January and March. Also in January, we will have a session on doing your grades in Excel. In February, we will have two sessions that talk about ways to augment the traditional classroom with the Internet. The first will deal with teaching hybrid courses, while the second will look at ways to use streaming video. In our New Faculty Seminars, we received several requests to do a session on teaching portfolios, so we will be doing that in April. The PETAL Panel Discussions are still on the drawing board, but we are tentatively planning on having a discussion on multiculturalism in late February moderated by Richard Hayes, Dean of the College of Education, and another on the use of Web 2.0 technologies in early April that will be moderated by Richard Wood, Dean of University Libraries. PETAL also offers videotaping services to help faculty analyze their teaching, as well as multimedia consulting, where we work with faculty to develop web sites, videos, or any other kinds of learning objects. We also have videoconferencing capabilities. Finally, perhaps the most exciting news for PETAL in the Spring is that we are having an area on the Library’s third floor remodeled to house our offices, a classroom, and a computer lab. We are very excited about this development and would like to thank Dr. Covey and Dr. Wood for making it happen.
Required Viewing for All Faculty Michael Wesch, a cultural anthropologist at Kansas State University, has been producing a remarkable series of videos about the cultural and epistemological “r/evolution” that has been produced (enabled?) by the proliferation of the Internet. One of these, A Vision of Students Today, should be required viewing for all University faculty. It provides a powerful look at how that epistemological/metaphysical shift is experienced by today’s college students. As an anthropologist, Wesch is primarily concerned with the cultural ramifications of this r/evolution, but his vision, as well as the phenomena on which it is based, also has tremendous implications for educators, both in terms of how we confront this new reality in our classrooms, as well as how we find new ways to envision and take advantage of these unforeseen possibilities. The video can be accessed from the front page of the PETAL website (http://www.southalabama.edu/petal).