John Morello
Abstract: Using class time for student oral presentations always presents challenges, not the least of which is managing the loss of valuable classroom minutes that might be used for other purposes instead of being devoted to a series of student talks. Does the web offer an option for having students prepare and deliver presentations that are then viewed online by the rest of the class? This general question prompted me to experiment with two classes, and to have the students do one online oral presentation in each class. One class was taught in the spring 2008 semester, and the other in fall 2008. This talk will offer a summary of what I learned through these two case studies. Some of the main points to be explored are: (1) What are the time and technological investments of this approach for the instructor and students? (2) Does a blog offer a useful device for encouraging students to comment on each another’s presentations? (3) Were the online presentations a meaningful part of the course, or did they become mere cyberspace noise? (4) Do students gain any unique benefit from having to speak online as opposed to speaking in the physical classroom to a live audience? (5) What sort of coaching do students need in order to understand how to speak effectively in an online context?
Tags: oral presentations, online speeches, blogging about speeches
Format: Formal Presentation (15 minutes)
Written on May 6, 2009 | Posted in
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Leanna Giancarlo
Abstract: The goals of the First-Year Seminar (FSEM) program at the University of Mary Washington are to promote life-long learning skills, enhance the idea of community within and among students and faculty, and provide opportunities for students to explore and express their ideas and arguments. In this FSEM course on Mad Scientists, Bad Scientists and Evil Geniuses, I have used blogs and a Drupal resource site as a means to make student learning participatory, exploratory and community building. In addition, I allowed (for the first time) students to use video vs. written word for some assignments. In this talk, the use of these technology driven formats will be examined as tools to enhance and enrich student learning.
Website: lgiancar.umwblogs.org
Tags: blogs, Drupal, mashup
Format: Formal Presentation (15 minutes)
Written on May 6, 2009 | Posted in
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Stephen Davies
Abstract: College students who are choosing courses for the upcoming semester must do so in light of their overall degree plan. If they do not, they risk making selections that will ultimately jeopardize a timely graduation. Choosing the right courses, however, requires the student (and their advisor) to know about and properly interpret a myriad of different constraints. At UMW, these include Gen Ed and major requirements, writing and speaking intensive offerings, probable course availability, and a possibly intricate chain of prerequisites that spans multiple semesters of related courses. Failing to properly take into account one of these intertwined constraints can lead to a student failing to enroll in a course next semester that later will turn out to have been necessary for them. And even when these constraints are satisfied, keeping track of them all is tedious and error-prone. The Computer Science Department introduced an experimental web-based degree planning application this spring designed to automate this process. The system helps students build a hypothetical schedule of courses for all future semesters. In addition to a visually appealing drag-and-drop interface through which students can access the entire university catalog, the system automatically checks all of the above requirements every time the schedule is changed, alerting the user to possible problems. The system was piloted to twenty advisors and 81 students during the spring advising period. In this presentation we demonstrate this tool, present findings from the pilot test period, and outline plans for the system’s incorporation into the university advising process.
Tags: advising, web, application
Format: Formal Presentation (15 minutes)
Written on May 6, 2009 | Posted in
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Alan Griffith
Co-Presenters: Patrick Murray-John
Abstract: We designed a website “Thinking Like a Biologist: Using Diagnostic Questions to Help Students Reason With Biological Principles.” This website is a Drupal installation that is designed to deliver information about an NSF funded project called “Diagnostic Question Clusters to Improve Student Reasoning and Understanding in General Biology Courses.” The original purpose of this site was to deliver information to faculty across the US that supports their use of new, student learning assessments for Introductory Biology and Ecology. We discovered several challenges in the design and implementation of our drupal. The biologists brought naïve ideas to the design table about the function and organization of an information delivery website. The computer scientist brought naïve ideas about biology concepts and education to the design table. We also knew that the purpose of this site may evolve and so design must be flexible enough to support changing needs. As a team, we taught each other enough of the ideas behind our work to work together. Trial and error in our work relationship, lead to a work model in which periodic, face-to-face work sessions were the most productive way to exchange ideas and implement the site. The project behind the site and the needs for the site continue to progress. We look forward to designing and implementing new functionality in our site this coming summer.
Website: http://demos.patrickgmj.net/griffithdemo/node
Tags: drupal, teamwork, biology, faculty development
Format: Formal Presentation (15 minutes)
Written on May 6, 2009 | Posted in
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Jim Groom
Co-Presenters: Jeff McClurken
Sue Fernsebner
Bard Efford
Serena Epstein
Abstract: This panel discussion will talk about an experiment with UMW Blogs that centers around faculty and students mapping their own domains to a blog site. The experiment is centered around thinking about the implications of digital identity as well as what it means to have and cultivate your professional and personal online presence.
Website: http://bavatuesdays.com
Tags: domain, umwblogs, digital identity,
Format: Panel Discussion (typically 45-60 minutes)
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Craig Vasey
Co-Presenters: I don’t propose any, but if you think this would fit better as part of a panel, that’s ok with me.
Abstract: In June-July 2008 I taught “Intro to Logic” entirely on-line, and used the on-line Drupal-based book I developed in 2006-07. I’ll show the site and give an overview of how I conceived the course: the chat rooms, mp3 postings, powerpoints, blogs, papers and commentaries, homework, and exams. I’ll talk about what I thought were the strengths and weaknesses of the format, and how I’ll modify my planning for June-July 2009.
Tags: on line course, drupal, chat rooms
Format: Formal Presentation (15 minutes)
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Leslie Madsen-Brooks
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)
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Jim Groom
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)
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Jim Groom
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)
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Joseph Dreiss
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)
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