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Eighth Annual Rensselaer Colloquium
on Teaching & Learning
May 12 - 13, 2008
The Office of the Provost is sponsoring the Eighth Annual Rensselaer Colloquium on Teaching and Learning to be held on May 12-13, 2008. This year's colloquium will bring to Rensselaer some exciting keynote speakers from Harvey Mudd College, The Research Corporation, Drury University, and RPI. The colloquium is open to all faculty, staff, and graduate students.T O R E G I S T E R
F O R T H E C O L L O Q U I U M:
e-mail the ID#s (shown below in red) of the sessions you want to attend to Liliana Bermudez by May 7. For example, if you would like to attend the morning and afternoon talks on Monday, plus the morning presentations on Tuesday, you would send Liliana an e-mail with ID#s M1, M2, T1, T2, and T3. Questions about the colloquium should be addressed to Prabhat Hajela.
Program
Day 1
May 12
STEM Teaching in the 21st Century
Refreshments available
Welcome & Introduction Biotech Auditorium
Prabhat Hajela,
Vice Provost & Dean of Undergraduate Education,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Brad Lister
Director, Anderson Center
Morning Keynotes (ID# M1) Biotech Auditorium
Don Deeds
Professor of Biology
Drury University
An Integrated Math and Science Curriculum:
Finding Common Ground Across the Disciplines
This presentation will describe the planning, implementation, assessment, and evolution of an interdisciplinary math and science curriculum at Drury University. This curriculum was developed around a single overarching goal, math and science literacy for all students. It is composed of of three courses, Math and Inquiry (3 hours), Science and Inquiry (6 hours), and Undergraduate Research Experience (3 hours), which are required by all of our general education students. Introduced in the fall semester 1996, this curriculum has become a very successful and sustainable enterprise at Drury University.
This presentation will attempt to help answer the following concerning interdisciplinary teaching and curriculum development:
How do you get started?
What are your goals?
What are your obstacles?
Who and how many will need to be involved?
How will you know if your course or curriculum is working?
How will you make it sustainable?
Don Deeds earned his B.A. with a double major in biology and chemistry from Drury in 1969. He received his Ph.D. in the area of human physiology from the University of Kansas in 1974. Dr. Deeds taught for six years at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and returned to join the biology faculty at Drury in 1980. His research interests have ranged from the fundamentals of membrane transport as they relate to kidney function, to risk factors influencing heart disease, and to fitness as it relates to performance in golfers. Dr. Deeds serves as the director for the planning and implementation process for Drury's new science and mathematics curriculum for non-science majors.
Angel Garcia
Sr. Constellation Chaired Professor in Biocomputation and Bioinformatics:
Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Understanding Basic Biological Processes from Physical Principles:
The Physics of Biology
Physics and biology are probably the most different areas of science. Physicist like to use a reductionist approach where everything is decomposed to basic elements and then the elements are put together in simple ways. Biology deals with differences—a man and a monkey are different, but at the level of detail that we understand biology we could probably not differentiate them at the molecular level. The teaching of physics and biology are also very different. In physics mathematics is the chosen language and almost everything is translated into equations. A physics student learns to manipulate symbols quickly. Biologists describe nature in more qualitative terms. A biology student learns the nomenclature easily. Within this context, I will describe my experiences in training biophysicists with backgrounds in biology, physics, chemistry and engineering.
Angel Garcia received a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Cornell University . He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the Biophysical Society, The Protein Society, the AAAS, and the American Chemical Society. He received the Edward Bouchard prize of the American Physical Society in 2006.
García is an Associate Editor of Proteins, Structure, Function and Bioinformatics, a member of the editorial board of the Biophysical Journal, Molecular Simulations, and a member of the Faculty of 1000 for BioMed Central.
Break
Dan Goroff
Professor of Mathematics and Humanities
Harvey Mudd College (on leave to BU 2007-8)
Decision Theory, Education, and Multidisciplinarity:
Lessons from Teaching in Five Different Departments
How does the knowledge required to conduct research in a field differ from the knowledge required to develop and teach courses in that field? Decision theory as a discipline not only crosses departmental boundaries, it also provides ways to analyze the relationship between teaching and learning in different fields.
Daniel Goroff is professor of mathematics and economics at Harvey Mudd College, where he previously served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty. After obtaining a Ph.D. in mathematics at Princeton University and an M.Phil. in economics at Cambridge University, Dr. Goroff taught at Harvard University for over twenty years. In 1994, Dr. Goroff was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the American Association for Higher Education. During 1996-97, he was a Division Director at the National Research Council in Washington, and from 1997-98, Goroff worked at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. That year he was named a "Young Leader of the Decade in Academia" by Change: The Magazine of Higher Education. A former Chair of the U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction at the National Research Council, Goroff continues to co-direct the Sloan Scientific and Engineering Workforce Project based at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Lunch - BBQ location TBA
Afternoon Plenary Session (ID# M2) Biotech Auditorium
James M. Gentile
President, Research Corporation
Where Do I Think Things Are Going in Science Research, Education and Funding - and Why Should Anyone Care?
The world of science is changing. Research frontiers increasingly lie at the creases of science, and they owe no loyalty to academic infrastructures. Scientists of today, and more so in the future, will need to work in teams to better integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines in order to make the important connections. Of the many questions that arise, two boldly stand out: 1) how will academic institutions deal with the career advancement issues that will abound for these scientists; and 2) how can students acquire strong scientific backgrounds that will prepare them best for the challenges of undertaking science in this increasingly complex environment. We will explore the challenges involved in science research, education, and funding and how pathways can be implemented to effect change in what we all know to be an often conservative environment.
Jim Gentile is President of Research Corporation. He comes to Research Corporation most recently from Hope College in Holland, MI where he held an endowed professorship in biology and served for twelve years as Dean for the Natural Sciences.
... Over the years he has been a program director for grants from many public (FIPSE, NIH, NSF, USEPA, WHO) and private (HHMI, Beckman Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Research Corporation, Sherman Fairchild Foundation, W.M. Keck Foundation) sectors to support education and research. During his career he has had the opportunity to work with over 120 undergraduate students in collaborative research in his laboratory and has authored more than 100 research articles, book chapters, book reviews and special reports in areas of scientific research and higher education.
Panel Discussion
Jim Gentile,
Dan Goroff, Don Deeds, Angel Garcia
21st Century STEM Teaching and Learning
Day 2
May 13
Innovations in Teaching & Assessment at RPI
Morning Speakers: Biotech Auditorium
Refreshments, Welcome & Introduction
Teaching to the Future:
A Vision for STEM Education in the 21st Century (ID# T1)
Brad Lister
Director, Anderson Center (CIUE)
The exponential growth in scientific knowledge, the rapid advances in research methodologies, and the increasing complexity of cutting edge problems, demand graduates with an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving, superb analytic skills, a systems view of nature, and a deep understanding of fundamental concepts. As several recent articles and reports such as BIO2010 make clear, however, a more coherent and integrated STEM curriculum is crucial if we are to fully prepare the next generation of undergraduates for careers in STEM fields. This session will present a set of broad learning goals for STEM teaching in the 21st century and outline some specific steps aimed at realizing those goals.
Managing Grading in a Multi-section Course (ID# T2)
Georgi Shablovsky
Course Coordinator, BIOL-1010
This talk will focus on technological and practical aspects of managing grades for a large, multi-section course taught by several instructors. A short summary of the evolution of grade management of the Introductory Biology (BIOL-1010) course will be presented along with the examples of technological tools used to manage grades, interact with teaching assistants and students. Practical examples of using online collaboration tools to manage grades, communicate and share data and documents will be given. Pros and cons of using the grade book tool available as part of RPILMS (Blackboard campus edition, formerly known as WebCT), as well as Google Applications tool set (shared online spreadsheets, documents, calendar and email) will be discussed. Examples of the use of grade book and online spreadsheet will be demonstrated.
Break
Enhancing Integrative Learning in Cross-Disciplinary Settings:
The Benefits of Faculty
Learning Communities (ID#T3)
Kathy Nantz & Roben Torosyan
Center for Academic Excellence, Fairfield University
What are Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs)? What is integrative
learning? How can we help our students integrate their learning across
their courses and apply it to the way they solve problems and think
throughout life? This presentation provides an overview of best
practices, with concrete take-aways for faculty to use in helping their
own students learn technical content and competencies, as well as develop overall abilities to think and act in the world.
Kathy Nantz is a tenured faculty leader with over 20 years of experience as a professor of economics. As current director of goal one of the University's strategic plan, Core Integration, Nantz currently coordinates 5 Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs), a faculty implementation team in charge of FLC retreats, workshops and other activities, and 10 other initiatives reaching over two thirds of the faculty and students across campus. As a professor of economics, she has team taught honors seminars and a range of courses, while producing research in labor economics and economic education.
With 12 years of experience in higher education, Roben Torosyan has guest-facilitated faculty development programs for 13 institutions including Columbia, Devry and New York University, and as an invited presenter at 27 conferences including The Teaching Professor Conference last year. He also teaches undergraduate philosophy and graduate curriculum and instruction. Torosyan's studies ranged from undergraduate civil engineering, architecture, art history and studio art, to an M.A.and Ph.D. in philosophy and cultural studies.
Lunch - location TBA
Afternoon Workshops
Coordinating Teaching Strategies for Interdisciplinary Programs: Implementing Faculty Community Conversations (ID# T4) Lally 102
Kathy Nantz and Roben Torosyan
Center for Academic Excellence, Fairfield University
(with assistance of First Year Faculty Advisory Committee, Rensselaer)
How can you get Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) going, with or without funding? How do you facilitate conversations in an FLC? Building on the morning overview, we share how we started an FLC program on our campus, then help participants find other colleagues with similar interests in either a cross-disciplinary program in general, or in particular teaching methods (like case study, problem based learning, team projects) or learning competencies (like critical thinking, technical writing, cross-cultural competence). Participants leave with plans for continued work.
Kathy Nantz and Roben Torosyan are experienced facilitators of faculty development workshops. They recently co-facilitated a workshop with Larry Miners on “Nine Activities in 60 Minutes: Promoting Voice, Integration and Reflection in the Classroom,” at the Lilly Conference on College Teaching, and at the New England Faculty Development Consortium, where their session drew a standing-room only crowd of over 120 participants.
With 12 years of experience in higher education, Torosyan has guest-facilitated faculty development programs for 13 institutions including Columbia, Devry and New York University, and as an invited presenter at 27 conferences including The Teaching Professor Conference last year. He also teaches undergraduate philosophy and graduate curriculum and instruction. Torosyan's studies ranged from undergraduate civil engineering, architecture, art history and studio art, to an M.A.and Ph.D. in philosophy and cultural studies.
Nantz is a tenured faculty leader with over 20 years of experience as a professor of economics. As current director of goal one of the University's strategic plan, Core Integration, Nantz currently coordinates 5 Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs), a faculty implementation team in charge of FLC retreats, workshops and other activities, and 10 other initiatives reaching over two thirds of the faculty and students across campus. As a professor of economics, she has team taught honors seminars and a range of courses, while producing research in labor economics and economic education.
Advising is Teaching (ID# T5) CII 3116
Michael Hanna
Director, Advising & Learning Assistance Center
Jeannie Steigler
Associate Director, Advising & Learning Assistance Center
Within the last year all undergraduate students at Rensselaer have been required to interact with their advisor at least once per year and Rensselaer has changed the advising area of responsibility for faculty from the service category to the area of teaching. But is academic advising teaching or is it simply course scheduling? Don’t be trapped with a model of academic advising that is still in the 1960’s. In this workshop we will discuss a developmental model of academic advising based upon a shared relationship between advisee and advisor where the tenor and scope of interactions change from an early scheduling relationship to a rich relationship that fosters life-long learning. Advisors can teach their advisees to value the learning process, apply decision-making strategies, set priorities and make choices, and develop thinking and learning skills. The difference between teaching an advisee rather than a student in your class is that teaching in an advisor context is student-centered and provides models and experiences they can use as they plan to achieve a self-fulfilling life. Turn the skills of analytical thinking from problem sets to professional goals. During part of this workshop we will break into small groups to develop hands-on plans for two advisees at different points in their undergraduate career. The workshop is good for experienced advisors and for those who are just beginning to advise undergraduate students.
The New Communication Intensive Requirement:
Assistance for Faculty (ID# T6) CII 3130
Barbara Lewis
Clinical Associate Professor, LL&C
As Rensselaer faculty members are aware, the school has demonstrated its growing commitment to excellence in communication by instituting a new "Communication Intensive" (C.I.) requirement. A major aim of this requirement is to ensure that Rensselaer graduates are able to write and speak effectively and to communicate successfully using other types of media (including visual and electronic). Completing C.I. courses in their majors, in particular, will help students learn to compose in the genres (reports, proposals, etc.) specific to their chosen field.
This workshop will answer such questions as: What does "Communication Intensive" mean? Does teaching a Communication Intensive course necessarily mean more work for the professor teaching the course? Is this different from the "writing intensive" requirement? How could I make my course "Communication Intensive?" and How are C.I. courses approved?
Samples of syllabi for current C.I. courses, as well as exemplary model assignments for a variety of types of courses in all disciplines, will be distributed and discussed.
** NOTE: Participants are invited to bring a copy of a syllabus for a course that they might want to convert into a Communication Intensive course.
Designing Multidisciplinary Blended Environments:
Tools and Technologies (ID# T7) CII 3112
Marie-Pierre Huguet, Course Developer, Undergraduate Education
Shannon Hilliker-VanStrander, Course Developer, UG Ed.
From Wikis to avatars, from podcasts to Web conferencing, from M-learning to blogs, how do you stay abreast of the latest changes? How do you know which tools to select and use without falling prey to the latest fad? And more importantly, how do you integrate them to create instructionally sound and cost effective blended instruction? This hands-on workshop focuses on the elements of instructional design that drive the development of effective multidisciplinary blended instruction and more specifically on the variety of tools, strategies, and technologies, that can be used to design, develop, and evaluate it. The participants will be lead through a series of mini presentations, discussions, and hands-on activities that will enable them to select and test the technologies that work best for them and to ultimately develop their own, successful blended experience. The tools and technologies discussed during this workshop include: Teaching and learning tools (learning management systems, synchronous and asynchronous tools, gaming devices, podcasting, blogs, virtual worlds, and wikis, …) design tools (ID models, design brief, storyboarding, …) development tools (media creation, HTML editors, accessibility tools, …) and evaluation tools (process, matrix, formative and summative, …).
T O R E G I S T E R
F O R T H E C O L L O Q U I U M:
e-mail the ID#s (shown above in red) of the sessions you want to attend to Liliana Bermudez by May 7. For example, if you would like to attend the morning and afternoon talks on Monday, plus the morning presentations on Tuesday, you would send Liliana an e-mail with ID#s M1, M2, T1, T2, and T3. Questions about the colloquium should be addressed to Prabhat Hajela.
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The Lois J. & Harlan E. Anderson Center
for Innovation in Undergraduate Education
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
CIUE 3119 CII
110 8th Street
Troy, NY 12180-3590
518.276.4831
518.276.4852 (fax)
http://ciue.rpi.edu