Teaching Excellence Workshop

1
Teaching Excellence Workshop

• Geoffrey Gamble, President
• David Dooley, Provost
• Joseph Fedock, Senior Vice Provost for Academic
  Affairs
• Gregory Young, Vice Provost for Undergraduate
  Education
• Shannon Taylor , Chair, Faculty Council
• Jeff Adams, AVP
• Lynn Owens, HHD

2
Another talk about course reform...
3
Our Goals for the Workshop

• Highlight the characteristics of good teaching.
• Describe various instructional and assessment
  strategies to improve student learning.
• Help you prepare for next week!
• Introduction to PT and GC.

4
Academic Advising Workshop forFaculty Staff
who advise students

• Tuesday, October 9
• HERE
• Lunch served _at_ 1215
• Program 1230-130
• What advising at MSU looks like
• Questions advisors should ask
• CORE 2.0
• Tips for effective advising
• Advising resources across campus
• How the Academic Advising Center and and
• departmental advising work together
• Sponsored by the Academic Advising Center
  (University Studies) and the Teaching/Learning
  Committee
• For more info contact
• Diane Donnelly. Assoc. Director
• University Studies
• 994-6053 or donnelly_at_montana.edu

5
HR/Personnel Payroll invites you to join us for
New Employee Benefits Orientation

• Please attend one of the following sessions
• Thursday, August 23rd
• Thursday, September 13th
• Both sessions run from 8am to 12 noon and will be
  held in
• Presidents Conference Room (Basement of Montana
  Hall).
• The Agenda will include presentations about your
  employee retirement plan (TIAA/CREF), Employee
  Wellness, your insurance plan (CHOICES), how to
  complete your CHOICES form, and the Optional
  Reimbursement Accounts.
• Please bring your new employee packet!
• Refreshments will be served.
• Please confirm attendance by calling 994-6610.

6
Introductions

• Name
• Where are you from?
• What department are you in?
• What is your research area?
• Describe the courses you will be teaching this
  year.
• What are your burning questions?

7
It is now 945
8
Observing Teaching

• Questions to think about while watching
• the strengths and weaknesses of the instruction
• the amount of learning you think is occurring

9
Questions to think about

• Do you want to be remembered?
• How do you want to be remembered?
• Remember your best teacher
• What made them best for you?
• Were they best for everyone?
• Remember your worst teacher
• What made them the worst for you?
• Were they the worst for everyone?

10
What Constitutes Good Teaching

• Sensitivity and Concern with Class Level and
  Progress
• Preparation--Organization of the course
• Knowledge of the Subject
• Enthusiasm (for subject and teaching)
• Clarity and Understandability
• Availability and Helpfulness
• Impartiality of Evaluation Quality of
  Examinations

(summary of 31 studies from student and faculty
perspectives)
11
Coffee Break
0
Well start promptly at 1045 !!
12
Active Learning in Your Classroom
0
To lecture or not to lecture, that is the
question.
13
What is active learning?
0

• Characterized by
• students involved rather than listening
• less emphasis on transmission more on skills

14
What it isnt
0
15
What is active learning?
0

• Characterized by
• students involved rather than listening
• less emphasis on transmission more on skills
• emphasis on higher order thinking skills

16
Taxonomy of Bloom
0
Evaluation
synthesis
Teaching goal
analysis
application
comprehension
knowledge
17
What is active learning?
0

• Characterized by
• students involved rather than listening
• less emphasis on transmission more on skills
• emphasis on higher order thinking skills

• Students engaged in activities (e.g., writing,
  reading, discussing)

• more emphasis on students exploration of their
  own attitudes and values

18
Why we lecture
0

• Its the traditional model of higher education.
• Its what was done to us.
• IT WORKED FOR (MOST OF) US!
• Give a faculty almost any kind of class in any
  subject, large or small, upper or lower division,
  and they will lecture. -Blackburn, 1980

19
Is lecturing evil?
0

• A lecture can
• motivate
• model scholarly behavior
• present current material
• organize material to benefit a particular
  audience
• effectively deliver large amounts of information

20
Six Ways to Discourage Learning in the Lecture
0

• Insufficient "Wait-Time"
• The Rapid-Reward
• The Programmed Answer
• Non-Specific Feedback Questions ("Does anyone
  have any questions?)
• Fixation at a Low-level of Questioning
• The Condescending Response

adapted from AAS Education http//www.aas.org/e
ducation/sixways.html
21
0
22

0
23
0
24
0
25
Why dont they get it ?
0
26
Bad news about lectures ...
0

• Most students do not pay meaningful attention for
  50 minutes without breaks.
• Lectures can encourage students to try to
  process information later.
• Lectures have been shown to result in very low
  levels of student retention.
• Remember Our students are not , for the most
  part, younger versions of us.

27
Taxonomy of AL
0
CSGL
Discussion
Teaching goal
Think-pair-share
Problems/In-class writing
Time for Questions
Lecture
28
Our Mantra

• Its not what the teacher does that matters its
  what the students do!

29
How do you know how its going?

• End of semester student evaluation forms
• Self-created teaching surveys
• 1-5 scale or written answer
• letter to chair
• Video tape yourself
• Peer observation
• Self-created learning surveys
• one minute or muddiest point papers
• NOTE If you ask students opinions, you must
  respond to it publicly.

30
Kirk Branch
31
Lunch is being served !!!Please sit with
colleagues from your college.

• We will begin promptly at 100 pm!!

32
Technology and Teaching Learning
C E N T R E
33
Designing an effective syllabus

• Where does your course fit?
• general education course
• first course in a sequence
• required course for majors
• advanced course with prerequisites
• Who are your students?
• What are your specific course goals?
• How will you know if you meet your goals?

34
Syllabus Checklist
See www.montana.edu/teachlearn

• course name and number
• your name, office location, phone number, and
  e-mail
• scheduled office hours
• policies regarding your availability outside of
  office hours
• prerequisite courses or skills
• required purchases such as textbooks, rulers, and
  protractors

35
Syllabus Checklist

• policy on using or having access to calculators,
  personal digital assistants (PDAs), Internet, and
  so on (required vs. optional)
• detailed description of how grades are determined
• descriptions and goals of assignments and tests
• dates, times, and locations for all tests or
  other out-of-class requirements.
• policy on missed classes or tests

36
Syllabus Checklist

• instructors philosophy on roles and
  responsibilities
• detailed list of course goals and objectives
• course calendar including exams, drop dates, and
  holidays
• an explanation of how this course fits into
  students overall education and the specific
  university goals
• firm statement on academic honesty (conduct code)