Archived Events
Events for Fall 2009
WORKSHOP
ORSP 102: The
Pre-Award Process
Thursday,
November 12, 2009;
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Wells Conference Center, Room 2
This workshop is presented by the Office of Research & Sponsored
Programs in conjunction with The Center for Teaching Excellence.
This is the second in a five part series of workshops designed to
provide both new and established researchers an introduction (or
refresher) to the process of securing and managing extramural
funding and to the services provided by the Office of Research &
Sponsored Programs (ORSP).
GRADUATE STUDENT WORKSHOP
Engaging Students
Friday, November 6, 2009;
12:00—1:30 p.m.
Wells Conference Center, Room 3
Our focus here will be student apathy: its
sources, its influence on your classroom, and the application of
creative strategies for countering it. Join us for an honest and
humorous workshop on how to engage students in ways that cause
them to take learning seriously— and to enjoy it.
DEMONSTRATION
Synapse -
UMaine's own Course Management System
Tuesday,
November 3 ;
12:00-1:00 a.m.
Wells Conference Center, Room 3
This demonstration presents home-grown, cutting-edge
software for managing courses. Synapse
is a Web application that integrates learning-management and
course-management features in a single package.
It provides a visually rich learning environment,
accommodating all kinds of educational multimedia, online chat, and
student self-testing mechanisms.
Faculty can monitor student progress across multiple
courses. They can apply a variety of scoring tools, including
customizable rubrics, and integrate data from UMaine resources, such
as Test-Scoring Services and in-class PRSs (clickers).
Synapse was developed by the BioMediaLab in the
School of Biology and Ecology and is currently used in biology
courses, including the large introductory course.
Please join us as Professor Seth Tyler
and Ron Kozlowski demonstrate this remarkable
technology.
WORKSHOP
Helping Students with
Disabilities
Our
Approach-Avoidance Response
Friday, October 30, 2009;
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Memorial Union, Coe Room
Have you ever…
-
worked with a
student you thought might have a disability but were nervous
about what to say?
-
worried that what
you might say or do would inadvertently harm rather than help a
student with a disability?
-
worried that when
offering assistance to a student with a disability you might be
overwhelmed by his or her "need"?
-
worried that what
you say or do regarding a student with a disability might result
in your being sued?
This workshop will focus on identifying and assisting
students with disabilities and dealing with our fears as we do so.
Please join us.
An interactive workshop led by:
Ann Smith,
Director of Disability Services,
and Sara Henry,
Disability Counselor
WORKSHOP
Teaching in Virtual Space:
Instruction in Second
Life
Friday, October 23, 2009;
1:00-3:00 p.m.
Wells Conference Center, Room 3
What’s it like to teach in a virtual world like
Second Life?
Second Life (SL) is a 3D virtual environment that
educators from around the world use to introduce students to topics
as diverse as classical music, media studies, and physics. The
workshop presenters use Second Life to explore identity,
communication, and small group discussion with undergraduate
students.
These educators, from three different universities,
will demonstrate the virtual world and their teaching spaces, and
discuss the opportunities and challenges of introducing students to
SL’s unique interactive, collaborative learning environment.
Participants who have created a Second Life avatar
can bring their laptops to experience an SL classroom. Those
interested in creating an avatar will have an opportunity to observe
and ask questions about how to get started.
Facilitators: Lesley
Withers, Central Michigan
University; John Sherblom,
University of Maine;
Lynnette Leonard,
University of Nebraska -
Omaha
CANCELED WORKSHOP
CANCELED
1st Assessment Workshop
CTE's 1st Assessment
Workshop, originally scheduled for Friday, October 23, has been
MOVED
and MERGED
with the 2nd Assessment Workshop (Friday, December 11).
A single combined Assessment Workshop
will be held on Friday, December 11 from 10 to 12:30 in Wells
Conference Ctr. room 2.
The first hour will
feature Provost Susan Hunter discussing the state of assessment at
UMaine following the NEASC review, with contributions from Director
of Institutional Studies Ted Coladarci, Professor Tina Passman
(Modern Languages & Classics), and CTE Director Jeff St. John. The
second portion of the workshop will showcase faculty members' best
practices and exemplars: their own innovative assessment work at the
programmatic level.
We apologize for any
inconvenience, and we hope you will join us on December 11. If you
have questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us at
1-3477 or 1-3472. Thank you.
Dr. Jeffrey St. John,
Director
Center for Teaching Excellence
WORKSHOP
Fogler Library Resources and Services
for
Teaching and Research
Friday, October 16, 2009;
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Library Classroom, Fogler Library
Did you know that Fogler Library
provides access to over 25,000 electronic journals? That the
collection is expanding all the time to meet new needs? That library
professionals are engaged in collaborative discussions with faculty
and students about how to keep the library’s central place in the
academic community during a time of technological change?
To help faculty members with their teaching and research needs,
Fogler Reference Librarians
Nancy Lewis and Jim Bird will demonstrate and discuss:
-
access to electronic journals and
subject-specific databases;
-
efficient search techniques;
-
special services for UMaine
faculty members and graduate teaching assistants;
-
ways in which Fogler professionals
work with students who come to the library, including providing
bibliographic instruction to over 180 classes a year; and
- Fogler’s
3-credit, GenEd Information Literacy course, LBR 200.
If you would like to raise specific questions in
advance, please send either Nancy Lewis or Jim Bird an e-mail (FirstClass).
WORKSHOP
ORSP 101: The
Grant Life Cycle
Thursday,
October 8, 2009
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Wells Conference Center, Room 2
This workshop is presented by the Office of Research & Sponsored
Programs in conjunction with The Center for Teaching Excellence.
This first in a five part series of workshops designed to
provide both new and established researchers an introduction (or
refresher) to the process of securing and managing extramural
funding and to the services provided by the Office of Research &
Sponsored Programs (ORSP).
Participants will get an overview of the grant life cycle including:
In
addition, a roadmap for navigating the pre- and post- award
divisions of ORSP will be presented. Future workshops will provide a
more in-depth description of pre-award, allowable costs, and
compliance.
Who should attend?
New faculty and researchers who are developing their extramurally
funded research programs, as well as established faculty and
researchers and their support staff in need of a refresher on the
grant process from submission to close-out.
DEMONSTRATION
PRS “Clicker” Technology
Wednesday, October 7, 2009 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Coe Room, Memorial Union
This event is
co-sponsored by the Faculty Development Center
and the Center for Teaching Excellence.
Please join us for a demonstration of PRS “clicker”
technology by Robin Green of eInstruction Corporation.
Faculty and graduate teaching
assistants interested in learning about the possibilities for
incorporating clickers in their teaching are strongly encouraged to
attend.
UMaine
started implementing PRS transmitters (“clickers”) in classrooms in
2005.
-
Currently more than 2000 students use clickers in large and
medium-sized classes across campus.
-
Clickers have proven to be an inexpensive and very effective way
to increase students’ interaction with their instructors during
class.
-
They
allow students to connect to lectures and they lead to active
participation.
-
Students can individually and anonymously respond to questions,
and students and instructors can view a summary of students’
responses to specific questions instantaneously.
PRS software integrates easily
with PowerPoint. A mechanism to integrate the PRS gradebook and
classroom results (quizzes, attendance, responses to questions) with
WebCT and Blackboard gradebooks has been developed and is in use at
UMaine Information Technologies.
Presenter:
Robin Green,
Northeast Regional Manager,
eInstruction Corporation
WORKSHOP
Managing Disputes
Friday, October 2, 2009
12:00—1:30 p.m.
Wells Conference Center, Room 3
Register by September 28
Concerned about how to handle disgruntled
students—in class, during office hours, or both? Students who
are unhappy with you or with each other can be a significant
source of stress for you and for their classmates. Come and
learn how to respond to disputes and disagreements in
constructive and effective ways. We hope you will join us.
WORKSHOP
Women in STEM Fields-
Keeping the River Flowing
An interactive workshop with:
Stephanie Blaisdell,
Ph.D.
September 25, 2009;
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Wells Conference Center, Room 2
The
source for women entering STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math) fields is a healthy and growing spring: girls
are now performing well in math and science at the pre-college
level. Yet the river that flows through college STEM majors and on
to STEM careers develops many tributaries leading away from STEM
fields, and there also remain obstructions to the river’s course,
some from cultural pollution and others from dams built by the very
institutions hoping to receive its flow. These obstructions range
from poor STEM self-efficacy to unattractive course selections and
unexamined learning strategies to a lack of mentoring and poor
outcome expectations from STEM careers.
This
interactive two-hour workshop will explore these obstructions
and how to remove them so that the river flows smoothly— ending in
the broad ocean of STEM careers, up to and including the retention
of STEM faculty. The workshop will employ lively discussion and the
use of clicker technology.
Dr. Stephanie Blaisdell is
Director of Student Learning & Assessment at the University of
Memphis. She holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Arizona
State University, and her research expertise lies in women’s
self-efficacy and career persistence in STEM fields. She previously
served as Director of Diversity and Women’s Programs at Worchester
Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, and as Director of the Women
in Applied Sciences and Engineering Program at Arizona State
University. She has been a board member of the Women in Engineering
ProActive Network (WEPAN), is an active consultant in the field, has
been a principal investigator on three National Science Foundation
grants, and has authored or co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed
articles on the topic of women in STEM.
NEW FACULTY BREAKFAST
Tuesday,
September 22, 2009
8:30-10:00 a.m.
Coe Room, Memorial Union
Register by September 14
Events for Spring 2009
WORKSHOP
ORSP 102: The
Pre-Award Process
Friday, January 16, 2009
(NEW DAY);
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Wells Conference Center, Room 2
This workshop is presented by the Office of Research & Sponsored
Programs in conjunction with The Center for Teaching Excellence.
RSVP: amanda.ashe@umit.maine.edu on or before January 9, 2009
This is the second in a four part series of workshops designed to
provide both new and established researchers an introduction (or
refresher) to the process of securing and managing extramural
funding and to the services provided by the Office of Research &
Sponsored Programs (ORSP).
In this workshop,
researchers will learn where to find funding, how to develop an idea
into a viable grant opportunity, the required elements of a grant
proposal, and how to prepare their proposal for submission.
Detailed discussion will include
budget preparation, protocols for using human and/or animal subjects
in research, intellectual property, staffing, subcontracting,
indirect versus direct costs, obtaining approvals through the
Proposal Automatic Routing System (PARS), and e-submissions to
funding agencies.
Who should attend?
New faculty and researchers who are developing their extramurally
funded research programs, as well as established faculty and
researchers and their support staff in need of a refresher on the
Pre-Award process.
WORKSHOP
Fogler Library Resources and Services for
Teaching and Research
Friday, January 30, 2009;
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Library Classroom, Fogler Library
Did
you know that Fogler Library provides access to over 25,000
electronic journals? That the collection is expanding all the time
to meet new needs? That library professionals are engaged in
collaborative discussions with faculty and students about how to
keep the library’s central place in the academic community during a
time of technological change?
To help faculty members with
their teaching and research needs, Nancy Lewis and Jim Bird will
demonstrate and discuss:
-
access to electronic journals and
subject-specific databases;
-
efficient search techniques;
-
special services for UMaine
faculty members and graduate teaching assistants;
-
ways in which Fogler professionals
work with students who come to the library, including providing
bibliographic instruction to over 180 classes a year; and
- Fogler’s
3-credit, GenEd Information Literacy course, LBR 200.
If you would like to raise
specific questions in advance, please send either Nancy Lewis or Jim
Bird an e-mail (FirstClass).
Facilitators: Nancy
Lewis, Reference Dept. Head;
Jim Bird,
Science & Engineering Center Dept. Head.
WORKSHOP
UMaine Disability Accommodation Scenarios:
Learning from our Successes and Mistakes
Tuesday, February 3, 2009, 12:00 –
2:00 p.m.
Coe Room, Memorial Union
- Last minute accommodation requests
- Absenteeism due to disability
- Classroom and test anxiety
- Begrudging accommodation
- Over-accommodation
This interactive workshop with Ann Smith, Director of
Disability Services, and Sara Henry, Disability
Counselor, will explore accommodation challenges and successes.
Scenarios will be drawn from workshop participants and from our
Disability Services files. Faculty and staff rated last year's
disability scenario workshop as “excellent” and “fruitful.” We hope
you will join us to learn and to share new insights and ideas.
New Faculty*
LUNCHEON
Disruptive Behaviors Inside &
Outside the Classroom
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 11:30 –
1:00 p.m.
Coe Room,
Memorial Union
Speaker:
Doug Johnson,
Director of the Counseling Center
and Peer Education Program.
Doug Johnson will join us to speak about
strategies and resources available to faculty encountering
disruptive student behavior inside and outside the classroom.
Doug's remarks will accompany lunch and will be followed by a
Q&A period. Join us for some good food and good advice.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Team-Based Learning
Wednesday,
February 18, 2009,
1:00-2:30 p.m.,
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
Panelists:
François
Amar,
Associate Professor of Chemistry and
Honors
Faculty;
Judy Hanscom,
Instructor of Education;
Gary Schilmoeller,
Associate Professor of Child Development & Family Relations
This
panel will explore innovative uses of teams or groups in a variety
of classroom contexts. Topics to be discussed include how to
constitute teams on the first day of class for work and discussions
throughout the semester; how to document the progress of teams
through direct questioning and reflection-based activities; and how
to manage students' expectations of and frustrations with group or
team work, including the reality of their need to be accountable to
their peers. Please join us for a discussion and Q&A on this
important subject.
PANEL
DISCUSSION
Pros & Cons of Clickers
Thursday,
February 26, 2009,
10:00-11:30 a.m.,
Totman Room, Memorial Union
Panelists:
Mark Anderson,
Senior Instructor in the School of Economics;
Farahad Dastoor,
Lecturer in Biological Sciences;
Len Kass,
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences;
Janice Pelletier,
Adjunct Professor in the
School of Biology and Ecology.
Whether
you've never used clickers in your classes, have used them but with
reservations, or use them and love them, this panel discussion is
for you. Join three experienced faculty members to discuss the pros
and cons of clicker technology in the classroom. All points of view
are welcome.
ALL-DAY WORKSHOP
What Do the Best College Teachers Do?
with Ken Bain
Author of
What the Best College Teachers Do
(Harvard University Press, 2004)
Friday, March 13, 2009
8:30-4:30
p.m.,
Buchanan Alumni House, McIntire Room
How
do the best college teachers foster deep learning on the part of
their students?
How do they create natural critical learning
environments in which their students are likely to learn in ways
that make a sustained and substantial difference in the way they
will subsequently think, act, and feel?
In this highly interactive workshop, we
will use the findings of a fifteen-year study to explore these
questions and to build powerful learning environments for our
students.
The workshop will help
participants explore broad and significant questions about human
learning and help them fashion practical applications of important
concepts about university learning.
Bring your syllabus, and your thinking. We will
explore together.
New Faculty*
LUNCHEON
Plagiarism
Thursday, March 19, 2009 11:30 –
1:00 p.m.
Coe Room,
Memorial Union
Speaker:
David Fiacco,
Director of the Office
of Community Standards, Rights & Responsibilities
David Fiacco will explain the university's definition of and
procedures for responding to instances of plagiarism, and we
will also discuss resources and strategies for helping faculty
deal with academic dishonesty. David's remarks will accompany
lunch and will be followed by a Q&A period. We hope you will
join us.
WORKSHOP
ORSP 103: The Post Award Process
Friday, March 20, 2009
(NEW DAY),
10:00—11:30 a.m.,
Wells Conference Center
This workshop is presented by the Office of Research & Sponsored
Programs in conjunction with The Center for Teaching Excellence.
RSVP:
amanda.ashe@umit.maine.edu
This is the third in a four part series of workshops designed to
provide both new and established researchers an introduction (or
refresher) to the process of securing and managing extramural
funding and to the services provided by the Office of Research &
Sponsored Programs (ORSP).
This workshop is designed to
provide researchers with the tools to manage their funded research
grants. Topics covered include the hiring process, reading and
overseeing budgets, managing spending, use of cost transfers: filing
time and effort, and final project reports, requesting a no-cost
extension, and ensuring compliance with the terms of the grant and
federal regulations such as those set forth by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB).
 seminar
Policies and Practices that Improve Departmental Climate
for Women in Engineering and Science
with Dr. Elizabeth G. Creamer
Friday, March 27, 2009; 1:10 – 2:10 p.m
Wells Conference Center, Rm. 2
Departmental climate is
important to overall faculty job satisfaction and productivity in
all academic fields, but especially for women in engineering and
science.
This presentation reviews
some national findings about elements of departmental climate that
have a particularly strong impact on female faculty. It identifies
the types of policies and practices that have been found by a
coalition of colleges and universities funded by the National
Science Foundation's Advance Program to enhance the retention of
women in engineering and science, and provides research-based
recommendations about roles played by department heads that are
critical to the retention of female faculty members.
Key issues to be
addressed:
-
Why the concern about female faculty
in science and engineering?
-
What is departmental climate? Why is
it important?
-
What is the contribution of
departmental climate to productivity?
-
What is the contribution of
departmental climate to satisfaction?
-
What affects perceptions of
departmental climate?
-
Critical elements of climate--
Collegiality/Respect
-
Critical elements of climate-
Attitudes about Family and Personal Responsibility
-
Critical elements of climate-
Perceptions of equitable treatment
-
What critical roles does the
department head play?
-
What are some policies and practices
that improve the climate for women?
-
How would we know if a
department‘s climate changed?
Supported by the
College of
Engineering, Office of Equal Opportunity,
and the Center for
Teaching Excellence
New Faculty*
BREAKFAST
The End of Another Year
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Coe Room,
Memorial Union
Please join us at our CTE New Faculty Breakfast
get-together. While there is no formal program, it is a great
opportunity to meet and share how the academic year has gone for
each of us, and our plans for the summer.
As your schedule permits, drop in any time during
the hour-and-a-half and mingle with other new faculty, mentors,
campus leaders, and administrators.
WORKSHOP
The Multicultural Classroom
Monday, April 13, 2009; 2:00 –
4:00 p.m.
Wells Conference Center, Room 3
This will be a collaborative and highly interactive
workshop focused on new concepts and new frameworks related to our
understanding of "the multicultural classroom."
We will discuss current models of multiculturalism in
classroom pedagogy, and we will strategize about how best to apply
what we know to what (and how) we teach. Our communal conversation
will also address the impact of differing (and sometimes, competing)
philosophies of multicultural theory and practice for higher
education as a whole.
Please bring your ideas, your examples, and your
willingness to be challenged (constructively!) in your thinking
about these important issues.
Facilitators: Judith
Josiah-Martin, Director of
Multi-cultural Programs and Multicultural Center;
Gisela Hoecherl-Alden,
Associate Professor of German; and Laura
Lindenfeld, Assistant Professor of
Mass Communications/Media Studies and Public Policy.
WORKSHOP
Theory at Work: Engaging
the Environment and
the Community through Service-Learning
with Cindy Spurlock
Friday,
April 17, 2009; 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Wells
Conference Center, Rm. 3
The purpose of this
workshop is to discuss the benefits, opportunities, and challenges
presented by incorporating service-learning into the undergraduate
curriculum, and to make a case for the importance of articulating it
in courses in environmental advocacy and sustainability at the
University of Maine.
We will discuss learning
outcomes, potential assignments, recruitment and retention of
community partners, project development, and students' expectations.
Service-learning offers unique opportunities for:
-
community-based
learning that connects the classroom with the world;
-
students to learn
in situ and to experience the rewards and challenges of
doing advocacy work;
-
a more complex
understanding of the responsibility that we have to the
communities that we study and live in, and to the kinds of
knowledge and practices that we produce;
-
our community
partners to benefit from the fresh perspectives, energy, and
can-do attitude that our students bring into the field;
-
students to depart
from their undergraduate institutions with a greater
understanding of how politics "works" and why some messages are
effective while others are not.
Supported by the
Mark & Marcia
Bailey Professorship of Speech and Theatre Fund
and the
Adelaide C. and Alan L. Bird
Fund for Instructional and Faculty Development.
A WORKSHOP for GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS
The
Basics of Teaching
Friday,
April 24, 2009; 10 a.m. – Noon
Wells Conference Center, Room 3
The Center for Teaching Excellence and The
Graduate School invite graduate teaching assistants to
participate in an interactive workshop on the basics of
teaching.
Have you ever asked yourself any of these
questions:
1. How do I plan for and
“do” the first five minutes on the first day of class? How do I
establish the right tone? How do I set the rules for classroom
interactions? How do I begin to develop some credibility with my
students? We will cover this ground in detail.
2. How do I handle
conflict in my classes: disruptive behaviors or
technologies, grade complaints, resistance to group assignments,
and/or clashing personalities? We will cover this ground in
detail.
3. How do I deal with
unmotivated students? How much time and energy should I give
them? What should I do if their attitudes rub off on my other
students? We will cover this ground in detail.
BRING YOUR QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, AND IDEAS.
Workshop facilitators:
Jeffrey St. John, Center for Teaching
Excellence
Professor Susan Gardner, College of
Education
Professor Natasha Speer, Department of
Mathematics & Statistics
Professor Dylan Dryer, Department of
English & The Graduate School
Scott Delcourt, Associate Dean, The
Graduate School
Lindsay Utley, The Graduate School
WORKSHOP
ORSP 201: Compliance
Thursday,
April 30 (New Date), 2009,
10:00—11:30 a.m.,
Wells Conference Center
This workshop is presented by the Office of Research & Sponsored
Programs in conjunction with The Center for Teaching Excellence.
RSVP:
amanda.ashe@umit.maine.edu
This is the last in a four part series of workshops designed to
provide both new and established researchers an introduction (or
refresher) to the process of securing and managing extramural
funding and to the services provided by the Office of Research &
Sponsored Programs (ORSP).
Universities and individual
investigators are increasingly finding themselves on the wrong side
of the law where compliance with federal regulations on sponsored
research funding is concerned. The goal of this workshop is to
provide investigators with an overview of these regulations so they
can determine which may apply to their research program. Among the
topics covered are funding accountability, intellectual property,
export controls, human subjects and radioactive materials.
Fall 2008
Events
New Faculty*
LUNCHEON
Come Meet Some Peer Consultants and
Find Out How They Can Help You
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Coe Room,
Memorial Union
Speakers:
Francois Amar,
Assoicate Professor of Chemistry;
Mark Anderson,
Senior Instructor in the School of Economics;
Gisela Horcherl-Alden,
Associate Professor of German; and
Irv Kornfield,
Professor of Biology & Molecular Forensics.
Peer consultants can help
revise a syllabus, interpret student evaluations, integrate new
classroom activities, fine tune multiple choice exams, plan
effective large classes, etc.
Come meet some of the
Center’s peer consultants. They will describe the peer
consulting process, reflect on what they’ve learned as peer
consultants, and discuss how that fosters excellence in teaching
and learning. Join us for this informal but informational
session and enjoy lunch at the same time.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Teaching & Technology
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Totman Room, Memorial Union
Join us as four talented and innovative faculty
members come together to discuss the challenges and opportunities
associated with the use of technology in their teaching. Their
descriptions of their strategies, preferred technologies, and
experiences will be followed by a lively and open-ended discussion
in which questions from the audience will be welcome. If you are
among the curious, the uninitiated, or both, this is a wonderful
chance to come and hear what some of your colleagues are doing these
days. We look forward to seeing you.
Panelists:
David Bradley,
Associate Professor of Mathematics;
Wayne Ingalls,
Lecturer of Accounting;
Ken Nichols,
Associate Professor of Public Administration; and
Tina Passman,
Associate Professor of Classical Languages and
Literature.
DEMONSTRATION
PRS “Clicker” Technology
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
2:00 p.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
Please join us for a demonstration of PRS “clicker”
technology by Robin Green of eInstruction Corporation.
Faculty and graduate teaching
assistants interested in learning about the possibilities for
incorporating clickers in their teaching are strongly encouraged to
attend.
UMaine
started implementing PRS transmitters (“clickers”) in classrooms in
2005.
-
Currently more than 2000 students use clickers in large and
medium-sized classes across campus.
-
Clickers have proven to be an inexpensive and very effective way
to increase students’ interaction with their instructors during
class.
-
They
allow students to connect to lectures and they lead to active
participation.
-
Students can individually and anonymously respond to questions,
and students and instructors can view a summary of students’
responses to specific questions instantaneously.
PRS software integrates easily
with PowerPoint. A mechanism to integrate the PRS gradebook and
classroom results (quizzes, attendance, responses to questions) with
WebCT and Blackboard gradebooks has been developed and is in use at
UMaine Information Technologies.
Presenter:
Robin Green,
Northeast Regional Manager,
eInstruction Corporation
This event is
co-sponsored by the Faculty Development Center
and the Center for Teaching Excellence.
New Faculty*
BREAKFAST
Meet & Mingle
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Coe Room,
Memorial Union
This is a great way to meet other new faculty at
UMaine. Please join us at our CTE New Faculty Breakfast and
encourage other new faculty and mentors to join us, too.
There is no formal program for this breakfast,
but there will be plenty of opportunities to talk and learn
about each other (and plenty of food).
Drop in any time during this hour-and-a-half and
mingle with other new faculty, mentors, campus leaders, and
administrators.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Teaching Large-Lecture Classes
Monday, October 27, 2008
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Totman Room,
Memorial Union
How do you get three hundred students to listen
closely all at the same moment?
How do you create an inclusive and engaged classroom
environment in an enormous lecture hall?
And how on earth do you design and apply meaningful forms of
assessment without permanently burying yourself in grading?
Answers to these and similar questions about teaching
large-lecture courses will be offered at this event by three of
UMaine's best faculty teachers.
Please come and participate as this important subject is tackled in
a spirited discussion and Q & A. We hope you will join us.
Panelists:
Sandy Caron,
Professor of Family Relations;
Irv Kornfield,
Professor of Biology & Molecular Forensics; and
David Townsend,
Professor of Oceanography.
1/2 DAY
WORKSHOP
Fostering Classroom Democracy with TODD KELSHAW, Ph.D.
Thursday, November 6, 2008;
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Wells Conference Center , Room 2
Do you wish your
students were more motivated?
Through presented content, structured discussion, and breakout
activities, this half-day workshop will address resources and
techniques for bolstering students' stakeholder participation.
Fostering students' interdependence, joint control, and shared
responsibilities can heighten motivation, innovation, productivity,
and peer relationships-- with implications not only for students'
immediate learning, but also for how they enact organizational
citizenship beyond the classroom.
This workshop will be arranged in three parts:
-
First, participants will consider democracy as a
social arrangement that tempers centralized and popular modes of
control, and democratic learning as neither fully dictated by
instructors nor run by students in a free-for-all. Facilitator
and participants will compare and contrast different kinds of
classroom environments and consider where and when democratic
pedagogies are (or are not) appropriate.
-
Second, participants will generate ideas for
*doing* classroom democracy as we address the democratizing of
various facets of teaching and learning.
-
Finally, participants will form groups and
discuss how to transform their syllabi. The ultimate goal is for
faculty to leave the workshop with specific ideas and concrete
plans for democratizing future courses in creative and effective
ways.
*Each participant is asked to bring an actual
course syllabus that she or he wishes to rework with the goal of
democratizing that course's teaching and learning methods.*
Dr. Todd Kelshaw is an assistant professor and the
graduate coordinator in the Department of Communication Studies at
Montclair State University.
New Faculty*
LUNCHEON
Balancing Work & Family
Thursday, November 20, 2008
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Coe Room,
Memorial Union
Speaker:
Polly
Moutevelis-Burgess,
Director of the EAP
Achieving a balance of work and family is an ongoing
process. More specifically, it’s about meaningful daily
achievement and enjoyment in four quadrants: work, family,
friends, and self. This interactive discussion will focus on
ways to support that balance in your life.
Please join us for lunch and a conversation about career,
family, and the rest of life.
Spring 2007
Events
New Faculty BREAKFAST*
Final Get-Together
Thursday, May 1, 2008 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Bumps Room,
Memorial Union
Please join us at our CTE New Faculty Breakfast
get-together. While there is no formal program, it is a great
opportunity to meet and find out how the academic year has gone
for each of us, and our plans for the summer.
As your schedule permits, drop in any time during
the hour-and-a-half and mingle with other new faculty, mentors,
campus leaders, and administrators.
We are looking forward to seeing you at the Union
and having a chance to catch up with what you are doing. Come
hungry!
BROWN BAG DISCUSSION
Laptops in the
Classroom: Notes or YouTube?
Tuesday,
April 8, 2008
12:00
-
1:30 p.m.
FFA
Room, Memorial Union
The proliferation of laptops on campus provides for
learning benefits but also presents challenges in the classroom.
This phenomenon has been discussed in forums from the Chronicle
of Higher Education to National Public Radio.
The faculty of the Honors College recently banned
laptop use in their first and second-year lectures.
Short presentations by members of the Honors
community with varying perspectives will provide an introduction to
a wide-ranging discussion of this question that has implications
across campus.
Presenters:Tina Passman,
Classics and Honors Faculty; Edie Elwood,
Honors Faculty; Rylan Shook, Honors Staff and 2007 Graduate; and
Emma Wojtal,
Senior Honors Student.
New Faculty Discussion*
Fogler Library Resources and
Services
for Teaching and Research
Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Library
Classroom, Fogler Library
(to the left behind the Circulation kiosk at the side entrance)
Speakers: Nancy Lewis,
Reference Department Head, and
Jim Bird,
Science & Engineering Center Department Head.
Did you know that Fogler Library holds over 10,000 electronic
journals, as well as thousands of printed periodicals? That the
collection is expanding all of the time to meet new needs? That
library professionals are engaged in collaborative discussions
with faculty and students about how to keep the library's
central place in the academic community during a time of
technological change?
To help new faculty members with their teaching
and research needs, Nancy Lewis and Jim Bird will demonstrate
how to access subject specific databases including new
acquisitions, suggest efficient search techniques, and describe
a number of special services for UMaine faculty members. In
addition, they will talk about and illustrate some new ways of
working with students who come to the library to access
information or learn about its services.
If you would like to raise specific questions in
advance, please send Jim Bird a quick email on First Class, and
our guests will be especially well-prepared to respond.
WORKSHOP
Teaching Our Students How to Read
with Dr.
Jay Mechling
Tuesday, February 19, 2008 from
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
McIntire Room, Buchanan Alumni House
One of the most dangerous assumptions we make as
teachers is that our undergraduate students know how to read a book.
-
Many don't read books at all other than the
required reading in high school, and many improvise to get what
they need for a test or paper assignment.
-
Many come from homes where there is little
reading. And when they do read, they read more slowly than we
assume.
-
Textbooks do the work for students by providing
bold headings, charts, and clear thesis statements. Give
students a book and a highlighter and pen, and they usually have
no idea what is important and what is not.
-
The inability to read the books we give students
has consequences for their writing; a considerable problem with
student writing is their inability to read.
Professor Mechling says “Unlike many
colleagues, I do not see the electronic communication world
(including video and computer games) as the enemy of academic
reading and writing. The folklorist in me values the orality in the
writing students do in e-mails, instant-messaging, and so on, and in
that electronic world they are doing plenty of reading. I am
interested in the ways we can harness the students’ real skills in
oral composition to help them improve their reading and writing
skills.”
In this interactive workshop,
Professor Mechling will outline the problems students face with
regard to reading, indicate what research on reading is telling us,
and outline a model for how to approach this pedagogical challenge
in class.
American Studies Professor,
Jay Mechling, (University of California,
Davis) has devoted himself to studying the culture of American
youth. Mechling has published over eighty essays and articles in
books, journals. His books include American Wildlife in Symbol
and Story (Co-editor; U. of Tenn. Press, 1987) and On My
Honor: Boy Scouts and the Making of American Youth (U. of
Chicago Press 2001). He is one of the three senior editors for the
4-volume Encyclopedia of American Studies (Grolier, 2001)
Co-sponsored by:
Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center,
and the
Department of Communication & Journalism
This event is free and open to all
UMaine faculty, instructors, and teaching assistants.
PUBLIC LECTURE
Open to the public and the University community
The Humanities and the
Land Grant University Mission
with Dr. Jay Mechling
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Bangor Room,
Memorial Union
Professor Jay Mechling will articulate the crucial mission of the
humanities at a large, public land grant university. His vision is
based on his experiences in chairing the California Council for the
Humanities and the committee that successfully competed for an NEH
grant establishing the Pacific Regional Humanities Center at the
University of California, Davis. He will outline the role of the
humanities in:
-
providing
resources for living in communities, in the workplace, and in
the increasingly complex, transnational world;
-
imagining
how their ways of thinking bring value to the social sciences
and sciences; and
-
helping to take
seriously the Land Grant Mission of bringing the knowledge and
understanding by the university into the community, building
true partnerships, and bringing value in how communities think,
converse, work, and play.
Dr. Jay Mechling,
Professor of American Studies at the University of California at
Davis, and the past editor of Western Folklore and president of the
California Folklore Society, has published over eighty essays and
articles on a wide range of topics. His books include: On my
Honor: Boy Scouts and the Making of American Youth (2001),
Children’s folklore: A Source Book (coeditor 1995) and
American Wildlife in Symbol and Story (coeditor 1987). He is one
of the three senior editors for the 4-volume Encyclopedia of
American Studies (Grolier, 2001).
Sponsored by:
Cultural Affairs/Distinguished
Lecture Series, Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, Margaret Chase
Smith Library, Center for
Teaching Excellence,
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and the
Department of
Communication & Journalism
Open to the public and the University community
No registration
required
WORKSHOP
Navigating the
Winding Road of
Disability Accommodations
Tuesday,
February 12, 2008
12:00 –
2:00 p.m.
Coe Room, Memorial Union
Do you have questions about disability
accommodations? Join Ann Smith, Director of Disability
Support Services and Sara Henry, Disability Service Counselor
as they guide you through an interactive workshop addressing such
questions as:
-
How do I
maintain Academic Integrity while accommodating?
-
What can I do
without involving Disability Services? I feel my class is
fairly designed and I am approachable for all students in
need.
-
If I make an
arrangement with a student and then multiple additional
needs arise am I committed to accommodating or is that
arrangement flexible?
-
What do I do
when a student with a disability makes my class or myself
uncomfortable or even fearful?
-
What gets
faculty in trouble when accommodating? What saves them?
-
Is
non-attendance supposed to be accommodated? How far do I go?
-
I have an abundance of
doctor’s notes, what do I need to consider?
Due to space limitations, please register by
February 11, 2008
by calling or
e-mailing 581-3472, or
CTE@umit.maine.edu
New Faculty Discussion*
Student Course and Teacher Ratings: Why
Provide an Opportunity for Student Feedback Early or
Mid-Semester?
Tuesday,
February 5, 2008 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Coe Room,
Memorial Union (2nd floor)
Speaker: Connie
Perry, Interim Associate Dean of Education & Human
Development and Professor of Curriculum, Instruction, and
Foundations
One of the most valuable
sources of information about how your class is going is the
students themselves. Unlike the
student ratings completed at the end of a course, asking
for feedback, ideally early to mid-semester,
provides information that
allows you to make some changes for the current students. There
are many formal and informal activities that can help
instructors identify what is working in the classroom and what
may need to be adjusted. This event will discuss
the benefits of early or midterm
evaluation, what should be asked in one, and ways to
interpret the student ratings for improvement strategies.
Fall 2007
Events
PRESENTATION & DISCUSSION
Starting with the Syllabus: Universal
Design Applied to
Instructional Practices in Higher Education
Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Totman Room, Memorial Union
This presentation will review the principles of Universal Design
and their application to instructional practices in Higher
Education. After a brief review of these principles, we will use
the example of the accessible syllabus template adopted for use
in College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) and Undergraduate
Program Curriculum Committee (UPCC) to illustrate how universal
design principles provide inclusive and complete information for
all learners. This creates a welcoming and dynamic teaching and
learning environment for all participants. The format for this
event will be a presentation followed by a roundtable
discussion.
The presentation is appropriate for all
disciplines and addresses live classroom and online courses.
This event will be of particular interest to those reviewing
their syllabi and curriculum design in anticipation of the
coming NEASC Reaccredidation visit.
Facilitators:
Tina Passman, Assoc. Prof. of Classical Languages and
Literature (session leader); Sheridan Kelley, Adj. Asst.
Prof. of Art;
Valerie Smith, Asst.
Res. Prof. of Center for Community Inclusion & Disability
Studies; and Lu Zeph,
Dir. of Center for Community Inclusion &
Disability Studies.
New
Faculty Discussion
Funding Sources on Campus and Beyond
Tuesday,
November 13, 2007 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
(Please
register by November 12th)
Bumps Room,
Memorial Union (2nd floor)
Speakers: Michael
Hastings, Director of Research and Sponsored Programs;
Gayle Anderson, Special Assistant for Research Administration.
Potential research
investigators must obtain approval from their departments,
research units, colleges, and the Sponsored Programs Office
before the institution will submit proposals for extramural
support. In this workshop, you will be introduced to services
provided by the Office of the Vice President for Research and
the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Selected staff
will suggest ways that you can identify sources of support for
your teaching, research, and public service activities. The
application process will be explained and presenters will
describe established on-campus funding competitions, such as the
Faculty Research Fund Program.
WORKSHOP
Making Race Visible:
The Incorporation of Race/Ethnicity in Higher Education
Saturday, October 20, 2007; 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Coe Room, Memorial Union
In this workshop,
Professor Lisa Flores, Professor Kirt Wilson, and Professor Mary Ann
Villarreal will lead a discussion about the incorporation of
race/ethnicity in higher education.
• Why do
we incorporate race/ethnicity into the higher education
curriculum?
• What
do we want to achieve?
• What
idea animates the mandate to make race visible?
• In
light of changing racial and ethnic contexts and conflicts, do
we need to re-conceptualize and rearticulate why race and
ethnicity should be incorporated into the curriculum?
Some techniques regarding class design and management will be
presented
but the
primary mission of the workshop is to revisit the thinking and
politics that underwrite the expectation that higher education
should make race visible.
Faculty and graduate students from the
humanities, social sciences, and sciences are encouraged to
attend, as well as others with an interest in the question of
race/ethnicity in higher education.
Registration is required! Please call or
e-mail your registration to: 581-3472 or
CTE@umit.maine.edu
Workshop is
limited to 25. UMaine faculty and teaching assistants will be
paid a $50 stipend for attending the workshop.
Kirt Wilson,
University of
Minnesota:
One of the foremost scholars in Communication Studies on
civil rights rhetoric in the
United States.
Lisa Flores, University of Utah: A leading
scholar in Communication Studies on race and gender in the
media.
Mary
Ann Villarreal,
University of
Utah:
A professor of History and Ethnic Studies with an
emphasis on race/ethnicity in higher education.
Visiting
Libra Diversity Professorship - October 15-20, 2007
Sponsored by Communication & Journalism in cooperation with
History, Women in the Curriculum, Sociology, and the Research
VP, and with the generous support of the Provost Edna Szymanski
New Faculty Breakfast
Meet and Mingle: The First Gathering
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 8:30 –
10:00 a.m.
(Please register
by Tuesday, September 18th)
Coe Room, Memorial Union (2nd
floor)
Please join
us at our CTE New Faculty Breakfast and encourage other new
faculty and mentors to join us, too. There is no formal
program for this initial breakfast, but there will be plenty of
opportunities to talk and learn about each other (and plenty of
food).
Please drop in during the hour-and-a-half as your schedule
permits and mingle with other new faculty, mentors, campus
leaders, and administrators.
Because we need to estimate attendance for
catering, please RSVP (call or e-mail) by Tuesday, September 18
at the latest: 581-3472 or
CTE@umit.maine.edu.
We are looking forward to seeing you at the breakfast and having
a chance to catch up with what you are doing.
Spring 2007 Events
DEMONSTRATION
Web CT/Blackboard & Tablet PC and Their Uses in Teaching
April 25, 2007 (Wednesday); 1:00 - 2:30
p.m.
Totman Lounge, Memorial Union (2nd floor)
Do you
want to know more about Web CT/Blackboard and Tablet PC? The
presenters will demonstrate the benefits of both and how they can
enhance teaching.
In the Web CT/Blackboard discussion. Andrei Strukov
will focus on how these tools can help improve faculty members'
interactions with students in on-line and real-space classrooms.
The demonstration and discussion will introduce and/or expand your
awareness of useful features of this technology.
A Tablet PC is a PC equipped with a sensitive screen
designed to interact with a complimentary pen. You can mark up
documents and add handwritten comments, take notes, annotate
presentations, and then print out your annotations. Kim McKeage
will demonstrate how she uses it in class to enliven discussions and
combat "death by PowerPoint".
Come see how both of these technologies can help you
and your students make the best use of time and technology, with the
focus on learning.
Presenters: Kim McKeage,
Associate Professor of Marketing;
Andrei Strukov, Instructional Technology Development Specialist.
WORKSHOP
The Teaching Portfolio: A Workshop for Graduate Teaching Assistants
April 11. 2007 (Wednesday); 1:30-3:00 p.m.
FFA Room, Memorial Union
In today's highly competitive
academic job market, a teaching portfolio has now become a must have.
This workshop will focus on how to build a teaching
portfolio in order to effectively showcase your teaching
accomplishments. We will explore:
-
How to begin to generate useful items as you teach and
engage in professional development activities such as this workshop.
-
How to decide what documents to include in your portfolio
(such as student ratings, faculty evaluations, course materials, a
philosophy of teaching, a reflection on your development, etc.)
Facilitators:
Taryn Norman, Center for Teaching Excellence Special Assistant for
Graduate Teaching Assistant Programming; and Erica Watson,
Research Assistant for University Teaching Council and Graduate Student-
M. Ed. in Student Development in Higher Education
WORKSHOP
Working Effectively with Students with Asperger
Syndrome
April 10, 2007 (Tuesday); 12:00 -
2:00 p.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
Did you
know that the number of children and adults with Asperger Syndrome
has increased dramatically over the past decade? Did you know
that Hans Asperger often referred to his young patients as "little
professors"? Many individuals with this diagnosis choose to
attend post-secondary education to advance their life and career
goals. Students with Asperger Syndrome have attended the
University of Maine for many years, and it is likely that the number
of such students will increase in the future.
In this workshop, you'll hear from participants who
research, teach about and work with students with Asperger Syndrome,
as well as meet current UMaine students with this diagnosis.
They will tell you about:
- A basic knowledge of the
characteristics of Asperger Syndrome,
- Specific teaching strategies
geared to the learning challenges and communication styles of
these individuals,
- Personal experiences of
students with Asperger Syndrome attending the University of
Maine, and
- A chance to discuss your
concerns and questions.
Presenters:
James Artesani, Associate Professor of Special Education; Ann
Smith, Assistant Director of College Success Programs and
Director of Disability Support Services; and Joe McKinley,
Engineering student.
NEW FACULTY BREAKFAST
Final Get-Together
April 3, (Tuesday); 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Coe Room, Memorial Union (2nd floor)
Please join us for an end of year get-together at our CTE New
Faculty Breakfast and encourage other new faculty and mentors to
join us, too. There is no formal program, but we thought it would be
nice to take the time to appreciate each others’ talents, interests,
achievements and extend our conversations.
Please drop in during the hour-and-a-half as your
schedule permits and mingle with other new faculty, mentors, campus
leaders, and administrators.
We are looking forward to seeing you at the Union and
having a chance to catch up with what you are doing. Come hungry!
WORKSHOP
Preparing a Piece of Academic Writing for Publication
in the Humanities & Social Sciences: For Graduate Students
March 26. 2007 (Monday); 3:30-5:00
p.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
If you are in
masters or doctoral programs planning on careers in the highly
competitive fields of the humanities of social sciences, it is useful to
get a head start on publishing your work. This workshop will focus
on how to go about preparing a piece of academic writing for publication
in these fields.
Facilitators: Nathan
Stormer, Associate Professor of Communication and Journalism
WORKSHOP
Preparing for Non- Academic Careers: For Graduate Students and
Advisors
March21. 2007 (Wednesday); 12:30-2:00
p.m.
Sodderberg Auditorium, Jenness Hall
This workshop will
provide lots of tips and suggestions on everything from researching the
non-academic job markets in your field, to writing an effective resume
and using your academic experience, to conducting an effective job
search.
Topics include: What you should know before you
start; planning and timing your search; written materials for the search
--- suggestions and samples; and conducting the search.
An important part of this workshop will be
discussion-based, so bring your expertise, bring your questions, and
join us for a stimulating discussion on the ins and outs of the job
search.
Presenters:
Patty Counihan is the Director of the UMaine Career Center and a
Cooperating Graduate Instructor in the College of Education and Human
Development. Jeff Goodman is the Psychology and Social
Sciences Liaison at the UMaine Career Center and a Ph.D. candidate in
Social Psychology.
CONFERENCE
Rejuvenating Education: Bringing Mindfulness Techniques
into the Classroom
with
Nancy Hathaway
March 15, 2007; from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
McIntire Room, Buchanan Alumni House
University of Maine, Orono
Mindfulness is the
practice of paying attention in the present moment by using
resources, inner and outer, that are available in the moment in a
healthy way. By being mindful in the classroom, both student
and teacher are more in touch with themselves, others, and the
environment, which helps them focus better - whether reading a book,
discussing a concept, or coping with a challenging interpersonal
situation.
Mindfulness is used in classrooms and institutions
around the world by law schools, professional athletes and sports
teams, Fortune 500 corporations, and health care professionals.
In this one day interactive workshop, simple but
powerful mindfulness techniques will be introduced and practiced
that can be brought into the classroom for use by teachers and
students.
Nancy Hathaway holds a Masters Degree in
Education with a track in Counseling, Psychology and has practiced
in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Blue Hill, and Bangor, Maine. She
is Senior Dharma Teacher in the international Kwan Um Zen School.
In 1990, she founded a program in Cambridge, Being Present with
Our Children, offering support and activities for parents who
are interested in exploring mindfulness in family life. In
2005, she published an essay related to this work in Your
Children Will Raise You: The Joys, Challenges, and Life
Lessons of Motherhood edited by Eden Steinberg. This essay
has been selected for another anthology as well. Nancy has
also written magazine articles on the topic of Mindfulness with
children. In 2005, she founded the Center for Studying
Mindfulness in Work, Family, Health, & Relationship in Blue
Hill. Nancy is a consultant this year and last for the
University of Maine Employee Assistance and Wellness Program.
She has also taught a college level course on Mindfulness in a local
high school through the Peace Studies Program of the University.
An eighth generation Mainer, Nancy is delighted to be back home in
Maine, and has begun offering workshops to educators around the
state.
CONFERENCE
Student Learning Outcomes:
What they are, what
they aren't, why they matter,
and how to measure them
with
Tine Reimers, Ph.D.
March 6, 2007;
from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
McIntire Room, Buchanan Alumni House
University of Maine, Orono
Have you been wondering
what all the fuss is about student learning outcomes?
After all, we all know how to measure whether students have
understood the facts of our disciplines—that’s what tests are for,
right? However, as experts in our own fields, we also recognize that
just comprehending facts isn’t the most important part of becoming a
professional in our disciplines. Do you wish you could get a better
handle on whether students are learning the concepts, values and
attitudes that are essential to success in your field? Then come to
this workshop on student learning outcomes. We will work on how to
measure the more "ineffable" learning outcomes such as critical
thinking, valuing, and the curiosity necessary for life-long
learning.
Dr. Christine (Tine) Reimers has
over twenty years of classroom experience and over eleven years of
experience in faculty development at UNC Chapel Hill, Indiana
University, the University of Texas at El Paso, where she directed
the Center for Effective Teaching and Learning, and currently at
Cornell University, where she is Executive Director of the Cornell
University Advance Center. She has Masters and Ph.D. degrees in
Comparative Literature from the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill and a B.A. in French from the University of Vermont. She
has published on issues of diversity in the classroom and on
student-assisted teaching, and has been invited to present workshops
around the country on such topics as critical thinking and course
design, active learning, documenting student learning outcomes,
cooperative learning, effective grading practices, and initiating
and managing change.
WORKSHOP
Tools for Measuring Student Learning Outcomes:
A Hands-on
Workshop
February 22, 2007 (Thursday);
2:30 - 4:30 p.m.
February 23, 2007
(Friday); 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
February 23, 2007
(Friday); 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Same workshop
offered 3 times;
All workshops are in the Bumps Room,
Memorial Union
The goal of
this workshop is to give you several adaptable models for measuring
student learning outcomes, especially pre- and post- tests and
multipurpose rubrics based on your objectives for student learning.
You will see you it is possible to collect useful
longitudinal data on learning outcomes for programs.
You will learn about and practice drafting tools that
simultaneously:
-
define
assignment expectations,
-
make grading
clear and transparently fair,
-
help
students guide their choices through self- assessment,
-
and measure
learning outcomes over time so you can assess how well your
courses are meeting your own and program goals.
While participation in December CTE workshop on "Writing Learning
Objectives for Course and Programs" will be helpful, it is not
required.
Facilitators: Mark Anderson, Senior Instructor, Resource
Economics and Policy, and Coordinator of the Ecology and
Environmental Sciences Program; John Hwalek, Assoc. Professor
of Chemical & Biological Engineering; Irv Kornfield,
Professor of Zoology and Assoc. Director School of Marine Sciences;
Virginia Nees-Hatlen, Assoc Professor of English, and
Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence.
WORKSHOP
GTA Support Network: Motivating Students
February 21, 2007 (Wednesday); 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Graduate Resource Center, Estabrook Hall
NEW FACULTY DISCUSSION
Fogler Library Resources and
Services for Teaching and Research
February 13, 2007 (Tuesday); 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Library Room, Fogler Library
Presenters: Nancy Lewis, Reference
Department Head; Jim Bird,
Science & Engineering Center Department Head.
Did you know that Fogler Library holds over 10,000 electronic
journals, as well as thousands of printed periodicals? That the
collection is expanding all of the time to meet new needs? That
library professionals are engaged in collaborative discussions with
faculty and students about how to keep the library's central place
in the academic community during a time of technological change?
To help new faculty members with their teaching and
research needs, Nancy Lewis and Jim Bird will demonstrate how to
access subject specific databases including new acquisitions,
suggest efficient search techniques, and describe a number of
special services for UMaine faculty members. In addition, they will
talk about and illustrate some new ways of working with students who
come to the library to access information or learn about its
services.
If you would like to raise specific questions in
advance, please send Jim Bird a quick email on First Class, and our
guests will be especially well-prepared to respond.
WORKSHOP
Significant Learning Experiences
January 15, 2007 (Monday); 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Writing Center, Neville Hall
RETREAT
We Teach Who We Are:
A Winter Gathering for All
Who Educate
January 11, 2007 (Thursday);
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
McIntire Room, Buchanan House, Orono Campus
Winter, when life seems to go underground in preparation for spring,
can be a time for personal reflection, renewal, and re-creation of
what matters most in our lives. We invite you to participate in this
day-long gathering for individual and collaborative reflection on
what matters most in our lives as teachers. We’ll strive for
winter-like clarity through the power of conversation, writing, and
telling our stories.
We draw
upon the work of Parker J. Palmer
and the teacher formation principles outlined in his book,
The Courage to
Teach. This approach is rooted in the belief that good
teaching flows from the identity and integrity of the teacher,
making connections between the renewal of a teacher’s spirit and the
revitalization of education. The work focuses not on “technique,”
but on renewing the inner lives of those who teach and lead.
Facilitators: Richard Ackerman, Associate
Professor of Educational Leadership College of Education and Human
Development; Doug Babkirk, Extension Professor, Program
Administrator Cooperative Extension; Shirley Hager, Associate
Extension Professor, Program Administrator Cooperative Extension
Co-sponsored by the: University of Maine Cooperative
Extension, The College of Education and Human Development, and the
Center for Teaching Excellence.
Fall 2006 Events
WORKSHOP
Assessment Foundations:
Writing
Learning Objectives for Courses and Programs
Same workshop
offered 3 times
December 14, 2006 (Thursday); 2:30-4:30 p.m.
FFA Room, Memorial Union
December 15,
2006 (Friday); 8:00-10:00 a.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
December 15,
2006 (Friday); 2:00-4:00 p.m.
FFA Room, Memorial Union
This interactive workshop, to be repeated three times, is designed
for faculty members and department groups fairly new to systematic
assessment of student learning outcomes in courses and programs. We
will show you how to:
· translate
content goals into learning objectives,
· analyze
your more abstract or complex goals in terms of student outcomes
that we can measure without driving everyone crazy,
· coordinate
these focused and limited learning objectives with standards for
proficiency and excellence,
· foster
positive conversations about improving student learning.
It
might be helpful if you bring a syllabus or program statement with
you, especially if your syllabus or curriculum doesn't now contain a
section on learning objectives, but it's not required.
Faciliators:
Mark Anderson, Senior Instructor,
Resource Economics and Policy, and Coordinator of the Ecology and
Environmental Sciences Program; Gisela Hoecherl-Alden, Assoc.
Prof. Modern Languages and Classics; Laura Lindenfeld,
Research Asst. Prof. of Communication and Journalism, and Research
Asst. Prof. in the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center; and
Virginia Nees-Hatlen, Assoc. Prof. English, and Director of the
Center for Teaching Excellence.
WORKSHOP
Coping with Challenging
Behaviors in the Classroom:
An Interactive Workshop
December 6, 2006
(Wednesday); 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Graduate Center, Estabrooke Hall
This interactive workshop will address challenging student behaviors
in the classroom. Discussion will focus on several behavior
types and use interaction with colleagues to develop skills that
will help teaching assistants to identify and deal with difficult
situations. The workshop will provide participants with
information on useful resources on dealing with difficult, delicate,
and demanding classroom situations.
Facilitators: Salena King (Pre-Doctoral Intern, The
Counseling Center); Carey Nason (Safe Campus Project
Coordinator, Safe Campus Project); Taryn Norman (Special
Assistant for TA programming, Center for Teaching Excellence)
Sponsored by: The Center for Teaching Excellence, The Graduate
Center, The Counseling Center, & Safe Campus Project
PANEL DISCUSSION
Millennial Students & Helicopter Parents:
What Faculty Members Need to Know About Them
December 4,
2006 (Monday); 10:00-12:00 p.m.
FFA Room, Memorial Union
What Do we know about students in the class of 2010 and those coming
after them? What challenges will they bring to our paradigms
of university teaching? What do they and their families believe,
hope, dread, or misunderstand about higher education, and how can we
respond as we plan our curriculum and classes? Our panel will
fill you in and help you reflect on the students, as well as
discipline, that you teach.
Panelists: Andrea Cole
(Coordinator of Academic Advising & Student Services); Liz
Downing (Sen Assoc. Dir., New Student Programs);
Ethel
Hill (Director, Explorations); Sharon Oliver (Director,
Admissions);
EJ Roach (Director, Connections).
NEW FACULTY LUNCHEON*
Informal Networking (Introducing
Peer Consultants)
November 30, 2006 (Thursday);
12:30-1:45 p.m.
Coe Room, Memorial Union
How has the
semester gone? DO you feel that teaching could have gone
better? One of the features of the Center is a group of Peer
Consultants who could help and assist you with the whole range of
issues and concerns involving teaching and instructing classes.
Everything is strictly voluntary and confidential. So please
come, eat, and listen as they talk about what they can do for you,
and what they have learned from being a Peer Consultant about
reflective practice in college training.
Peer Consultants:
Bill Livingston, School of Forest Resources; Shannon
Martin, Communication & Journalism; Virginia Nees-Hatlen,
English and Center for Teaching Excellence.
*New faculty activities are intended for
those who have been at UMaine for five years or fewer.
NEW FACULTY DISCUSSION
Preparing for Promotion and Tenure
October 26, 2006 (Thursday); 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Bangor Room, Memorial Union (2nd floor)
Panelists:
Michael Eckardt, Vice President for Research; John Kidder,
Employee Relations & Salary Administration Analyst; Karl Kreutz,
Associate Professor of Earth Sciences & Climate Change Institute;
Jean MacRae, Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental
Engineering; Catherine Pease, Director of Human Resources; and
Edna Szymanski, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
Our panelists will review policies and procedures for
reappointment, promotion, and tenure, and give their perspectives on how
best to navigate the process. There will be time to ask questions
and get to know our panelists. Some of them have key roles to play
in ensuring fair and efficient administration of these important rites
of passage; some of them have recently been tenured and promoted.
All faculty members in their probationary periods are urged to attend.
WORKSHOP
Preparing for Academic Careers:
For Graduate
Students and Their Advisors
October 20, 2006
(Friday); 1:10-3:00 p.m.
Bangor Room, Memorial Union
This workshop will address the academic job search with lots of tips
and suggestions on everything from writing an effective c.v. to the
job market to techniques on how to conduct a job search for faculty
positions within higher education.
Topics include: What you should know before you
start, including new trends in doctoral education and faculty
careers; planning and timing your search; written materials for the
search--suggestions and samples; conducting the search; and even
thinking about jobs outside of academe.
An important part of this workshop will be
discussion-based, so bring your expertise, bring your questions, and
join us for a stimulating discussion on the ins and outs of the
academic job search.
Presenters: Patty Counihan
is the Director of the UMaine Career Center and a Cooperating
Graduate Instructor in the College of Education and Human
Development. Scott Delcourt is Associate Dean of the
Graduate school; a Cooperating Scientist in the Department of
Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology; and a Cooperating
Instructor in the College of Education and Human Development.
Jeff Goodman is the Psychology and Social Sciences Liaison at
the UMaine Career Center and a Ph.D. candidate in Social Psychology.
Conference and/or Lecture
October 6, 2006
Mano Singham, Ph.D., Professor of Physics and
Director of the
University
Center for Innovation in
Teaching and Education at
Case
Western Reserve
University.
Author of
The Achievement Gap in Higher
Education:
Canaries in the Mines
(Rowman & Littlefield).
CONFERENCE
Teaching for Effective
Learning for All
Oct. 6, 2007, 1:00-4:00 p.m.,
McIntire Room, Buchanan Alumni House,
University of
Maine, Orono
This
interactive workshop will begin with an introduction that explores
common ideas about the causes of the achievement gap in
U.S. higher education.
Participants will be invited to weigh the evidence relative to
various beliefs about what causes us to call some students
successful and others failures. We will then look at those teaching
strategies that have resulted in either eliminating (or almost) the
gap. These strategies take advantage of what we know about the
conditions that lead to optimal learning.
Public
Lecture
The Achievement Gap in
U.S.
Education:
How and Why did
it arise and what can we do about it?
Oct. 6,
2006, 7:30 p.m.,
Minsky Recital Hall,
University
of
Maine, Orono
Dr.
Mano Singham will look at the causes of the gap and the teaching
strategies and methods that are helpful in reducing them. The talk,
which is derived from Dr. Singham’s recent book
The Achievement Gap in Higher
Education: Canaries in the Mines
(Rowman & Littlefield), will also argue that the conditions that
gave rise to the achievement gap are not the result of an
unfortunate set of circumstances but were a deliberate part of the
early planning of the school system, which did not have learning as
its main objective. We will look at how that mindset can be reversed
and how an atmosphere truly favorable to learning can be created in
our schools and colleges.
NEW FACULTY BREAKFAST
Meet and Mingle; Let's Start the Year Off Right!
September 26, 2006
(Tuesday); 8:30-10:00 a.m.
University Club, Fogler Library (2nd floor)
Please join us at
our CTE New Faculty Breakfast and encourage other new faculty and
mentors to join us, too. While there is no formal program, there
will be plenty of opportunities to learn from each other (and plenty of
food).
Thanks to the generosity of Joyce Rumery, Dean of
Libraries, this event will be held in elegant quarters, the University
Club on the second floor of Fogler Library.
Please drop in during the hour-and-a-half as your
schedule permits and mingle with other new faculty, mentors, campus
leaders, administrators, and key library professionals.
WORKSHOP
Integrating Instructional Technology with Effective
Teaching Methods
September 19, 2006 (Tuesday);
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Bangor Room, Memorial Union (2nd floor)
Does all this new technology seem overwhelming? How can
faculty members best use IT to increase student learning and manage
classrooms more efficiently?
This
workshop will focus on some of the most useful and most used
technologies at the University of Maine, such as First Class and
WebCT/Blackboard, as well as introduce some new innovations that may
soon be commonplace, such as clicker technology, which a number of
faculty members are now using to engage active learning and help
track attendance. It will introduce and/or expand your
awareness of useful features of existing technology and put the
technology into the changing context of faculty work and policies on
security and confidentiality.
Facilitators: John Gregory, Executive Director of
Information Technologies; Andrei Strukov, Instructional
Technology Development Specialist
Spring 2006 Events
CONFERENCE
University of Maine
Service-Learning Workshop
May 23, 2006 (Tuesday); 9:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Woolley Room, DTAV
Facilitator: Richard Schramm
CONFERENCE
Observing Classroom Teaching for Peer
Consultants
April 21 & 22, 2006 (Friday & Saturday)
3:00 - 5:30 p.m. & 9:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
Who among us has not felt a twinge of anxiety
when in an honest moment we face the fears we inevitably have
around teaching? These fears constitute significant barriers to
the development of reflective teaching unless we are willing to
face them and open our doors to our colleagues who can help us
overcome our instinctive fear of really looking at what we do
when we teach. But if we do not take up this challenge, we
are doomed to fulfill the quote above.
By creating effective and collegial peer observation
programs, we can help our institution, our departments, and most
importantly, our colleagues, develop an understanding of the
value of reflective practice and its importance in creating and
sustaining effective teaching. In this workshop, participants
will learn to face their own fears and to help other faculty
face theirs in order to open the classroom doors for a
collaborative approach to teaching improvement.
During the course of this workshop, the group will
develop plans for implementation of peer review systems at the
University of Maine that will delineate the following:
Who will be included?
What purposes will peer review serve? What areas of teaching
will be reviewed? What standards will be used? How will evidence
be collected?What process will be used to assess the evidence?
How will feedback be provided?
In addition to the above,
we will consider techniques for face-to-face discussions of teaching
in order to ensure the best possible outcomes from the observations.
Catherine Ross completed her Ph.D. at the
University of Texas at Austin in Russian and Foreign Language
Teaching. She has taught in Japan and Ukraine, and at the University
of Nevada-Reno as well as at the University of Wisconsin and the
University of Delaware. Since 1998 she has worked in the
Institute for Teaching & Learning at the University of Connecticut,
directing the programs for teaching assistants and creating faculty
development opportunities for all faculty at UConn. She spends much
of her time in classrooms, observing, troubleshooting, and talking
“teaching”.
WORKSHOP
Sexual Diversity: Challenges for Teaching and
Advising
April 12, 2006 (Wednesday); 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
What can faculty members do
to help create safe spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
queer and/or questioning students, and for other faculty members?
How can attention to sexual diversity both improve the educational
environment for students and enhance the teaching effectiveness of
the faculty?
In this workshop, participants will explore issues,
strategies, and resources for working with sexual diversity in and
out of the classroom.
Facilitators: Sue Estler, Higher
Education; Kristin Langellier, Communication and Journalism; Stephen
Marks, Sociology; and Eric Peterson, Communication and Journalism.
TEACHER TALK
Critical Thinking about Critical Thinking in the
Classroom
April 12, 2006 (Wednesday); 12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Facilitator: David Batuski, Physics &
Astronomy
TEACHER TALK
Civility in the Classroom
March 30, 2006 (Thursday); 11:00 - 12:15 p.m.
Facilitators: Barbara Blazej, Peace
Studies; Carey Nason, Women's Resource Center
NEW FACULTY BREAKFAST
Networking with Faculty, Administrators, and
Library Staff
March 30, 2006 (Thursday); 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
University Club, Fogler Library
Panel
Discussion
Simple Strategies for Introducing Students to Ethics in
Research and Scholarship
March 23, 2006 (Thursday); 1:00 -
2:30 p.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
Recent studies as described
in Nature
and The
Chronicle of
Higher Education reveal both that
research misconduct is rampant and that students are far less likely
to report receiving instruction in research ethics than professors
are to report providing it. Our two panelists have been talking
about their experiences teaching ethics at the graduate level and
want to provide some suggestions for integrating research ethics
into existing courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels. They
will give an overview of responsible research and talk about ways to
acquaint students with the individual, professional, institutional,
and social issues related to the ethical conduct of research.
In addition, the course content for a onecredit
graduate course in the responsible conduct of research will be
briefly reviewed. The course material focuses on such issues as the
mentor/advisee relationship; conflicts of interest; research with
human and animal subjects; authorship and plagiarism; ownership,
sharing and management of data; and social and scientific
responsibility.
Facilitators: Dr. Jessica P. Miller
is Assistant Professor of Philosophy. Dr. Harlan J.
Onsrud
is Professor of Spatial Information Science and Engineering.
AUDIO CONFERENCE
Student Ratings: Their Design, Construction,
and Use
March 6, 2006 (Thursday); 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Soderberg Conference Room, Jenness Hall
MAGNA CORP - Dr. Raoul A. Arreola
WORKSHOP
Finding Your Authority in the Classroom
February
24, 2006 (Friday); 10:00 - 12:00 p.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
Are confident, wise, and
popular college instructors born that way? Whether you are just
beginning to teach, are naturally introverted or "not a performer,"
or have trouble asserting yourself with peers or students, then you
should be relieved to hear that few teachers get everything lined up
when they first enter the classroom. Given time and a framework for
reflection, any college instructor can acquire a classroom persona
that is articulate, interesting, and in control, whatever his or her
personal style, background, or age.
Over the years, the Center for Teaching Excellence has
offered many workshops that in part address the instructor's
authority-- in the contexts of classroom management, diversity,
civility, student responsibility, grading, and active learning. This
workshop will bring pieces from these past activities together,
including some good handouts, some case studies, some roleplaying,
and a lot of laughter and moving around, with the aim of providing a
framework for reflection and change in how participants see
themselves and their roles in the classroom.
Facilitator: Virginia Nees-Hatlen
is Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Assoc.
Professor of English. She is a recovering pedaphobe (a person
fearful of teaching—a made-up but useful word, she thinks).
Teacher Talk
Assessing Team / Group Work
February 21, 2006 (Tuesday); 11:00-12:15 p.m.
Facilitator: John Hwalek,
Biological and Chemical Engineering
WORKSHOP/DISCUSSION
Academic Dishonesty & the Student Conduct Code
February 16, 2006 (Thursday); 9:30-11:15 a.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
As colleges and universities
revitalize academic integrity policies and contend with new social
and technical challenges to our core values, faculty members and
teaching assistants have to be at the heart of the process. This
workshop will show how to avoid problems with cheating and how to
address problems when they do arise, while developing class and
campus cultures of honesty and respect.
Part of that process is explaining to students why
academic integrity is important. Faculty members and students also
need to understand why prompt and equitable enforcement of academic
integrity policies is necessary for every problematic act. Penalties
do not have to be unduly punitive, and sanctions should always
educate the student involved. At UMaine, for example, first offenses
generally have an educational emphasis.
In this workshop, participants will discuss evolving
issues in academic integrity and learn about some best practices for
classroom teachers, departments, and colleges. They will also learn
about how best to partner with UMaine’s Office of Community
Standards, Rights & Responsibility. Role-playing will explore legal,
effective, and educational ways to anticipate and respond to acts
that appear to violate academic integrity. In addition, participants
will receive resources for syllabi and other policy documents. This
printed and web material will be immediately useful for instructors
in all disciplines working at all levels.
Facilitators: David Fiacco,
Director of Office of Community Standards, Rights & Responsibility;
Charlie Slavin, Dean of Honors College.
Teacher Talk
Listening to What Students Need When They Need It:
A Dialog between Science and the Humanities
February 9, 2006 (Thursday); 11:00-12:15 p.m.
Facilitator: Michael Wittmann,
Physics & Astronomy
New Faculty Breakfast
Networking with Faculty and Administrators
January
27, 2006 (Friday); 8:30-10:00 a.m.
FFA Room, Memorial Union
The Center for Teaching Excellence will be hosting a new faculty
breakfasts this semester. We were pleased with our response to
an informal breakfast last semester where instead of offering
content programming, we simply invited new faculty to drop in and
network with new faculty and with some senior faculty and
administrators. We'd like to do this again.
We would like to invite you to meet, mingle, and chat
with new faculty and senior colleagues from Academic Affairs,
Student Affairs, and Administration. It's not necessary for
you to stay for the entire hour-and-a-half; please drop in as your
schedule permits.
Teacher Talk
Issues for Faculty Who Offer Clinical Courses or
Internships
January 23, 2006 (Monday); 12:10-1:00 p.m.
Facilitators: Beth Clark, Nursing;
Jeff Hecker, Psychology; Pam Kimball, Education
CONFERENCE 
Designing Courses for More Significant Student Learning
A workshop with Dr.
L. Dee Fink
January 9, 2006 from 8:00 a.m.
- 4:00 p.m.
Black Bear Inn & Conference Center, Orono, Maine
Most
college teachers would like their courses to be an experience in
which their students achieve some kind of significant learning that
lasts. But we feel frustrated and uncertain about how to get
that to happen, for more students, more of the time. In this
workshop, we will:
- Examine the place
of instructional design in the “big picture” of teaching,
- Take a close look
at what each of us really wants our students to learn,
- Systematically work
through a new model of instructional design that will enable us to
“design high quality learning into our courses,” and
- Conclude by looking
at two case studies that address the question of whether this more
intensive way of designing courses is worth the time it takes.
This new model, Integrated Course Design, shows
college teachers why much of what they are currently doing is
good, but it also identifies what they could add to their
teaching that would make it even more powerful.
Dr. L. Dee Fink served as the founding director of the
Instructional Development Program at the University of Oklahoma from
1979 until May 2005. He received his Ph.D. from the University
of Chicago in 1976, and then accepted an academic appointment in the
departments of Geography and Education at Oklahoma.
He is a nationally recognized expert on various
aspects of college teaching, and has recently published two books on
college teaching. He is the author of Creating Significant
Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College
Courses (Jossey-Bass, 2003), and co-editor of Team-Based
Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups in College Teaching
(Stylus, 2004).
He is also the Immediate Past President of the
Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher
Education, the largest professional organization for faculty
development in the United States.
Fall 2005 Events
Teacher Talk
Documenting Your Teaching Accomplishments
December 14, 2005 (Wednesday); 12:10-1:00 p.m.
New
faculty discussion
Preparing for Promotion & Tenure
December 9, 2005 (Friday); 11:00 - 12:15 p.m.
University Club, Fogler Library
Guests: Sue Humber, Assoc. Provost for Academic Affairs;
Catherine Pease, Director, Human Resources; and John Kidder,
Employee Relations & Salary Administration Analyst, Human Resources
Teacher Talk
Balancing Life and Career
December 1,
2005 (Thursday); 11:00-12:15 p.m.
NEW FACULTY BREAKFAST
networking & Mingle with Your Colleagues
November 16, 2005 (Wednesday); 8:30 - 9:45 a.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
Workshop
Preparing
for Academic Careers Today: A Workshop for Graduate Students and
People Who Care About Them
November 11, 2005 (Friday); 10:00-12:00
p.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
This workshop will address the academic job search with lots of tips
and suggestions on everything from writing an effective c.v. to the
job market to techniques on how to conduct a job search for faculty
positions within higher education.
Topics include: What you should know before you start, including new
directions in doctoral education; planning and timing your search;
written materials for the search — suggestions and samples;
conducting the search; and even thinking about jobs outside of
academe.
An important part of this
workshop will be discussion-based, so bring your expertise, bring
your questions, and join us for a stimulating discussion on the ins
and outs of the academic job search.
Facilitators: Steve
Campbell is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Wildlife Ecology
and and an instructor at the University of Maine and Husson
College. Patty Counihan is the Director of the UMaine Career
Center and a Cooperating Graduate Instructor in the College of
Education and Human Development. Scott Delcourt is Associate
Dean of the Graduate School; a Cooperating Scientist in the
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology; and
a Cooperating Instructor in the College of Education and Human
Development. Jeff Goodman is the Psychology and Social Sciences
Liaison at the UMaine Career Center and is a Ph.D. candidate in
Social Psychology.
Panel
Discussion
Political Controversy and Academic Freedom in the
Classroom
November 9, 2005 (Wednesday); 1:15-3:00 p.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
Political controversy comes up in many classes, for example
when a class focuses on areas of political dispute or
regularly incorporates political discussion. But even
when politics is not the topic or a major element of the
class, participants can find themselves talking about controversial
issues. How should controversy be handled in the classroom?
How can a course promote academic freedom as well as open and active
debate and disagreement? How can all students feel that their
views are respected and that it is safe to air their opinions
without jeopardizing grade standing? How can instructors feel
safe when raising risky issues?
After
discussing academic freedom and the goals they wish to achieve in
the classroom, Professors Fried and Powell will share some of
their approaches to teaching controversy, talk about some pitfalls,
and explain how teaching politically controversial material can
develop critical thinking and civic skills. Participants will
be encouraged to share their ideas and experiences.
Facilitators: Amy Fried, Assoc. Professor, Political
Science, and Richard Powell, Asst. Professor, Political
Science.
Teacher Talk
Developing a New Course Proposal
November 7, 2005 (Monday); 12:10-1:00 p.m.
Teacher Talk
How to Make Useful Mid-Semester Course Corrections
October 26, 2005 (Wednesday); 12:10-1:00 p.m.
NEW FACULTY LUNCHEON
Active Learning
October 25, 2005 (Tuesday); 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Mahogany Room, Wells Conference Center
Guests:Sandy Caron, Family Relations, Prof. Education & Human
Development; Kristin Langellier, Prof. Communication and Journalism;
John Thompson, Asst. Prof. Physics
Workshop
From Experience to Exposition: Genres of Writing and
Acts of Learning -
A Writing Across the Curriculum Workshop with Dr. Patricia Lambert
Stock
October 21, 2005 (Friday); 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Main
Dining Room, Stodder Commons
The purpose of this workshop is to demonstrate a variety of
ways in which faculty across the curriculum can integrate writing
instruction into their courses in a fashion that enriches rather
than detracts from the subjects they are teaching.
In this workshop, we will use writing to collect, sort, analyze,
synthesize, and publish information about a familiar topic. In
the process, as we try our hands at a number of kinds of writing, we
will discuss how each is contributing to our understanding of the
subject we are studying as well as to the vocabulary syntax, and
discourse we are developing to discuss and explore the subject.
Dr. Stock is Professor of Writing, Rhetoric and American Cultures,
Professor of English, and Adjunct Professor of Education at Michigan
State University. Her research on literacy teaching and
learning and teacher education has garnered national awards from The
Conference on College Composition and Communication and Hofstra
University. She serves as past president of the National
Council of Teachers of English and is on the Advisory Board of the
National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and
Colleges.
Teacher Talk
Grading, Assessment, and Evaluation
October 13,
2005 (Thursday); 11:00-12:15 p.m.
Workshop
Proposal Writing for
People Who Want to Chase Around a Little Money
(Internal Research & Teaching Grants, Planning Grants)
but Haven't Been Trained in Proposal Writing
October 7, 2005 (Friday); 2:00-4:30
p.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
This hands-on workshop is
geared for faculty members who don't have experience with proposal
and grant-writing, including especially CLAS faculty who want to get
into the game. We will cover basic grantwriting skills and
strategies with a primary focus on grants offered on campus.
The skills acquired in this workshop can be translated into external
grant proposals. We will supply some primary "do's and don'ts"
about grantsmanship and work collaboratively through a few examples.
We will also discuss some of the major grants available to faculty
on campus and offer suggestions for successful applications.
Be prepared for a fun and interactive workshop that will
(hopefully!) lead to lots of money for your research and teaching!
Facilitators: Gisela Hoecherl-Alden, Asst. Professor of
German; Laura Lindenfeld, Asst. Professor, Project
Opportunity; and Virginia Nees-Hatlen, Assoc. Professor of
English, and Director, Center for Teaching Excellence.
Teacher Talk
Teaching First Year Students
September 26, 2005 (Monday); 12:10-1:00 p.m.
Workshop
Old Song, New Tune? Seeing
Deep and Sustained Learning
through Peer Tutors' Perspectives
September 15, 2005
(Thursday); 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Mahogany Room, Wells Conference Center
Did you know that for most people it takes five to seven times of
working with and manipulating or applying concepts before
information is truly learned? When you teach, you want your
students to truly learn what you are teaching. But what should
students (especially first-year students) do to achieve that goal,
and what can you do to encourage and support good study habits?
if you inform your students about the services of The Tutor Program,
do you really know what the goals of the program are, which courses
they serve, and what students will experience?
In this session, you'll experience some of the "hands on" activities
and creative strategies that peer tutors use to help students
practice and remember course material, integrate discrete study
skills, clarify and apply concepts, develop critical thinking
skills, and prepare for exams. Along the way, you'll also have
a lot of fun!
Facilitator: Ruth Doucette, Tutor
Coordinator at the University of Maine since 1985, has trained and
employed nearly 2,200 tutors and worked with another 18,000 students
while making a significant national contribution in her field.
She has undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of
Maine, so she really understands the UMaine student perspective on
teaching and learning. Many faculty members are familiar with
the Tutor Program and with the study tips she posts on the
FirstClass conference system.
New
Faculty Luncheon
Surviving and Thriving in a Faculty Position
September 14, 2005 (Wednesday); 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Mahogany Room, Wells Conference Center
Guests: Sue Hunter, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, and
Polly Moutevelis-Burgess, Director, Employee Assistance Program
Teacher
Talk
Best Foot Forward: The Start of the Semester
September 13, 2005
(Tuesday); 11:00-12:15 p.m.
Spring 2005 Events
BROWN BAG DISCUSSION
What's the Difference? Technology Tools for Instruction
April 25, 2005; 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Room 151, Memorial Union
(lower level)
MultiPurpose Room
More than 80% of
UMaine faculty members use some form of technology for their
courses. WebCt, FirstClass, or Blackboard are online tools
which allow faculty to put their course materials on the Internet.
This technology is easy to learn and use, and affords instant access
to your students in a password-protected environment.
Are you aware that FirstClass Conferencing helps you to facilitate
discussions among your students? Did you know that one of the
differences between WebCt and the other tools is the ability to
stream video and audio materials for your courses through the
Internet?
Have you ever considered
offering your course quizzes or tests on-line and having the grading
done for you instantly, or administering a survey to your students
and receiving immediate feedback?
These
resources and others available to you through the Department of
Information Technologies will be discussed and demonstrated.
Facilitator: Andrei Strukov, Instructional Technology
Development Specialist, IT
WORKSHOP
Civility in the Classroom Revisited
April 22, 2005; 11:30-1:00 p.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
In their previous workshop, Kim
McKeage and members of her Learning Circles group, Barbara Blazej;
Martha Broderick; David Fiacco; Connie Perry; Carol Kim; Elizabeth
Duran; Carey Nason; and Carmen Tatis, covered some of the basics
about civility research to-date. Two of the main points of
that discussion were that incivility in higher education occurs both
from students and faculty, and there are some definite steps we can
take to cope with incivility. In this workshop, there will be
a focus on incivility arising from student behavior. One of
the most effective tools for coping is anticipation and planning.
Scenarios will be presented of typical uncivil incidents, and
participants will work through their own responses and practice
those that affirm course values and objectives. The workshop
goal is to invest participants with coping strategies for those
tense moments when an incident catches you off guard.
BROWN BAG DISCUSSION
Quantitative Literacy Across the
Curriculum: Issues, Challenges, Models
April 12, 2005; 11:00-12:15 p.m.
Bumps
Room, Memorial Union
Are
you concerned about your students' long-term quantitative literacy?
Have you been hearing concerns from alumni, graduate schools, or
employers about students' ability to apply math and statistics in
complex situations? Would you like to reinforce math skills
and conceptions in your major courses but aren't sure you know where
to begin? Are you curious to see what hidden quantitative literacy
opportunities there might be in your curriculum? Then come
contribute to this discussion of a recent article that lays out a
way of thinking about quantitative literacy as the responsibility of
every faculty member.
Our facilitators
have been thinking about QL for a long time, but they want this
session to be very interactive and participatory. Be sure to
register early so we can send you the article we'll be discussing.
Facilitators: Bob Franzosa, Susan McGarry, and Jennifer Tyne,
faculty members from Mathematics and Statistics.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Exploring Undergraduate Research at
UMaine: What's Happening, What's Not, and How Can We Improve? -
Report, Recommendations, and Discussion
March 22, 2005; 1:30-3:00 p.m.
Coe Room, Memorial Union
Nancy Hall (Communication Sciences &
Disorders) and members of her Learning Circles Group, Randy Alford
(Biological Sciences); Amy Blackstone (Sociology); Brian
Lescord (Philosophy); Jean MacRae (Civil and Environmental
Engineering); Julia McGuire (student, Ecology & Environmental
Sciences); and Charlie Slavin (Honors College, and Mathematics &
Statistics).
CONFERENCE
Case Studies: Using,
Writing, and Understanding their Role in Classes
Across the Curriculum
March 3, 2005; 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Wells Conference Center,
Main Dining Room
Dr. Clyde F. "Kipp" Herreid is the Distinguished Teaching Professor,
Biological Sciences; Director of the National Center for Case Study
Teaching in Science; and Academic Director of the University Honors
Program, at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.
Case studies bring the ancient power of story-telling to bear on
cutting edge problems and issues in science and technology,
business, education, and the liberal arts.
They offer a powerful strategy for active student engagement with
course material, and they exercise the higher order cognitive skills
of analysis, interpretation, and application that are so central to
students' long-term learning.
In this
interactive workshop, Dr. Herreid will give us some historical and
philosophical contexts for the case study method, describe various
case strategies in use today, and demonstrate a few of the major
techniques. With this background, we will
work on writing our own cases for classroom use.
The workshop should be valuable to beginners and to veterans
more experienced with case studies in the classroom, and to
instructors from all disciplines.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Mentoring Graduate Students: Best Practices Across the
Disciplines
February 8, 2005; 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Mahogany
Room, Wells Conference Center
It has long
been acknowledged that good mentoring of graduate students makes a
difference in all aspects of the graduate student experience, but
despite the importance of the mentoring role, faculty members rarely
receive any formal guidance about its scope and nature.
Instead, good mentoring practices tend to evolve as a result of
lessons learned on the job. Come to this workshop and speed up
the process for yourself. In this session the panelists will
examine some of the issues and problems involved in graduate
education when we look beyond the curriculum. How can mentors
best teach professional norms and ethics in research and teaching?
How can they best assist with career choice and development?
Facilitators: Steve Campbell (Wildlife Ecology); Nancy Hall
(Communication Sciences & Disorders); Jeff Hecker (Psychology);
Richard Judd (History); Deirdre Mageean (Office of the VP for
Research; The Graduate School; and Resource Economics & Policy);
Mario Teisl (Resource Economics & Policy)
WORKSHOP
Making Education Accessible to All
Students, Including Those with Disabilities
February 1, 2005; 12:00-1:30 p.m.
F.F.A. Room, Memorial Union
In this
workshop you will consider a model of rethinking disability as a
critical element of human diversity. In addition, you'll learn
concepts of universal access, which provide important
guidelines for anticipating and responding to the full range of
diverse learning styles presented by students. You will have a
chance to examine methods for making learning environments and
curricula both inclusive and responsive to the diversity needs of
all students, including those with disabilities.
Session participants will apply their learning to expanding access
within their own classrooms and their own virtual and other learning
environments, at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
About the Presenters: Stephen Gilson and Elizabeth DePoy are
both professors of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies. Their
research and teaching focus on disability as diversity and universal
access. Gilson and DePoy are internationally known for their
scholarship. Their most recent book, published in 2004, is
entitled Rethinking Disability: Principles for Professional
and Community Change.
BROWN BAG DISCUSSION
UMaine and the News Media
January 27, 2005; 12:30-1:45 p.m.
F.F.A. Room, Memorial Union
Joe Carr and
Nick Houtman from UMaine's Department of Public Affairs, will
discuss the ways in which the news media cover UMaine, and what
UMaine faculty members can do to share their insights and raise
UMaine's profile through interaction with reporters. Maine has
seven daily newspapers, two competitive television markets, and
weekly newspapers that cover virtually every community.
Interest in UMaine, its activities and its people is extreme, and
news coverage is a daily occurrence. The Department of Public
Affairs works with UMaine personnel, especially faculty members, to
make connections between reporters and people who can provide
informed perspectives on issues in the news. The discussion
will include practical tips on how to work with reporters and a
discussion on the best ways to connect professors and journalists.
Joe and Nick have been in Public Affairs at UMaine since 1993 and
1994, respectively. Joe previously worked as a television
reporter and producer, while Nick's background includes extensive
experience as a newspaper reporter.
WORKSHOP
On the Design and Analysis of
Multiple-Choice Tests: A Foundational Workshop on Assessing
Knowledge, Application, and Understanding
January 7, 2005; 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Mahogany Room, Wells Conference
Center
There are
many ways to assess student achievement, and each method has its
place. This presentation is intended for instructors who use,
or are planning to use, multiple-choice tests. Topics will
include:
-
designing tests to maximize content validity
-
writing items at various levels of cognitive
demand
-
conducting (simple) statistical analyses to
evaluate item quality
We invited
Ted Coladarci to revise and reprise his successful and very popular
workshop on this topic from 2001. The Center for Teaching
Excellence will offer a second workshop on this topic later in the
term: Michael Wittmann (Asst. Prof. of Physics) and Raphael
Diluzio (Asst. Prof. of New Media) will facilitate hands-on item
development and discuss applications for the sciences and
arts/humanities. Ted's workshop will be foundational to that
later workshop.
Presenter: Ted
Coladarci, Professor of Education, and Knud Hermansen, Professor of
Civil Engineering Technology
Fall 2004 Events
Teleconference
Shaping the Future:
Aspiration, Assessment, Action: A Teleconference from the
Policy Center on the First Year of College and the National Resource
Center for the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition
December 2, 2004; 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Mahogany Room, Wells Conference Center
About 90% of
American colleges and universities have first-year programs of some
type designed to increase academic success and retention, but most
acknowledge the need for continued improvement.
Featured in the teleconference will be a discussion of a model for
designing and assessing programs with the potential to reduce
unacceptably high first-year failure rates and attrition in the
firs-year while increasing graduation rates in the long-term.
This approach, which has been piloted by twenty-four institutions,
generates a comprehensive analysis leading to improvements in
first-year experiences at a range of institutions. The
teleconference will offer details on this model; an overview of what
the twenty-four participating campuses learned, as well as research
findings to date from the project; and a new process for expanding
campus dialogs on retention.
Panelists
include: Betsy Barefoot, and John N. Gardner, of the Policy
Center on the First Year of College; Patrick T. Terenzini, Penn
State Center for the Student of Higher Education.
Brown Bag
Discussion
Responding to and Grading Student Writing Across the
Curriculum
November 23, 2004; 11:00-12:15 p.m.
F.F.A.
Room, Memorial Union
How can you
best foster and support good writing habits in your students?
how can you use your time most efficiently to help them learn your
discipline through writing? What are the most effective ways
to deal with editorial matters (a.k.a. "correctness")? How can
you reduce antagonism over grades? how can you assess writing
in terms of the new language of learner outcomes?
Late in a term is a good time to compare one's recent experiences
with writing with those of colleagues across the curriculum.
Such comparisons help us see what we do in a larger framework.
In this brown-bag discussion, we will try to help you do just that.
Come and share your best practices and, perhaps, learn some new
wrinkles. Virginia will bring some examples of assessment
rubrics tied to several different learning objectives and offer some
tips on dealing with stacks of papers, plus her time-saving but
rather terrifying solution to editorial melt down. There will
also be plenty of time for conversation and exchange.
Facilitator: Virginia Nees-Hatlen, Associate Professor of
English, and Director, Center for Teaching Excellence. (This
discussion will be repeated December 3 from 12:00-12:50 in the
F.F.A. Room, Memorial Union)
Brown Bag Discussion
Civility in the Classroom: The
View from Both Sides of the Lectern
November 9, 2004; 12:15-1:30 p.m.
F.F.A. Room, Memorial Union
This
discussion introduces some research on civility in the classroom and
looks at a survey undertaken at Indiana University.
Researchers at UMaine have been working to replicate this survey
here, beginning with questions to students about what constitutes
incivility on the part of both students and faculty. What are
our responsibilities to create a civil climate on campus? What
can we do to promote such a climate.
Facilitators: Kim McKeage and members of her Learning Circles
group: David Fiacco; Connie Perry; Carol Kim; Qin Lin;
Elizabeth Duran; Carey Nason; Martha Broderick; Barbara Blazej; and
Phyl Brazee. Join us to discuss this topic. Bring your
lunch and we'll supply the desserts and beverages. (This discussion
will be repeated December 1 from 11:00-12:00 in the F.F.A. Room,
Memorial Union)
Workshop
Creating an Environment for
Learning:
Easy Performance Techniques for the Teacher
October 21, 2004; 11:00-12:15 p.m.
224 Class of 1944 Hall (the
acting studio)
Come and
learn techniques that will help you to improve communication skills,
to use your energy more effectively, to relieve stress, to unlock
body language in order to use it more effectively, and techniques
that will enable you to be more comfortable being yourself in front
of the classroom. With a few adjustments and increased
awareness you can improve your vocal and physical skills to become a
more effective teacher.
Facilitator:
Marcia Douglas, Assistant Professor of Theatre, and Chair,
Theatre Program
Please wear comfortable
clothes and be prepared to remove your shoes (footwear is not
permitted in the acting room).
Fifth Annual Faculty
Technology Fair
October 7, 2004; 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Bodwell Lounge, Maine Center
for the Arts
Workshop
Excel Grade Book Workshop
October 1, 2004; 1:15-2:45 p.m.
Faculty Development Center
149 Memorial Union
Do you dread
the week after exams? Are the days passing you by while you sit and
enter figures by hand and use a calculator to average exam and quiz
scores? If you were taught a simple, effective way to track grades
using a spreadsheet, would you use it?
If you answered "YES" to any of these questions, come to our Excel
Grade Book Workshop and let us show you how to easily track and
calculate grades with a template we will provide, free for your use.
Space is limited to 8 at each session, so register early. No
previous knowledge of Excel is necessary.
Offered in cooperation with the Faculty Development Center (IT)
Facilitator: Kat Taylor,
Technology Consultant.
Workshop
Allan Johnson on Privilege,
Power, and Difference in the Classroom: Toward Inclusive
Teaching & Learning
September
30, 2004; 1:30-3:30
The Woolley Room, Doris Twitchell Allen
Village
Visiting
Diversity Libra Professor Allan Johnson is the author of Privilege,
Power, and Difference; The Gender Knot: Unraveling Our
Patriarchal Legacy; and The Forest and Trees: Sociology as
Life, Practice and Promise. Dr. Johnson will conduct an
interactive workshop designed to give participants theoretical tools
to help them identify and solve concrete problems related to
diversity and privilege in the classroom. Participants will
consider how problems stemming from unacknowledged privilege
manifest themselves in classrooms, look at some barriers to their
resolution, and reflect on some strategies to overcome them.
Dr. Johnson tells us his goal is "to present controversial, often
difficult issues with gentle and compassionate clarity, in ways that
people not only understand, but can relate to on a personal level."
He tries to "offer a blend of life experience, humor, social
reality, audience participation, and clear analysis that opens
windows to new, and productive ways of thinking and living in the
world. As a white male, I am especially concerned with
reaching men and whites who may feel so uncomfortable with issues of
privilege that they won't even talk about them."
A University of Arizona faculty member described Dr. Johnson's
presentation as "[f]ull of humor and empathy for all sides of the
issue," saying that "his insights were revelations to many of
us--even those who work in the disciplines of sociology and
psychiatry."
Workshop
Excel Grade Book Workshop
September 22, 2004;
10:00-11:30 a.m.
Faculty Development
Center
149 Memorial Union
Spring 2004 Events
Workshop
Difference, Disadvantage, Privilege,
and Us:
Toward More Inclusive Teaching and Learning
April 27, 2004 (Tuesday); 12:15 - 2:00 p.m.
F.F.A. Room, Memorial
Union
Are you trying to meet the
challenge of creating more inclusive curricula and classroom
climates? Come participate in this workshop with four colleagues who
have spent more than three years together researching, talking, and
piloting ideas for more inclusive classrooms in our predominantly
white, northern tier, land-grant university.
Issues of identity, diversity, and inclusion are
central to educational practice and research today. This workshop
uses discussion and shared problem-solving to increase faculty
awareness and skills related to the dynamics of difference,
disadvantage, and privilege, in the classroom.
The workshop
leaders will share what they've learned through their multi-year
project to build more inclusive classrooms and curricula in
educational leadership classes. Those efforts led them down complex
paths involving personal change as well as analysis of professional
roles and interactions. Participants will be able to share and
reflect on their own experiences and leave with a model for
continued professional development around issues of diversity and
identity.
Facilitators: From the
College of Education & Human Development: Elizabeth Allan;
Gordon Donaldson; Sue Estler; and Dianne Hoff.
Workshop
Demystifying Proposal
Writing: Successful Strategies to Fund Research, Innovative
Teaching, or Community Development with Grants
March 30, 2004 (Tuesday); 2:15 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Mahogany Room,
Wells Conference Center
Are you
confident in your skills as a proposal writer? Or are you missing
opportunities to fund your own research, develop funded
undergraduate research or interdisciplinary programs, or pay for
professional development time to make classroom or community
innovations? Are you confident that you know how to choose suitable
RFPs? To address the funder's as well as your own goals? To set up a
reasonable schedule of activities? To write a proposal for readers
inside or outside your own field? To think through budgets
realistically? To take advantage of grant officers' experience here
on campus and in the funding agencies and foundations? To avoid
driving yourself crazy as deadlines approach?
In this workshop, faculty members at all career levels
will learn from two faculty members who have long track-records of
successful proposal writing and major funding projects. You'll also
have an opportunity to discuss your own successes, frustrations, and
hopes.
Facilitators: Daniel Belknap, Chair and
Professor of Geological Sciences and Cooperating Professor of
Quaternary Studies and Oceanography, and Lenard Kaye,
Professor of Social Work and Libra Professor in the College of
Business, Public Policy, and Health
CONFERENCE
The Cognitive Foundations of
Learning & Assessment
March 2,
2004 (Tuesday); 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Main Dining Room, Wells
Conference Center
Facilitator: Dr. Christian Jernstedt, Professor of
Psychological and Brain Science, Dartmouth College; Adjunct
Professor of Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical
School; and Director of the Center for Educational Outcomes,
Dartmouth College. Dr. Jernstedt's topics will include:
The Neurological Foundations of Learning: Appreciating
the uniqueness and power of the brain: The greatest of the frontiers
to be explored lies within each of us. New under- standings of
the brain provide fresh insights into the process of how we learn.
Dr. Jernstedt will review what we know about the brain and how that
information can inspire us to develop new ways of learning.
The Cognitive Foundations of Learning: Helping the mind
deal with the stream of information: The human mind has far more
power than is typically used. Dr. Jernstedt will examine
exciting research on increasing the ability to learn and remember,
information that can help dramatically improve our design of
learning experiences.
The Evaluative Foundations of Learning: Using feedback
to diagnose and guide learning: Issues of assessment,
accountability, and testing are increasingly being raised about
formal learning. We will examine the predictors of performance in
learning situations and on standardized tests. Our focus is on
developing an understanding of how the goals of assessment and
learning can best be integrated.
PANEL DISCUSSION
What are students learning in Service
Learning classes?
Numerous research studies
have identified benefits for institutions, faculty, and students
from introducing Service Learning into the curriculum, but most of
us learn from and are inspired by examples close to us. So come
learn from four instructors and from students who have participated
in SL experiences in three very different kinds of classes taught in
the last year at UMaine—and be inspired.
Harold Daniel, Assoc. Prof. of Marketing and
students Scott Hainer, Amy Hodgkins, and Alana Thornton from
Marketing Research (BUA 378).
These students helped a local newspaper
better understand the market for its product and mastered the
content of the course through their service learning project, one of
several that Harold's classes have engaged in.
Nancy Lewis, Head Reference Dept., Fogler
Library, and Susan Iverson, Asst. Director, Offender Accountability
Initiatives, with student Alan Vaillancourt from Majoring in the
Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS 100). Several LAS 100 instructors
received a Service Learning Leadership Grant last summer to explore
how to combine SL approaches in a first-year seminar. Hear what they
and students learned this Fall.
Susan Iverson, Instructor for HED 561
(Developmental Theory in Higher Education) and HED 562 (Impact of
College on Students), with grad students José Cordero and Kim
Devoursney. José will discuss a SL project in which he partnered
with Admissions to plan ALANA weekend, and Kim will discuss her
project on SL and the first-year experience.
Kathleen March, Prof. of Spanish, with Rebecca
Brochu, Shaunessy Saucier, and Fredy Lazo, students in Senior
Project in Modern Languages & Classics (MLC 499). These students
have been working with migrant families in Gouldsboro, who receive
linguistic and cultural assistance through the "Mano en Mano"
program, which is the community partner for this SL project. Hear
what they are learning, giving, getting, planning.
Brown Bag Discussion &
Demonstration
TurnItIn
February 4, 2004 (Wednesday); 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Bumps Room,
Memorial Union
Guest:
Andrei Strukov, Faculty Development Center
Plagiarism is a major problem in colleges and
universities throughout the U.S. In fact, in a study done by
The Center for Academic Integrity, 80% of students admitted to
cheating at least once, and 36% of undergraduates admitted to
plagiarizing, according to a Psychological Record survey.
Tracking down and documenting plagiarized work can be
very difficult and time consuming. A new tool provided by the
department of Information Technologies now allows faculty to easily
spot plagiarists. TurnItIn is a Web-based utility that checks
students work for evidence of plagiarism.
When a paper is submitted, the contents are checked
against a constantly updated database of billions of Web pages,
millions of published books and articles, and every paper ever
submitted to TurnItIn using so-called "textual fingerprint"
technology. Even if a student has tried to cover tracks by changing
a few words, TurnItIn will still discover the sources used.
To learn more about using TurnItIn to promote student
integrity and to set up your own account, Andrei Strukov, Faculty
Development Specialist, will give a presentation on this new
software acquired by the University of Maine.
Spring 2004
Assessment Discussions
ASSESSMENT BROWN BAG DISCUSSIONS
During the Fall 2003 and Spring 2004
semesters, faculty worked on general education requirements:
translating goals into learner outcomes for each of nine general
education areas (all except the Capstone), and teamed up to
develop plans for measuring the learning outcomes in each course in
the area. The full report can be found on our homepage (the
final report will be posted sometime in June 2004). Meeting
dates are listed below.
April 12, 2004 (Monday);
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Gen Ed Area: Diversity & International
Perspectives; Bumps Room, Memorial Union
Gen Ed Area:
Western Cultural Tradition; F.F.A. Room, Memorial Union
Gen Ed Area: Artistic & Creative Expression; Grant Room
A, Memorial Union
April 20, 2004 (Tuesday);
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Gen Ed Area: Population & the
Environment; Bumps Room, Memorial Union
Gen Ed Area:
Writing Competency; F.F.A. Room, Memorial Union
March 25, 2004 (Thursday);
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Gen Ed Area: Social Contexts &
Institutions; F.F.A. Room, Memorial Union
Gen Ed Area:
Ethics; Walker Room, Memorial Union
March 19, 2004 (Friday);
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Gen Ed Area: Science; Bumps Room,
Memorial Union
Gen Ed Area: Mathematics; Grant Room
A, Memorial Union
February 23, 2004 (Monday)
Gen Ed Area: Population & the Environment; Bumps Room,
Memorial Union
Gen Ed Area: Writing Competency;
F.F.A. Room, Memorial Union
February 19, 2004 (Thursday);
2:00-4:00 p.m.
F.F.A. Room, Memorial Union
February 12, 2004 (Thursday);
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Gen Ed Area: Diversity & International
Perspectives, F.F.A. Room, Memorial Union
Gen Ed Area:
Western Cultural Tradition; Walker Room, Memorial Union
February 10, 2004 (Tuesday);
10:30-12:00 p.m.
Gen Ed Area: Artistic & Creative
Expression;
F.F.A. Room, Memorial Union
January 28, 2004 (Wednesday);
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
Gen Ed Area:
Social Contexts & Institutions
Grant Room A, Memorial Union
Gen
Ed Area: Ethics
FALL 2003 Events
PANEL DISCUSSION
Portfolios: To Stimulate &
Assess Learning
October 22,
2003; 3:00-4:30
F.F.A. Room, Memorial Union
We hear a
lot about portfolios these days, and not just in art or advertising.
The buzz is that portfolios are cutting edge for teaching and
assessment. But what defines a portfolio and what purposes can
it serve in a university setting? How can a portfolio be used
to support and document active learning? How are portfolios
functioning as professional credentials for our students and
researchers? What possibilities have opened up with
technological change for re-envisioning learning as a process of
building a portfolio?
This CTE Learning
Circle wanted to take some time to look at these questions and find
out how portfolios can be used to document prior learning, stimulate
new learning, and assess learning.
Panelists for this discussion--all members of the Learning
Circle--will talk about materials, experiences, and best practices
that they have collected and shared. And there will be plenty
of handouts! They also hope to stimulate discussion with
participants about the issues facing teachers and departments who
want to integrate portfolios into their practice to teach, mentor,
and assess learning.
Panelists:
Elizabeth Bicknell, Nursing; Gail Garthwait, Instructional
Technology; Diane Haslett, School of Social Work; Barbara
Howard, Student Academic Services and Director, Bachelor of
University Studies Program; Will Manion, Civil and
Environmental Engineering, Virginia Nees-Hatlen, Center for Teaching
Excellence and English; and Owen Smith, Art.
BROWN BAG PANEL DISCUSSION
Teaching Science Assessment to Graduate Students
October 21, 2003; 12:30-2:00
F.F.A.
Room, Memorial Union
What, if
anything, do students learn in our classes? What tools can help us
answer such a question? How can we measure, understand, and
communicate with each other about the results given by such tools?
major piece of our work in physics education research involves
evaluation and assessment issues. For the past 2 years, we have
taught a graduate level course for scientists in which evaluation
and assessment skills are discussed and taught. In our brown bag
presentation, we will focus on two multiple-choice tests that can be
used with large lecture classes. In one test, designed for use with
non-experts (for example, before any instruction on a topic),
students are asked about specific content. In the other, students
are asked about their attitudes and expectations about learning.
We will discuss pre- and post-instruction testing and present
results showing that teaching evaluation and assessment can be
effective in helping graduate students develop the necessary
analysis skills with which to understand results from the two
surveys. Participants will do hands-on activities in which they
discuss several questions on each of the tests.
Guests: John Thompson, and Michael
Wittmann, Physics Education Research Laboratory, Department of
Physics and Astronomy
BROWN BAG PANEL DISCUSSION
Identifying Best Practices and
Assessment Strategies
for Teaching On-Line Courses
September 23, 2003
12:30-1:00 Jenness Hall Lobby 1:00-2:00
Soderberg Lounge
Are you
intrigued by the idea of offering a course on-line or incorporating
some on-line elements into an existing course? Perhaps you've
already offered a course or courses on-line and have ideas to share
with colleagues about problems and successes, best practices, and
assessment of student learning on-line. This panel discussion will
provide an opportunity for all faculty interested in teaching and
learning on-line to explore these issues and opportunities together.
Facilitators include: David Batuski, Physics;
Wayne Ingalls, Maine Business School; Tina Passman, Modern Languages
& Classics; Carol Toner, Maine Studies Program; Anatole Wieck,
Music.
Spring
2003 Events
CONFERENCE
Getting Students On Course:
Empowering Students for Academic Success and Retention
May 13, 2003 ; 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Wells Conference Center
In this
highly interactive workshop, you will participate in an exploration
into the critical factors—beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors—that
determine the level of a student's success both in college and in
life. The goal of the workshop is to provide participants with
practical methods of empowering students to become active,
responsible partners in their education. These methods have
shown to improve both student academic success and retention.
Skip Downing is an international faculty development
consultant, an innovator in the field of student success, and the
author of On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and
in Life (Houghton Mifflin). This popular text is used in student
success classes, first-year seminars, and college writing courses.
Dr. Downing has earned degrees from Princeton
University, Johns Hopkins University, The University of Santa
Monica, and Carnegie Mellon University. He holds advanced degrees in
both English and counseling psychology and has more than 30 years of
college teaching experience. He was named in USA Today as one
of the 50 best community college teachers in the United States and
Canada.
Dr. Downing has presented his ideas for empowering
students to thousands of college educators at both national
conferences and on-campus professional development workshops.
He has been facilitating the highly acclaimed On Course Workshops
for eight years.
Panel Discussion
Q & A: Service Learning
Service
Learning is a teaching strategy that strengthens students' mastery
of course concepts while also affecting their attitudes regarding
social problems, community issues, and civic action. It is an
innovative pedagogical approach to realizing higher education's
civic responsibilities. Despite increased attention to its benefits,
Service Learning is not thoroughly integrated into the curriculum at
most colleges and universities. The key element necessary to
institutionalizing Service Learning is substantial faculty
participation.
A panel of UMaine recipients of the Maine Campus
Compact Service Learning Grants and others involved in Service
Learning will discuss its merits based on their experiences.
Information will also be available about grants to help you
incorporate service learning into your courses.
Guests panelists: Elizabeth Allan, Education; Harold
Daniel, Marketing; and Adrienne White, Food Science & Human
Nutrition.
WORKSHOP
Hands-On Active Learning
March 18, 2003,
1:00- 4:30 p.m.
Wells Conference Center
You're probably aware that the recent
research on student learning has demonstrated that "the more
actively students are involved in the learning process and take
personal responsibility for their learning outcomes, the greater are
the learning results" (Todd M. Davis & Patricia Hillman Murrell,
Turning Teaching into Learning, ASHE-ERIC).
Would you like to
explore active learning strategies as an active learner? This
workshop is an opportunity to do just that and to learn more about
how some of your colleagues utilize active learning in their
classrooms. During the workshop faculty from Chemistry,
Engineering, Marketing, Modern Languages & Classics, Nursing, and
Physics, will lead a series of half-hour mini-classes in their
disciplines followed by discussion and Q & A after each session.
There will be two sessions allowing you the opportunity to sit in on
two mini-classes!Facilitators: Mary Brakey, AED for Everyone
(Automated External Defibrillator); Harold Daniel, Integrating
Active Learning in Marketing; Karen Horton, Identifying Tension
Compression Members in a Truss Bridge; Chuck Maguire, Fuel Cell
Technology; Ray Pelletier, Strategies for Interactive Learning
French; Barbara Stewart, Peer Led Team Learning in General
Chemistry; John R. Thompson & Michael Wittmann, Research Based
Curriculum for Introductory Optics.
A BROWN BAG DISCUSSION
LET'S TALK:Active Learning Research, Part II
February 24,
2003, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
FFA Room, Memorial Union
During Part
I of our discussion on Active Learning Research, we discussed what
we mean by active learning and the range of strategies and
techniques it encompasses (collaborative learning, group work,
service learning, problem-based service learning, etc.). We
also briefly reviewed some research that documents the impact of
active learning in improved student performance and student
retention. Participants shared active learning strategies they
have used in classes of varying size from a variety of disciplines.
Of particular interest were strategies for large classes and
examples of active learning projects that take students beyond the
classroom into the community. Finally, the group discussed how
to assess the kind of higher order learning that active learning
engenders and the difficulty of administering and grading those
sorts of assessments, particularly in large classes.
In Part II, we will discuss issues of assessment, class
size, problem-based service learning, technology and other topics of
interest to participants. Please feel free to bring copies of
any materials you have that you would like to share with the group.
Moderator: Sue Huseman
A BROWN BAG DISCUSSION
LET'S TALK: Active Learning Research, Part I
February 10,
2003, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Coe Room, Memorial Union
As noted by
Richard Felder, an active scholar in the area of active and
cooperative learning, in the traditional approach to college
teaching, most class time is spent with the professor lecturing and
the students watching and listening. The students work
individually on assignments and cooperation is discouraged.
Such teacher-centered instructional methods have repeatedly been
found to be less effective than instruction that involves active
learning, in which students solve problems, answer questions,
formulate questions of their own, discuss, explain, debate, or
brainstorm during class, and cooperative learning, in which students
work in teams on problems and projects under conditions that assure
both positive interdependence and individual accountability.
This conclusion applies whether the assessment measure is short-term
mastery, long-term retention, or depth of understanding of course
material, acquisition of critical thinking or creative problem-
solving skills, formation of positive attitudes toward the subject
being taught, or level of confidence in knowledge of skills.
Our programming theme for the Center for Teaching Excellence this
year is Active Teaching and Learning. Please come to this
brown bag discussion and share your ideas and experience.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
February 6, 2003, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Dexter Lounge
Are they fair? Do they really
make any difference? How do students view their
accommodations? What is reasonable or unreasonable?
These and other questions about accommodation in the classroom will
be addressed by our guest panel. The panel will consist of an
undergraduate student with a chronic illness and a graduate student
with Attention Deficit Disorder. Associate Dean Virginia
Nees-Hatlen (Liberal Arts & Sciences) and Professor David Townsend
(Oceanography), will also be joining Disability Coordinator Ann
Smith in examining these complex and challenging questions.
Fall 2002 Events
CTE Holiday Open House
December 18, 2002
Time:
2:30-5:00 p.m.
Location: Crossland Hall (2nd floor)
Drop in between 2:30 and 5:00 p.m.
and join us for delectable hors d'oeuvres, sparkling beverages, and
drawing/door prizes to celebrate the holiday season and visit the
Center facilities.
LET'S TALK
Intellectual Property Rights for Course Work and On-Line Courses
November 14, 2002, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Location: FFA Room,
Memorial Union
Discussion
Leader: Martha A. Broderick, Esq., Instructor in Business Law,
and Assistant Professor of Women's Studies.
Some review the current legal guidelines surrounding
use of intellectual property in the classroom. Discussion will focus
on the permissive use of others' material and the protection of
one's own material. The current University policy will also be
discussed.
WORKSHOP
Coping with Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom
November 11, 2002, 1:15-3:45 p.m.
Location: Mahogany
Room, Wells
This
interactive workshop will address challenging student behaviors in
the classroom. Discussion will focus on several behavior types and
will use case scenarios and interaction with colleagues to develop
skills that will help faculty deal with difficult situations. The
workshop will provide participants with information on useful
resources on campus and how these resources can help faculty members
deal with difficult, delicate, and demanding classroom situations.
Facilitators: Isabelle Boisclair, The Counseling
Center; David Fiacco, Judicial Affairs; Ann Smith, Services for
Students with Disabilities; and Alan Stormann, Public Safety.
WORKSHOP
Expectations for Student Writing Across the Disciplines: A
Writing Center Workshop for Faculty
October 30, 2002,
3:00-5:00 p.m.
Location: The Writing Center, 402 Neville
Hall
You are
invited to participate in a workshop on improving student writing
skills. The focus will be on establishing better communication
between faculty and students regarding their mutual expectations.
The workshop will engage faculty and Writing Center
tutors in discussion of expectations for writing assignments.
Participants will explore what they find valuable in student
writing, what students need to know to meet those expectations, and
how the Writing Center and the faculty can best cooperate.
Facilitators: Harvey Kail, Erin Campbell, Kristen
Curry, Bonnie Gotto, and Jon York.
WORKSHOP
Setting Up a Survey Instrument, Test, or Evaluation Form in a Web
Page
October 24, 2002, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Location:
318 Boardman Hall
Jay Peters,
Lecturer in the School of Social Work will
present a hands-on workshop on using the Web for:
Introductory understanding of
FrontPage and working with Web pages is recommended. This workshop
is limited to 25 participants.
WORKSHOP
Service-Learning Course Construction Workshop
October 15,
2002, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Location: Black Bear Inn, Orono
A Faculty Workshop offered by Dr.
Steven Jones
Although
there are vast numbers of service- learning syllabi available to
faculty, there are few standards to help distinguish those worth
recommending from those which are less exemplary, and few resources
to assist faculty in constructing a service-learning syllabus. This
presentation is based upon an overview of over 900 service-learning
syllabi and is designed to assist faculty in integrating service
into an existing course or in constructing a new course using
service-learning. The presentation will examine disciplinary models
for service-learning, examine the basics of service-learning course
construction, review service-learning assignments, and examine
courses that focus on the civic capacities of service learning
Dr. Steven Jones is Project Associate on the
Integrating Service with Academic Studies Project at Campus Compact.
Prior to joining Compact, Steve was an Associate Professor of
Political Science at the University of Charleston and Director of
the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Government Studies. Steve has been
engaged in civic education and service learning through his teaching
and scholarship, incorporating service learning in his political
science courses, and writing and presenting several papers on civic
education at national and international conferences. His most recent
article, "What's at Stake in the Civic Education Debate?" will be
published in an upcoming volume of the journal Politics and Policy.
For those who may be confused by service learning and
problem-based service learning, and how they are
different from community service and internships, the links below
may help. If you are interested in service learning, these sites
offer information and resources for incorporating service learning
into your curriculum.
LET'S TALK
The Tutor Program & The Writing
Center: Resources for Your Students
September 25, 2002, 12:00-1:15 p.m.
Location: FFA Room, Memorial Union
Discussion Leaders: Ruth
Doucette, The Tutor Program, and Harvey Kail, The Writing Center
PANEL DISCUSSION
Teaching the Orientation Course for
Incoming Students
August 27,
2002, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Location: Mahogany Room, Wells
Are
you teaching an orientation course for the first time and seeking
suggestions on how to do it well? Have you taught the course before
and encountered areas in which you would like to improve your
performance? Reactions to the first-year orientation courses for
incoming students have been very mixed. Some students find them
invaluable while other students have evaluated them quite
negatively. Faculty reaction has been similarly mixed. A year and a
half ago a Learning Circle was formed to consider what works and
what doesn't and to develop suggestions for enhanced effectiveness.
Our conclusions will be presented in a format where there will be
short presentations by the panel members and then a good deal of
time for general discussion.
The topics we will consider are: (1) Icebreakers
--getting to know your students and getting them to know each other.
(2) How to get enhanced class participation through the semester.
(3) Library assignments that work. (4) Advantages of meeting
individually with each student in your class, and how to do this in
a way that does not involve an inordinate amount of your time. (5)
Getting assistance from students in your prior orientation classes.
(6) The selection and training of faculty members. (7) Helping
students to meet their advisors. (8) Effective class assignments.
(9) What kinds of topics have been covered in these courses by the
various faculty members?
Facilitators: Steve Cohn
(Liberal Arts & Sciences); Maxine
Harrow (Education & Human Development); Susan Sullivan (Natural
Sciences, Forestry & Agriculture); and Ency Whitehill (Cutler Health
Center & LAS), and other members of the Learning Circle
Spring 2002 Events
Workshop
Active Teaching & Learning: Strategies to Increase Student
Involvement
May 16, 2002, 9:00 a.m. -
3:30 p.m.
Location: Main Dining Room, Wells Conference
Center
This full
day workshop will be presented by Faye Day, Ed.D. from The
Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching & Learning.
Faye is an associate professor at Bethel College, where she teaches
undergraduate courses in middle level education and classroom
management, as well as a variety of courses in an educational
leadership master's program. Day holds a B.A. degree in Education
and English Literature from Bethel College, an M.A. in Elementary
Education (with an emphasis on language arts and literature) from
the University of Minnesota, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership
from the University of St. Thomas. Her research interests include
the teacher as leader, artistry in teaching, and the use of
narrative in studying teaching.
Dr. Day's workshop will include:
-
Defining active teaching and
learning and reviewing the theory that grounds it
-
Community building/Creating a
learning climate
-
The changing nature of the
teacher's role
-
Chickering's 7 Principles for
Good Practice in Undergraduate Education
-
Specific active learning
strategies for assignments in writing, reading, discussion,
thinking
-
Active learning strategies for
lecture and large groups
-
Resources for active learning
strategies (on-line and otherwise)
Workshop
Coping with Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom
April 19, 2002, 2:15-4:30 p.m.
Location:
Mahogany Room, Wells Conference Center
. This interactive workshop
will address challenging student behaviors in the classroom.
Discussion will focus on several behavior types and will use case
scenarios and interaction with colleagues to develop skills that
will help faculty to deal with difficult situations. The workshop
will provide participants with information on useful resources on
campus and how these resources can help faculty members who deal
with difficult, delicate, and demanding classroom situations.
Facilitators: Isabelle Boisclair, The Counseling Center; David
Fiacco, Conduct Office; Mark Jackson, Cutler Health Center; Dave
Poindexter, Equal Opportunity Office; Ann Smith, Services for
Students with Disabilities; and Alan Stormann, Public Safety.
WORKSHOP/RECEPTION
Exploring Electronic Portfolios with Dr. Helen BarrettApril
8, 2002 (Monday)
Presentation/Luncheon; 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Location: Woolley
Room, Doris Twitchell Allen Village
Workshop- 2:30-5:00 p.m.
Location: Soderberg Lecture Hall, Jenness Hall
Reception - 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Soderberg Lobby, Jenness Hall
Dr. Helen
Barrett is an internationally renowned expert on electronic
portfolio development. Helen's primary focus is on creating
standards-based teaching portfolios for undergraduate and graduate
education majors, as well as for professionals in the field. Helen
uses technology to link student digital portfolio artifacts to the
achieved educational standards and strongly emphasizes the
"reflective" component of portfolios.
"Helen's action research has included electronic
portfolio development activities with early childhood, middle
school, high school, and university students, incorporating
electronic portfolios into her courses at the University of Alaska,
Anchorage and into their restructured Teacher Education Program."
A Co-Sponsored
Event- Academic Computing Advisory Committee; Center for
Teaching Excellence; College of Education and Human Development
Workshop
Mentoring Students in a Research Environment
March
27, 2002, 1:15 -3:30 p.m.
Location: Dexter Lounge, Alfond
Arena
In a
university research setting we are constantly confronted by the
joint task of developing the research skills of our students while
actually conducting and completing that research. The goal of this
workshop is to identify techniques and tools for mentoring students
who are learning in a research environment. Student-conducted
research is an active learning experience practiced in capstone
projects, in-class research assignments, or laboratory-based
undergraduate and graduate research. The workshop will focus on
different aspects of the advisor/advisee relationships, some case
studies in effective and ineffective mentoring, and strategies for
successful mentoring of students who do research.
Facilitators: Farahad Dastoor, Post Doctoral
Fellow, Biochemistry, Microbiology & Molecular Biology; Rebecca
Holberton, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences; Eric Landis,
Associate Professor, Civil Engineering; Denise Skonberg, Assistant
Professor, Food Science & Human Nutrition.
Teaching Discussion
A Conversation on Student
Writing.
March 4, 2002,
3:30-5:00 p.m.
Location: 402 Neville Hall
This
roundtable discussion will focus on student writing skills and on
establishing better communication between faculty and students
regarding their mutual expectations.
The roundtable will feature faculty and Writing
Center tutors discussing their perceptions of such issues as
commentary on student writing, revision and editing of student
prose, and grading expectations.
Facilitators: Faculty: Steve Cohn, Sociology; Jane
Morse, English; Ken Nichols, Public Administration; Maureen Smith,
Interdisciplinary Studies. Students: Meredith Gilbert, Art
History; Sam Manhart, English; George Wooward, English. Professor
Harvey Kail, English, will serve as moderator for this informative
session.
Teaching Discussion
The Importance of Teaching: The Role of a
Peer Consultant
February 15, 2002, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Location: 202 Shibles
Join a panel of Peer Consultants,
Sandy Caron (Education & Human Development), Chris Mares (Intensive
English Institute), Connie Perry (Education & Human Development),
and Charlie Slavin (Honors Program), who will discuss the pleasures
and perils of the classroom and how we can learn from each other in
a supportive and professional atmosphere. If you feel that graduate
school didn't fully prepare you to teach, or even if it did, you
still wonder if your syllabus is clear or your exams are
appropriate, or . . . join Sandy, Chris, Connie, and
Charlie to learn about the Peer Consulting Program. Come to this
lunchtime discussion with your questions and we'll supply the pizza.
CONFERENCE
But Life Isn't Fair! Assessing
Individual Performance in Group Work
January 13, 2002 (8:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.)
Location: Black Bear Inn, Orono
Faculty are often concerned about the "free rider" effect when they
assign group work. How can you incorporate the many interactive
pedagogical methods that rely on group approaches to learning
without falling into the trap of crediting some people for the work
of others? Or of having students with less preparation fall further
behind as more adept teammates intent on earning high grades exclude
them from meaningful participation in the creation of group
assignments? This workshop will offer some concrete suggestions for
solving these problems, an introduction to the theory that explains
the value of employing these teaching methods, and an opportunity to
create an instrument that can be used to determine individual
contributions to group work.
Facilitators: Dr. Virginia Arthur and Dr. Wendy
Klepetar, The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching
& Learning.
Groups vs. Individuals. Presentation on the
cultural values that underlie the acceptance of individual
performance evaluations in academic organizations while leading us
to question the validity of group assessments. Discussion of
diversity issues related to perceptions of fairness and equity.
9:10 a.m.-10:10 a.m. Case Study: The Group that Wasn't.
This case study reflects the problems that can arise when members of
student work groups contribute unevenly to a common assignment. We
will discuss the extent to which those who do less, as well as those
who do more, may feel that they were treated unfairly.
10:10-10:25 a.m. Break for Refreshments & Conversation
10:25-11:30 a.m. Exercise: Wilderness Survival. A
group exercise that will permit participants to experience and study
group dynamics and to discuss the characteristics of effective work
groups. Each person will have the opportunity to work as a member of
a group on problems related to being an effective group, and to
observe others working on such problems.
11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Collaborative Learning &
Performance Appraisal. Presentation on the theory
underlying individual accountability and group grading. Various
methods of testing for individual contributions to group work will
be demonstrated. Discussion of theoretical and legal
implications of performance evaluation, including the use of peer
evaluation techniques.
12:00-1:00
p.m. Lunch Break (lunch provided)
1:00-1:50 p.m. Exercise: Peer Assessment.
Group discussion of peer evaluation instruments, including a
demonstration of the jigsaw technique of collaborative learning.
Includes opportunities for small, medium, and large group
discussion.
1:50-2:40 p.m.
Exercise: Constructing a Peer Assessment Instrument.
Workshop members will construct peer evaluation forms, and use them
to critique individual performance in the group case analysis done
earlier. Criteria for judging individual contributions to the
effectiveness of group work will be based on the exercises done
earlier in the workshop.
2:40-3:00 p.m. Question & Answer
3:00-3:15 p.m. Workshop Evaluation
Fall 2001 Events
Workshop
Teaching Contentious Issues.
December 3, 2001, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Place:
Mahogany Room, Wells Conference Center
This workshop will address methods
for introducing important controversies into the classroom and for
turning potential conflict into valuable learning.
Facilitator: Nathan Stormer, Assistant Professor,
Communication & Journalism
Workshop
Setting Up a Survey Instrument, Test, or Evaluation Form
in a Web Page
November 28, 2001, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Place: 215 Little Hall
Want to conduct research over the
Web? Want to have survey data automatically entered into a database
with no coding? Want to conduct course evaluations, give
exams, or administer quizzes with automatic grading? This workshop
will introduce you to using FrontPage's database features so that
you can do all of the above. Introductory understanding of
FrontPage and working with Web pages recommended. Facilitator:
Jay Peters, Instructor in Social Work
|
