Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) -- University of Michigan
Seminars
for Faculty
(Winter 2008)
CRLT’s seminars provide a forum for faculty to explore topics in teaching with colleagues from across campus. Each term, CRLT offers seminars on a variety of topics. All seminars are interactive, solidly grounded in the research on teaching and learning, and designed to offer practical suggestions that faculty can incorporate into their classrooms.
CRLT is prepared to provide necessary physical accommodations for seminar participants with advance notice. Please call CRLT at 764-0505.
Thursday,
March 20, 12:00-1:30 p.m. (Lunch provided)
CRLT
Seminar Room, 1013 Palmer Commons
This seminar is based on the work of Robert Boice, who identified several effective characteristics of “faculty quick starters.” He developed a program to help new faculty members productively balance conflicting demands on their time. Participants in this seminar will plan ways to adopt Boice’s principles and identify other strategies to help them succeed in their own careers.
Cynthia Finelli, Director, CRLT North
Friday,
April 4, 12:00-1:30 p.m. (Lunch provided)
CRLT
Seminar Room, 1013 Palmer Commons
Co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education and CRLT
Having followed 40 professors up to five years post-tenure at four major research universities, Neumann will discuss what she has discovered about professors’ pursuits of scholarly learning. Topics will include the following: (1) what it means for post-tenure professors to learn their subjects of study and teaching; (2) where and when these professors pursue scholarly learning, other than in their research; (3) what else they learn, besides scholarly content, that is of value to their work and careers, and how their diverse learning experiences interact; (4) strategies they use to persist in scholarly learning, often with little institutional support; and (5) institutional and social conditions that facilitate and impede newly tenured professors’ scholarly learning.
Anna Neumann, Professor of Higher Education, Teachers College, Columbia University
Wednesday,
January 30, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
CRLT
Seminar Room, 1013 Palmer Commons
Although this seminar is open to men and women, it is designed primarily for women interested in exploring issues related to establishing and maintaining authority in the classroom. Questions to be addressed include: What is authority in the classroom and why is it important in teaching? To what extent does gender play a role in classroom authority and challenges to authority? What do women report about their experiences with challenges to authority that seem unique? How can challenges to authority be prevented or managed? The ability to teach with authority in the classroom is something you can develop, and the effort is worthwhile because you will have a more satisfying teaching experience and your students will learn more.
Anne Harrington, Director, Business Instructional Development Program; Lecturer, Ross School of Business
Registration has been closed for this seminar.
Tuesday, February 5, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN LOCATION:
Great Lakes Central, Palmer Commons, 4th Floor
This seminar will explore ways in which discussion, language use, classroom organization, assignments, and presentations of materials can create an open atmosphere of participation and engagement for all students. We will also examine ways of encouraging and accommodating various views and interpretations while still achieving course objectives and moving students to new insights and understandings.
A.T. Miller, Coordinator of Multicultural Teaching and Learning, CRLT
Tuesday, February 19, 11:30-1:00 p.m.
Johnson Rooms, Lurie Engineering Center, North Campus
Co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education and the Women in Science and Engineering Program
Particularly in science and engineering, female faculty, students, and members of under-represented groups frequently report interactions that contribute to more negative views of departmental climate than those held by their majority and male counterparts. This presentation uses findings from a faculty questionnaire distributed by the ADVANCE team at Virginia Tech and the theoretical lens of self- authorship to explore the role of negative feedback in perceptions of collegiality, mentoring, and departmental climate in the sciences and engineering.
Elizabeth Creamer, Professor, School of Education, Virginia Tech University
Mondays, February 4 &11, 2:30-5:30 p.m. (Light supper provided)
CRLT Seminar Room, 1013 Palmer Commons
In this two-part program, we will discuss how to structure and deliver material in ways that improve student learning. Participants, who are expected to attend both sessions, will have the opportunity to practice speaking before a small group and will receive feedback.
Nancy Kotzian, Lecturer in Business Communication, Ross School of Business
Registration has been closed for this seminar.
Wednesday, February 13, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN LOCATION:
Windows Room, Palmer Commons, 3rd Floor
Faced with a pile of papers to grade? Unsure how to assess your students’ written work? Do you spend a lot of time trying to explain to your students how you graded their papers and exams? This seminar will focus on the conceptual and practical aspects of evaluating student writing. After tackling the big questions (What is the purpose of grading? What are the links between learning and assessment?), we will discuss how to make the actual process more efficient and effective.
Deborah Meizlish, Coordinator of Social Science Initiatives, CRLT;
Paul Barron, Lecturer, Sweetland Writing Center, LS&A
Registration has been closed for this seminar.
Thursday, January 31, 12:00-1:30 p.m. (Lunch provided)
CRLT Seminar Room, 1013 Palmer Commons
Clickers are becoming more common on campus as a strategy for engaging students, especially in large lectures. Participants in this seminar will learn about best practices for using clickers effectively in their classes. The seminar will consist of three parts: (1) a brief review of students’ attitudes toward the use and impact of clickers; (2) presentations by U-M faculty who have used clickers effectively to engage students in large lectures, and (3) discussion of questions to ask when planning to use clickers, such as when and how often to use them, what types of questions are most effective, and support available at U-M for faculty using clickers.
James Penner-Hahn, Associate Dean, LS&A; Professor, Chemistry and Biophysics;
Jo Kurdziel, Lecturer and Assistant Research Scientist, Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology;
Erping Zhu, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, CRLT
Tuesday, March 11, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
CRLT Seminar Room, 1013 Palmer Commons
The virtual digital world, Second Life, has been an international sensation, as people create alternative identities and interact in new kinds of spaces. What can Second Life contribute to university teaching and learning? Participants will see demonstrations of Second Life, including examples of how UM faculty are using it in courses from Italian language and culture to medicine. Participants will also discuss possibilities for using the unique environment of Second Life, e.g., how to experiment with open environments (interacting with others), ways to utilize “closed” environments (classrooms that exist in virtual space), and strategies for stimulating student collaboration.
Giorgio Massei, Lecturer, Romance Languages and Literatures, LS&A;
Philomena Mecchan, Instructional Learning Lead, Language Resource Center;
Crisca Bierwert, Associate Director, CRLT
Registration has been closed for this seminar.