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.