Weekly News and Tip, November 13, 2008

Tip - Ways to Improve Student Writing
Clear written communication is important in all fields, not only in English classes. Learn more about "Efficient Ways to Improve Student Writing."

As an example: a law professor who teaches legal writing intentionally offers poor examples as a way to demonstrate the problems associated with fuzzy thinking. These "Frustrating Flaws" give writers a sense of what is at stake in their work.

Announcements - CELT Events
Register for CELT events via AccessPlus > Employee > HRS Training > Courses. Contact CELT at 294-5357 or celt@iastate.edu if you have difficulty using AccessPlus.

• Find out everything you always wanted to know about student response systems with Classroom Response System: Using the New TurningPoint 2008 Clickers, TODAY, Nov. 13, 12-2 p.m. (please note new, shorter time), 1230 Communications. (Walk-ins welcome; registration via AccessPlus is not accessible the day of an event.)
• A workshop on Managing Students and Grades in WebCT GOLD will be held Tuesday, Nov. 18, from 1:10-2:40 p.m. in 1230 Communications.?

FYI - Student Assistance for E-Learning
CELT has hired and trained undergraduate students who can provide faculty with e-learning support. These students, supervised by full-time CELT Learning Technologies staff, can provide technology support for faculty at no charge. Projects can include, for example, building or updating WebCT courses; using clicker technology; editing video; creating podcasts, etc. For more information, contact Allan Schmidt: email aschmidt@iastate.edu.

Weekly News and Tip, September 6, 2007

Tip - Prepared Students, A Success Story
A colleague at Purdue reports great success in class by requiring students to prepare study notes, some of which will be graded, for assigned readings. Since the assignment pushes the students to read, they are prepared for class and respond well to the simple question, "What did you learn from the reading?" The students share the key points of the reading, freeing the instructor to go into detail, use practical examples, and clarify difficult points.

For more on encouraging students to read, see "Strategies for Teaching Critical Reading" at:
http://academic.pg.cc.md.us/~wpeirce/MCCCTR/critread.html
and (not only for TAs!), "Teaching Tips for TAs: When Students Haven't Done the Reading" at:
http://www.oic.id.ucsb.edu/TA/tips/read.html

Announcements - Upcoming CELT Programming
Register for CELT events via AccessPlus (go to the Employee tab, then to HRS Training > Continue > Courses).

• WebCT GOLD: Managing Course Content, Wednesday, September 12, 2-3:30 p.m., 1230 Communications. Learn how to use WebCT GOLD to organize and present course material in an online or blended learning environment. Participants will review methods of converting existing course materials for online delivery and organizing them into a Learning Module. We will also look at options for using other tools such as the Media Library. Required: Introduction to WebCT GOLD or some familiarity with WebCT.
• Faculty Forum: Student Innovation: Inventing to Learn, Tuesday, September 18, 12:10-1:30 p.m. in the Gallery Room, Memorial Union. Educator Ed Sobey, widely known for his work in creativity in education, will discuss how faculty can engage students in learning. He will also discuss the psychology of innovation as well as how to manage open-ended classroom projects. Bring your lunch; beverages and desserts provided.
• Clicker Pedagogy Discussion, Wednesday, September 19, 12-1 p.m., 1230 Communications. An informal discussion on how “clicker” technology is being used in teaching. Everyone is encouraged to share effective practices. Pizza provided.
• WebCT GOLD: Quizzes, Surveys & Self-Tests, Wednesday, September 19, 2-4 p.m., 1230 Communications. This hands-on workshop will review WebCT GOLD’s Assessments tool and its ability to administer quizzes, surveys and self-tests. Required: Introduction to WebCT GOLD or some familiarity with WebCT.

FYI - Special Events for Richard Florida Visit
Richard Florida, one of the world's leading public intellectuals on economic competitiveness, demographic trends, and cultural and technological innovation, will speak on "The Rise of the Creative Class" Wednesday, September 19, at 8 p.m. in Stephens Auditorium.
CELT offers two lunchtime discussions before and after this event:

• Richard Florida and the "Creative Class": An Introduction, Friday, September 14, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in Morrill 2030. Brief background readings on Florida's ideas will be sent to all who register.
• Richard Florida and the "Creative Class": Implications for Teaching, Friday, September 21, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in Morrill 2030. In this follow-up brown bag, participants will discuss Florida's campus lecture and its implications for college and university teaching.

Register for one or both sessions via AccessPlus.

Your suggestions for the CELT Weekly News and Tip are welcome. Send them to syager@iastate.edu . To subscribe to this weekly e-mail or unsubscribe, celt@iastate.edu .

Weekly News and Tip, August 30, 2007

Tip - Use the Campus as Your Classroom
You may have seen students outdoors on campus, examining flora or sketching buildings, or your colleagues pointing out properties of a tree or extending student's vocabulary in a new language. These are some of many ways to use ISU's beautiful campus as a classroom. For ideas on "Campus-Based Learning," see:
http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/campusbased/index.html
For further examples of campus-based learning at ISU, see:
http://www.museums.iastate.edu/TESTS/AOC.htm
and
http://www.nrem.iastate.edu/elwood/about.html

Announcements

• WebCT GOLD: Managing Students & Grades, Thursday, Sept. 6, 10-11:30 a.m., 1230 Communications. Learn to use the WebCT gradebook, Group Manager, and the Tracking and Reporting functions. You need to have had Introduction to WebCT GOLD or some familiarity with WebCT. Register through AccessPlus (go to Employee > HRS Training > Continue > Courses).
• Outcomes Center for problem-solving/critical thinking. Faculty members interested in student skills in areas (such as communication, problem-solving, ethics, visual aesthetics, and creativity) that cut across traditional departments are working on outcomes centers to explore common interests in these areas. Several of these groups will be meeting this semester. Interested faculty are invited to the initial meeting of the problem-solving/critical thinking outcome center on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 12-1:30 p.m. in 2030 Morrill. For more information, contact Craig Ogilvie, associate professor, Physics, at mailto:cogilvie@iastate.edu

FYI - Beloit Describes First-Years' World View
Once again this year, Beloit College has produced a "Mindset List" about traditional-age beginning college students, most of whom, this year, were born in 1989. For example, in their experience Nelson Mandela has always been free and Wal-Mart has always been a larger retailer than Sears. For more thoughts on the perspective of the class of 2011, see:
http://www.beloit.edu/~pubaff/mindset/2011.php

Your suggestions for the CELT Weekly News and Tip are welcome. Send them to syager@iastate.edu . To subscribe to this weekly e-mail or unsubscribe, celt@iastate.edu .

Invigorate Your Classes with Interactive Activities and WebCT

You can enhance large lecture classes by incorporating small-group interactive activities to supplement your instruction and energize students. Dr. Jim Colbert, Associate Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, aims to provide one or two such activities per class.

Watch the 12-minute clip to see Dr. Colbert lead an interactive small group activity in Biology 202.

See how the activity boosts student involvement, while helping the students develop critical thinking and teamwork skills.

Also learn how to take the discovery process one step further by using WebCT to share students' ideas with the larger group, and to acknowledge and reward participation.

Note: You will need RealPlayer to view these video clips. If you do not have RealPlayer, you can get a free download at www.real.com.

If RealPlayer does not automatically launch these clips, they may have been downloaded to your desktop.

Group Quizzes

You can enhance large lecture classes by incorporating small-group interactive activities to supplement your instruction and energize students. Dr. Jim Colbert, Associate Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, aims to provide one or two such activities per class.

Watch the Group Quiz Clip

See how the activity boosts student involvement, while helping the students develop critical thinking and teamwork skills.

Also learn how to take the discovery process one step further by using WebCT to share students' ideas with the larger group, and to acknowledge and reward participation.

Note: You will need RealPlayer to view these video clips. If you do not have RealPlayer, you can get a free download at www.real.com.
If RealPlayer does not automatically launch these clips, they may have been downloaded to your desktop.