WORDLE TIPS
Rebecca Wesley, Clinical Coordinator and Instructor in our Veterinary Technology program, says that she and her students love using Wordle in the classroom. I have heard from a few of you since talking about that online resource at Vice Chancellor Cross's fall semester kickoff meeting. Wordle does not provide a way to save your projects but there are ways around that. Of course you can print it but you may also want an electronic copy. The best way to create your file is to use this technique. In Windows you can always hit the Print Screen button. Next open up Word, Open Office, or graphics program such as Paint and paste it in. Use the cropping tool in that program to get what you want. In Windows 7 you may wish to use the Snip It Tool which gives you a lot more options including the ability to save as an image and crop. Send me some of your favorites and I will post them to the blog.

CONFERENCE OPPORTUNITIES
The call for proposals is now out for the 5th annual conference on Higher Education Pedagogy to be held at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA on February 6-8, 2013. Proposals are due by October 8, 2012. The conference showcases the best pedagogical practice and research in higher education today. Sessions address disciplinary and interdisciplinary instructional strategies, outcomes, and research. Registration is now open for the Designing and Improving an Effective Online Science Course annual conference to be held November 1 and 2, 2012 at Parkland College in Champaign, IL. This conference will allow for the sharing of ideas, experiences, and research on online education in the fields of physics, chemistry, astronomy, earth science, and biology, focusing on courses which are both 100% online and hybrid. The goals are to promote a high quality online science education and to improve student learning in the online environment. If you have taught online classes and have something to share, or are new to online delivery and need a few pointers, this workshop is for you. 

YOUR OPINION MATTERS
If you have not completed the Teaching+Learning Center's needs assessment survey, I urge you to take it now. The survey is short but will provide valuable information as we move to begin programming for the coming months.

CAPTURE THE MOMENT
After we discussed the use of Wordle to create word clouds at the faculty meeting last week, a number of you contacted us to get some more information. Studies suggest that the current generation of traditional college students, often referred to as Millennials, can be engaged through visual stimulation and creative, active learning strategies. The importance of using Wordles in your course is not necessarily about the words used but more about capturing the opinions and emotions of that moment. The thought-provoking images also afford openings to start conversations between and among students and teachers. George Williams offers some alternative uses for Wordle in a piece he wrote for The Chronicle of Higher Education.

DEVELOPMENTALLY SUCCESSFUL
Dr. Peter Bahr's article Does Mathematics Remediation Work?: A Comparative Analysis of Academic Attainment among Community College Students offers evidence that indicates that remedial math programs are highly effective at resolving skill deficiencies. Bahr says that at least three important implications for educational policy may be drawn from this work. First, when mathematics remediation works, it works extremely well. Second, remediation is not simply one of many functions of the community college but is fundamental to the activities of the community college. Third, his analysis suggests that, all else being equal, assisting all remedial math students to remediate successfully may reduce the number of students who enroll in nonvocational math, but do not complete a credential and do not transfer, by as much as two-thirds (65%).

70805 RISES
Baton Rouge Community College is partnering with local entities to provide educational training for the folks living in the 70805 zip code.The training initiative was born out of a partnership among the Capital Area Technical College, Baton Rouge Community College and area companies including Exxon Mobil and Turner Industries. CATC Chief Development Officer Tammy Brown said the initiative calls for 60 people to be selected out of about 150 people who have applied so far to earn free classes in welding, pipe fitting and electrical work. Those students will earn national certification through the program and assistance finding a job with one of the participating sponsors. Baton Rouge Community College Chancellor Andrea Miller added that “it’s always good when businesses are able to connect their needs with the training of the people living in close physical proximity.