Weekly News and Tip, April 30, 2009

Tip - Relax and Reflect
Once your grades are in, you may have time to rest and reflect on the term.

• Here is a framework for looking back over the semester.
• You can find thoughts on interpreting and learning from student evaluations.
• And, a bit of advice for teachers who can take some time off during the summer (written for secondary school teachers, but true for many).

Announcements - CELT Events; Tips Editor Changes
To sign up, use AccessPlus > Employee > HRS Training > Courses. Contact CELT at 294-5357 or celt@iastate.edu if you have difficulty using AccessPlus.

• A webinar on Introduction to Peer Instruction with Dr. Eric Mazur, author of Peer Instruction, today, Thursday, April 30, 4-5 p.m., 1230 Communications. You will not be able to register via AccessPlus, but are welcome to attend.
• A webinar on How the Higher Education Act Affects Your Online Courses will be held Thursday, May 28, from 12-1 p.m. in 1230 Communications.
• This week’s Tip is the last for the semester and also the last written and edited by Susan Yager, who is finishing up as Associate Director of CELT. CELT’s newest staff member, Associate Director Ann Marie Van der Zanden, will oversee the Tip in the fall semester.

FYI - Last Chance for Learning Communities Institute Registration; Don’t Forget Mentor Training for Undergrad Researchers

• You can register through today for the 11th Annual Learning Communities Institute, Monday, May 11 at the Scheman Building, Iowa State Center. You are welcome to attend all or part of the day. Please attend and invite your colleagues.
• An Undergraduate Research Workshop for Mentors will be held Wednesday, May 13, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Jischke Honors Building. All who will mentor undergraduates in research programs (REUs, Honors research, etc.) are welcome. Questions? Contact Susan Yager, 4-4372.

Weekly News and Tip, April 23, 2009

Tip - More Ideas for Semester’s End
Ending a class well is almost as important as beginning it well. For ideas on what to do on the last day of class, see:
A Berkeley Compendium, Suggestion 166. Devote the last day of class to an overall review
and
University of Arkansas, Better Endings: What to Do in the Last Day of Class

Announcement - CELT Event
To sign up, use AccessPlus > Employee > HRS Training > Courses. Contact CELT at 294-5357 or celt@iastate.edu if you have difficulty using AccessPlus.

• Join us on April 28 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in 1230 Communications for Engaging Students Online: ISU Course Showcase. Nancy Gruden-Shuck, Associate Professor, Ag Ed & Studies, Rema Nilakanta, Instructor, C&I, and Linda Westgate, Introductory Biology Teaching Lab Coordinator, will share their experiences using WebCT GOLD to engage students in face-to-face and distance learning courses. Attendees will preview “Next Generation” upgrades to come in WebCT GOLD and discuss ideas for sharing effective practices in eLearning. Pizza and drinks will be provided.

FYI - Information Sessions for Honors Seminars; Learning Communities Institute; Training for Mentors in Undergraduate Research

• Information sessions for Honors seminars Fall ’09 instructors will be held at 11-11:50 a.m. and 12:10-1 p.m. Tuesday, April 28 in 1155 Jischke Honors Building. Information sessions for anyone interested in teaching a seminar in Spring 2010 or later will be held 12:10-1 and 1:10-2 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, in 1151 Jischke. Questions? Contact Susan Yager, syager@iastate.edu.
• There’s still time to register for the 11th Annual Learning Communities Institute, Monday, May 11 at the Scheman Building, Iowa State Center. You are welcome to attend all or part of the day. Please attend and invite your colleagues. The simple online registration process should take less than a minute. Register for the Learning Communities Institute.
• An Undergraduate Research Workshop for Mentors will be held Wednesday, May 13, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Jischke Honors Building. All who will mentor undergraduates in research programs (REUs, Honors research, etc.) are welcome. Questions? Contact Susan Yager, 4-4372.

Weekly News and Tip, April 16, 2009

Tip - Looking Toward the Semester’s End
Many review and term-end activities can help you end the semester strongly.
See a number of ideas on how to end a course well.

Announcement - CELT Event
To sign up, use AccessPlus > Employee > HRS Training > Courses. Contact CELT at 294-5357 or celt@iastate.edu if you have difficulty using AccessPlus.

• Join us on April 28 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in 1230 Communications for Engaging Students Online: ISU Course Showcase. Nancy Gruden-Shuck, Associate Professor, Ag Ed & Studies, Rema Nilakanta, Instructor, C&I, and Linda Westgate, Introductory Biology Teaching Lab Coordinator, will share their experiences using WebCT GOLD to engage students in face-to-face and distance learning courses. Attendees will preview “Next Generation” upgrades to come in WebCT GOLD and discuss ideas for sharing effective practices in eLearning. Pizza and drinks will be provided.

FYI - CESMEE Session; Advising Summit; Information Sessions for Honors Seminars

• The Center for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education (CESMEE) and ISU ADVANCE present a CESMEE seminar Tuesday, April 21, 11-11:50 a.m. in 2030 Morrill. Maureen Scharberg, San Jose State, will speak on Working Toward Improving STEM Student Success: One STEP at a Time. For more information, contact Craig Ogilvie, cogilvie@iastate.edu
• The University Academic Advising Committee hosts an Advising Summit, Wednesday, April 22, 3-5 p.m. in 020/060 Hixson Lied. All academic advisers are welcome. The summit features a DVD, Success With Parent Education: Dialoging with New Students and their Parents at the Collegiate Level, on communication with new students and their parents. Discussion will follow. For more information, contact Cindy Frederickson, cindyf@iastate.edu. Register via AccessPlus.
• Information sessions for those teaching Honors seminars this Fall will be held 11-11:50 a.m. and 12:10-1 p.m. Tuesday, April 28 in 1155 Jischke Honors Building. Information sessions for anyone interested in teaching a seminar in Spring 2010 or later will be held 12:10-1 and 1:10-2 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, in 1151 Jischke Honors Building. For more information, contact Susan Yager, syager@iastate.edu

Weekly News and Tip, April 9, 2009

Tip - Uh-Oh: Spring Fever
As basketball gives way to baseball, and winter (finally) to spring, both students and their instructors may fall prey to spring fever. Ideas on how to overcome spring fever in the classroom.

Announcements - CELT Events
To sign up for CELT events, use AccessPlus > Employee > HRS Training > Courses. Contact CELT at 294-5357 or celt@iastate.edu if you have difficulty using AccessPlus.

• Learn about the power of WebCT’s Grade Book in a workshop, WebCT GOLD: Managing Students & Grades, Monday, April 13, 10-11:30 a.m., 1230 Communications.
• What can we do to be prepared for an emergency involving our students? Find out at a panel discussion, Emergency Preparedness in Teaching, Tuesday, April 14, 3:30-5 p.m., Memorial Union Cardinal Room.
• Don’t Forget: George Siemens presents a workshop on Social Learning with Emerging Technologies, Tuesday, April 14, 8:30 a.m.-noon in the Memorial Union Campanile Room. This session will explore ways of teaching with technology: augmented, blended, and online. How do educators determine appropriate tools? What kind of support must be in place to ensure students needs and challenges are addressed? Register via AccessPlus.

FYI - Parks Library Seminar on Copyright and Fair Use; Increasing Math Majors

• Rebecca Jackson, Assoc. Prof./Head, Social Sciences & Humanities Dept., and Diana D. Shonrock, Associate Prof., Science & Technology Dept., ISU Library, present Copyright & Fair Use: When Can You Copy Articles and Images to WebCT, Wednesday, April 15, 3:15-4:30 p.m., 192 Parks Library. This session will explain copyright and fair use as it relates to research and teaching. Find out what you can put online for your course and what your students need to cite, as well as the ins and outs of fair use.
• William Yslas Vélez, University of Arizona, will speak on Increasing the Number of Mathematics Majors, Thursday, April 16, 4:10-5 p.m., 305 Carver.

Weekly News and Tip, April 2, 2009

Tip - Evaluating Oral Presentations
As we reach the last weeks of the semester, your students may be making oral presentations. Grading oral work can be challenging, so being clear in advance about your criteria for evaluation can help both you and your students.

• ISUComm offers a scaled evaluation rubric for oral communication.
• The Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative at the University of British Columbia offers a detailed rubric for evaluating students’ oral presentations in an earth science class.

Announcements - CELT Events
To sign up for CELT events, use AccessPlus > Employee > HRS Training > Courses. Contact CELT at 294-5357 or celt@iastate.edu if you have difficulty using AccessPlus.

• What are video-sharing websites and how are they connected with teaching? Find out at YouTube and TeacherTube: Introduction to Video Sharing Websites, Tuesday, April 7, 10 a.m.-12 noon, 1230 Communications.
• Learn about the power of WebCT’s Grade Book in a workshop, WebCT GOLD: Managing Students & Grades, Monday, April 13, 10-11:30 a.m., 1230 Communications.

FYI - Seminar on Chemistry Education April 7;
         George Siemens on Campus April 14

• Deborah Exton, University of Oregon, will discuss Green Chemistry Education: Sustainability, Green Chemistry and STEM Education, Tuesday, April 7, 11-11:50 a.m., 2030 Morrill. This is a Center for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education (CESMEE) seminar; everyone interested in science and math education is welcome.
• George Siemens, University of Manitoba, will present a workshop on Social Learning with Emerging Technologies, Tuesday, April 14, 8:30 a.m.-12 noon in the Memorial Union Campanile Room. This session will explore ways of teaching with technology: augmented, blended, and online. How do educators determine appropriate tools? What kind of support must be in place to ensure students needs and challenges are addressed? Dr. Siemens is Associate Director, Research and Development, with the Learning Technologies Centre at Manitoba, and author of Knowing Knowledge, which examines how the context and characteristics of knowledge have changed and what it means to organizations today.

Register via AccessPlus.

Weekly News and Tip, March 26, 2009

Two Tips - Help Them Study; Help Yourself Publish

• Your students are back - and time in the semester is growing short! This week’s Tip is a website with links to tips and suggestions on time management, note-taking, reading retention, and other important study skills.
• CELT maintains a list of teaching-related journals or disciplinary journals that publish the scholarship of teaching and learning. This list has recently been updated. Look for outlets for teaching-related scholarship in your field.

Announcements - CELT Events
To sign up for CELT events, use AccessPlus > Employee > HRS Training > Courses. Contact CELT at 294-5357 or celt@iastate.edu if you have difficulty using AccessPlus.

• Teaching with an Audience Response System: Advanced TurningPoint 2008 for MS Office 2007, tomorrow, Friday, March 27, 12-1 p.m., 1230 Communication.
• YouTube and TeacherTube: Introduction to Video Sharing Websites, Tuesday, April 7, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., 1230 Communication.

FYI - Presentation on “Arts as Synergy”; New Parks Library Seminar

• A Campus Conversation on the Arts as Synergy, featuring faculty from the departments of English and Art and Design, will be held tomorrow, Friday, March 27, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Christian Peterson Museum, first floor of Morrill Hall. All are welcome.
• Sarah Passonneau, Assistant Professor, ISU Library, will present a session on Open Source Software: Its Impact on Education, Wednesday, April 1, 3:15-4:30 p.m. in 192 Parks Library. Open source applications include Firefox, Wikipedia and Google code. In this session, learn the history, current developments, and ongoing challenges of open source “products.” Examples that can benefit your teaching and learning will be demonstrated. Register via AccessPlus.

Weekly News and Tip, March 12, 2009

New CELT Associate Director Named
Ann Marie VanDerZanden, Associate Professor, Horticulture, will be CELT’s new Associate Director. Ann Marie will start part-time April 1.

Tip - Steps Toward Improved Teaching
For your spring break reading, here are two brief articles useful for instructors who want to reflect on and improve their teaching.
Maryellen Weimer, “Five Steps to Better Teaching”
Peter Seldin, “Improving College Teaching”

Announcements - CELT Events
To sign up for CELT events, use AccessPlus > Employee > HRS Training > Courses. Contact CELT at 294-5357 or celt@iastate.edu if you have difficulty using AccessPlus.

• WebCT: Managing Students & Grades, tomorrow, March 13, 10-11:30 a.m. in 1230 Communication.
• Teaching with an Audience Response System: Basic TurningPoint 2008 for MS Office 2007, tomorrow, March 13, 12-1 p.m., 1230 Communication.

These events are coming up just after Spring Break - register now:

• Accountability in Group Work, Monday, March 23, 3:10-4:30 p.m., 2030 Morrill
• Learn about SafeAssign, a free plagiarism detection tool on WebCT, Tuesday, March 24, 9-10:30 a.m. in 1230 Communication. SafeAssign allows students and instructors to check work with several databases and student work at other institutions.
• Come learn what’s new with ISUComm at Faculty Forum, ISUComm, Wednesday, March 25, 12:10-1:30 p.m., Sun Room. Feel free to bring your lunch; beverages and desserts provided.
• Teaching and Learning Circle: Teaching High-Ability Students, Thursday, March 26, 12:10-1 p.m. Register for location and readings.
• Teaching with an Audience Response System: Advanced TurningPoint 2008 for MS Office 2007, Friday, March 27, 12-1 p.m., 1230 Communication

FYI - STEM Education; Parks Library Seminar; Learning Communities Institute

• Patricia Simmons will speak on K-20 STEM Education in the 21st Century: Drivers for Innovation, Tuesday, March 24 at 11 a.m. in 2030 Morrill. Her talk is sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, & Engineering Education (CESMEE).
• Dan Coffey, Associate Professor, ISU Library, will present a session on Let the CAT Out of the Bag: What WorldCat Can Do for You, Wednesday, March 25, 3:15-4:30 p.m., 192 Parks Library. WorldCat, an electronic database that allows you to search the catalogs of libraries in the U.S. and around the world, is an important research tool. This seminar will show you how to make the most efficient use of all aspects of this important resource. Register via AccessPlus.
• The 11th Annual Learning Communities Institute has been scheduled for Monday, May 11, at the Scheman Building, Iowa State Center. Feel free to attend for all or part of the day, and encourage your colleagues to join us. The online registration process is simple and should take less than a minute.