Update on Teaching
September 1998
Contents:
From the Director...
Preparing Future Faculty
Program
Web Site Reports (WSR)
LTC Ped-Tech
Wisconsin Teaching Fellows
Program
Technology-Using Faculty (TUF)
Undergraduate
Teaching Improvement Guidelines 1999-2000
Web Course in a Box (WCB)
- Version 3
PFF
Conference Announcement
UW System PK-16 Initiative
My How We Have Grown...
Brown Bags
Undergraduate
Teaching Improvement Council - Conference Development Grant Guidelines
From
the Director...
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Tony Ciccone |
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Focus on student learning
CIPD workshops emphasize the value of a
pedagogy which stresses active student involvement in learning. All of us are continually
looking for better ways to make the classroom a more interactive place. We use
writing-to-learn activities to initiate discussion, "interrupted lecture"
techniques to find out if students are following us, small groups to help us get all
students to participate. At times, however, we're frustrated in our efforts because our
students aren't ready to participate and even seem to prefer the passivity which the
"straight lecture" can sometimes encourage. Faced with the choice of trying to
devise yet another strategy to engage students or to simply cover the material ourselves,
we often choose the latter, more familiar solution.
There does seem to be another possibility.
In my own teaching, I've come to realize that a great deal of learning needs to take place
between classes. Consequently, I spend time helping students, especially freshmen and
sophomores, design efficient and effective ways to consolidate what they've just learned,
incorporate new information, and, most importantly, prepare to go further with that new
information in the next class.
Some techniques and suggestions to students
that seem to work:
- Provide a short set of focused questions for
readings, and require students to bring written responses. Use these to generate
discussion, if that's you're goal. Collect and grade them occasionally, if you wish.
- Ask students to raise one or two questions
based on the assignment. Start your lecture with responses, or indicate where the
questions will be addressed that day.
- Make sure that students understand that you
expect two hours of outside work for each class hour. I'm always amazed at the reactions I
get to this expectation.
- Use an electronic listserv to post questions
for discussion before class. At the Learning Technology Center, we can show you how to do
this efficiently using Web Course in a Box.
- Help students design better "retrieval
strategies." I've suggested using post-it's, margin notes, and learning journals.
- Take time in class to put assignments in
context, explaining not only what is to be done but why and how. "Read and study
Chapter One" doesn't help much.
- When you meet with students individually,
take the opportunity to ask about the strategies they use. Not only will you learn more
about how to help that individual but you'll also uncover strategies you can suggest to
others.
Time for better communication
At CIPD, we realize that faculty, academic
staff, and graduate students regularly receive a blizzard of information on grant
programs, events, and teaching resources. In order to help you make better and more timely
use of this information, we've initiated the Center Liaison Program this year. Each
department designates one person who, in addition to the chair, will receive via email
monthly updates on upcoming programs. These updates will include the usual program
materials for department distribution or circulation, as well as brief explanations,
suggestions, tips, etc., designed to help the Center Liaison encourage participation and
answer simple questions.
Your department Center Liaison should have
been named by now. Please ask the chair who it is, or contact us at CIPD.
Special thanks
Over 180 new teaching assistants and
lecturers attended this year’s orientation program on August 24th. CIPD thanks the
department chairs and coordinators for encouraging attendance. We also thank our fearless
workshop leaders, Renee Meyers, Janice Miller, Bob Kaleta, Alan Aycock, Lisa Bradford,
Marta Luca, Charmaine Clowney, Tory Boswell, Claudia Barreto, and the irrepressible Irv
Mitchell!!
Academic Year 1998-99 promises to be one of
the most successful for UWM. The Department of Mathematical Sciences leads the way with
the largest number of participants. Seven graduate students and six faculty members have
received two grants from PFF to strengthen teaching assistant development throughout the
Fall semester. In other departments, Professors Petro (English) and Barreto (Biology) have
received grants for future faculty development programs. In the School of Architecture and
Urban Planning, Professor Hanlon has received a grant to help support a new Teaching
Assistant position dedicated, in part, to training future teachers of architecture.
Finally, Professor Gillam (English) is working with a graduate student to develop teaching
workshops scheduled to take place during the Spring Semester.
The Preparing Future Faculty Programs of
UWM and Marquette University are happy to announce their conference on Professional
Development, to be held on Friday and Saturday, October 23-24, 1998. This year's theme is
"Preparing for the Future of Higher Education." The conference will include
individual presentations, panels, roundtables, and workshops on various aspects of the
Future of Higher Education: theoretical and practical, global and local. We anticipate
that this topic will be approached from a multitude of angles, and will be a framework for
a variety of conversations. One of the conference's highlights promises to be at the
conclusion of the first day when Chancellor Nancy Zimpher will address the conference
participants in the Library Conference Center. CIPD/PFF invites everyone to attend both
days of the conference and especially to hear Chancellor Zimpher's remarks. Look for
detailed conference information on page 6.
Finally, CIPD is pleased to welcome the new
PFF Coordinator. Benjamin A Schneider is a dissertator in the Department of English and is
a PFF veteran. Ben and Professor Petro received a grant for the 1997-98 academic year. Any
inquiries concerning PFF should be directed to Ben at x6638 or <terrapin@uwm.edu>.
For several months now, the subscribers of
Ped-tech have had the opportunity to view the Web Site Reports. These reports, provided by
the technical consultants of the LTC, offer information on the featured Web site of the
day. The WSRs cover all disciplines and are generally geared toward the use of educational
technology in the classroom. They cover discipline specific as well as general technical
information. All of the Web Site Reports have been placed in a database that will be
uploaded into a Web Site Reports Web site linked to the LTC Homepage. This site will be
fully functional this fall.
What is Ped-Tech?
Ped-Tech is an electronic meeting place for
UWM faculty and teaching staff who are interested in using technology for improving
teaching and enhancing student learning. Faculty and staff can post questions, share
problems, seek suggestions, and give advice to one another on matters related to the use
of instructional technology and its integration into the curriculum. This discussion group
is also used to disseminate information on new developments, workshops, and conferences
related to learning technologies. A special feature is the Web Site Report (WSR) which
identifies new educational sites on the Web that could be useful in courses. Ped-tech is
sponsored by the Learning Technology Center (LTC).
How to Join Ped-Tech
1. Send an email message addressed to
listserv@csd.uwm.edu
2. Leave rest of message header blank
3. In the first line of the message
enter:subscribe ped-tech yourfirstname yourlastname
4. Leave everything else blank - no other
messages, no signatures
5. You will receive a greeting from
ped-tech telling you that your subscription is active.
Purpose:
Provide up to 25 of the System’s most
promising teacher-scholars (2 per campus) collegial opportunities to develop their
thinking about college teaching, to learn about innovative pedagogical practice, and
ultimately to become resources to their colleagues.
Eligibility:
Faculty members in their first ten years of
college teaching in the UW System with 3 years of full-time teaching experience at the
university level (OR) Full time instructional academic staff who have been affiliated for
at least three years and no more than ten years with their institution.
Requirements:
- Attend UTIC Faculty College, May 24-27, 1999
at UWC-Marinette
- Attend WTF Summer Institute, July 26-August
5, 1999, in Madison
- Attend two UTIC conferences and workshops in
Fall and Spring
- Undertake a scholarly teaching project and
present the results.
Funding:
- Travel, meals and lodging provided by CIPD
- Stipends and/or released time negotiated
with Dean
- Program costs provided by UTIC
Application:
Available from your Chair or Dean, or CIPD
Deadlines:
November 13, 1998 (due at CIPD)
The Learning Technology Center (LTC) has
sought to be a campus resource for using technology to enhance instruction. One of our
goals is to make faculty and teaching staff more aware of how technology can be used to
improve teaching and learning. One way of doing this is to have faculty on campus share
with their colleagues how they are using educational technology in their courses.
The TUF Program is a new LTC initiative
that is designed to increase awareness of how UWM faculty and teaching staff are using
educational technology and to increase communication and collaboration among
technology-using faculty. LTC Technical Consultants are interviewing faculty and teaching
academic staff and placing this information in a database. This database will be uploaded
into a Technology-Using Faculty Web site that will be linked to the LTC Homepage.
This database/site will include: contact
information, courses taught, technology used, a brief description of the use,
instructional need addressed, greatest successes and biggest problems, pedagogical issues,
and advice for colleagues. The TUF site will be fully functional this fall.
Purpose:
Fund projects aimed at improving
undergraduate teaching and student learning which are conducted by faculty members,
teaching academic staff, departments, colleges, and/or campuses.
Eligibility:
UW System faculty and academic staff
members with teaching appointments of .5 FTE.
Funding:
Up to $25,000 may be requested from UTIG.
Most grants receive support in the range of $7,000-$15,000.
Match:
$1 of actual funds (not in-kind expenses)
must be pledged for each $2 of UTIG funds requested.
Period:
July 1, 1999 - June 30, 2000
Campus Policies:
* Consultation with CIPD Director
* Submission to Center through appropriate Dean’s Office
* Local review by committee selected by Center Director
* Rewrite period for proposals recommended by campus committee
* Submission through the Provost’s office
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NEW THIS YEAR: Collaboration requirement has been eliminated
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Deadlines:
- Submission to your Dean October 16
- Submission to CIPD October 23
- Campus Review October 26 - November 6
- Rewrite Period November 9 - 20
- Submission to UTIG November 27
- Notification February, 1999
Please contact the Center with your ideas.
We look forward to working with you to develop fundable proposals. An outline of the
guidelines was sent to all faculty and staff in July. Complete guidelines are available
from your Dean and Chair.
Version 3.0 of WCB is expected soon! Some
of the new features include: support for multiple instructors in a course, ability to copy
a course from one instructor to another, ability to change the titles of the six main WCB
categories, a more secure version of the quiz builder, adding T/F and essay to quiz
builder, tracking of student access to the WCB courses, addition of a Student Project
Page, ability to make the Course Listing more functional, ability to list only current
courses on the main course list page, more flexibility on the faculty homepages, the
addition of a white board/chat feature, plus much more. On September 25, October 2, and
October 8 from 1:30 to 3:00, the LTC will be providing workshops to introduce current WCB
users to the new features of Version 3.0.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee &
Marquette University
5th Annual Preparing Future Faculty Conference
October 23-24, 1998
Friday AM:
Using technology in the college classroom
(Marquette University)
Friday PM:
Panel session (UWM Library Conference
Center)
Keynote Speaker and Reception (UWM Library
Conference Center)
Dr. Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor,
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Saturday:
Four concurrent sessions of panels and
workshops investigating strategies and techniques concerning the future of post-secondary
education (DOCEx)
Registration fee:
$15.00 (includes breakfast and lunch on the
24th). For more information, please contact Ben Schneider at (414) 229-6638 or
<terrapin@uwm.edu>.
A detailed program of workshops and
directions to all conference locations will be available by September 15, 1998.
Purpose:
Fund projects that provide professional
development activities for PK-12 teachers on the integration of technology into the
curriculum.
Requirements:
Projects must focus on the professional
development of practicing teachers. While projects may also enhance the infusion of
technology into teacher preparation programs, the primary emphasis must be on the
inservice teacher. Projects may also include discipline-specific consortia exploring
technology resources, collaborative research on assessment strategies, and joint
curriculum-writing projects.
Campus Procedures:
Consultation with CIPD; on-campus review
and ranking
Deadline:
January 23, 1999
Eligibility:
All Faculty and Academic Staff
Funding:
$25 - 75,000 per year (up to 3 years)
Application:
Available from your Chair or Dean, from
CIPD or at <http://vital.wisconsin.edu>. Please contact CIPD if you are unable to
access it.
Since the Learning Technology Center opened
its doors in February of 1997, many faculty, teaching academic staff and teaching
assistants have utilized our services. The end of the fiscal year statistics are quite
impressive and show the impact the LTC has had on educational technology at UWM.
- 305 unique faculty, teaching academic staff,
and teaching assistants have been served [206 faculty, 65 teaching academic staff, and 34
teaching assistants].
- There have been 1,319 total visits by
faculty, teaching academic staff, and teaching assistants to the LTC (Lab, Telephone
Consultations, Workshops).
- 74 different UWM departments and programs
have utilized the LTC (Lab, Telephone Consultations, Workshops).
The Learning Technology Center will sponsor
three Brown Bags during the Fall Semester, 1998. These Brown Bags will have some of your
UWM colleagues making short presentations on how they use technology in their courses.
This Brown Bag Series begins on October 7th
with Online Collaboration (emails, listservs, discussion forums, and reflectors). The
second in the series will be held November 4th on the Use of Visualizations
(animation, slides, video, and audio). The series will conclude on December 2nd
with Simulations. Please contact the LTC at x4319 for registration information.
These sessions will give faculty and
teaching academic staff an opportunity to see how their colleagues use technology for
teaching and learning and to provide an opportunity to discuss issues related to
implementation, use, and benefits of the technology. Join us from 11:30am to 1:00pm in
Bolton 245 for each of the sessions.
Conference Development Grants Program
APPLICATION and GUIDELINES
for Spring 1999 events
The Undergraduate Teaching Improvement
Council (UTIC) offers support for programs that promote cooperation and exchange among
System faculty and are focused on the improvement of undergraduate teaching.
WHAT KIND OF PROGRAMS
Programs are typically workshops,
presentations, or mini-conferences on teaching-related subjects. Other commonly funded
projects include meetings of faculty or staff in a particular discipline to discuss
teaching issues raised by that discipline. Often groups invite guest speakers to give
presentations as part of their program. These grants are intended to support travel,
materials and some expenses incidental to the funded event; they are not intended to
provide travel for individual faculty members attending non-UTIC-funded events. Awards may
range up to $500.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
Programs vary greatly in size and scope.
They may be limited to members of a particular department,
Include faculty and staff members from a
range of departments and nearby campuses, or expand to inviteparticipants from across the
state. Occasionally, the Conference Development Grant Program funds teaching-oriented
meetings of regional or state-wide discipline-based groups whose membership includes some
non-UW System faculty. Faculty, instructional academic staff, and/or graduate teaching
assistants may apply for a Conference Development Grant. The audience for the proposed
activity should be comprised of faculty, instructional academic staff, and/or graduate
teaching assistants.
The Council encourages System institutions
to consult with UTIC staff regarding planning the programs, contacting resource people and
developing publicity. For further grant information and assistance, contact Donna Silver
at 608-262-4337, or by e-mail dsilver@ccmail.uwsa.edu
SELECTION
A UTIC committee will select the programs
to be funded. Proposals for Conference Development Grants are reviewed according to the
following criteria, which are listed by priority:
1. The objectives and content of the
proposed activity should be clearly stated.
2. Priority will be given to proposals
related to teaching improvement as opposed to proposals related to course and curriculum
development.
3. Priority will be given to proposals
which encourage wide interaction, reaching many faculty and academic staff.
4. Priority will be given to activities
that further explore topics of UTIC conferences or that allow faculty to share results of
Undergraduate Teaching Improvement Grant-funded projects with colleagues.
5. Priority will be given to activities
where the guest speaker is from within the UW System as opposed to activities that require
a speaker from outside. Applicants are asked to provide reasons for selecting a speaker
from outside the System.
6. The past funding history of a program
will be weighed. The goal is to fund a variety of programs and not to keep funding the
same program.
SUBMITTING PROPOSALS
Contact UWM’s CIPD office for the form
to submit proposals. We request that submissions be limited to the application form and
signed by the CIPD office or UWM’s UTIC administrative representative, Assistant Vice
Chancellor Erika Sander. Submit proposals by October 15, 1998 for events taking place
between January 1, 1999 and June 30, 1999.
REPORTING
A brief summary of the program is due in
the UTIC office by the end of the semester in which the event takes place. A reporting
form will be provided on which to indicate how goals were met and to explain the
disposition of your budget.
updated 11/28/01 |