Weekly News and Tip, October 23, 2008

Tip - Use Questions Effectively
This one-page pdf outlines three effective levels of in-class questioning: asking students to provide information, apply their knowledge, and supply principles or creative ideas as answers. Though written for clinical teaching (e.g., pharmacy, nursing) these strategies are timely reminders on how to use questions effectively in any classroom.

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.

• A session on Teaching & Learning in a MUVE (Second Life) will be held tomorrow, Friday, October 24, 1:10-3 p.m., 1230 Communications.
• Grading practices will be the focus of discussion in a Faculty Forum: Should We Grade on a Curve? Wednesday, Oct. 29, 12:10-1:30 p.m., Memorial Union Oak Room.
• Learn more about Teaching & Learning and Social Networking Technology on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 1:10-2:30 p.m., 1230 Communications.

FYI - Search CELT’s Archive for Past Tips
Did you know that CELT has been publishing a weekly News and Tips email since 2002? All past Tips have been archived on the CELT website and can be searched by year and topic.

In addition, since August 2007 the News and Tip has been available on the CELT website in blog form.

Weekly News and Tip, September 18, 2008

Tip - Try Cooperative Learning
Educational research has shown that cooperative learning techniques help students not only to learn but also to remember and use what they have learned.
Some suggestions for class activities that promote cooperative learning.

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

• Find out about new computer applications in teaching at You Tube and TeacherTube: Introduction to Video Sharing Websites, Tuesday, September 23, 9-11 a.m., 1230 Communications.
• A Teaching and Learning Circle on creative thinking, planned specifically for graduate students, begins Wednesday, September 24. "A Whack on the Side of the Head" will be discussed on four consecutive Wednesdays, 12-1 p.m. Register for details and to receive readings.
• Show and Tell for Improving Students’ Problem-Solving Skills: Diagnostic Pathfinder and Problem-Solving Learning Portal
  Wednesday, September 24, 12- 1:30 p.m., 1230 Communications
• A WebCT GOLD session, Communication Tools and Strategies, will be held Thursday, September 25, 2:10-3:40 p.m., 1230 Communications.

FYI - TEACH Grants; Session on Teaching and Learning in Study Abroad

• Keep in mind that CELT Is once again offering TEACH grants of up to $1250 for faculty development at the department level. Grant requests must be submitted on or before October 15. More information.
• A second session on What We Learned by Leading Study Abroad Programs, featuring faculty and staff program directors, will be held Tuesday, September 23, 12-1:30 p.m., Pioneer Room, Memorial Union. All are welcome.

Weekly News and Tip, February 28, 2008

Tip - Don't be Afraid to Ask for Student Opinion
From The Online Journal of Teaching and Learning, published by the California State University system, comes an interesting set of student suggestions for improving their learning, “Don't be Afraid to Ask the Students”

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

• Don’t forget the panel discussion by Master Teachers on Large Classes, a panel discussion with the 2007-08 LAS Master Teachers, today, 3.30-5 p.m. in the MU Campanile Room. Refreshments provided.
• A WebCT workshop on Managing Students and Grades will be held tomorrow, Feb. 29, 10-11:30 a.m., 1230 Communications.
• CELT is happy to announce the return of the popular and informative Faculty Forum: Teaching Tips, Tuesday, March 4, 12:10-1:30 p.m., in the MU Campanile Room. Bring your lunch; beverages and desserts will be provided.
• Implementing Universal Instructional Design in Teaching, with Nancy Evans, Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, will be presented Tuesday, March 11, 12:10 p.m. -1:30 p.m., MU Pioneer Room. Refreshments provided.

Special Presentation on Creativity with Jeff Stamp

• Jeff Stamp, Assistant Professor and Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of North Dakota, is the Reiman Entrepreneurial speaker on campus this semester. He will offer a faculty Workshop on Creativity and Innovation on Thursday, March 6, 1-3 p.m. in the MU South Ballroom. Learn to be creative and innovative in a large university environment and to impart skills in creativity to your students. A dessert bar will be provided. Register through the Pappajohn Center.

FYI - Session on “Stories of Teaching and Learning in Study Abroad”

The final presentation in the current set of sessions on “Stories of Teaching and Learning in Study Abroad” will be “Creative Fund Raising for Study Abroad,” with speakers Rich Engelhorn, Kinesiology, and William Grundmann, Landscape Architecture, Tuesday, March 4, 12 noon, in 411 College of Design.

Weekly News and Tip, October 11, 2007

Tip - Over-Teaching: How Much is Too Much?
Students need support, engaging in-class activities, and practice in learning and in applying what they learn. Yet too much "scaffolding," or providing help to students, may keep them from real intellectual growth. What is the right balance between doing too little for students and doing too much? Robert K. Noyd, Professor of Biology at the U.S. Air Force Academy, considers this question.

Announcements - Plenty of Events

• Communication Outcome Center Meeting, Monday, October 15, 4-5 p.m., 2030 Morrill Hall. All faculty interested in communication learning at the undergraduate level are invited to attend a presentation by Tom Brumm, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, demonstrating OPAL software for assessing student competencies.
  Communication Outcome Center details and background material.
• EDUCAUSE Webinar, "A Fresh Look at FERPA," Wednesday, October 17, 12-1 p.m., 206 Durham. No registration required. This webinar will cover the purpose and basic structure of FERPA; the most important exceptions to FERPA; and FERPA in the electronic world. Sponsored by ITServices and CELT.
• "Supporting Teachers as Problem Solvers," lecture by David Jonassen, Distinguished Professor of Education, University of Missouri, Wednesday, October 17, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Alliant Energy - Lee Liu Auditorium (Howe Hall Room 1140). This presentation will describe the kinds of problem-solving that engage teachers and how various technologies can be used to support teacher education students learning how to solve problems.

For the following CELT events, register through AccessPlus
(go to Employee > HRS Training > Continue > Courses).

• Managing Course Content in WebCT GOLD, Tuesday, October 16, 2-3:30 p.m., 1230 Communications
• Electronic Portfolios: eDoc, Wednesday, October 17, 12:30-2 p.m., 1230 Communications
• Teaching and Learning Circle: Robert Boice's Advice for New Faculty Members, Thursday, October 18, 12-1 p.m. Register for location and readings.
• Graduate Student Programming: ABCs of Grading, Thursday, October 25, 3:30-5 p.m., 1115 Pearson. Geared specifically to graduate students and TAs, this session offers ideas for fast, fair, and effective grading, including how much to grade, how to deal with collaborative work, how to increase feedback, how to arrange grading workloads, and ways to deal with student grade complaints.

FYI - TEACH Grants Deadline Approaches; Updated Miller Faculty Fellowship Information is Online

• Don't forget! Applications for 2007-2008 CELT TEACH Grants of up to $1,250 are due on or before Monday, October 15. TEACH grants, which are for faculty development related to learning and teaching at the department level, must be submitted to CELT, 3024 Morrill Hall, by the deadline.
  More TEACH grant information.
• Information regarding the 2008-09 Miller Faculty Fellowships is now on the CELT website. Any ISU faculty member or team (tenured, tenure-eligible, adjunct, lecturer or clinician) may apply for a grant of $1000-$35,000 to develop innovative approaches to undergraduate teaching. Applications are due to your college dean, with an electronic copy to CELT Assistant Director Steve Freeman (sfreeman@iastate.edu) by Friday, February 1, 2008.
  More Miller Faculty Fellowship information.

Weekly News and Tip, October 4, 2007

Tip - Blogs for Teaching and Learning
"Blogs" - they've been in the dictionary since 2004, and are beginning to make their way into teaching practices in different fields. And what better way to learn about blogs than via a blog? One example is Liberal Education Today, which calls itself "a blog discussing the intersection of technology and liberal education".

For a primer on using blogs in education, see "Instructional Technologies in Education: Blogs".
Or learn more about "Using Technology in Teaching and Learning: Resources to Help You Navigate a Digital World".

You can also see how blogs are being used at ISU by visiting the "Civility in the Workplace Blog" and the "CCEE Student Blogs".

Announcements - CELT Events
For the following events, register through AccessPlus (go to Employee > HRS Training > Continue > Courses).

• WebCT GOLD: Quizzes, Surveys & Self-Tests, Wednesday, October 10, 9-11 a.m., 1230 Communications.
• Managing Course Content in WebCT GOLD, Tuesday, October 16, 2-3:30 p.m., 1230 Communications
• Electronic Portfolios: eDoc, Wednesday, October 17, 12:30-2 p.m., 1230 Communications
• Teaching and Learning Circle: Robert Boice, Advice for New Faculty Members, Thursday, October 18, 12-1 p.m. Register for location and readings.

FYI - Creativity Outcome Center; TEACH Grants Offered

• You are invited to join faculty/staff/students/community members who are interested in improving how we develop student learning outcomes related to creativity. The Creativity Outcome Center meeting will be held Tuesday, October 9, 12:10-1:30 p.m. in 29 MacKay. For more information, contact Suzanne Hendrich, 4-4272, shendric@iastate.edu.
• Don't forget that CELT is again sponsoring TEACH Grants of up to $1,250 for faculty development related to learning and teaching at the departmental level. Applications for 2007-2008 TEACH grants must be submitted to the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, 3024 Morrill Hall, on or before Monday, October 15.

Weekly News and Tip, Sept. 13, 2007

Tip - Teaching for Creativity
Creativity in teaching and learning is our topic of the week, with CELT's Faculty Forum, Student Innovation: Inventing to Learn with Ed Sobey coming up Tuesday, Sept. 18 and Richard Florida speaking on "The Rise of the Creative Class" Wednesday, Sept. 19. For ideas on creativity techniques and on how to teach for creative thinking and problem solving, see:
http://fod.msu.edu/OIR/TeachingMethods/creativity.asp

Times and places for these events:

• Ed Sobey, Student Innovation: Inventing to Learn, CELT Faculty Forum, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 12:10-1:30 p.m., Gallery Room, Memorial Union. Bring your lunch; beverages and desserts provided. Register via AccessPlus.
• Richard Florida, "The Rise of the Creative Class," public lecture, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 8 p.m., Stephens Auditorium.

Announcements - Many More Events

• Emerging Worlds: Transformative Technologies for Teaching and Learning, ELI Web Seminar, Monday, Sept. 17, 12-1 p.m., 1230 Communications Building. Presenter Bryan Alexander researches and develops programs on advanced uses of information technology in liberal arts contexts. His research interests include mobile and wireless computing, digital gaming, and social software. No registration needed.
  For the following events, register through AccessPlus (go to Employee > HRS Training > Continue > Courses).
• Clicker Pedagogy Discussion, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 12-1 p.m., 1230 Communications.
• WebCT GOLD: Quizzes, Surveys & Self-Tests, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2-4 p.m., 1230 Communications. Required: Introduction to WebCT GOLD or some familiarity with WebCT.
• Richard Florida and the "Creative Class": Implications for Teaching, Friday, Sept. 21, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Morrill 2030. Register for readings.
• PowerPoint Workshop, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 1-3 p.m., 1230 Communications
• WebCT GOLD: Communication Tools and Strategies. Thursday, Sept. 27, 10-11:30 a.m., 1230 Communications

FYI - News of Note

• CELT is again sponsoring TEACH Grants of up to $1,250 for faculty development related to learning and teaching at the departmental level. Applications for 2007–2008 TEACH grants must be submitted to the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, 3024 Morrill Hall, on or before October 15, 2007. For more information, see:
  http://www.celt.iastate.edu/grants_awards/grants.html
• Professional development opportunity: Project LEA/RN is hosting a workshop on "Introduction to Learning-Centered College Classrooms." For ISU faculty and staff who work with students, this is an excellent opportunity to discuss student learning with colleagues and walk away with practical strategies to improve student learning. For details, see:
  http://www.nrem.iastate.edu/LEARNWorkshop.pdf

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 .