2004 Archives - some contain videos and handouts for viewing on the web

Active Learning and Interactive Lectures (10/04)

Making Better Use of Student Group Work (9/04)

On Course - 2 Day Workshop (8/04)

 ActiveLearning and Interactive Classrooms - view video

Facilitated by Eric Mazur

Oct 22, 2004

 In this workshop, Eric Mazur tackled the concepts behind the conventional lecture and provided Peer Instruction as a method in which to encourage student interaction during lectures. Used by a wide range of science and math courses at Harvard, Peer Instruction has been proven by many studies and diagnostic tests to be considerably more effective than the conventional lecture approach.

 Outcomes: In this workshop, participants: 

• learned about Peer Instruction
• serve as the "class" in which Peer Instruction is demonstrated
• discussed several models for implementing the technique into the classroom and learned about available teaching resources

 During the workshop, Mazur also described the use of concept tests to engage students in active, collaborative learning. The public access website to view questions to test understanding of certain concepts is currently under development at http://www.deas.harvard.edu/galileo. Use is free, but you do have to register through the "Register Now" button. The site has a lot of physics ConceptTests already, and a few in other disciplines that they are collecting. For concept tests appropriate for you own course, you can undertake a web search. Chemistry concept tests can be found at http://www.jce.divched.org/JCEDLib/QBank/collection/ConcepTests/intro_sb.html.

 Faculty survey results rated this workshop as excellent and engaging. The majority of faculty wanted to hear more about how to implement Peer Instruction into their classrooms.

 Eric graciously allowed us to video the workshop so that all faculty could benefit from the discussion. Several excellent points of interest were made at the workshop. CERTI highly recommends viewing the video version.

 Eric Mazur holds a triple appointment as Harvard College Professor, Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics, and Professor of Physics at Harvard University. An internationally recognized scientist and researcher, he leads a vigorous research program in optical physics and supervises one of the largest research groups in the Physics Department at Harvard University. Dr. Mazur has served on numerous committees and councils, including advisory and visiting committees for the National Science Foundation, has chaired and organized national and international scientific conferences, and presented for the Presidential Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. Dr. Mazur is author or co-author of 137 scientific publications. He has also written on education and is the author of Peer Instruction: A User's Manual (Prentice Hall, 1997). More information on Eric Mazur can be found at http://mazur-www.harvard.edu/emdetails.php .

Co-sponsorsedby New Faculty Teaching Scholars and the Center for Educational Research and Teaching Innovation.

 back to archives

ConductingResearch on Teaching and Learning in Engineering and the Sciences (1/2 day) - View video

Facilitated by Richard Felder

8:15 am to 12:00 pm

Havener Center

 Research on education used to be the exclusive province of professional educators and psychologists, but no longer. There are unique problems associated with pedagogy in every discipline, and some of the best-and most highly funded-educational research is now discipline-specific and done by faculty members in the disciplines in question. However, there are some significant differences between research in a field and research in education in that field. Individuals trained only in their disciplines are generally poorly equipped to formulate appropriate educational research questions, design effective implementation and assessment plans, and sell their ideas to potential funding sources. This workshop is intended to prepare faculty members in technical disciplines to carry out all of these activities.

 Topics Addressed 

• What is the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning?
• How does it differ from traditional disciplinary scholarship?
• How should I pick a research question?
• What pitfalls should I avoid in making the choice.
• How can I find relevant prior work?
• What research approach should I use (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed)?
• Should I collaborate, and if so, with whom?
• What sources are available to fund educational research?
• Should I approach them before writing and submitting a proposal? How?
• What does it take to win a CAREER Award?
• How do I design an effective research, assessment, and dissemination plan?
• Why am I unlikely to get funded without strong assessment and dissemination components?
• How else can I maximize my proposal's chances of being funded?
• How should I approach publication of my work?

 Dr. Richard M. Felder is the Hoechst Celanese Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University. He is coauthor of Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes, an introductory chemical engineering text now in its third edition. He has contributed over 200 publications to the fields of science and engineering education and chemical process engineering, and writes "Random Thoughts," a column on educational methods and issues for the quarterly journal Chemical Engineering Education. With his wife and colleague, Dr. Rebecca Brent, he codirects the National Effective Teaching Institute (NETI) and regularly offers teaching effectiveness workshops on campuses and at conferences around the world. More information can be found at http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/.

 back to archives

  MakingBetter Use of Student Group Work - view video

Time/Location: Sep 27, 2004

Presenter: NEIL FLEMING

 In this two-hour workshop, Neil Fleming from New Zealand covered the pitfalls associated with group work and presented strategies for avoiding those pitfalls.

 Expounding on ways to identify common failings in group work and offering strategies to avoid those pitfalls, Neil led faculty in sharing effective ideas on assessment and grading strategies.

 Faculty survey results showed most attendees appreciated the opportunity to share ideas and strategies with colleagues on this subject. Faculty also made it very clear that interest remains high for further discussions of effective group work strategies.

 Neil graciously allowed us to video the workshop so that all faculty could benefit from the discussion.

 Neil Fleming is retired Director of the Education Centre at Lincoln University, New Zealand, and is the designer of the internationally used VARK learning styles inventory. His major challenge at Lincoln University was to improve the quality of learning and teaching through his own research and active staff development programs. He now specializes in faculty workshops on student learning styles, evaluation, curriculum development, teaching improvement, professional development, assessment and innovations in learning. His biography can be found at http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=biography.

 Groupwork Tips and Assessments (pdf)

When is Group Work Effective (pdf)

 VARK Learning Styles Inventory

 back to archives

  OnCourse Workshop

Presenter: Jonathan Brennan

Time/Location: August 16-17, 2004

"Engaging" and "insightful" are a few of the words faculty used to describe the information presented by Jonathan Brennan at the On Course Workshop sponsored by CERTI August 16-17, 2004. Designed for today's educator, On Course focuses on techniques to promote learner-centered education that empowers students to be active, responsible learners. During the workshop Jonathan proposed several collaborative learning exercises as possible venues for learning enhancement which sparked further discussion and idea sharing as several faculty members shared their own successful strategies with fellow peers.

 "I discovered numerous useful strategies to help me better prepare students to become more effective learners. There were no wasted moments. The atmosphere was relaxed yet energetic-stimulating!" ~Larry Gragg, Chair & Distinguished Teaching Professor, History & Political Science

 "This workshop helped me put in context some of the things I've done that worked and others that did not work, by focusing my attention on learner-centered perspectives."~Matt Insall, Associate Professor, Mathematics & Statistics

 "The On Course Workshop was very helpful to me for a number of reasons:

1. A rare opportunity for intense reflection on teaching,

2. Getting to know many faculty members I had not had a chance to meet yet,

3. Lots of practical ideas for engaging my students in the learning process.

I plan to incorporate many of these ideas in my courses this fall semester."~Daniel Tauritz, Assistant Professor, Computer Science

 "Jonathan Brennan's 2-Day On Course Workshop is a thoughtfully orchestrated introduction to some of the benefits that can be achieved by incorporating "learner-centered" education. Not only does he explain the "learner-centered whys & wherefores" for improving understanding in the classroom, he shows you how by getting you to try it for yourself. In the process you get to meet and learn from a wide range of our impressive Missouri S&T colleagues. Thanks to Jonathan and Missouri S&T for this excellent initiative. Educare: to draw out. Think I'll start by referring to my lectures as "coming extractions!" ~ Bob Raper, Lecturer, Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering

 CERTI is committed to assisting faculty in their facilitation of collaborative experiential and technology assisted learning. We invite your suggestions for future workshop topics. Please email your ideas to certi@mst.edu.

 back to archives

HelpingStudents Get On Course-Two Day Workshop

Facilitated by:Debra Poese

Time/Location:January 6 & 7

 Discover strategies that better engage students in class. Participate in activities that result in increased student motivation and responsibility. Incorporate these strategies into your classroom instructional design. Deb Poese, mathematics instructor and former Instructional Dean for Science, Engineering and Mathematics at Montgomery College in Maryland, has used On Course principles successfully for several years. She also works with other educators in discovering how to effectively incorporate learnercentered strategies in a wide variety of courses, including mathematics and the sciences.

This workshop is highly interactive and will model the strategies presented. Participants will explore learner-centered strategies for empowering students to become active and responsible partners in their own education. Participants will have an opportunity to revise one or more of their own lessons to include these strategies. Participants will leave with practical and proven strategies which can be implemented immediately.

 On Course Workshops

 back to archives

 TeachingDesign and Higher Level Learning - View video

 Facilitated by Michael J. Pavelich

1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Havener Center

 Experience and assessment data show that students, even seniors, do not view real-world open-ended problems as complexly as desired. Their abilities for such higher-level thinking need thoughtful development. The Perry and Reflective Judgment models of intellectual development will be presented as a tool to understanding this need in students. Participants will evaluate student work in view of these models. We will then discuss how our teaching of design can be adjusted to more explicitly foster such intellectual development. Data from studies nation-wide will form the basis of our discussions.

 Mike Pavelich, a professor of Chemistry at the Colorado School of Mines, has been active in engineering education and chemical education circles for the last 25 years. He counts as major accomplishments the creation and continued success of the freshmen/sophomore design program at CSM and an inquiry formatted lab program for freshmen chemistry that is used by schools across the country. He has over thirty publications in college education literature and is currently working on applying intellectual development theories to the teaching and assessment of design courses. He has presented numerous workshops on college teaching at campuses across the country and at ASEE and FIE Conferences. He was a ASEE-NSF Visiting Scholar in 2000-2001. He has held all offices in the ERM Division of ASEE. He has been recognized with several teaching awards at CSM. More info can be found at http://www.mines.edu/academic/chemistry/faculty/pavelich.

 back to archives

When is Group Work Not Effective (pdf)