Monday, January 14, 2008
Brought to you by the Teaching Resource Center

As you prepare for the Spring semester, make plans to attend the January Teaching Workshop. This half-day workshop is a great forum to discuss innovative ways to approach common teaching concerns and to connect with colleagues throughout the University. Join us as we reenergize for the upcoming semester. We regret that budget cuts mean we will be unable to provide lunch after JTW.

Location: All Session will take place in Clark Hall

8:30-9:00 CHECK-IN AND ON-SITE REGISTRATION

9:00 WELCOME
Clark Hall, Room 108

9:30-11:00 CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Clickers: Engaging Students in Learning
Edward Murphy, Associate Professor of Astronomy
Sarah Farrell, Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Nursing
Angeline Lillard, Professor of Psychology
Clark Hall, Room 108

How can instructors engage students in meaningful ways, tap into their curiosity for the subject, and encourage them to actively pursue knowledge? Many instructors have found the answer in Student Response Systems (SRS), or clickers—small, hand-held devices that allow students to respond electronically to instructor questions in real time. Because clickers are an interactive technology, using them in classes can help engage students in the learning process. Following a hands-on demonstration, faculty with experience using clickers will discuss why they use the devices, how they use them and what effect they have on student learning. NB: The SRS system demonstrated at this event was funded by a grant from the U.Va. Parents Committee.

Students as Speakers: Developing Oral Skills
Judith Reagan, TRC Associate Director; Drama
Clark Hall, Room 102

Although college graduates are improving in some areas, employers are reporting a decline in speaking ability. Many students themselves express a lack of confidence about speaking cogently to groups. This session will consider how you can reinforce students’ learning and confidence with oral reports. We’ll discuss ways to create a variety of targeted, time-efficient speaking assignments, to adapt these to your own courses, and to develop rubrics for grading them.

Leading a Discussion Section for Someone Else’s Lecture Course
Ryan Cordell, Graduate Instructor; English
Clark Hall, Room 101

This workshop will provide strategies for leading great discussions as part of someone else’s large lecture course. We’ll discuss ways to guide students into immediate and open discussion, thereby minimizing the amount of time that the TA spends talking. In addition, we will focus on techniques for connecting student ideas to lecture material, ways to build connections across the course, and ideas for dealing with perception of discrepancies between sections. This workshop will be driven by participants’ ideas and suggestions, providing a forum for graduate instructors to share questions and discuss solutions.

11:10-12:40 CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Mentoring the Next Generation of Scholars
Bethany Teachman, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Robert Kelly, Professor of Materials Science & Engineering
Mitchell Green, Cavaliers' Distinguished Teaching Professor of Philosophy (2007-09)
Clark Hall, Room 102

As faculty, how can we best promote the professional development of graduate students and post-docs, guiding them smoothly to their future careers as faculty? The panelists will kick off the discussion by sharing their experiences and recommendations as we discuss ways mentoring can mutually benefit you and your research or teaching assistants, now and for the future.

NB: Rob Kelly's manual for his graduate and UG student research teams is on-line: http://www.virginia.edu/cese/kelly/Personal%20Web%20Page_files/rkmanualv011005.pdf

Collaborative Learning: Helping Students Learn How to Learn
Michael S. Palmer, TRC Faculty Consultant; Chemistry
Clark Hall, Room 108

Noted expert Barbara Millis finds that collaborative learning, or structured group work, helps instructors accomplish a variety of important goals, including “enhancing critical thinking; promoting deep—as opposed to superficial—learning; encouraging both self-esteem and the acceptance of others.” In this session, we’ll define collaborative learning, and discuss how, specifically, it enhances critical thinking, promotes deep learning, and, as Millis suggests, shifts the focus from instructor to students. Participants will experience a variety of collaborative learning techniques and explore ways to overcome barriers associated with implementation.

“Will this be on the exam?”: Science Exams as Tools for Engaging Students in the Learning Process
Irina Mitrea, Associate Professor of Mathematics
Clark Hall, Room 107

This workshop focuses on the role of science exams as tools for communication and for monitoring students progress in the course. We will discuss multiple choice, true-false, problem solving, matching, oral and completion type exams together with the larger issues of giving students information about the exam content, handling student questions about exams, and grading. This workshop will draw on examples from science, engineering and mathematics courses.