Effective Observers

One of the events at the POD conference discussed Faculty/Student evaluations of teaching. One of the discussions looked at ways of being an effective observer. Much can be learned from observation in the classroom (or through the campus for that matter). However, often observations are skewed by our vantage point or by the fact that individuals change behaviors when they know that they are being observed. Below is a list of characteristics of an effective observer which may increase the value of observations in the classroom.

• Observation must be focused
• Distinguish descriptive from judgmental
• Get to class early; position self for best observation (back of room, for instance)
• Note environment, physical layout of class, atmosphere of class, mood of students
• Take notes on process, not content
• Quantify as much as possible
• Note facial expressions, body language of faculty and students
• Watch how class disperses – what do they do? (rush out, crowd around faculty to talk, talk in groups)
• Offer some positive reinforcement to faculty at end
• Make appointment to go over observations later in detail
• Be aware of own biases and limitations
• Know if field has distinct ways of teaching
• Know something about students (all majors, mixed, etc.)
  

(Information posted through the sharing of notes and discussions with other POD members. We all took notes and continue to share our experience at the conference via e-mail. Thanks to those willingly to continue to share the conference after the lectures have ceased.)

POD Website; (http://www.podnetwork.org/)

Marketing Suggestions from POD - That anyone in education could use!

I had the pleasure of attending my first POD (Professional and Organizational Development). It was a GREAT experience and I enjoyed meeting others who work with faculty to assist them with common problems and issues.

One common thread between all the attendees was how to market services offered. Even though not everyone reading this Blog will have a need to market CETL much of the discussion would benefit any individual marketing any educational programs for faculty or students.

Marketing Strategies Utilized by Other Centers:

• Faculty E-mails
• Department Chair Involvement – design a program for the Department Chairs. If the Chair backs the program will gain more support.
• Liaison/Advisory Committee
• Save the Date Sections – send an e-mail out to advice to save the date.
• Go to all Faculty Events – make sure that you are seen at campus wide and other faculty events. If Faculty know you they are more likely to seek your services. Visibility is everything.
• Logo – Have one - Good way to involve students.
• Slogan – Develop a slogan that can be utilized. One center using the slogan “For faculty – By faculty” - Good way to involve students.
• Attend and participate in Campus marketing events.
• Survey – Have individual interviews with faculty
• Information gathering is marketing
• Send personal invitations - Target groups: 1st year faculty and 1 year veterans
• Newsletters – Monthly advising of CETL events
• Sponsor Faculty Groups outside of Teaching and Learning. This helps develop communities which will help develop support for the center. i.e. Faculty Women, Faculty Moms , Faculty Dinner or Breakfast Club, Community Groups off campus. i.e. Faculty may live in an area and not know that they live close to each other. Target those groups.
• Offer 1 on 1 session for faculty that cannot attend regularly scheduled events.
• Use Outlook E-vits. When you use Outlook e-vits individuals have to decline the invitation!
• Pipeline – Develop a pipeline of information.
• Market to Alumni for funding for the Center
• Market to Administration - Invite Provost to come to an event to speak.
  If you invite Administration to come to an event have them come at the end of the event verses coming to the beginning. If they are there at the end they are more likely to talk with satisfied customers and learn about the value of the program.
• Databases – start a database of individuals who have attended, not attended, responded etc.
• Put an easel out in front of the door when hosting an event. That way others will see the event whether they attend or not.
• Pair Disciplines together for events and projects.
• Look at areas of high tutoring request as a possible target group for services.
• “Think Tanks” – Get students involved by discussing their learning concerns.
• Legacy Program – Ask faculty to develop their “last” lecture. What would they want to say if they knew it would be their last lecture? Helps them focus on what they might want to improve.

If you are marketing to students you can easily replace "faculty" with "student".

POD Website; (http://www.podnetwork.org/)

Learner-centered teaching and effective faculty professional development

At the 2008 Joint Conference POD/NCSPOD conference (Reno, Nevada, October 22-25, 2008) learner-centered teaching and effective FPD were central topics. Let me share with you how this relationship was explored from different perspectives .

Learner-centered teaching and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Dennis C Jacobs shared in a plenary his ideas about "learning as a community endeavor". He illustrated how he has exploited collaborative learning and the use of clicker technology to simultaneously engage 200 students in making scientific predictions and defending their ideas; he shared research findings demonstrating that collaborative learning pedagogy led to greater student success and engagement among students at risk. He also shared his experience concerning learner-centered scholarship of teaching and learning, which has fine tuned tenure track requirements with effective teaching initiatives.

Learner-centered new faculty orientation. Networking is an outstanding resource, as you know; at the POD conference I was able to meet with different people interested in new faculty orientation. My conversations with Bonnie Mullinix from The TLT Group helped me realizing that the POD innovation award 2006 was given to Edward Nuhfer for his "Interactive Engagement Model for New Faculty Orientation" initiative which contrasts with content-centered new faculty orientation programs.

Learner-centered preparation of TA--teaching assistants. A Topical Interest Group on "Graduate Student Professional Development"--GSPD--at the POD conference brought my attention to the importance of helping TA assume their role having students' learning as the focus of their efforts. Based on feedback from TA and faculty members attending to open forums about their participation in their GSPD program, one higher education institution reported that efforts focused on helping TA acquire instructional skills were considered less effective to prepare prospective faculty members as learning facilitators than their active participation in reflective communities of practice among TA and mentors around student-centered learning problems. In the first case TA were required to attend to at least 70% of periodic teaching and learning sessions where they reflected on the topic of the day; in the second case TA were immersed in the preparation, implementation and evaluation of learning activities in collaboration with their mentors, as well as in the documentation of their learning process with a teaching portfolio. This institution considered that moving from a preservice content-centered to an inservice learner-centered GSPD model produced a significant change in TA preparation for teaching and that is worth doing, regardless it is demanding and difficult to sustain.

Learner-centered academic development. Tom Angelo shared his ideas about seven key concepts that he considers powerful "levers" to transform our thinking and practice to improve student learning. It is interesting his advocacy of "academic development" (AD), which includes both organizational development and FPD, since it recognizes the importance of aligning institutional strategies with FPD strategies; also it is interesting his focus on becoming scholarly learning communities both at the organizational level and at the classroom level. Reviewing his contributions I found two previous papers that will help exploring in more detail his thoughts: Angelo_1999, and Angelo_2000.

How do we know a Faculty Professional Development program is effective?

Lessons learned from a one-day workshop, by Alvaro H Galvis, director CETL at WSSU.

I had the opportunity to participate in a NCSPOD/POD 2008 pre-conference workshop on evaluation of professional development efforts, co-facilitated by Dr. Cindra Smith and Michelle DeVol, coauthors of the Evaluating Staff and Organizational Development (2003, retrieved October 24, 2008) handbook. I got the following three key ideas:

1. Not every professional development program requires the same level of evaluation. Using Kickpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation model (1994, retrieved October 24, 2008) Smith and DeVol suggested to collect always data on reactions to the program (level 1) and to move into deeper levels of evaluation (level 2 = learning, level 3 = transfer, level 4 = results) when the professional development effort merits that. For instance, a brownbag lunch is worth knowing who came and whether s/he liked what s/he heard, but a summer institute with fall and spring follow up merits knowing also what people learned, how are they applying it, and what is the impact on students’ learning.
2. Professional development program evaluation should start with its design (“start with the end in mind” they say), as long as a clear understanding of why it is convenient / necessary to offer the program will lead to a clear definition of outcomes and strategies to evaluate whether they have been achieved.
3. Evaluation reports serve several purposes, being the most usual to demonstrate or justify what was done. Smith and DeVol have found “portraits of engagement”, i.e., one-page executive summaries are the most important dissemination piece of evaluation reports, since in many cases that is what people read from a report and what motivates (or not) further reading.
   

Workshop facilitators suggested complementary resources for professional development program evaluators, such as the following:

• E-Lead. Evaluating professional development programs (retrieved October 24, 2008)
• Guskey, Thomas R. "Does it Make a Difference? Evaluating Professional Development." Educational Leadership v. 59 no6 (Mar. 2002) p. 45–51.
• Michigan State University, Faculty and Organizational Development Office (2005). Instructional development needs assessment. Executive summary and instrument. (retrieved October 24, 2008)
• Walvoord, Barbara (2004). Assessment Clear and Simple: A Practical Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education. Jossey-Bass.

2008 IACIS Conference

I attended and presented at the 2008 International Association for Computer Information Systems (IACIS) in Savannah, GA Oct 1 - 4, 2008. The conference was very informative and I along with Dr. Sylvia Bembry got several good ideas on how to improve the Microcomputer Application class that she teaches. Several of the sessions dealt with improving the entry level business course. The common thread was adding audio and video and keeping students engaged.

Kenneth Kaiser, Vice President of Corporate Systems Development, Target Corporation was the first keynote speaker. He explained how employees at Target stay connected by using SharePoint, Wikis, and virtual spaces. These are the skills that we need to teach our students so that they can compete in the workplace.

Michael J. Lynch, Manager, IT Advanced Personal and Workgroup Solutions, 3M was the second keynote speaker. He emphasised how 3M works electronically across time zones by using social networking, podcasts, audio/video and smartphones. He explained how Do It Yourself (DIY) videos were used to train the sales and technical forces.

A copy of the program and proceedings can be found at http://www.iacis.org/pdf/2008_Program.pdf. The paper I copresented with Dr. Bembry is on page 65.

The Technology and Philosophy of Teaching Online

I had the pleasure of presenting at the 2008 UNC-TLT Conference in Raleigh (March 12-14, 2008). Dr. Dwedor Ford and I gave a presentation on "The Technology and Philosophy of Teaching Online". The presentation was unique in several areas. First, Dr. Ford and I had online experience in different fields (English and physics/physical science). Second, we used our TurningPoint "clickers" to get immediate feedback from our audience.

Our audience had a wide range of experiences. Approximately 40% had no previous online teaching experience, 20% taught once, 20% taught 2-5 courses, and 20% had "considerable" experience (more than 5 courses presented online). Seventy percent were interested in learning about methods they could use for online teaching. However, the inexperienced audience members were also equally interested in how to get started with an online course and how they could assess their students' work. Finally, 73% represented areas other than English or the physical sciences.

Our presentation began with a brief discussion of technology use in online teaching. It then proceeded onto the philosophy of online teaching. We discussed traits that students need to succeed in an online course, and how the instructor can best prepare students to succeed. We included comparisons of various topics as they are encountered in a traditional (face-to-face) vs. online course [sensory cues, synchronous vs. asynchronous learning, instructor accessibility, and other topics]. Finally, we discussed some of our experiences in course planning, content creation, testing, and student problems with accessing the coursework.

In conclusion, we had a small but diverse audience attend our presentation. Several of the "experienced" attendees added valuable insights from their own experiences. Almost everyone indicated that they had learned something that would help them as they plan for their next online course.

Embracing the Challenge of the Year

The Developmental Education Conference held at Disney's Coronado Springs in March 2008 was rich in scope and design. The conference's host, Houghton-Mifflin, included a variety of sessions to meet the needs of all attendees. I attended several sessions; however, one session, "Embracing the Challenge of the First Year" stands out above all because of my interest in helping to advance University College. Dr. Mary Stuart Hunter, the session's presenter, focused one of the most important questions students ask when they begin college these days: "Why is the transition to college so difficult?" With this question in mind, Dr. Hunter shared theory, research, and promising practices as relates to the first-year college experience. She described a range of programs offered by college and universities and the role faculty can play in making students' first-year experience rewarding and memorable.

Dr. Hunter stressed the importance of

• defining first-year student success,
• planning early for assessment,
• developing and communicating learning outcomes,
• sending consistent messages to students and faculty,
• communicating high expectations of students, and
• using assessment results to improve teaching and learning.

As a result of attending this and other sessions, I came away with new insights on how WSSU can enhance its developmental education program.

Beyond Wrestling: Using Sumo Bots in the CS Classroom

I attended the UNC Teaching and Learning Conference in Raleigh, NC on March 12-14, 2008. A colleague and I presented "Beyond Wrestling: Using Sumo Bots in the Computer Science Classroom". Our emphasis was on showing new and evolving trends in using technology to engage our "net generation" students.

What I learned as I attended other sessions was that the ever changing technology is dictating changes we as instructors need to incorporate in our classrooms. We need to evaluate new tools and software on a constant basis to make sure we are keeping up with this technological changing world for our students. We saw instant assessment tools, social networking sites, blogs and other things being incorporated into the classroom. The most prominant thing for me was the realization that we could become the dinasaur teacher quickly if we are not willing to change and adapt.

Teaching and Engaging Unprepared Students: Strategies for Promoting Success and Retention in Higher Education

Teaching and Engaging Unprepared Students: Strategies for Promoting Success and Retention in Higher Education

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

First I would like to thank the CETL department for allowing me to attend my first Teaching Professor Educator Conference. The exposure was astonishing and allowed me to have a broad perspective on teaching and various techniques to utilize in all courses taught within my discipline. Each workshop was unique in its own way, diversified and tailored made to fit any courses taught at Winston-Salem State University.Yes, I attended workshops that interest me the most, including workshops on topics that would enhance my teaching techniques and strategies; most importantly, I was eager to attend those workshops that promoted growth within my department and the university.

The following workshop titled: Teaching and Engaging Unprepared Students:” Strategies for Promoting Success and Retention in Higher Education; was one of several, that enhanced my teaching techniques and inspired me to introduce innovative ways to engage student participation, decrease absenteeism and assist with student retention rates here at Winston-Salem State University.Kathleen Gabriel, a presenter from California State University, Chico discussed how colleges have diverse students, with and increase first-generation population students who may be at risk- students with learning disabilities and those who arrive unprepared for the academic rigors of college. Indeed, this is the case at most universities, however; Gabriel instructs professors in this workshop, to be prepared to reach all the students in their courses. When dealing with unprepared student, professors must use Lerner-centered educational methods as well as universal design strategies. If these areas such as methods for engaging and teaching peripheral students are addressed, research demonstrates that they have a greater chance of success according to Gabriel.Since the student population here at Winston-Salem State University is growing tremendously, the acquired knowledge of an educator should be the same. I deem it necessary to attend workshops and conferences of this sort, in order to do the following: gain knowledge on the various educational methods and strategies, engage in discussions with individuals with the same or opposing views, discover more strategies on how to use critical thinking skills, the value of small teams in the classroom, gather insights on how to promote technology usage throughout the courses in which I teach in Political Science and discover new ways in which collaborative learning can assist with student retention rates.

Noticeably, this was the conference for me, bottom line. The objectives were clear; the research presented from various professors demonstrated reliability and validity and an opportunity for you (the professor) to explore your teaching techniques, add or subtract what’s not substantial in the classroom and advance with the 21st century generation of students and academics. Again, thank you CETL, for an unforgettable life changing teaching exposure opportunity and I certainly look forward in participating in more conferences to come. As mentioned, this was a chance of a life time, one that I deem necessary in order to advance to the next level of 21st Century education with students, faculty and staff. The Teaching Professor Conference 2008, a conference of inspiration, motivation and determination for all; one in which I look forward in attending again and conferences in the near future through CETL at Winston-Salem State University.

Yolonda N. Childs MPA Department of Political Science Public Administration Winston-Salem State University

Web 2.0 Technologies and Social Computing

I had the opportunity to attend and to present at the University of North Carolina Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) Conference (Raleigh, NC, March 12-14). There were presenters and attendees from across the country and from various disciplines. There was college faculty and staff, K-12 teachers, representatives from industry. It was a great opportunity to network with other users and to come away with information about new ideas and concepts.
Several sessions focused on web 2.0 technologies and social computing. One of the most interesting sessions dealt with how social computing technologies can improve the learning experience of students. The most interesting track at the conference was the TLT Pedagogy Track which addresses exemplary and effective practices in delivering courses and programs, instructional design, development of learning materials and resources in technology-rich teaching and learning. I was also captivated by several of the presentation and workshops particularly geared toward engaging the “net generation.” A phenomenon that also fascinated me was the wide use of open source technology in the educational arena.

I presented with a colleague on enhancing learning in the computer science classroom with robotics. We enjoyed the opportunity of sharing our ideas and thoughts on the use of technology to help student learning. This session was well attended. Some members in the audience were interested in pursuing research on using robots as teaching tools.

Thank you CETL for your support!