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- Helping Students Move Beyond Mid-term
- Teaching Effectively and Efficiently
- Two Mistakes To Avoid Early
FALL 2013
September 12th, 12-1:30 p.m., Commons 331
Getting Students to Read, and Learn from, Disciplinary Texts*
One of the most surprising (and frustrating) aspects of teaching is how seldom students seem to do the reading. But the challenge is often deeper than just motivating students to read—we also need to help them learn the skills to do so effectively. Academic writing is so different from the kind of reading that students do, that its mere complexity can act as a deterrent to students’ reading. This discussion, facilitated by the Faculty Development Center and the Learning Resources Center, will focus on strategies both to motivate students to read and help them learn from their reading. Lunch will be provided.
September 13th, 12-1:30 p.m., UC Ballroom Lounge
Flipping the Classroom
Do you wish that your students would prepare for class? Would you like to feel that the time you spend teaching was more productive in helping student learn to think in the discipline? Then join this conversation about rethinking the traditional teaching approach. Typically our students get their first exposure to content through our lectures. When a class is flipped, students are held accountable for preparing for class in advance (through watching video or reading or doing problems), and class time is spent in students processing ideas and getting feedback from us and their peers. Four faculty will share their experiences with this approach. Lunch will be provided. Panelists include:
Sarah Leupen, Biological Sciences
Eileen O’Brien, Psychology
Timothy Phin, Ancient Studies
Anne Spence, Mechanical Engineering
September 18th, 12-1:30 p.m., UC 312
Great Teachers Talk about Teaching*
Join your colleagues for an engaging discussion on teaching, including ideas on: helping students achieve our goals for their learning, dealing with various challenges in teaching we all face, and keeping our teaching fresh and exciting over time. A panel of senior faculty at UMBC, all teaching award winners, share their insights gleaned from many years of practice and reflection on teaching. All faculty are welcome. Lunch will be provided. Panelists include:
Marie desJardins, Computer Science & Electrical
Engineering
James Grubb, History
Manil Suri, Mathematics and Statistics
September 19th, 12-1:30 p.m.,
October 18th, 12-1:30 p.m.,
November 15th, 12-1:30 p.m., ACIV-A 114
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Discussion Group
Join your colleagues for a continuing discussion about all aspects of planning, executing, and disseminating a scholarship of teaching and learning project. Participants may attend any and all sessions. Please register for each session individually. The sessions will all include ideas for asking good questions, gathering meaningful evidence, and reporting results, though the emphasis on each of these topics will cycle through the semester. Sessions will also include brief presentations of faculty projects. Participants attending any session will receive a copy of the book, Engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: A Guide to the Process and How to Develop a Project from Start to Finish by Bishop-Clark and Dietz-Uhler, Stylus Publishing, 2012. Lunch will be provided.
Register for September 19th
Register for October 18th
Register for November 15th
September 23rd, 12-1:30 p.m., UC 310
Teaching Writing in the Digital Age
Ana Oscoz (Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communications) and Donald Snyder (Media and Communication Studies) present ways that they have used digital formats to help students develop as writers. Co-sponsored by the FDC and the Writing Board. Lunch will be provided.
Register
Fall Book Discussion
October 8th and 15th, 12-1:30 p.m., Commons 329
Creating Self-Regulated Learners: Strategies to Strengthen Students’ Self-Awareness and Learning Skills by Linda Nilson, Stylus Publishing, 2013
From the publisher: “Linda Nilson … presents an array of tested activities and assignments through which students can progressively reflect on, monitor and improve their learning skills; describes how they can be integrated with different course components and on various schedules; and elucidates how to intentionally and seamlessly incorporate them into course design to effectively meet disciplinary and student development objectives. Recognizing that most faculty are unfamiliar with these strategies, she also recommends how to prepare for introducing them into the classroom and adding more as instructors become more confident using them. The book concludes with descriptions of courses from different fields to offer models and ideas for implementation.”
All faculty are invited to join a discussion with their colleagues, facilitated by the staff at the Faculty Development Center. The first session will deal primarily with ideas found in the first half of the book. The second session will deal primarily with ideas in the second half of the book. All participants will receive a copy of the book ahead of time. Lunch will be provided.
Register
October 9th, 12-1:30 p.m., ACIV-A 114
Managing Time and Getting Things Done*
Beth Wells, Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Do you ever feel as if there are not enough hours in the day? Do you find that your plan for work during the day gets overtaken by routine tasks? Do you have a big project looming that will challenge your time management skills? Beth Wells, a Board Certified Coach, presents tips on how to manage your time effectively, plan projects for completion in the time that you have, and keep your stress levels under control. All faculty are welcome. Lunch will be provided.
October 10th, 12-1:30 p.m., Commons 329
Turning Difficult Dialogues into Teachable Moments
When students voice uninformed biases, make inappropriate comments about others’ ethnicities, gender identities, politics, or religion, or express surprising and confrontational opinions, we faculty may feel at a loss in how to respond. These moments may seem to hijack our carefully planned class session, yet these instances can provide wonderful opportunities for learning. How do we facilitate a meaningful discussion that addresses the issue in a way that students can “hear” and learn from? How do we move the class forward in a productive way? Faculty panelists April Householder, Jodi Kelber-Kaye, and Joby Taylor will lead a discussion and workshop on ways to make these disconcerting moments into teachable moments. Lunch will be provided.
October 11, 12-1:30 p.m., ACIV-A 114
A New Faculty Member’s Guide to Research and Funding*
Dr. Ralph Pollack, Office of the Vice President for Research
As new faculty members you are faced with an enormous number of things to do. You must develop new courses, become proficient at teaching, initiate a research program, take part in departmental and university activities, advise students, learn a new culture, and conduct your personal life, all in an atmosphere that is unfamiliar and with little or no training for such activities. Research is a long term endeavor compared to some of the other demands on your time and can too easily be delayed and left for later. However, research productivity is a critical part of the tenure decision. How then do you develop a research program in these circumstances? How can research become an integral part of your academic life? How can you get funding for a research program? In this presentation, Dr. Pollack will discuss setting professional goals and planning, the nature of significant research, how to develop a research idea, and how to plan for funding that work. All faculty are welcome. Lunch will be provided.
*Provost's Luncheons and New Faculty Seminars are open to all faculty.
The Faculty Development Center supports faculty and instructors in their teaching role at the University by providing a comprehensive program of services and resources.
All consultation services provided faculty are confidential and are not used by administrators or committees in making personnel decisions.