We’re pleased to announce that the final program for Faculty Academy 2009 is now available. We have over 30 concurrent presentations scheduled over the course of the two-day event, with faculty representing both campuses and over a dozen disciplines. Over the course of the next day, abstracts for all of the sessions will be available [...]
Abstract: Learning in an eLearning presents different perspective in terms of preference of learning environment components. The patterns of eLearning website feature preferences were investigated in order to provide insights into learning strategies for learners. The focus of this investigation is to develop a classification of types of eLearning website feature preferences (clusters) and investigate their association with the learning of students as indicated via their performance. Based on an empirical study, researcher collected and analyzed students’ eLearning website feature preference in Blackboard. Nine measures were used to cluster the data set. The results revealed four clusters, viz.: Moderate eLearning Feature Preference Exhibitor, High eLearning Feature Preference Exhibitor, Heavy eLearning Feature Preference Sleeper and Moderate eLearning Feature Preference Sleeper, and demonstrated that learning as indicated by performance (grade point average range) different among the four clusters. The implications of eLearning feature preference are discussed from learning and teaching perspectives.
Format: Formal Presentation (15 minutes)
Abstract: Long before twitter jumped the Oprah-shark, UMW embraced micro-blogging and never looked back. In this presentation, I will talk about a few of the ways twitter has been used on campus to supplement class discussion, prompt cross-campus debate, and keep us all up to date.
Tags: twitter, social media,
Format: Formal Presentation (15 minutes)
Abstract: When I accepted an invitation to teach linguistics 101 at UMW. I brought with me an agenda born more than 40 years ago and which has had a growth spurt since I retired in 2003. Driven by technological innovation and recent interpretation of the role mind/brain in an understanding of language, the time has come to test whether one can teach general linguistics to a general college audience so as to provide a basis for further study in linguistics, connect with the interests and competencies of a heterogeneous group of students, present a coherent and reasonable facsimile of contemporary linguistic thought, and hold the attention of 65 weary students in a 3 hour evening class once a week. I got great help using a number of media resources, in particular web based materials, QuickTime and Personal Brain, and encouraging students to DO linguistics rather than merely read about it. I will illustrate my approach to the subject by flying over the “Plex” of Personal Brain and diving in to look up close at one unit in the course. I’m convinced the approach is right, but I think the patient may have died.
Format: Formal Presentation (15 minutes)
Abstract: On April 9, 2009 I attended an online NITLE event entitled Virtual Voyages: Using Technology to Convey a Sense of Place which was hosted by Martyn Smith, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Lawrence University. What I learned during this fascinating online presentation and discussion was how to utilize a variety of web resources to help students contextualize course information in geographic terms. The premise of the presentation was that professors at liberal arts colleges often find themselves charged with teaching about places in the world that their students are unlikely to ever experience in person although the experience of place is nevertheless crucial to an integrated understanding of the content involved. While actually travel to these places may not be possible to students, virtual travel, utilizing web resources orchestrated around Google Earth, is possible both in the classroom and in assignments. I have since begun to utilize this approach in my teaching and specifically in teaching modern architecture this past semester. I will be describing what I learned during this online presentation and how I anticipate using this in the future especially for my architecture courses in which an understanding of place is central to the material.
Tags: history architecture, geography, place, Google Earth.
Format: Formal Presentation (15 minutes)
Abstract: One of the key differences between secondary education and university is that in the former, students tend to be taught about a subject, while in the latter, they are taught what disciplinary practitioners do. Usually, the teaching of this practice is, in an important sense, pretend. When students study a laboratory science, the outcomes of the experiments they conduct are largely predetermined. Similarly, in a literature class when students analyze a classic work, the instructor presents standard arguments. This past semester I had the opportunity to teach in a way that more genuinely modeled disciplinary practice. I taught a senior seminar in international finance, where we organized the class as a research team to investigate the global implications of the 2008 financial crisis and economic recession, an event which was unfolding in real time while we studied it. As such, there were no texts to read. Indeed, one goal of the project was to create a written analysis of the crisis, which we will publish online. The dynamics of nearly all aspects of the course, from selecting the material we studied to conducting class sessions to grading, were different from normal courses. Students were given small research tasks, the results of which they posted on the course wiki. Class time was spent figuring out what those results mean as we constructed ‘the story’ of the financial crisis. Grades were based on what students contributed to the group’s understanding. This experience provided many lessons about how to improve the teaching of other courses.
Website: http://stevegreenlaw.org/pedablogy/
Tags: RealSchool
Format: Formal Presentation (15 minutes)
Co-Presenters: Donald Rallis
Melina Patterson
Jami Bryan
Abstract: We are woking on this, will fill it in soon
Website: http://bavatuesdays.com
Tags: blogging, umwblogs, panel
Format: Panel Discussion (typically 45-60 minutes)
Co-Presenters: Maya Mathur
Kelli Slunt
Leanna Giancarlo Debra Hydorn
Abstract: We are working on the abstract, and I will get you that shortly. Jim
Website: http://bavatuesdays.com
Tags: fsem, blogging, frshman seminar, umwblogs,
Format: Panel Discussion (typically 45-60 minutes)
Abstract: The University of California, Davis Teaching Resources Center is celebrating its 35th year with a renewed vision of what teaching and learning could and should be at a university. I’ll introduce you to some of our most popular programs and share some secrets behind our relatively low-budget, high-impact success. Come learn about our Faculty Mentoring Faculty Program, More Thoughtful Teaching Symposia, Summer Institute on Teaching and Technology, international Seminar on University Teaching and Learning, our small-grant programs, mid-quarter interviews, and more.
Website: http://cluttermuseum.blogspot.com
Tags: teaching center, pedagogy
Format: Formal Presentation (15 minutes)
Abstract: This presentation will show how instructional technologies can support reflection in online and traditional college classes. Each activity will center on how a problem can be addressed with a technological tool in class or on the web. The focus will not be on the technology itself but rather on how that tool can cause the student to think critically about the issue presented, organize their thoughts, and/or present a solution. For example, the presenter will show how Twitter can be used effectively to document a library research project – not the mechanics of how Twitter works. Following each suggested activity, the audience will have opportunity to offer application in their discipline area. Participants will leave with a list of twenty suggested activities, a link to a supporting website, and a list of related resources.
Format: Formal Presentation (15 minutes)
