Exchanges: The Online Journal of Teaching and Learning in the CSU http://www.exchangesjournal.org 9th Annual Regional
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Active Teaching Across the CurriculumBy Andrea Guillaume, Ruth Yopp-Edwards, and Hallie Yopp, CSU FullertonActive teaching strategies help every student engage in deep
and meaningful learning. This session presents several active teaching strategies
that allow students to activate prior knowledge and build a purpose for learning,
interact productively with their peers, organize information, and consolidate
their knowledge. The presenters will demonstrate strategies, using examples
from across the curriculum. They will share tips for troubleshooting and for
modifying strategies to meet a variety of student needs. As a result of the
session, participants will be able to implement a variety of active teaching
strategies in their own instruction. Adding an "R" to Content Courses: Writing Development and Assessment Outside of the English DepartmentBy John B. Stark, CSU BakersfieldWith the increasing attention on written communication skills from recruiters and graduate schools, it is important that all areas of the campus engage in developing the writing skills of their own students. This session will provide sample assignments, demonstrate a simple rubric for evaluating writing performance, and tie the two together into an assessment process to guide further student development. Participants will leave the session with ideas on how to apply the system to their own courses, a sample of the rubric to use or convert, and an understanding of how to use the tool in an assessment program for their courses. Addressing Race in the CSU ClassroomBy Paul Fotsch, CSU NorthridgeIntroducing the issue of race into the classroom is one of the
most difficult challenges faced by instructors in Communication. One important
source of white student discomfort comes from the increasing visibility of
whiteness, so two strategies used to address this discomfort are considered:
insuring a safe classroom environment and emphasizing the complexity of student
identities. While valuable in some contexts, these strategies ultimately limit
the ability of students to understand the power of race in contemporary society.
In addition, although many acknowledge that racism is a structural phenomenon,
most scholarship continues to rely on individually based solutions racism.
Drawing on experiences at CSU Monterey Bay and CSU Northridge, the essay suggests
how students might be motivated to end racism in coalition with others, not
out of individual self-interest, but out of a genuine desire to create a more
socially just world. Best Practices in Learning Management System Use and AdoptionBy Glenda Morgan, CSU Office of the ChancellorIn this presentation I describe methods and practices that many institutions
around the country have used to increase the effective use of Learning Management
Systems (LMSs) by faculty. I will highlight best practices by faculty development offices and Centers for Teaching and Learning in working with faculty to promote use of the tools in pedagogically sound ways and how they have coped with increased demand from faculty for these services. Blended Learning: A Flexible Alternative to Maximize Learning for College StudentsBy Mei-Yan Lu and Chia-Ling Mao, San José State University, and Michael T. Miller, University of Arkansas
The objectives of our presentation are to discuss unique needs of adult learners and to study whether blended learning can be a good alternative to complement traditional classroom instruction in comparison with e-learning. We will introduce various types of blended learning strategies and low or no cost implementation tools such as podcasting, video streaming, blogging, virtual field trips, Wiki, Moodle, and more. We will review pros and cons of blended instruction and demonstrate effective strategies to convert existing courseware for blended learning. We will use programs (Instructional Technology and Nursing) at SJSU to illustrate blended learning. Both programs are hands-on and high stake (e.g., health care professionals). Participants will be given an overview of what blended instruction is about, useful instructor tested tools, and design models to implement blended learning. PowerPoint handouts completed with annotated bibliographies and Web page links for further studies will be provided to all participants. [Read "Teaching Adults in a Blended Learning Environment," presentation edited for Web posting.] Building Interpersonal Effectiveness with Diverse LearnersBy Thienhuong Hoang, Cal Poly PomonaInstructors are expected to interact effectively with learners from a wide variety of backgrounds and characteristics. In order to gain the sophistication and skills needed to do so, potential participants must take eight steps. They will participate in activities and discussions on how to:
Instructors will learn how to build interpersonal effectiveness
with diverse learners. Building a Monster: Use Critical Drawings to Make the Medieval Period AccessibleBy Debra Best, CSU Dominguez HillsOne challenge of teaching medieval literature lies in making these texts accessible to students, since the cultural concepts seem so removed from their experience. One useful activity involves a “quick draw” of the monster Grendel in the Old English Beowulf. In my presentation, I will discuss
I first used this exercise to emphasize how little the text tells us of this monster’s appearance, leading to a discussion of why it is not described and what makes it frightening. The range of student drawings also reveals how we project our own cultural fears onto an unknown creation. Presented with contemporary media images of Grendel as well, students gain to a broader awareness of cultural fears, both modern and medieval. College High Jumping: Utilizing Adult Learners to Raise the Bar for Traditional LearnersBy Beth Chesterman, CSU East BayAccording to CSU systemwide enrollment statistics for 2004, the median age for undergraduate seniors is 25 years. This translates into half the seniors being adult learners. Using examples from both lecture and laboratory format psychology courses, I will demonstrate how conscious planning on the part of the instructor can make the most of the age and life experience diversity of students in the CSU system. I will support these suggestions with research from the developmental psychology and educational psychology literatures that demonstrate that adult learners are especially developmentally suited as role models and learning resources for younger learners, and have advanced practical skills and advanced critical thinking skills to offer. The adult learners in turn benefit from their participation in this process by learning how to teach and by satisfying some of the developmental needs that drew them back to college in the first place. Communicating Geography: Designing, Implementing and Assessing an Interdisciplinary Service-Learning ProjectBy Jane Ballinger and Sara Garver, Cal Poly PomonaThis session will present the authors’ experience with Communicating Geography, an Interdisciplinary Service-Learning Project undertaken at a local elementary school in Spring 2005. Students in two classes, Geography of California and Advanced Desktop Publishing worked in partnership on the project. Geography students created and presented curriculum materials related to water in California, and desktop publishing students created a California H2O magazine that was distributed to the students. The presentation will include a short DVD documentary of the Communicating Geography project. Presenters will explain how they integrated K–12 curriculum standards into the curriculum, how they obtained funding for materials, and how they assessed the project. They will also discuss the unique challenges presented by the interdisciplinary nature of the project, and suggest ways in which other teachers may create successful interdisciplinary service-learning project. Communicating with the Gamer Generation Using Digital Simulations and GamesBy Nick Real, Cal Poly PomonaStudents of the gamer generation are different in how they approach learning. This session will
provide the participants with a better understanding of how to capture the imagination of their students using innovative tools. Participants will be shown how to create a simple board game using Microsoft PowerPoint. Participants will be able to replicate this effort using a template provided by the presenter. Participants will also learn how to create a simple simulation using Xcelsius, a program that allows Microsoft Excel users to create powerful interactive simulations. This will allow participants to realize that creating simulations is not as complicated as it seems at first glance. Competitive/Reliant Teaching MethodologyBy Theodore Byrne, CSU Dominguez HillsCompetitive/reliant teaching methodology is highly effectively as a teaching/learning tool, especially for master's level classes. Each group, randomly identified, selects via a random process one of the specified reading selections or topics assigned for a particular class. The instructor then presents series of questions that need to be answered within a particular period of time. The questions are the same for both groups. Each group is required to select a group leader. Depending on the size of the group, there may be sub-group leaders. How the groups decide to divide up the work within each group is left up to the group and its leader. Each group member requires the output of the other group in order to complete their personal assignments. Individuals who come in late to class and have not been assigned to a particular group monitor the process and the effectiveness of the leaders. Conflict Resolution, Negotiation and Other Skill-Building Activities in Online Classes: Student Views and CommentsBy Dale Mueller and Nancy Erbe, CSU Dominguez HillsWhile distance learning grows in popularity, especially for working and traveling professionals, many academic questions remain. In teaching the same courses distance and classroom, Professor Nancy Erbe has a special opportunity to assess academic impact. Yet her initial challenge in teaching the skill sets of conflict resolution, negotiation and peace building is to evaluate the most effective and workable learning activities. Distance classes appear easily adapted with information, or lecture, reading and exam courses, but how do we teach more complex skills? Professor Erbe will share her students’ feedback and her thoughts about academic impact. Professor Dale Mueller has utilized mid-session and wrap-up surveys in her online courses to provide a concurrent opportunity for student feedback. Formative evaluation from students is not yet a widely used technique, but it can have value for both the student and the instructor. Professor Mueller will share her students' comments and her observations about structure for successful collaboration in the online classroom. A Copyright-Cleared Collaborative Digital Image Database and Almagest, a Sophisticated Classroom Delivery SystemBy Kathleen Cohen, San José State UniversityDigital imagery is becoming an every more important educational tool. The session will introduce participants to the CSU World Image database containing over 50,000 that can be freely used for non-profit educational purposes. The images, which are appropriate for a wide variety of academic areas including art, anthropology, California Educational Standards, humanities, history, languages, religious and ethnic studies, mathematics, science, and technology, are catalogued and organized to make them easy to find. They can be used in presentation tools such as PowerPoint, WebCT, or in the extremely powerful open-source Almagest, a Web-based classroom presentation system which will be demonstrated. Creating Research Projects Through Pride, Ownership, and CommunityBy Sandra Yang, Cal Poly PomonaIn order to avoid the plague of plagiarism in an age of easy Internet access, this is an approach to the research project/term paper that involves instructor and peer supervision at every stage of the project development. This method is time efficient for large classes and allows assessment and feedback during the research process, thus increasing targeted instruction. One advantage of this method, besides the one-on-one instruction, is the greatly reduced chance of plagiarism. This saves the instructor time, allows for high quality instruction to take place (the teacher has many teachable moments with the student), and forces the student to learn the research process by following every step under the guidance of the teacher (rather than "learning" how to plagiarize and get away with it). From this presentation, I expect participants to learn a method that could be implemented in history, English, or other humanities courses with a research paper component. Developing a Full Model Service-Learning CourseBy Robert Bleicher and Manuel Correia, CSU Channel IslandsThe objective of this presentation is to share the findings of four years of research on a service-learning model that is growing in both numbers and success every year. This session will be useful for those seeking to engage their liberal studies students in meaningful community work in classrooms. What you will take away:
This session will provide techniques for encouraging self-reflection
and bolstering self-efficacy in undergraduate prospective teachers. Developing Online Courses with Rapid Prototyping, Camtasia, iMovie and GarageBandBy Brian Newberry, CSU San BernardinoParticipants will learn about applying effective teaching strategies, an effective course development technique, and newer media technologies to the development of instruction by learning about the actual course development process of an instructor at CSUSB. This will include information that helps capture current classroom practice in a form that can be used to create an online class. This will be done by discussing the development and implementation of a fully online course that teaches technology skills to students seeking teaching certification. This will include sharing the secrets of rapid prototyping, which is a technique that speeds the design and development of course materials. This presentation will also explain the use of tools like Camtasia, iMovie, and GarageBand, all of which make this kind of development more cost and time effective than ever before. E-Learning: Using Really Simple Synchronization (RSS) FeedsBy Joe Grimes and Walt Bremer, Cal Poly San Luis ObispoThe capability of the Web is expanding continuously, now becoming a two-directional highway with RSS feeds. These feeds allow both faculty members and students to have tailored facts and/or data delivered to them daily – or even more frequently than that – as if the user subscribed to a newspaper or other daily publication. Moreover, by using cross-referenced feeds, users can increase their confidence in the credibility of the information they obtain. This workshop will address the learning possibilities that RSS feeds provide. The anticipated outcomes are that the participant will be able to:
jgrimes@calpoly.edu Emerging Themes in an Interdisciplinary Faculty Learning CommunityBy Caron Inouye, David Nickles, Gretchen Reevy, and Craig Wilson, CSU East BayIn 2005-2006, CSU East Bay provided support for faculty collaboration through a learning community for the scholarship of teaching and learning. Four faculty participants (two from the College of Science and two from the College of Education and Allied Studies) will describe how this learning community has broken down barriers between scholarship and teaching, as well as between academic disciplines. Presenters will describe how they are combining research with classroom instruction. They will also address the different ways that departments interpret the scholarship of teaching and learning in the context of local tenure and promotion practices. Ethics Case Study—The Retail Store ManagerBy Joseph Duncan, Cal Poly PomonaAt the conclusion of this session, students should be able to understand and apply various methods of making ethical decisions such as utilitarian, individualism, moral relativism, distributive, procedural, and compensatory justice. The session will utilize an original case study of a retail store manager for the Dukes of Plasma home visual and audio chain who must decide among a spectrum of ethical alternatives that may jeopardize his store's profit and bonus. The case study features a teaching method in which groups of students are secretly preassigned a group contrarian position and expected to be able to argue that position to convince the opposing group members. This teaching technique has been well received by students of ethics in an organizational behavior class and enables them to fully understand and apply the concepts of ethical decision-making in a very realistic scenario. Finding Out If Our Graduates Use What We Taught Them: An Investigation of Lifelong LearningBy E. Carol Dales and Caroline Bordinaro, CSU Dominguez HillsWe would like to share preliminary results of a survey of a sample of CSUDH teacher graduates from 2000-2005. We want to determine how many of them actually use any of the skills and resources they learned in library classes to cope with their job demands or to conduct research. We have hypothesized that fewer than 20% of responders will confess to having consulted a library or its resources after graduating. We hope to use the results of our survey to design instruction that engages these students more fully and provides them with an understanding of the ongoing importance of information literacy skills in their professional lives. In sharing our research with our academic colleagues, we aim to heighten their awareness of the ongoing importance of incorporating information literacy skills into their curricula and courses so the students they teach will be successful seekers and users of information in their professional lives. Fisking for Beginners: Using Blogs to Teach Research and Rhetorical AnalysisBy Cramer (Randy) Cauthen, CSU Dominguez HillsFour particular advantages of blogs in teaching ethical and trenchant argument, rhetorical analysis, and research on contemporary issues are
A Hands-on Approach to Teaching Spanish Dialectology: Analyzing Authentic Videotaped Segments of Native SpeakersBy Juan Carlos Gallego, CSU FullertonThis session will
Participants will be able to follow a teaching/research project from beginning to end, while getting ideas on how to collect their own authentic teaching samples, bring them to the classroom, and turn them into a teaching tool for their students. The Hogwarts System: An Internet-Based Utility to Foster Students’ Active Class ParticipationBy Carsten Lange, Cal Poly PomonaA lack of active student participation is a common problem in large university classes. A solution that seems to work is described in J.K. Rowling’s popular Harry Potter books. In Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, students get points awarded for giving valuable inputs in classes. Unfortunately, in reality it is almost impossible to manually keep track of each individual student’s participation. The presentation describes an Internet-based utility that enables instructors to award and keep track of all class participations. Students receive a coupon for each valuable participation, which later is validated by the student on the Internet. The administrative effort for the instructor is minimal. The Hogwarts system is designed to be robust and academic dishonesty-proof. It is also WebCT/Blackboard compatible. The system can also be used to keep track of class attendance to save valuable class time. Topics covered include putting incentives to work in education, the implementation, functionality and experience with the Hogwarts system. How to "Create" More Time for Students to Learn Actively in ClassBy Min-Lin Lo, CSU San BernardinoToo much material to cover, but too little class time? Do you ever enthusiastically explain the material you have written on the board, and students are too busy taking notes to pay attention to what you are saying? When there is not much interaction in class, have you ever felt like you are talking to yourself? If any of these scenarios sounds familiar to you, I might have a solution for you: a supplementary workbook. This supplementary workbook will help to increase student understanding of and interest in the material while minimizing the risk of not being able to finish essential sections. I will share with you the framework of such a learning tool and what I learned from the implementation of this tool in my Multivariable Calculus class. What worked? What didn't work as planned? Students' feedback and their performance will also be discussed. In-Class Group Work: Experiences in an Agribusiness CourseBy Jon Phillips, Cal Poly PomonaThere are many benefits when students work in groups. These experiences allow students to hear an alternate explanation of the subject matter, because one student typically explains material to the rest of the group. Thus, if there was a barrier to the students understanding a concept as explained by the instructor, they get another chance to learn the concept. Also, when students explain concepts and techniques to other students, the ones doing the explaining actually learn the material on a deeper level. An important potential roadblock is that it is very difficult for groups to schedule a meeting outside of class that all members can attend. Implementing in-class group work avoids this potential problem. The proposed session will detail how in-class group work was implemented in an agribusiness class. The presenter will go over lessons learned from implementing in-class group work techniques over the past four years, and how to overcome potential pitfalls. Inquiry Into Elementary Science Education: One Professor's MethodBy David Nickles, CSU East BayAn elementary science methods course with the intent to motivate multiple subject candidates to enjoy learning about and teaching science to young children was designed based on the following principles:
Using STEBI-B, Science Teacher Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (Enoch & Riggs, 1990), a tool to quantitatively assess changes in pre-service candidates' attitudes about science, data collected suggests this approach does positively influence elementary candidates' science teaching self-efficacy. Integrating Writing in the Elementary Science Methods Course: Modeling for Future TeachersBy Adelina Alegria, CSU BakersfieldThe presentation will address how writing can be integrated in science methods courses by using science notebooks and critical reflective questions. International Student and Faculty Partnerships: A Web-Based ApproachBy Irina Costache and Ashish Vaidya, CSU Channel IslandsThis session will demonstrate how CSU faculty can incorporate an international perspective into the curriculum through innovative international partnerships between our students and faculty and those at universities in other countries through the effective use of electronic media. International Teaching and Learning through BlackboardBy Xiwen Zhang , CSU San Bernardino and Shea McClanahan, University of Texas at AustinThis presentation introduces a teaching and learning model using Blackboard for the pilot project Vines and Wines: Extended Education Internet Project Comparing the Grape Industries of Central California with those of Mendoza Province, Argentina, and Yunnan Province, China. A variety of technologies on Blackboard were utilized, such as group discussion, online searching, online consulting, PowerPoint presentation, and assessments. The presentation examines the issues and characteristics of distance education within the context of international teaching. Inviting Students' Lives into the Classroom, Interpersonally and on PaperBy Michael Moon, Ph.D., MBA, CSU East BayI will discuss three classroom methods that help develop students' deep reflective thinking. Participants of this session will learn about approaches that can help students understand how to practice deep reflective (reflexive) thinking in their everyday lives. These methods have been used in a group dynamics course, the first of four courses in an Organizational Change emphasis in the Masters of Public Administration program at Cal State East Bay. The methods are
Students discover multiple connections between course materials and events/circumstances in their lives. Why? Because students actively bring their outside lives into the classroom. Leading Community-Centered Evaluation of DiversityBy Nancy Erbe and R. Iset Anuakan, CSU Dominguez HillsInstitutions have yet to examine how diversity enhances academic learning and meaningful interaction. Iset Anuakan's discoveries at CSUDH suggest that diversity plays a part in student success. Based on 700 survey responses from students and filmed interviews with the campus community, diversity in the learning environment was imperative to cross-cultural and civic engagement. Dr. Anuakan will share segments of the DVD and research on challenges facing institutions of higher learning. In certain fields like negotiation, conflict resolution, and peace building, the role diversity plays is more evident. Still, we have just begun to study diversity's disciplinary contribution in a systematic way. Nancy Erbe evaluated multicultural interaction and leadership in the Balkans, Cameroon, Nepal, and Ukraine. Her findings may help guide campuses. She will present the top indicators of the best and worst cross-cultural processes and leadership with the purpose of stimulating audience response. Listen and Learn: Radio and Critical Applications of Bloom’s TaxonomyBy Rita Takahashi, San Francisco State UniversityDuring this presentation, I will demonstrate how I utilize radio programs in the classroom to promote all cognitive domains in Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning. After students hear the program, they respond to ten questions that address and enrich knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Participants in this workshop will learn how to gain access to online (and downloadable) progressive radio programs, hear about the interactive assignments I developed, experience the exercise, learn results, and receive copies of the questions that are used in conjunction with the radio programs. The assignments and questionnaire were developed for a change strategies and professional values class. Both can be adapted for use in other courses to promote student’s cognitive development in all domains posed by Bloom. Making Lemonade from a Lemon: Renovating a Physiology Course with Existing ResourcesBy Caron Inouye, CSU East BayA required course for our biology majors, and one that was dreaded
by students and instructors alike, our animal physiology course was in dire
need of renovation. During fall term in 2005, I made a large-scale attempt
to improve the entire course by implementing several changes to both the lecture
and laboratory components. These changes were done with no added cost to the
department, and even reduced supplies costs. In this session, I will focus
on the changes I made to the laboratory portion of the course. I will describe
the challenges faced and present evidence for the significant positive impact
these changes had on student learning and motivation, as well as student evaluations
of the course and instructor. Making Online Teaching and Learning AccessibleBy Dorothy Fisher and Mohammad Eyadat, CSU Dominguez HillsThe Internet has become a major resource for information for students. An increasing number of faculty members are using either a course management system or their personal websites to make course content available to their students. Although accessibility to the general curriculum for students with disabilities is guaranteed through the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a majority of our faculty are unaware of accessibility issues, techniques, and tools. Furthermore, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that states which receive federal funds make electronic and information technology including Web pages accessible to all individuals. Our objective is to raise faculty awareness of Web accessibility for all students including those with disabilities. We will present Web accessibility basics, Web accessibility features in the Blackboard platform, tips to make accessible Web pages, and testing Web sites for accessibility. Making Students Fit for the World of Work: A Business Etiquette ProgramBy Dana Loewy, CSU FullertonEmployers cite so-called soft skills as more important in their hiring decisions than knowledge of the subject. Our graduating students are expected to be team players and polished participants in meetings conducted over lunch and dinner. However, many are woefully unaware of proper workplace etiquette or acceptable business attire, and stumble over such seemingly simple tasks as greetings, introductions, and polite small talk. Incivility is rampant in our society (road rage, phone rage, flaming e-mail messages, etc.), and educators decry its incidence in the classroom. Even our best prepared and most well intentioned students may be lacking crucial career skills. We should teach business etiquette to CSU students to prepare them for the rigors of the workplace. The presentation will describe how community contacts led to a pilot program at Cal State Fullerton that provided a free series of etiquette workshops to a small group of undergraduates in fall 2005. Media Literacy in Language Learning: Using Films in Spanish ClassesBy Teresa Fernandez-Ulloa and Fernando Contreras-Hernandez, CSU BakersfieldWe present a research project that we are carrying out at California State University, Bakersfield. We focus this research on finding technological tools and strategies to help teachers to teach young people to understand how the media work, and to use media, especially movies and documentaries, to teach language, literature and culture (from Spanish-speaking countries). We will foster critical thinking activities, alternative points of view, and we will teach semiotics. We will be giving, too, some specific examples of our area of interest: Spanish language and culture for university students. Mining the MOCA: New Possibilities for Crafting Multimodal WritingBy David Sherman, CSU Dominguez HillsIn this presentation, I focus on the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles as a site for exploring intersections between visual culture, public pedagogy, and the teaching of writing. I reflect on composition curriculum I have been developing that uses the MOCA experience as a source for reading and writing. I will present sample assignments that treat the above as objects for analysis and appropriation. That is, through a series of hybrid text and image/multi-writing projects (Davis and Shadle), students explore what it means to compose with multiple sign systems. This curriculum pressures disciplinary boundaries and bridges classroom and public space in order to extend standard academic literacies into new terrains. In addition to sharing new curriculum ideas, I seek to foster dialogue on a number of theoretical issues such as how accessing the mind-body state of flow (Csikszentmihalyi) might affect the depth and quality of student writing. Moving a Class Online with Audio, Screencasting, Animation & AssessmentBy Avril Cunningham, Cal Poly PomonaIn the fall of 2005, Cal Poly Pomona’s in-person 90-minute EZ Library Research Workshop had reached its scheduling capacity. The program granted certificates of information competency to 200 students a quarter, and over 600 a year. Despite the success of the program, with our current instruction load and available classroom space, we could not offer more in-person classes. It was time to move it online, but we wanted to retain as much of the in-person pedagogical advantages as we could. After investigating the latest technologies available, we were able to quickly mount an online version of the popular workshop complete with audio, screencasting, animation, images, text and an assessment quiz with an automated online certificate of completion. Come to this session to learn about the newest technologies available to augment your online instruction and preview the online version of the EZ Library Research Workshop. Multi-Purpose Faculty Web PageBy Barrington (Barry) Hunt, CSU Dominguez HillsLearn how to create a multi-purpose faculty Web page to
[View Hunt's Web page.] Online Inquiry-Based LearningBy Robert MacLean and Abraham Asher, CSU Long BeachConcerns have been raised about the lack of interactivity found in online discussions in
asynchronous learning networks (ALNs). Inquiry-based learning can be an effective strategy for improving interactivity in ALNs as it has been for the traditional classroom. This presentation will focus on how this student-centered approach to active learning can be adapted to online discussions. Oral Exam as a Better Assessment Tool for Certain Theoretical and Mathematical SubjectsBy Hasmik Gharibyan, Cal Poly San Luis ObispoWhen evaluating students’ knowledge, most often we use the following two assessment methods–oral exams and written tests. Although convenient in many ways and effective for many subjects, written tests do not always provide the best evaluation of students’ knowledge when it comes to mathematical and theoretical courses. For such courses, we believe an oral exam is a better evaluation method. In this presentation, we plan to analyze the challenges instructors face when preparing and grading written tests, discuss the problems students encounter when taking written tests, and show the advantages of oral exams over written tests. However, we will not overlook some concerns with oral exams; we plan to talk about these issues and make some suggestions. Although the focus will be on theoretical courses of computer science, the whole discussion will be true and relevant for theoretical courses in many other disciplines, particularly for most mathematical courses. The Pedagogy of Service-Learning Composition CoursesBy Bob Mayberry, Christine Popok, and John Guelcher, CSU Channel IslandsOur panel will discuss various pedagogical issues raised in service-learning composition courses, and discuss a range of techniques we've tried—some successfully, some not—to address those issues. Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers' Motivation for TeachingBy Hosung So, Bryan Haddock, and Sedong Park, CSU San BernardinoLittle attention has been devoted to the study of teacher motivation for teaching in physical education. The purpose of this presentation is to examine factors influencing pre-service teachers’ motivation for teaching in physical education. A total of 44 senior level physical education pre-service teachers enrolled in a 10-week physical education methods plus field-based practice teaching course participated in this study. To measure preservice teachers’ motivation for teaching in physical education, the Teacher Motivation for Teaching in Physical Education (TMT-PE; So, 2002) was used. The TMT-PE consists of ten items designed to measure five core teaching characteristics of skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and perceived feedback on teaching. Each of these core dimensions is measured by two items of 7-point Likert-type response scales. A motivating potential score (MPS), the overall potential of teaching to influence the individual teacher’s motivational perspective, was analyzed to examine any gender difference. Procuring Participation: How to Get Students to Buy into What Should Be FreeBy Terri Patchen and Teresa Crawford, CSU FullertonOral participation in classrooms has been linked to the development of cognitive, linguistic, psychological, emotional, and social skills. As a mechanism for engaging academic material, increasing verbal expression, and cultivating communication, it cannot be disputed. Yet, many CSU students express apprehension/apathy about participating in class, and few instructors appear certain (beyond including participation on their syllabi) of how to securely develop oral participation in their classrooms. Structured as a participation observation, this session focuses on specific ways in which university instructors can prompt, support, and maintain active, engaged oral participation in class. Session participants will leave with practical tools for developing participation in their courses. Promoting Writing in the DisciplinesBy April Franklin and Kathy Brzoic, CSU FullertonThis session targets those faculty members who want their students to develop good writing skills, yet who might be reluctant to give students writing assignments either due to the labor intensive nature of assigning and assessing written work or out of a sense that they lack the necessary expertise to teach writing as a discipline. We will present a simple set of guidelines for creating and evaluating written assignments. Reading Assignment Worksheets that Facilitate Students with Reading DifficultiesBy Claire Komives, San José State UniversityEngineering textbooks are difficult to read for many students. The use of reading assignment worksheets helps students to identify the core concepts in the text and relate the theory presented to real-world examples. In addition, students tend to skim over the solved problems presented in the text. By having to recalculate the example problems, students are forced to actively engage in the calculations presented in the text. By assigning the worksheets to be due at the beginning of the class period when the same material will be presented, they are prepared to learn the material covered in the lecture. The students have consistently evaluated the reading assignment worksheets as an effective tool for learning. This session will describe how to identify student reading difficulties, as well as how to develop worksheets for a textbook. In addition, a tool to facilitate easy tabulation of the assignments for large classes will be demonstrated. The Role of Technology in a Learning Centered CommunityBy Don St. Hilaire, Cal Poly PomonaDuring this session we will discuss the role of technology in a learning centered community. We will provide a working definition of learning centered university, a brief review of the literature, and examples of the role of technology in a learning centered community. Participants will be asked to share their experience in their evaluations of their learning communities. Has the use of technology assisted in the enhancement of these learning communities? What can we do to use technology more effectively in our learning communities? This session will provide participants with resources and potential activities that may be used to enhance their teaching and their use of technology. Sacred Traditions in the CSU Classroom: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in a Team-Taught ClassroomBy Dennis Quinn and Hend Gilli-Elewy, Cal Poly PomonaReligion plays an integral part in contemporary American life and has recently been at the center of public discourse. In history, literature, philosophy, political science and other classes, we often encounter the necessity to talk about aspects of faith traditions at times unfamiliar and even challenging to our students. Students often investigate and confront their own religious assumptions for the very first time in college, which can be an unsettling experience. How do we discuss religion with ardent practitioners asserting their beliefs as well as with those students who do not identify with a particular tradition? In this presentation, two professors from the academic study of religions discuss challenges and strategies for approaching religion in humanities, social science, and interdisciplinary classroom settings. Through sharing approaches from their fields and practical in-class examples, these two professors propose ways to provide students with tools to view religion from an outsiders’ perspective. Service Learning in Public Relations Classes: Connecting Students with Community ClientsBy Donna Simmons, CSU Bakersfield and Ahlam Muhtaseb, CSU San BernardinoPublic relations is a highly applied field of study, and therefore can offer a perfect context for integrating community service with learning. Service learning fits well into most public relations courses commonly taught in the public relations curriculum. In this session the presenters will share the projects they have used in three courses in the public relations curriculum: Public Relations Writing, Public Relations Campaigns, and Public Relations Practicum. Participants will learn about specific projects that can be developed for service learning in these classes and that can be adapted to other courses. Among the projects discussed will be various writing projects for community clients and developing campaign proposals for community clients. In these courses, students and student teams work closely with community clients to develop and produce a variety of public relations materials for the clients. Presenters will share how service learning is implemented in these courses. Storytelling as a Strategy for Teaching College CoursesBy Gretchen Reevy, CSU East BayI will discuss storytelling in teaching college courses, using Bruner’s narrative thought as an organizing principle. Bruner identified two modes of thought: propositional (logical, characterized by convergent thinking) and narrative (storytelling, characterized by divergent thinking). He argued that the narrative mode is more natural. The objectives of my talk will be
I will present data, strongly supportive of the use of storytelling, from 60 students and 13 faculty, and will discuss how stories have been used in several disciplines such as psychology, communications, and chemistry. I will ask the audience to share examples they have used. By the end of the session, I expect that all participants will be armed with some choice anecdotes and will be inspired to create some of their own. Student Peer Instruction: Success for Visual LearnersBy Karen Anderson, CSU Dominguez HillsThis presentation describes a peer-teaching experiment to promote team cooperation and to encourage students to take responsibility for their learning. Group dynamics and peer pressure appear to have helped create student ownership of the material. Student peer instruction was performed by the use of poster boards and presentations by student teams. Student-generated posters transferred responsibility of the prior week key-concept review via student-to-student presentations. Five to six teams, not assigned by the instructor, consisted of four to six students. Two weekday, in-the-classroom labs were evaluated for this study. The effectiveness of student peer or studio instruction of general geology laboratories was evaluated by the use of identical beginning-of-semester (pre-test) and end-of-semester (post-test) questions. Student Perceptions of Second-Year Composition and Critical-Thinking CoursesBy Sarah Reichel, San Francisco State UniversityThe composition course that integrates literature and also fulfills the critical-thinking requirement is often chosen by students over a course that focuses purely on critical thinking and current events. What kind of students will we be trying to teach in our CSU upper division courses if their critical-thinking process is molded to the literary genre? My pilot study takes a look at the perceptions of college freshmen that are about to make the choice between these two courses. Knowing what is guiding their decision-making process can help both freshman composition instructors and upper division professors to better prepare these students and to make some curricular adjustments so that graduates are strong critical thinkers and thus better citizens. To help participants prepare, I will present a few practical and easily adapted teaching methods that can be used in every classroom to promote and exercise critical-thinking skills. Taking Risks: The Digital Media Minor Program at Cal Poly PomonaBy Karen Brzoska, Cal Poly PomonaYou want students to take a risk so they can learn; and that’s what they’ve done. The digital media minor program at Cal Poly Pomona, offered through the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, is a 32-unit minor that enables students to learn and use digital technologies to demonstrate their acquisition of knowledge in an array of courses in social sciences, humanities and the arts. To realize this goal, program developers have elected to frame the concept of tool use within the broader category of literacy and to use digital storytelling as a process for gaining these new literacy skills. See examples of student projects and video interviews as instructors, students and support staff address the challenges and rewards of implementing a digital media program. Resource issues, technical support, time constraints and pedagogy will be discussed. Tasks that Promote ReflectionBy Hea-Jin Lee, The Ohio State University at Lima and Eun-Ok Baek, CSU San BernardinoTeacher educators have endeavored to prepare reflective practitioners through teacher education programs. However, ways to help pre- and in-service teachers become more reflective remain unresolved. This study investigates the nature and role of various tasks such as autobiography, metaphor, journal writing, observational learning, micro-teaching, reflective teaching, co-teaching, case studies, action research, and portfolios. The presentation will share sample tasks and ways of implementing them in mathematics methods courses and instructional technology courses. During the presentation, the effectiveness of the tasks in preparing reflective practitioners will also be discussed. Teaching Algorithms Effectively by Using AnimationBy Sang-Eon Park, Cal Poly PomonaThe main idea of this presentation is teaching and learning with animation. Young people come from a video generation, and they like to see things in motion. There are many computer science topics which can be presented with animation. For example, instead of using a static picture and textual description for an algorithm, I present animation which shows the algorithm at work. It definitely helps my students to understand what's happening. I developed more than 30 animated algorithms for CS 331 (Design and Analysis of Algorithms) in spring 2005. Evidence of the effectiveness by teaching with animation was given with the presentation “Teaching Algorithms Effectively by Using Animation” to the campus community on May 25, 2005, in the Bronco Student Center. Teaching Creative Design Expression: Challenges and Opportunities in a Design-Based CurriculumBy Gary R. Clay, Cal Poly San Luis ObispoThis paper will discuss challenges faced by educators in getting students to creatively and qualitatively respond to complex situations. In design-based fields of study such as architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, as well as in other lab or studio based programs such as art, industrial design, and theater, teaching design is analogous to a multi-dimensional journey. Students are first forced to look at situations in different ways, and are then asked to respond in a manner that will satisfy
A hurdle faced by students in this journey is the realization that designing requires risk-taking. Students are encouraged to try new directions, knowing that a fine line exists between success and failure. The session will address these issues and suggest that our challenges are similar to those experienced in other programs. Teaching a Graduate Instructional Technology Course Across Geographic, Cultural, and Language BoundariesBy Steven McGriff, San José State UniversityThis presentation introduces innovative strategies that were used to design and deliver a graduate instructional technology course taught in English to Spanish-speaking learners in El Salvador. Participants in this session will be able to discuss the merits of instructional design and delivery practices that provide bridges for instructors and learners across cultural, educational, and language differences. This hybrid course was part of a joint master’s degree in instructional technology offered for the first time in El Salvador. An analysis of learner needs and instructional context was conducted to identify any particular issues. Using linguistically diverse translation teams and adapting existing materials for the local culture overcame some of the challenges of developing a bilingual curriculum. During implementation many strategies had to be adapted on the fly, both to accommodate unique cultural factors and different technology standards, and to encourage collaboration. Post-course evaluations revealed high levels of overall learner satisfaction. Teaching Research Methods to Practitioner TraineesBy Trent Nguyen, CSU FullertonCan students who are not fond of statistics be successful in research methods courses? Attendees will acquire ideas for successful practice in teaching research methods. This session identifies some major effective and ineffective styles of teaching research methods. Presented here is an overview of student mind-sets and an examination of some of the ineffective teaching styles employed by some faculty members in teaching research methods courses that yield low student evaluations. Included are students’ anecdotal statements to highlight why average practitioner trainees believe their professors have been ineffective in teaching the research course. The session delineates effective practice of teaching research methods courses. We will discuss reasons why the practice is considered effective by students and professors who teach these courses and receive high student ratings. Examples of successful practice will be outlined and step-by-step techniques described to help attendees acquire some pertinent teaching skills. Tools for Students and Teachers: Participation Logs and Other Ideas to Improve Student Interaction in the College ClassroomBy Marisol Clark-Ibanez, CSU San MarcosI will present a set of tools for increasing the quality and quantity of participation in the college classroom. After outlining some of the problems with student participation and assigning its grade, I will provide several practical ideas for integrating participation activities aimed at rectifying these problems. I focus on the use of participation logs, which are daily and/or weekly open-ended journals where students reflect on various aspects of their participation. P-logs help instructors keep track of student participation, encourage students to take responsibility for their participation, and help instructors note students’ participation across the term. I will also present data that reveal several unintended yet valuable functions that the p-logs provide, such as how participation relates to how students reflect about their learning, communication, and emotional process. I will bring handouts and examples of these tools. Participants will leave having learned a variety of methods for increasing the quantity and quality of participation in their classrooms. Understanding the Role of Uncertainty in the Information Seeking ProcessBy Rebecca Feind, San José State UniversityWhy is uncertainty part of information seeking? How can we teach
students to navigate the natural experience of uncertainty that is an inherent
part of seeking meaning from information? This session will examine Carol Collier
Kuhlthau's uncertainty principle and its implications for designing library
assignments that can teach students to recognize the affective symptoms associated
with the early stages of the information search process. Ideas for shaping
the information-seeking habits of students will be discussed in light of Kuhlthau's
recommendations for a process approach to library and information services.
This session will be relevant for librarians and instructional faculty interested
in designing assignments that help students develop their ideas through interaction
with information sources. Using ALEKS to Teach Statistics for the Behavioral SciencesBy Nancy Alvarado, Cal Poly PomonaMathematical readiness and frequent practice are crucial to success in learning statistics. Unfortunately, a fair number of students are underprepared, while others avoid doing homework. We often lack sufficient time to tutor students, check homework thoroughly, and provide prompt individual feedback. To address this issue, I incorporated ALEKS into my course. ALEKS is UC-developed Web-based system for tutoring students in statistics and other math. Based on a theory of knowledge spaces, it uses artificial intelligence to present self-paced and adaptive learning modules with problems customized for each student’s knowledge level, remediating deficiencies and bringing all students to the same competence via individualized paths. It automates homework and quizzes, and provides a snapshot of student effort and progress toward defined course goals. This session describes my experiences implementing ALEKS, to assist those considering its use in their own classrooms. It discusses tradeoffs involved, suggestions for smooth introduction, and motivating students. Using Graphic Organizers to Develop Critical-Thinking SkillsBy Sue Fellwock-Schaar, CSU Dominguez HillsStudents frequently struggle to make meaning and connections in their reading and information processing. This workshop focuses on six simple, straightforward graphic organizers that help students organize information for thinking and/or writing. The organizers presented are appropriate for all disciplines and all university levels; they may be used with concepts at varying levels of sophistication. Skills addressed include comparing and contrasting, classification, part-whole relationships, sequencing, reasons and conclusions, and causal explanation. Using Online Discussion Forums to Promote Active Learning in the L2 ClassroomBy Sandra Kornuc, CSU Channel IslandsThis presentation will examine the use of the Blackboard Discussion Board tool to support the teaching of Spanish in two undergraduate courses. Although this asynchronous method for discussion participation has been steadily integrated into distance education, its use in conventional face-to-face courses is still relatively new. The main objective of this project was to increase learner-to-learner interaction in the target language while decentralizing the role of the instructor during class discussions. Students were required to take a position on a number of issues and react to other people's comments in the threaded discussions. While qualitative and quantitative analyses of the data suggest that both groups often can reflect together and share ideas, thus engaging in collaborative learning, student evaluations of the use of this Blackboard tool showed mixed results. I will discuss the advantages, problems and difficulties of this online tool and will explore pedagogical approaches in using this medium. Using Student Teams to Enhance Learning and Better Prepare Students for Their FutureBy Joe Grimes, Cal Poly San Luis ObispoThis workshop will look at the theory and practice of team-based learning found in the literature and practiced. Workshop material and additional information are presented in the book Team-Based Learning by Larry Michaelsen, Arletta Knight, and L. Dee Fink. The significant anticipated outcomes of this workshop are that the participant will be able to
[Read Grimes' Exchanges review of Team-Based Learning.] Web 2.0: Using Network Resources in the ClassroomBy Larry Press, CSU Dominguez HillsThe way we use computers in teaching has changed with successive computing and networking generations. Today, we are seeing the emergence of the Internet as an application development platform. This "Web 2.0" platform is beginning to provide low-cost services that are useful both to students and to teachers. After a brief survey of the evolution of computing platforms, I will present examples of my use of network services in the classroom, including blogs, wikis, social bookmarks, survey servers, and audio-and-video resources, podcasts, and hosting. The examples will demonstrate use of these services by the students as well as the instructor. Why College Writers Should Use the Passive Voice: A Lesson from the Graduate Writing AssessmentBy Craig Wilson, CSU East BayThis presentation describes a quantitative analysis of discrete writing elements that can inform feedback to writing teachers and students. Analysis of 80 passing and failing Graduate Writing Assessment essays showed the use of the passive voice to be positively correlated with success on the test. This finding suggests that basic writing students may benefit from instruction in the rhetorical uses of the passive voice. Examples of the functions of the passive voice in college writing across disciplines will be offered. There will also be suggestions for providing instruction to college writers on how to use the passive voice. This instruction should include attention to how proficient writers use the passive voice and other grammatical features to accomplish rhetorical tasks. [Read Wilson’s Exchanges research article about this study.] Widening International Perspective Through ScienceBy Simone Aloisio and Amy Denton, CSU Channel IslandsHow is it possible to study science and culture in one class? We have developed a general education class titled Science and Technology in Japan that mixes on-campus instruction with a one-week study abroad experience in Japan. The class is an interdisciplinary class taught by a chemist and a biologist, with several guest speakers from music, history, psychology, geology, and engineering. The primary learning objectives for the course are to widen students’ international perspective, and to introduce students to the scientific method and how it is used. Student learning outcomes will be assessed using pre- and post-surveys. Some of the issues addressed in the presentation are
simone.aloisio@csuci.edu Writing with Pictures: Using Media Literacy for Writing Across the DisciplinesBy Vivian Price, CSU Dominguez HillsWriting across the disciplines often focuses on using unconventional ways to encourage critical thinking and writing. How can faculty use visual technology to further these objectives with assignments that use PowerPoint, Photoshop, iMovie and Web design? This session looks at storytelling strategies that bring critical thinking into the digital age. You’re Write! Using Writing to Enhance Student LearningBy Keisha Paxton, CSU Dominguez HillsWriting assignments can be effective tools to enhance student learning. This presentation will examine the use of both in-class and take-home writing assignments to facilitate coherent understanding and application of concepts discussed in class. Presented will be specific examples of using writing tasks to
Qualitative data examining students’ responses to writing assignments will also be presented. Participants will leave this workshop with ideas of how to incorporate writing into their courses to enhance student learning. The editors wish to express special thanks to Roberta Ambrosino, Acting Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at CSUDH, for her assistance in compiling the information in this section. Posted December 12, 2006. All material appearing in this journal is subject to applicable copyright laws. |
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