WHAT SHOULD ACADEMIC ADVISING LOOK LIKE AT BRCC
Jeffrey Selingo's article on academic advising lists many of the same issues we are currently experiencing. In his article, he notes that academic advising "has always been one of those intractable problems on college campuses. Students rarely think about it until that frantic moment when they need someone to sign the registration form for next semester's classes. Only 4 of 10 students consider counselors their primary source of advice regarding academic plans, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement, an annual poll of freshmen and seniors. A third of freshmen turn to friends or family. One in 10 students never even meet with an academic counselor." Please remember to join us tomorrow at 1:00 pm in the Teaching+Learning Center as we continue with our discussion on creating an academic advising program of excellence.
CAN YOU HOLD THAT IDEA FOR A MINUTE
Dr. Maryellen Weimer's latest blog post offers some solid assistance for those who like to use classroom discussion. She writes, "The classroom discussion is going pretty well. Students are offering some good comments and more than one hand is in the air. Then a student makes a really excellent observation that opens up a whole avenue of relevant possibilities. You follow-up by calling on a student whose hand has been in the air for some time. Her comment is fine, but it’s totally unrelated to the previous comment. How do you get students to respond to each other’s comments? How do you get student comments to build on a key topic so that it becomes more like a real discussion?"
DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION IS AN OPPORTUNITY
Dr. Hunter Boylan's editorial on community colleges and remedial education strikes a few familiar chords. He writes, "Members of the professional community in developmental education agree with many studies suggesting that simply placing students in remedial courses is an inadequate response to the problems of underpreparedness among entering college students. They would further tend to agree that the current process of identifying and placing underprepared students is flawed and that the entire process of assessing, advising and teaching them needs reform. But if there is a 'solution' to the remediation education 'problem,' it is vastly more complex than many reform advocates and most policy makers acknowledge. It will require that community colleges change the way they do remediation. It will also require that they address non-academic issues that may prevent students from succeeding, improve the quality of instruction at all levels, revise financial aid policies, provide better advising to students at risk, integrate instruction and support services, teach college success skills, invest in professional development and do all of these things in a systematic manner integrated into the mainstream of the institution."
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
WHY DO UNICORNS ALWAYS LAND ON ALL FOUR LEGS
Are you ready to discuss your ideas and solutions with your colleagues about how to improve student success at BRCC? As academics, we are at the teaching front-line. The success of our institution is squarely on our shoulders. Having seen the passion you have for the success of your students, I know that the community of scholars at BRCC is ready to start the movement. On Thursday, April 24 beginning at 1:00 pm, we will gather in the Teaching+Learning Center to discuss the happiness effect, strategies for rewiring our brains, random acts of kindness, and how to create a flourishing campus. Engagement specialists Dr. Sandra Guzman and Mr. Paul Guidry will facilitate the session along with me. We need for you to come and have a frank, honest discussion with your colleagues. Will you answer the call? You can register now. Then watch this TEDx video (it is only 13 minutes long) to help prepare yourself for the gathering.
ACADEMIC ADVISING PROGRAM NEEDS YOUR INPUT
Student success depends on many things and one of the most important components is academic advising, as indicated by the coverage it it receiving in the press. That is why many of your faculty and professional staff members came together on April 2 to hear what the current academic advising landscape looks like. The webinar presented several different models for success and we need to adopt our own version to create an advising program of excellence. The next opportunity for you to have input into that process is April 29. We will gather in the Teaching+Learning Center at 1:00 pm to discuss how we plan to move forward. During the last session, we asked that academic advising be defined and we have received a number of suggestions. As we pare the suggestions to one, it is important to receive input for each of you. That is one of the topics up for discussion at the session on the 29th. We will also discuss the creation of an academic advising handbook and how we can build a sustainable model that maximizes student success.
FREE RESOURCES ON FLIPPING THE CLASSROOM
Inside Higher Ed is today releasing a free compilation of articles and essays -- in print-on-demand format -- about the flipped classroom. The articles and essays reflect key discussions about pedagogy, technology and the role of faculty members. Download the booklet here. This booklet is part of a series of such compilations that Inside Higher Ed is publishing on a range of topics. On Thursday May 8, at 1 p.m. Inside Higher Ed editors Scott Jaschik and Doug Lederman will conduct a free webinar to talk about the issues raised in the booklet's articles. To register for the webinar, please click here.
Are you ready to discuss your ideas and solutions with your colleagues about how to improve student success at BRCC? As academics, we are at the teaching front-line. The success of our institution is squarely on our shoulders. Having seen the passion you have for the success of your students, I know that the community of scholars at BRCC is ready to start the movement. On Thursday, April 24 beginning at 1:00 pm, we will gather in the Teaching+Learning Center to discuss the happiness effect, strategies for rewiring our brains, random acts of kindness, and how to create a flourishing campus. Engagement specialists Dr. Sandra Guzman and Mr. Paul Guidry will facilitate the session along with me. We need for you to come and have a frank, honest discussion with your colleagues. Will you answer the call? You can register now. Then watch this TEDx video (it is only 13 minutes long) to help prepare yourself for the gathering.
ACADEMIC ADVISING PROGRAM NEEDS YOUR INPUT
Student success depends on many things and one of the most important components is academic advising, as indicated by the coverage it it receiving in the press. That is why many of your faculty and professional staff members came together on April 2 to hear what the current academic advising landscape looks like. The webinar presented several different models for success and we need to adopt our own version to create an advising program of excellence. The next opportunity for you to have input into that process is April 29. We will gather in the Teaching+Learning Center at 1:00 pm to discuss how we plan to move forward. During the last session, we asked that academic advising be defined and we have received a number of suggestions. As we pare the suggestions to one, it is important to receive input for each of you. That is one of the topics up for discussion at the session on the 29th. We will also discuss the creation of an academic advising handbook and how we can build a sustainable model that maximizes student success.
FREE RESOURCES ON FLIPPING THE CLASSROOM
Inside Higher Ed is today releasing a free compilation of articles and essays -- in print-on-demand format -- about the flipped classroom. The articles and essays reflect key discussions about pedagogy, technology and the role of faculty members. Download the booklet here. This booklet is part of a series of such compilations that Inside Higher Ed is publishing on a range of topics. On Thursday May 8, at 1 p.m. Inside Higher Ed editors Scott Jaschik and Doug Lederman will conduct a free webinar to talk about the issues raised in the booklet's articles. To register for the webinar, please click here.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
DID YOU ENRICH YOUR LIFE AT ARTS FEST
BRCC Arts Fest 2014 comes to a close on Friday, April 10 but the effects of this years fantastic event will echo for a while. The faculty and staff, most of whom teach in the Division of Liberal Arts, are to be commended for putting on such a first rate event. The extensiveness of the schedule alone illustrates the enormous time and effort it took to create this event and the results have been incredible. This year's event was held in partnership with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. You still have a chance to enjoy the student art showcase and closing reception to be held on Friday, April 11 from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm in the Magnolia Building's gallery. Music will be performed by Dr. Charles Brooks, instructor of entertainment technology and music.
DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION POLICIES EMERGE
As the pressure on community colleges (like BRCC) to accelerate or even eliminate remedial-education requirements intensifies, vexing questions are being asked about the impact such a shift could have on low-income and minority students. Those who are the least prepared for college stand the most to lose from policies that push students quickly into college-level classes, according to some of the educators gathered at the annual meeting of the American Association of Community Colleges. And those students tend, disproportionately, to be minority and poor. But others argue that struggling students are ill served when they have to pass through a lengthy series of remedial courses before they can start earning college credit. Too often, they get discouraged and drop out before earning a single credit. “For many of these students, a remedial course is their first college experience, as well as their last,” Stan Jones, president of the nonprofit advocacy group Complete College America, said on Monday during a session that delved into the politics behind developmental-education reform. Here is the rest of the story published by The Chronicle of Higher Education. This issue received some local attention as the developmental education annual symposium was held on the Mid City Campus today. Nationally known experts including Dr. John Roueche, President of the Roueche Graduate Center at National American University; Dr. Terry O'Banion, President Emeritus and Senior League Fellow at the League for Innovation in the Community College; Andrea Hendricks, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Georgia Perimeter College and Interim Department Chair for the Online Math/CS Department; Susan Bernstein, Lecturer in English and a Co-Coordinator of the Stretch program at Arizona State University in Tempe; and, Riki Kucheck, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Orange Coast College, discussed present and proposed solutions to the issues that many of our under-prepared students face. The symposium was coordinated by the BRCC STAR Gates Title III staff.
HARD AT WORK TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Professors work long days, on weekends, on and off campus, and largely alone. Responsible for a growing number of administrative tasks, they also do research more on their own time than during the traditional work week. The biggest chunk of their time is spent teaching. Those are the preliminary findings of an ongoing study at Boise State University of faculty workload allocation, which stamps out old notions of professors engaged primarily in their own research and esoteric discussions with fellow scholars. “The ivory tower is a beacon — not a One World Trade Center, but an ancient reflection of a bygone era — a quasar,” says John Ziker, chair of the anthropology department at Boise State University. “In today’s competitive higher-education environment, traditional universities and their faculty must necessarily do more and more, and show accomplishments by the numbers, whether it be the number of graduates, the number of peer-reviewed articles published or the grant dollars won." Here is the rest of this story published by Inside Higher Ed.
DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION POLICIES EMERGE
As the pressure on community colleges (like BRCC) to accelerate or even eliminate remedial-education requirements intensifies, vexing questions are being asked about the impact such a shift could have on low-income and minority students. Those who are the least prepared for college stand the most to lose from policies that push students quickly into college-level classes, according to some of the educators gathered at the annual meeting of the American Association of Community Colleges. And those students tend, disproportionately, to be minority and poor. But others argue that struggling students are ill served when they have to pass through a lengthy series of remedial courses before they can start earning college credit. Too often, they get discouraged and drop out before earning a single credit. “For many of these students, a remedial course is their first college experience, as well as their last,” Stan Jones, president of the nonprofit advocacy group Complete College America, said on Monday during a session that delved into the politics behind developmental-education reform. Here is the rest of the story published by The Chronicle of Higher Education. This issue received some local attention as the developmental education annual symposium was held on the Mid City Campus today. Nationally known experts including Dr. John Roueche, President of the Roueche Graduate Center at National American University; Dr. Terry O'Banion, President Emeritus and Senior League Fellow at the League for Innovation in the Community College; Andrea Hendricks, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Georgia Perimeter College and Interim Department Chair for the Online Math/CS Department; Susan Bernstein, Lecturer in English and a Co-Coordinator of the Stretch program at Arizona State University in Tempe; and, Riki Kucheck, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Orange Coast College, discussed present and proposed solutions to the issues that many of our under-prepared students face. The symposium was coordinated by the BRCC STAR Gates Title III staff.
HARD AT WORK TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Professors work long days, on weekends, on and off campus, and largely alone. Responsible for a growing number of administrative tasks, they also do research more on their own time than during the traditional work week. The biggest chunk of their time is spent teaching. Those are the preliminary findings of an ongoing study at Boise State University of faculty workload allocation, which stamps out old notions of professors engaged primarily in their own research and esoteric discussions with fellow scholars. “The ivory tower is a beacon — not a One World Trade Center, but an ancient reflection of a bygone era — a quasar,” says John Ziker, chair of the anthropology department at Boise State University. “In today’s competitive higher-education environment, traditional universities and their faculty must necessarily do more and more, and show accomplishments by the numbers, whether it be the number of graduates, the number of peer-reviewed articles published or the grant dollars won." Here is the rest of this story published by Inside Higher Ed.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
HEALTHY LIVING CREATES BRAINS FOR LEARNING
One of the many topics we teach in the College Success Skills course offered at BRCC is the benefits of being healthy. The discussion centers on how your lifestyle really impacts your ability to learn. Part of the lesson is about diet and how foods affect your brain. Another aspect discussed is the benefits of exercise. I like to use some of the examples from Dr. Terry Doyle's book Learner-Centered Teaching. Doyle surveyed faculty members at different institutions to find out how they got their students moving rather than just having them sit and talk. One method he discovered is the "moving discussion" which allows student to walk for 15 to 20 minutes with a partner or a group and discuss various topics which are assigned by the instructor. When they return, they are asked to share their conclusions with the class. An even simpler method he shared allows students time to stand and stretch when needed during class. It provides a respite from boredom and allows you to recapture your student's attention. Research shows that having built in breaks during your class, will improve learning as it battles short attention spans and encourages deeper thinking about the subject at hand.
ASK FOR FEEDBACK REGULARLY
With all this talk about flipping, here is an idea about how you can increase the participation rate of your students on the end-of-the-semester ratings they are asked to complete. Ask your students to complete their student ratings on your teaching effectiveness based on their learning and explain to them that you plan to use their feedback to update and improve your approach based on their feedback. Ask them to give you specific comments on the things that helped them learn. Also, ask them to give you some examples of things they think would have helped them learn better in your classes. This is a continuation of the Stop-Start-Keep Doing periodic method that I have been encouraging you to use throughout the semester, so it ties in nicely if you have utilized this process. In addition, you might want to spend some time throughout the semester talking about the specific things that the student ratings are meant to capture. Sometimes students don't complete the ratings because they aren't really sure what we are asking of them. The flip in all of this is to move away from a mandate and towards a request for help.
CELEBRATING LEARNING
We continue to celebrate learning at BRCC. One of our Engaged Scholars, Paul Guidry who teaches criminal justice, sent us the following pictures from some of his classes. All of the students pictured increased their exam scores by one or more letter grades from the last exam. That is quite an accomplishment and illustrates the importance of having your students think about their preparation regimen when they receive their graded material back. Research shows that by having your students journal about how they prepared for the current test, they can begin to alter their preparation approach for the next assessment. Another technique that has been proven to improve performance on assessment instruments (like exams or papers) is to have the student correct the errors they made on the original assignment. It reinforces the right answers or methods and prepares them for the next time they are asked to apply the same knowledge. As I have shared with you in a previous tweet, research by Dr. Daniel Schacter shows that it takes both repetition and elaboration over time to form long-term memories. Dr. Carol Dweck's research also informs us that it is important when students fail, to focus the feedback on having them increase their effort and use improved strategies.
One of the many topics we teach in the College Success Skills course offered at BRCC is the benefits of being healthy. The discussion centers on how your lifestyle really impacts your ability to learn. Part of the lesson is about diet and how foods affect your brain. Another aspect discussed is the benefits of exercise. I like to use some of the examples from Dr. Terry Doyle's book Learner-Centered Teaching. Doyle surveyed faculty members at different institutions to find out how they got their students moving rather than just having them sit and talk. One method he discovered is the "moving discussion" which allows student to walk for 15 to 20 minutes with a partner or a group and discuss various topics which are assigned by the instructor. When they return, they are asked to share their conclusions with the class. An even simpler method he shared allows students time to stand and stretch when needed during class. It provides a respite from boredom and allows you to recapture your student's attention. Research shows that having built in breaks during your class, will improve learning as it battles short attention spans and encourages deeper thinking about the subject at hand.
ASK FOR FEEDBACK REGULARLY
With all this talk about flipping, here is an idea about how you can increase the participation rate of your students on the end-of-the-semester ratings they are asked to complete. Ask your students to complete their student ratings on your teaching effectiveness based on their learning and explain to them that you plan to use their feedback to update and improve your approach based on their feedback. Ask them to give you specific comments on the things that helped them learn. Also, ask them to give you some examples of things they think would have helped them learn better in your classes. This is a continuation of the Stop-Start-Keep Doing periodic method that I have been encouraging you to use throughout the semester, so it ties in nicely if you have utilized this process. In addition, you might want to spend some time throughout the semester talking about the specific things that the student ratings are meant to capture. Sometimes students don't complete the ratings because they aren't really sure what we are asking of them. The flip in all of this is to move away from a mandate and towards a request for help.
CELEBRATING LEARNING
We continue to celebrate learning at BRCC. One of our Engaged Scholars, Paul Guidry who teaches criminal justice, sent us the following pictures from some of his classes. All of the students pictured increased their exam scores by one or more letter grades from the last exam. That is quite an accomplishment and illustrates the importance of having your students think about their preparation regimen when they receive their graded material back. Research shows that by having your students journal about how they prepared for the current test, they can begin to alter their preparation approach for the next assessment. Another technique that has been proven to improve performance on assessment instruments (like exams or papers) is to have the student correct the errors they made on the original assignment. It reinforces the right answers or methods and prepares them for the next time they are asked to apply the same knowledge. As I have shared with you in a previous tweet, research by Dr. Daniel Schacter shows that it takes both repetition and elaboration over time to form long-term memories. Dr. Carol Dweck's research also informs us that it is important when students fail, to focus the feedback on having them increase their effort and use improved strategies.
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| Rosalind and Kiara with Mr. Guidry |
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| Xiaotang, Tarlesha, Devin, William, Felicia, Corey, Gloria, Hannah, Brandon, and AJ with Mr. Guidry |
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| Terrance, Honore, Tyler, Ridge, Kiara, Maria, Juan-Guevara, Kimberly, and Guysthaino with Mr. Guidry |
Friday, April 4, 2014
LATEST ADVICE FROM SCHOLARS LIKE US
Faculty Focus has released a number of very useful articles for those of us looking to improve teaching and learning in our courses. Dr. Deborah Bracke explained how she is changing the way she assesses student learning and writes, "I have found that the retrospective pre- and posttest assessment opens the door wide, and for this reason I am motivated to share it." Can you flip an online class? That is the question addressed by Dr. Barbi Honeycutt and Sarah Glova in their recent article. They noted, "The flipped classroom model can help us design more interactive and engaging online learning experiences, and online classes can help us expand on what it means to flip." Jane Gee explains how you can use reading circles to get your students to do assigned reading. She found that, "After a semester of using this technique, overwhelmingly my students reported that the activity “greatly impacted” their learning."
ACADEMIC ADVISING HELP IS ON THE WAY
If you are looking for some direction and clarification to help with your student advising responsibilities, plan on joining us on April 29 for a professional development workshop. We will continue the conversation we began with the webinar earlier this week. In addition, we are now gathering input from you on what you are looking for in the way of assistance. Please forward your ideas as well as your definition of what student advising is all about to me at pourciaut@mybrcc.edu. Look for more information soon about the workshop on the 29th which will be held during the 1:00-2:15 pm open slot.
TESTING CENTER NEEDS YOUR HELP
Please remind all of your students who are testing at Mid City, Acadian, and the various sites that they are not allowed to bring anything with them into the Testing Center. The Testing Center does have a limited number of lockers for use by the various customers. We are also asking that you remind all testers to use the scheduler for making appointments. As the volume continues to increase, we are working hard to make sure our customers receive the level of service they deserve. The policies in place are required by our partners. In addition, we are working to maintain an environment that is conducive to producing the best results for all testers. Should you have any comments, please feel free to contact the Testing Center staff at 216.8038 or via email (testingcenter@mybrcc.edu).
Faculty Focus has released a number of very useful articles for those of us looking to improve teaching and learning in our courses. Dr. Deborah Bracke explained how she is changing the way she assesses student learning and writes, "I have found that the retrospective pre- and posttest assessment opens the door wide, and for this reason I am motivated to share it." Can you flip an online class? That is the question addressed by Dr. Barbi Honeycutt and Sarah Glova in their recent article. They noted, "The flipped classroom model can help us design more interactive and engaging online learning experiences, and online classes can help us expand on what it means to flip." Jane Gee explains how you can use reading circles to get your students to do assigned reading. She found that, "After a semester of using this technique, overwhelmingly my students reported that the activity “greatly impacted” their learning."
ACADEMIC ADVISING HELP IS ON THE WAY
If you are looking for some direction and clarification to help with your student advising responsibilities, plan on joining us on April 29 for a professional development workshop. We will continue the conversation we began with the webinar earlier this week. In addition, we are now gathering input from you on what you are looking for in the way of assistance. Please forward your ideas as well as your definition of what student advising is all about to me at pourciaut@mybrcc.edu. Look for more information soon about the workshop on the 29th which will be held during the 1:00-2:15 pm open slot.
TESTING CENTER NEEDS YOUR HELP
Please remind all of your students who are testing at Mid City, Acadian, and the various sites that they are not allowed to bring anything with them into the Testing Center. The Testing Center does have a limited number of lockers for use by the various customers. We are also asking that you remind all testers to use the scheduler for making appointments. As the volume continues to increase, we are working hard to make sure our customers receive the level of service they deserve. The policies in place are required by our partners. In addition, we are working to maintain an environment that is conducive to producing the best results for all testers. Should you have any comments, please feel free to contact the Testing Center staff at 216.8038 or via email (testingcenter@mybrcc.edu).
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
ACTIVE LEARNING ON TAP FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The fact that active learning methods help to improve student success has been widely documented. Implementing active learning into your courses requires some time and attention but the rewards for you and your students is immediate and immeasurable. If you are interested in adding new tools to your teaching toolkit, especially in the active learning area, then this professional development workshop on Friday, March 28 is built for you. Teaching and Learning Interventions for Student Success will be presented at 10:00 am at the Frazier Site in room 227. Presenters Todd Pourciau and Jeanne Stacey will facilitate a lively interactive workshop that will have you ready to go. Whether you are just joining the active learning movement or are looking for supplements to enhance your current skill set, this workshop is for you. Registration is now open.
TAKING TESTING TO NEW HEIGHTS
The Testing Center at our Mid City Campus has seen a measurable increase in customer usage. The staff is working hard to accommodate the diverse numbers of users and the expanded hours this semester and testing at Acadian Campus and several of the sites has helped to relieve some of the pressure. However, it is more important than ever that we remind our students that appointments must be made in advance in order to insure that they have a spot to test. We are asking for a 24 hour minimum appointment request for all test takers. In addition, if you are teaching a course through the eLearning Program, please make sure that the Testing Center staff has all of the pertinent information before your students begin arriving for testing. As we work to improve the service we offer and to create a relaxing environment that provides the best testing opportunity for our students, it is important that we work together to maximize student success. Should you have any questions, you can contact a Testing Center staff member at 216.8038 or via email (testingcenter@mybrcc.edu). If you have specific eLearning-related questions, please contact Program Manager Susan Nealy at 216.8130 or via email (nealys@mybrcc.edu).
ONLINE TEACHING WISDOM
Liz Timbs, a Ph.D. student in History at Michigan State, has written an interesting opinion piece about how delivering a class in an online environment takes some special skills and training. She writes, "Compared to a traditional classroom setting, the virtual classroom requires a different approach to communicating with students. While email occupies a central role in how I communicate with students in a traditional course, email becomes vital for a successful virtual course. The more detail the better; this saves you from writing 2-3 emails when you can communicate all of the directions in one clear, straightforward email. Writing emails of this nature can seem very tedious and pointless, but being precise helps both the students and the teachers (or teaching assistants) a lot!" She goes on to describe a few other pearls of wisdom that she has learned on the Superhighway.
The fact that active learning methods help to improve student success has been widely documented. Implementing active learning into your courses requires some time and attention but the rewards for you and your students is immediate and immeasurable. If you are interested in adding new tools to your teaching toolkit, especially in the active learning area, then this professional development workshop on Friday, March 28 is built for you. Teaching and Learning Interventions for Student Success will be presented at 10:00 am at the Frazier Site in room 227. Presenters Todd Pourciau and Jeanne Stacey will facilitate a lively interactive workshop that will have you ready to go. Whether you are just joining the active learning movement or are looking for supplements to enhance your current skill set, this workshop is for you. Registration is now open.
TAKING TESTING TO NEW HEIGHTS
The Testing Center at our Mid City Campus has seen a measurable increase in customer usage. The staff is working hard to accommodate the diverse numbers of users and the expanded hours this semester and testing at Acadian Campus and several of the sites has helped to relieve some of the pressure. However, it is more important than ever that we remind our students that appointments must be made in advance in order to insure that they have a spot to test. We are asking for a 24 hour minimum appointment request for all test takers. In addition, if you are teaching a course through the eLearning Program, please make sure that the Testing Center staff has all of the pertinent information before your students begin arriving for testing. As we work to improve the service we offer and to create a relaxing environment that provides the best testing opportunity for our students, it is important that we work together to maximize student success. Should you have any questions, you can contact a Testing Center staff member at 216.8038 or via email (testingcenter@mybrcc.edu). If you have specific eLearning-related questions, please contact Program Manager Susan Nealy at 216.8130 or via email (nealys@mybrcc.edu).
ONLINE TEACHING WISDOM
Liz Timbs, a Ph.D. student in History at Michigan State, has written an interesting opinion piece about how delivering a class in an online environment takes some special skills and training. She writes, "Compared to a traditional classroom setting, the virtual classroom requires a different approach to communicating with students. While email occupies a central role in how I communicate with students in a traditional course, email becomes vital for a successful virtual course. The more detail the better; this saves you from writing 2-3 emails when you can communicate all of the directions in one clear, straightforward email. Writing emails of this nature can seem very tedious and pointless, but being precise helps both the students and the teachers (or teaching assistants) a lot!" She goes on to describe a few other pearls of wisdom that she has learned on the Superhighway.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
USING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
The Blackboard Series continues with a workshop on Thursday, March 27 at 1:00 pm. The professional development session is sponsored by the Teaching+Learning Center and will be held in 311 Magnolia Building (Mid City Campus). Susan Nealy and Lenora White will be sharing some of the latest Blackboard features that you can use to help your students succeed. Todd Pourciau will add some pedagogical practices using technology that have been proven to help student achievement. Some of the topics to be shared include group work, material chunking, and homework. You can register now.
THE CHAIRLIFT LESSON
Chemistry professor Steven M. Wright's one-pager on learning about teaching through his experience with his niece on a chairlift is humorous. Even better, his outcome sheds some light on the connection between teaching and learning. He writes, "Successful teaching isn’t measured by what I have covered; it is measured by what students learn. Teaching that promotes little or no learning does raise some interesting ethical questions."
ACADEMIC RIGOR IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Inside Higher Ed has an interesting piece for all of us folks who work at community colleges. Paul Fain shares some information about a recent study that examines why community college transfer students are not succeeding. He writes, "Students are much less likely to earn a four-year degree if they first enroll at a community college. A key reason, according to a newly released study, is lost credits in the transfer process." The research also dumps cold water on several other explanations for why many community college students fail to eventually complete bachelor’s degrees, such as assumptions about lowered expectations, a vocational focus or inadequate academic rigor during their time at two-year colleges.
The Blackboard Series continues with a workshop on Thursday, March 27 at 1:00 pm. The professional development session is sponsored by the Teaching+Learning Center and will be held in 311 Magnolia Building (Mid City Campus). Susan Nealy and Lenora White will be sharing some of the latest Blackboard features that you can use to help your students succeed. Todd Pourciau will add some pedagogical practices using technology that have been proven to help student achievement. Some of the topics to be shared include group work, material chunking, and homework. You can register now.
THE CHAIRLIFT LESSON
Chemistry professor Steven M. Wright's one-pager on learning about teaching through his experience with his niece on a chairlift is humorous. Even better, his outcome sheds some light on the connection between teaching and learning. He writes, "Successful teaching isn’t measured by what I have covered; it is measured by what students learn. Teaching that promotes little or no learning does raise some interesting ethical questions."
ACADEMIC RIGOR IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Inside Higher Ed has an interesting piece for all of us folks who work at community colleges. Paul Fain shares some information about a recent study that examines why community college transfer students are not succeeding. He writes, "Students are much less likely to earn a four-year degree if they first enroll at a community college. A key reason, according to a newly released study, is lost credits in the transfer process." The research also dumps cold water on several other explanations for why many community college students fail to eventually complete bachelor’s degrees, such as assumptions about lowered expectations, a vocational focus or inadequate academic rigor during their time at two-year colleges.
Friday, March 14, 2014
ENGAGED SCHOLARS CIRCLE ADDS A MEMBER
The latest honoree to be recognized by the Teaching+Learning Center for excellence in the classroom is Catherine Doyle, Instructor of Nursing in the Nursing and Allied Health Division. Catherine is a big proponent of active learning methods and uses the full teaching toolkit to get the most out of her students. That is really great since she is helping to teach the next generation of nurses for our area. We caught up with Catherine at the LCTCS conference and took the picture at the left. Catherine's students told us that she is very invested in their future and that she always finds a way to help them understand even the most complex things they have to learn. Congratulations to Catherine who joins Paul Guidry, Sandra Guzman, Wes Harris, Mary Miller, and Amy Pinero as examples of faculty who believe in the power of engagement as a retention strategy.
BUILDING ON OUR MOMENTUM CONFERENCE
This year's LCTCS conference provided a great opportunity for all of us to interact with our counterparts at the sister institutions in our system. On Thursday, I was happy to join Russell Nolan, Instructor of Biology in the Division of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, for a presentation entitled Teaching Teachers How To Teach: The science of learning, from theory to application. We were fortunate to have more than 50 colleagues join us for a session that explained the art and science of teaching using kinesiology-focused research. We were also able to extol the virtues of the scholarship of teaching and learning as a tool to help improve our teaching and our students' learning. I was again fortunate to be joined by members of our outstanding faculty for a session on Friday entitled Good Teaching Can Be Learned: Results of a faculty learning community at BRCC. Nisha Aroskar (Economics) Wes, Harris (English/Honors College), and Angela Pursley (Accounting) shared their experience from the FLC with more than 30 colleagues from around the state. Their stories were inspiring and clearly illustrated the power that faculty learning communities can have for change and growth.
JOKES CAN IMPROVE LEARNING
Dr. Alicia Rieger believes in the power of humor for the learning process. She writes, in a recent article, "Humor has been reported to increase motivation, enhance the retention of new information, advance problem-solving skills, encourage creativity and critical thinking, facilitate a positive learning environment, and decrease exam anxiety (Martin, 2007). In the college classroom, teaching should move beyond transmitting facts to encouraging students to think critically and creatively about the subject matter. According to Tamblyn (2003), students must use their imaginations and open their minds to new ideas if they are to think critically and creatively. Humor is about allowing oneself to be intellectually playful with ideas."
BUILDING ON OUR MOMENTUM CONFERENCE
This year's LCTCS conference provided a great opportunity for all of us to interact with our counterparts at the sister institutions in our system. On Thursday, I was happy to join Russell Nolan, Instructor of Biology in the Division of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, for a presentation entitled Teaching Teachers How To Teach: The science of learning, from theory to application. We were fortunate to have more than 50 colleagues join us for a session that explained the art and science of teaching using kinesiology-focused research. We were also able to extol the virtues of the scholarship of teaching and learning as a tool to help improve our teaching and our students' learning. I was again fortunate to be joined by members of our outstanding faculty for a session on Friday entitled Good Teaching Can Be Learned: Results of a faculty learning community at BRCC. Nisha Aroskar (Economics) Wes, Harris (English/Honors College), and Angela Pursley (Accounting) shared their experience from the FLC with more than 30 colleagues from around the state. Their stories were inspiring and clearly illustrated the power that faculty learning communities can have for change and growth.
JOKES CAN IMPROVE LEARNING
Dr. Alicia Rieger believes in the power of humor for the learning process. She writes, in a recent article, "Humor has been reported to increase motivation, enhance the retention of new information, advance problem-solving skills, encourage creativity and critical thinking, facilitate a positive learning environment, and decrease exam anxiety (Martin, 2007). In the college classroom, teaching should move beyond transmitting facts to encouraging students to think critically and creatively about the subject matter. According to Tamblyn (2003), students must use their imaginations and open their minds to new ideas if they are to think critically and creatively. Humor is about allowing oneself to be intellectually playful with ideas."
Friday, March 7, 2014
HAVE YOU HAD YOUR PARADIGM SHIFTED RECENTLY
My head is still reeling from the huge amount of knowledge that Dr. Jim Johnston just exposed us to in the Shifting the Teaching Paradigm faculty development workshop. Special thanks to Dianne Lindsay and Cengage for co-sponsoring this workshop. Since the point of faculty development is to take the new knowledge and integrate it into how and what we are teaching, we will gather for a recap on Monday, March 10 at noon in the Teaching+Learning Center (T+LC). You are welcome to come on Monday even if you were not able to participate in today's event. We want to share this new information with you and to facilitate a discussion among the community of scholars at BRCC. So come and debate the learning styles approach (like VARK). Come and talk about sequential versus global teaching and learning. Find out what ANTs represent (you can cheat by visiting the T+LC twitter page). I always say that we must teach the student we have, not the ones we want. Dr. Johnston concurs and adds "you need to teach the students in your class about how to learn in your class." Bring your lunch and a colleague but please come and participate in this next step of our movement to shifting the teaching paradigm at BRCC.
INFORMATION YOU CAN SHARE WITH YOUR STUDENTS
The Testing Center has implemented a new policy that will ensure a more supportive and quieter testing environment. Check-in for all testers will now occur at the front desk as you enter the lobby for the Testing Center/Library/Advising Center in the Magnolia Building (Mid City Campus). Students can not only check in to test but can also reserve a locker for their personal belongings (backpacks, purses, laptops, etc.). The Testing Center is working hard to provide the proper climate to enhance the performance of all of our students. Please remind your students to schedule there testing times using the online reservation system. If you have questions for the Testing Center staff, you can email (testingcenter@mybrcc.edu) or contact them by phone (216.8038). The Mid City Testing Center is open Monday through Wednesday from 8:00 am until 7:00 pm, on Thursday from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm and on Friday from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. Saturday testing will occur on March 8 and 22, April 5 and 26, and May 10 from 8:00am until 12:00 pm. The Testing Center will be closed on Thursday, March 13 for the LCTCS professional development annual conference.
DO STUDENTS CALL YOU BY YOUR FIRST NAME
Katrina Gulliver covers the topic of classroom formality in her opinion piece with a lighter side. She writes, "I am not your friend; I am not 'Miss.' Is it just me, or are we witnessing an epidemic of familiarity among undergraduates? They’re all calling me by my first name. Is this happening in your classroom too? I’m not that much older than a lot of my students, generationally (I’m apparently just on the cusp between being an echo-boomer and a millennial, for those who keep track -- but old enough I don’t think they’re mistaking me for a fellow undergrad). However, I feel like their grandmother when I receive their emails, and clutch my pearls when I get a message addressed to “Hi Katrina” (or just “hi”) from students I haven’t even met." What do you think?
My head is still reeling from the huge amount of knowledge that Dr. Jim Johnston just exposed us to in the Shifting the Teaching Paradigm faculty development workshop. Special thanks to Dianne Lindsay and Cengage for co-sponsoring this workshop. Since the point of faculty development is to take the new knowledge and integrate it into how and what we are teaching, we will gather for a recap on Monday, March 10 at noon in the Teaching+Learning Center (T+LC). You are welcome to come on Monday even if you were not able to participate in today's event. We want to share this new information with you and to facilitate a discussion among the community of scholars at BRCC. So come and debate the learning styles approach (like VARK). Come and talk about sequential versus global teaching and learning. Find out what ANTs represent (you can cheat by visiting the T+LC twitter page). I always say that we must teach the student we have, not the ones we want. Dr. Johnston concurs and adds "you need to teach the students in your class about how to learn in your class." Bring your lunch and a colleague but please come and participate in this next step of our movement to shifting the teaching paradigm at BRCC.
INFORMATION YOU CAN SHARE WITH YOUR STUDENTS
The Testing Center has implemented a new policy that will ensure a more supportive and quieter testing environment. Check-in for all testers will now occur at the front desk as you enter the lobby for the Testing Center/Library/Advising Center in the Magnolia Building (Mid City Campus). Students can not only check in to test but can also reserve a locker for their personal belongings (backpacks, purses, laptops, etc.). The Testing Center is working hard to provide the proper climate to enhance the performance of all of our students. Please remind your students to schedule there testing times using the online reservation system. If you have questions for the Testing Center staff, you can email (testingcenter@mybrcc.edu) or contact them by phone (216.8038). The Mid City Testing Center is open Monday through Wednesday from 8:00 am until 7:00 pm, on Thursday from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm and on Friday from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. Saturday testing will occur on March 8 and 22, April 5 and 26, and May 10 from 8:00am until 12:00 pm. The Testing Center will be closed on Thursday, March 13 for the LCTCS professional development annual conference.
DO STUDENTS CALL YOU BY YOUR FIRST NAME
Katrina Gulliver covers the topic of classroom formality in her opinion piece with a lighter side. She writes, "I am not your friend; I am not 'Miss.' Is it just me, or are we witnessing an epidemic of familiarity among undergraduates? They’re all calling me by my first name. Is this happening in your classroom too? I’m not that much older than a lot of my students, generationally (I’m apparently just on the cusp between being an echo-boomer and a millennial, for those who keep track -- but old enough I don’t think they’re mistaking me for a fellow undergrad). However, I feel like their grandmother when I receive their emails, and clutch my pearls when I get a message addressed to “Hi Katrina” (or just “hi”) from students I haven’t even met." What do you think?
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
REGISTER FOR FRIDAY'S FACULTY DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
The last day to register to attend the Shifting the Teaching Paradigm workshop set for Friday, March 7 is Thursday at noon. Lunch will be provided by Cengage, who is sponsoring the faculty development opportunity along with the Teaching+Learning Center, and there will also be snacks. Dr. Jim Johnson is very excited to be visiting the Capital City and is anxious to interact with the wonderful faculty at BRCC. Hopefully you have recovered from your Mardi Gras break and are ready to learn about effective methods that you can use to improve completion and retention rates. Looking forward to seeing you at 12:25 pm on Friday (check-in begins at noon outside of the Dumas Room in the Magnolia Building-Mid City Campus).
IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING USING DISCUSSION
Our friends at BYU have released a good article that can provide help for online discussions that can occur in face-to-face or eLearning classes. They write, "We often focus on presentation skills as oral communication skills, but students more frequently need to either lead or contribute to productive group discussions. Small group discussions can easily go off the rails when students indulge in off-topic talking, inadequate listening, and disrespectful behavior. The dynamic quality of class discussion presents challenges to faculty who would like to hold students accountable for the quality of their participation in these discussions." The full article is here.
SHARPEN YOUR BLACKBOARD SKILLS
Save the March 27 date for a faculty professional development workshop focused on Blackboard. Co-presenters Susan Nealy (eLearning Program Manager) and Lenora White (BRCC Blackboard Administer) will be offering up some of the latest options available to you via Blackboard. Whether you are new to Blackboard or an experienced user, you will find this workshop useful. More details will be coming but the session will run from 1:00 until 2:15 pm. In the meantime, you might want to read the latest article from Dr. John Orlando concerning his top ten rules for developing your first online course. If you are interested in teaching using the online environment, please contact your department chair for requirements and training options.
The last day to register to attend the Shifting the Teaching Paradigm workshop set for Friday, March 7 is Thursday at noon. Lunch will be provided by Cengage, who is sponsoring the faculty development opportunity along with the Teaching+Learning Center, and there will also be snacks. Dr. Jim Johnson is very excited to be visiting the Capital City and is anxious to interact with the wonderful faculty at BRCC. Hopefully you have recovered from your Mardi Gras break and are ready to learn about effective methods that you can use to improve completion and retention rates. Looking forward to seeing you at 12:25 pm on Friday (check-in begins at noon outside of the Dumas Room in the Magnolia Building-Mid City Campus).
IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING USING DISCUSSION
Our friends at BYU have released a good article that can provide help for online discussions that can occur in face-to-face or eLearning classes. They write, "We often focus on presentation skills as oral communication skills, but students more frequently need to either lead or contribute to productive group discussions. Small group discussions can easily go off the rails when students indulge in off-topic talking, inadequate listening, and disrespectful behavior. The dynamic quality of class discussion presents challenges to faculty who would like to hold students accountable for the quality of their participation in these discussions." The full article is here.
SHARPEN YOUR BLACKBOARD SKILLS
Save the March 27 date for a faculty professional development workshop focused on Blackboard. Co-presenters Susan Nealy (eLearning Program Manager) and Lenora White (BRCC Blackboard Administer) will be offering up some of the latest options available to you via Blackboard. Whether you are new to Blackboard or an experienced user, you will find this workshop useful. More details will be coming but the session will run from 1:00 until 2:15 pm. In the meantime, you might want to read the latest article from Dr. John Orlando concerning his top ten rules for developing your first online course. If you are interested in teaching using the online environment, please contact your department chair for requirements and training options.
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