Spring 2016

 

FEBRUARY

CATL Co-Sponsored Workshop – Share the (educational) wealth: Inclusive teaching for financially-challenged students

Thursday, February 11th, 12:30-1:45 p.m., Lindner 206 (Lunch provided)

In this lunch discussion, we will share research from recent studies along with strategies that are effective for working with and supporting students who have high financial need. Participants will reflect on and discuss anonymized case studies from real Elon contexts and plan ways to create and sustain classroom environments across disciplines in which students with high financial need feel included and can thrive. Co-sponsored with the Center for Access and Success.

Workshop Materials: If you were unable to attend, but are still interested in learning about inclusive teaching for financially-challenged students, please view the workshop materials: Handout #1, Handout #2

CATL Workshop – Active Learning: The whys & hows

Tuesday, February 16th, 12:30-1:45 p.m., Lindner 206 (Lunch provided)

This workshop will focus on a handful of active learning strategies that can work in many types of courses. Faculty will actively participate (of course!) to consider how they can be used both to teach students and to assess their learning. All faculty are welcome – whether they are new to active learning or just want to think more about which strategies are best suited for which circumstances.

Workshop Materials: If you were unable to attend, but are still interested in learning about active learning strategies, please view the workshop materials: Handout #1, Handout #2

Talking Teaching Tuesday – Contemplative Pedagogy

Tuesday, February 23rd, 4:15-5:15 p.m., the Oak House (Snacks provided)

What is contemplative pedagogy? How might it affect student well-being and learning? Guest facilitator Alexis Franzese will join us to describe some contemplative pedagogy practices and discuss her SoTL project examining whether contemplative pedagogical practices and findings from positive psychology have the potential to elevate student well-being and engagement in our rigorous yet rewarding academic environment. Join us at the Oak House to talk about teaching and contemplative pedagogy.

CATL Workshop – Creating “transparent” assignments to enhance student learning

Wednesday, February 24th, 12:15-1:30 p.m., Belk Pavilion 208 (Lunch provided)

A recent international study of 25,000 students at 27 institutions suggests that making the process of teaching and learning explicit, or “transparent,” can lead to beneficial results for both high-achieving and underserved students. In particular, the study points to the importance of transparent assignment design. During this interactive session, we’ll discuss and apply the three simple principles outlined in the study to an assignment you’d like to improve or develop for a course. Then, participants will engage in feedback rounds and leave with ideas for ways to continue to improve or refine an assignment. Bring an assignment you would like to improve or a new assignment you’d like to develop with feedback from colleagues.

Workshop Materials: If you were unable to attend, but are still interested in learning about transparent assignment design, please view the workshop materials: The Transparency Project; Interactive Bloom’s Taxonomy

MARCH

CATL Reading Group – Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching

Tuesday, March 1st, 12:30-1:45 pm, Lindner 206 (Lunch provided)

This discussion will focus on critically analyzing the “student partnership” framework and considering possible implications for this approach for Elon faculty and students. Participants will read a portion of Healey, Flint, and Harrington’s Engagement Through Partnership (UK Higher Education Academy, 2014), which frames partnership as “a process of student engagement, understood as [faculty] and students learning and working together to foster engaged student learning and engaging learning and teaching enhancement. In this sense partnership is a relationship in which all participants are actively engaged in and stand to gain from the process of learning and working together” (p. 7). Readings will be sent to attendees upon registration.

Workshop Materials: If you were unable to attend, but are still interested in engaging students as partners, please view the workshop materials: Engagement through Partnership, Mick Healey’s “students as partners and change agents” bibliography, and The International Journal for Academic Development special issue.

CATL Guest Speaker – Susan Robison

Thursday, March 10th and Friday, March 11th

Susan RobisonSusan Robison, Ph.D. is a psychologist, author, and faculty development consultant. Susan’s Professor Destressor workshops and coaching help faculty improve their time and stress management, leadership, work-life balance, productivity and communication skills. Her book,

A former academic department chair and professor of psychology at Notre Dame of Maryland University, Susan is the author of The Peak Performing Professor: A Practical Guide to Productivity and Happiness, published by Jossey-Bass in October 2013, two leadership books (Discovering Our Gifts and Sharing Our Gifts), a co-author with Barbara Walvoord et al. of a faculty development book, Thinking and Writing in College, as well as numerous articles on leadership and work-life balance.

Her awards include an early career NSF award and several business awards including the 2004 Mandy Goetze award from the Executive Women’s Network for service and leadership to business women in the Baltimore area and, in 2008, one of the Top 100 Minority Business Entrepreneurs in the Maryland, DC, and Virginia areas.

CATL Guest Speaker – Susan Robison – The Peak Performing Professor: A Practical Guide to Productivity and Happiness

Thursday, March 10th, 4:00-6:00 p.m., with optional extension until 6:30 p.m., Belk Pavilion 208

A faculty job can be a very satisfying life-long career IF it is handled well. Long-term work-life balance requires a combination of two things: a vision of what is needed for professional and personal success and the work habits used by successful academics to achieve long-term work and life satisfaction. This practical interactive workshop, based on the evidence-based Peak Performing Professor model, will explore the challenge of the tripartite professor job description (teaching, research, and service) and how to balance those responsibilities with a great personal life. Hint: Doing everything well all of the time is not the answer.

You will learn how to PACE yourself with these practices:

  • POWER and motivate yourself with a vision of meaning and purpose in your career and life.
  • ALIGN time and tasks with your Power to produce high impact results with high job satisfaction.
  • CONNECT with those at home and at work for mutual support.
  • ENERGIZE yourself through wellness and well-being practices for better work-life balance, a long productive career, and a long healthy and satisfying life.

The benefits of applying the PACE practices will allow you to:

  • Create a life management system that aligns your strengths, time, and energy with your personal priorities and your diverse faculty responsibilities.
  • Discern what activities and opportunities will move your vision forward so that you can say strong “yes’s” and graceful “no’s” to the competing priorities of the college professor.
  • Take charge of those overwhelming to-do lists by envisioning and managing projects, goals, and daily to-do lists that are realistic and achievable.
  • (Optional) Build social capital, relationships with colleagues that pay off in mutual productivity and satisfaction.
  • (Optional) Minimize time management distracters such as email, grading, and interruptions.
  • (Optional) Create and maintain energy so that you can work productively without burnout.

CATL Guest Speaker – Susan Robison – Strategic and Meaningful Career Design for Faculty Who are Mid-Career and Beyond

Friday, March 11th, 2:45-5:15 p.m., Belk Pavilion 208

A lifelong commitment to the professoriate requires staying engaged and motivated for the long haul. You may be hitting your stride at mid-career but are you enjoying the fruits of your earlier labor? In this practical, interactive workshop based on the Peak Performing Professor Model, mid to late career faculty will learn evidence-based practices to motivate and pace themselves for continued success and enjoyment in career and life.

The following practical skills will be presented and practiced. You will learn how to:

  • Prevent post-tenure burnout, blowout, and rust out by defining success to include Great Work, work that flows easily from a deep sense of meaning and purpose, and a Great Life, one that brings you energy, longevity, and joy.
  • Design a life management system that aligns your strengths, time, and energy with your personal priorities and your diverse faculty responsibilities.
  • Apply discernment skills so that you can say a few strong “yes’s” and many graceful “no’s” to the abundance of service/leadership opportunities offered to the mid-life and beyond professor.
  • Take charge of those overwhelming to-do lists by envisioning and managing projects, goals, and daily to-do lists that are realistic and achievable.
  • Focus on the most important tasks instead of wandering from task to task.
  • Get and stay organized.
  • Create to-do lists are realistic and achievable.
  • Manage tasks so you will get them done on time every time.
  • (Optional) Enjoy your scholarship more by creating a “body of work” instead of a series of publications.
  • (Optional) Minimize time management distracters such as email, grading, and interruptions.
  • (Optional) Develop a personal well-being plan that supports a satisfying personal life and a productive work life.

Talking Teaching Tuesday – Research Mentoring as Teaching

Tuesday, March 15th, 4:15-5:15 p.m., the Oak House (Snacks provided)

Join us at The Oak House with guest facilitators Paul Miller and Meredith Allison to discuss the relationship between undergraduate research mentoring and teaching — including the approaches we use to teach students in a research context and how mentoring undergraduates in research affects our in-class teaching and our research. We will be discussing the following articles at this Talking Teaching Tuesday (pre-reading not required):

APRIL

CATL Guest Speaker – Meredith Goldsmith: What Can We Learn from a Map? Using GIS in the Humanities Classroom

Monday, April 18th, 12:15-1:25 p.m., Belk Pavilion 208 (Lunch provided)

In this presentation and workshop, we’ll explore the use of mapping  in introductory courses in the humanities. I’ll give a brief demonstration of a project I developed as part of my Humanities Writ Large Fellowship at Duke, an interactive map of Edith Wharton’s New York. Focusing on process rather than product, I’ll discuss how my understanding of and argument about the text changed through creating the map. Together, we’ll consider the “so what” of using GIS in the humanities classroom: Why might GIS and other spatial tools be useful in humanities courses? Why think about humanities texts as data sources? How might such an approach affect students’ and faculty’s perceptions of the humanities? Please bring a laptop (not a tablet or phone) so we can develop some maps ourselves.

MAY

Talking Teaching Tuesday – Productivity

Tuesday, May 3, 4:15-5:15 p.m., Belk Pavilion 111 (Snacks provided)

Join us to discuss factors contributing to productivity. We will be using the following articles at this Talking Teaching Tuesday (pre-reading not required):

 

Winter 2016

 

CATL Panel Discussion – The Difference that Difference Makes in Teaching and Learning

Wednesday, January 6th, 12:00-1:15 p.m., Belk Pavilion 208 (Lunch provided)

In this Winter-Term themed panel discussion, Elon faculty from a variety of disciplines–including Naeemah Clark (Communications), Tom Mould (Anthropology and Sociology), and Casey DiRienzo (Economics)–will discuss moments of insight – moments, that is, when they became aware of the difference that difference makes in their teaching, and in the learning that can result, for our students and ourselves.

The panel discussion will focus on strategies the panelists used to address challenges to creating inclusive classrooms, as well as ways they work to continue their own and their students’ learning and growth about people who are different from ourselves/themselves.

 

Fall 2015

 

NEW for this Fall – Talking Teaching Tuesdays, 4:15-5:15 p.m., the Oak House (Snacks provided)

A once monthly, low-prep discussion framed by a thought-provoking article about teaching and learning. Come to one or more; no pre-reading required.

  • September 22nd – What Do the Best College Teachers Do? (Read a short interview with Ken Bain following up on his book by the same name here.)
  • October 20th – More than a “Guide on the Side” – an “Impressario with a Scenario” with Anthony Weston (Read Anthony’s recent article in College Teaching  here.)
  • November 17th – Beyond the “Sorcery of Learning Styles” (You’ll find the article on this topic from the Journal of Legal Education here.)

SEPTEMBER

CATL Reading Group – When Can You Trust the Experts: How to Tell Good Science from Bad in Education by Daniel Willingham

Wednesday, September 16th, 12:15-1:25 p.m., Belk Pavilion 201 (Lunch provided)

Sign up by September 4th to receive a copy of the book and further information about the first meeting by email. At this first meeting, the group will decide times for two subsequent discussions.

CATL Workshop – Minimal Marking, Maximum Learning: Strategies to Make Grading More Efficient & Effective

Wednesday, September 30th, 12:15-1:25 p.m., Belk Pavilion 208 (Lunch provided)

In this session, we’ll explore the “minimal marking” approach to grading written assignments (Haswell, 1983) along with more recent studies that examine the kinds of grading and feedback that are both time-efficient for you and optimal for student learning. We’ll discuss ways to provide feedback that students read, understand, and use as well as consider how you might adapt these to your own teaching context. While there is no simple formula to solve all the challenges of grading, we’ll focus on strategies to make the process more efficient and effective.

Workshop Materials: If you were unable to attend, but are still interested in learning about grading strategies, please view the workshop materials.

OCTOBER

CATL Workshop – Doing Peer Observation Well

Thursday, October 8th, 12:30-1:45 p.m., Lindner 206 (Lunch provided)

Most faculty wish they could have some feedback on how their class is going before the end of semester Student Perceptions of Teaching results, which come out after the fact. One option for gathering more information is to have a colleague observe a class meeting. If you are interested in that option, it’s wise to have a clear and mutually understood plan for such an observation. In this workshop, we’ll discuss specific strategies and models for how we can make peer-to-peer observation of teaching a constructive, collegial and beneficial experience.

Workshop Materials: If you were unable to attend, but are still interested in learning about peer observation, please view the workshop materials.

CATL Co-Sponsored Event: Q&A discussion with Eric Mazur (moderated by Peter Felten)
“Assessment: The Silent Killer of Learning”

Friday, October 16th, 10:40-11:30 a.m., McMichael 117

Why is it that stellar students sometimes fail in the workplace while dropouts succeed? One reason is that most, if not all, of our current assessment practices are inauthentic. Just as the lecture focuses on the delivery of information to students, so does assessment often focus on having students regurgitate that same information back to the instructor. Consequently, assessment fails to focus on the skills that are relevant in life in the 21st century. Assessment has been called the “hidden curriculum” as it is an important driver of students’ study habits. Unless we rethink our approach to assessment, it will be very difficult to produce a meaningful change in education.

CATL Workshop – Making Pictures: Using the Neuroscience of Visual Imagery to Improve Student Learning

Wednesday, October 21st, 12:15-1:25 p.m., Belk Pavilion 208 (Lunch provided)

Empirical research has shown that intentionally creating mental images is a powerful strategy for learning. By understanding how the brain creates and uses mental images, we can help students better retain information and build effective study skills. Students often struggle to understand new concepts because they lack foundational knowledge. Visual imagery can strengthen foundational knowledge and contribute to higher-order learning. In this workshop there will be an overview of the cognitive neuroscience of visual memory and we will practice using visual imagery strategies and reflect on ways to incorporate them into any kind of course.

Workshop Materials: If you were unable to attend, but are still interested in learning about visual imagery and student learning, please view the workshop materials.

NOVEMBER

CATL Workshop – Getting Ready for Winter Term

Thursday, November 12th, 12:30-1:45 p.m., Lindner 206 (Lunch provided)

Your course meets 3 hours a day, 5 days a week for about 3 weeks. Class meetings are very long and yet the term is over in the blink of an eye. How do you take advantage of the opportunities offered by this unique format while also surviving the grueling schedule? How do you insure that your students learn really important things (deeply?). How do you take advantage of the Winter Term theme of “The Difference that Difference Makes”?

Workshop Materials: If you were unable to attend, but are still interested in learning about preparing to each a Winter Term course, please view the workshop materials.

 

Summer 2015

 

JUNE

CATL Reading Group – Cheating Lessons: Lessons from Academic Dishonesty by James Lang (2013)

Wednesday, June 10th & 24th, 12:00-1:15 p.m., Belk Pavilion 201 (Lunch provided)

Lang’s book reviews key studies on student cheating, provides examples of student and faculty efforts to stop it, and provides effective strategies for reducing cheating that also improve student learning and performance. In this two-part book discussion, we’ll examine the underlying causes and effects of academic dishonesty and as well as ways to address those in course and assignment design. We’ll talk about Lang’s research and recommendations and focus on ways to implement these strategies in a variety of classroom contexts. Please plan to attend both sessions. Register by June 1 to receive a copy of the book.

 

JULY

CATL Reading Group – Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools & Techniques for Democratic Classrooms by Brookfield & Preskill (2005)

Tuesday, July 7th & 21st, 12:00-1:15 p.m., Belk Pavilion 201 (Lunch provided)

Discussion can be a useful method for prompting student thinking and learning, but facilitating it can be tricky. Brookfield and Preskill suggest practical tips for getting discussion started, keeping it going, and making it productive, respectful, balanced, and meaningful. Whether you are looking for new ways to improve class discussion or simply continuing to fine-tune discussion facilitation after years of experience, Discussion as a Way of Teaching can offer new ideas and also remind us why we make the effort to improve our facilitation skills. Join your colleagues for this two-part discussion of the book over lunch. Please plan to attend both sessions. Register by June 10 to receive a copy of the book.

Course Design Working Groups
Times will vary

Whether you are planning a new course for next year or spending part of the summer re-thinking a course you have taught before, you can sign up to be part of a course design working group. Groups meet 4 times during the summer, often over lunch, based on group member’s schedules. During each meeting, we’ll discuss each course — with group members responding to the questions/topics that most interest you as you design it. In particular, if you’re interested in discussing how you might adapt your Winter Term course to take advantage of the theme or consider ways to plan an effective short-term course, please let us know.

AUGUST

Save the Date – 12th Annual Elon Teaching and Learning Conference: Designing Engaged Learning Experiences

Thursday, August 13th, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Koury Business Center (Lunch provided)