The Teaching and Learning Collaborative (TLC) would like to share a teaching tip of the week with a video reflection on “What is the Core of a UP education?” (as a follow-up on the Core curriculum revitalization). For past TLC teaching tips of the week see the Teaching and Learning Hub, which also has a list of other brief teaching related videos from UP faculty for anyone looking for collegial ideas and inspiration.
Teaching & Learning Collaborative
Teaching Tip of the Week From the TLC: Know Where to Go for Teaching Help
With the new school year officially and remotely launched, this is a good time to make sure you know where to find answers for your teaching and learning questions, especially those related to remote instruction. Colleagues were busy throughout summer leading workshops for each other, testing out new digital tools, and sharing wisdom about self-care. This first Teaching Tip of the Week points you toward those resources, each one worth lots of poking around in while you enjoy a triple shot latte:
Moodle Basecamp for Hybrid & Online Teaching. In addition to the tools and advice, the interactive forums are live, a great way to join in conversations and pose questions about teaching online.
TLC website: The Teaching & Learning Collaborative houses practical peer-produced videos, dozens of teaching tips, links to how-to tutorials and inspirational shots in the arm to renew your dedication to your craft.
Campus Coaches: we have talented and generous colleagues willing to chat with you about tools, confidence and course design. Add your name! Suggest a friend!
TLC is listening! If there is a topic or type of support that you are not seeing, let us know, and that will be remedied. Contact Karen Eifler (eifler@up.edu) with suggestions. And no, making a suggestion does not automatically mean you will be asked to lead it…but we can’t provide the right support until we know it’s missing. Please don’t suffer in silence!
TLC From The TLC: Brown Bag Session on Feb. 12
In the fog of the semester, we all can use some small teaching interventions to refresh our work with students. Join Lars Larson and Jeffrey White at this TLC brown bag event on Wednesday, February 12, 11:30-12:15, in the Murphy Room as they present ten suggestions for intentional teaching drawn from a variety of practitioners and researchers in teaching and learning.
For more information contact Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center, at eifler@up.edu.
Core Matters: Fine Arts, History, and Math
Three new essays have been posted on the Teaching & Learning site as part of the Core Matters series, which offer richly thoughtful explanations of the role each discipline plays in our University core curriculum. Learn about a discipline you might not yet have pondered: Nicole Leupp Hanig and Mead Hunter discuss Fine Arts 207; Brad Franco explores history; and Stephanie Salomone explains the role of mathematics.
Previous essays have covered literature, environmental science, chemistry, and psychology.
TLC Tip of the Week: Meet With a Librarian
Could students in your classes use some extra assistance with finding good sources for their papers or presentations? Or maybe you would appreciate some literature searching leads for your own research project. Make an appointment using this link to meet with a librarian! Appointments are a great way for you or your students to get personalized and focused assistance with a research question. Librarians assist with questions about any aspect of the research process, including: defining a topic, choosing the best places to search, creating effective search strategies, narrowing searches, evaluating sources, accessing full text, and citing sources.
Use the online Make an Appointment system (linked from Get Help/Contact Us and many other library web pages) to see the availability of reference librarians. All the librarians assist with questions in any subject area, or use the blue “i” icon to identify and select a librarian who specializes in your discipline. Next, choose a date and time that works for you, and then fill out a brief form to tell us about your research question. After submitting the form, the appointment is automatically added to the librarian’s calendar, and both you and the librarian will receive an email confirmation.
For more information about the library’s meet with a librarian service, please contact Stephanie Michel (michel@up.edu, x7418). We hope to meet with you or your students soon!
TLC Brownbag Session: “Ten Suggestions to Re-Vitalize Your Mid-Semester Teaching”
In the fog of the current semester, we all can use some small teaching interventions to refresh our work with students. Join Lars Larson and Jeffrey White at this TLC brown bag event on Wednesday, February 12, 11:30-12:15 p.m., in the Murphy Room as they present ten suggestions for intentional teaching drawn from a variety of practitioners and researchers in teaching and learning.
TLC From The TLC: One Strategy For Quelling Late Work Headaches
If students wanting or needing to turn in late work adds to your stress, consider offering a “Make-Up Work Day:” one 24-hour period, late in the semester, when students can turn in any assignment(s) they have missed, for up to full credit. This lets you off the hook for judging the truthiness of excuses, negotiations for partial credit, and keeping track of all versions of academic “late fees.” You decide the day, announce it in class and the syllabus, and that is the end of your commitment. Scheduling Make-Up Work Day late in the semester (e.g. two weeks before finals works well), helps avoid getting overwhelmed responding to both late work and on-time assignments.
Missouri Southern State University educator Laura Schisler, who first suggested this in Faculty Focus, reports many benefits after several semesters of refining this policy. While apprehensive that students would treat this as a way to avoid work earlier in the term, she found that they quickly learned that waiting until Make-Up Work Day was not viable with the rest of their workload. Those who turned in late work also missed out on formative feedback that might have boosted later efforts. Schisler advocates this policy only for homework and papers; she does not allow students to do late presentations or in-class assignments such as daily journals or on-demand writing tasks.
Once it has been announced, Make-up Work Day puts responsibility and accountability squarely in the students’ corner. It communicates awareness of the fact that things happens in everyone’s life, and yet is still manageable in a busy teaching schedule. Instructors no longer have to be Excuse Merit Arbiters or keep track of percentages lost as time lapses. The focus can go back to teaching, where it should be.
For more information or to add to her stress, contact Karen Eifler at eifler@up.edu.
TLC Teaching Tip of the Week: Managing YOUR Stress as a College Instructor
The “UP Way” of being here for our students is unparalleled. Done with our whole minds, hearts and souls, it can also take quite a toll on us as teachers. As we head into the amazing perk of Christmas Break, the Tweet version of this TLC teaching tip is TAKE THE BREAK! The longer version is available in this brief article from the American Psychological Association. You’ve been told countless times on airplanes to put on your own oxygen mask before trying to help others. That goes for college instructors too! These are the 10 tips suggested by the APA:
- Eliminate as many stressors as possible, and it’s almost always possible to stay away from campus for a few days, go email-free for hours at a time.
- Cultivate social support. Swap meals with a friend so you each get a night off from cooking. Say yes to an invitation or two to enjoy a cup of coffee or happy hour.
- Seek good nutrition: no particular diet is required here; just aim for a rainbow of colors on your plate. Maybe the long break gives you a chance to try new recipes or restaurants your can’t in the bustle of the semester.
- Relax your muscles through stretches, a warm bath, a massage, etc. when the rest of the world is working.
- Meditate, pray, be mindful of a given moment. Light a candle and allow yourself to be taken into its bright flame.
- Flex your muscles. A brisk walk to enjoy the lights in your neighborhood, perhaps? The research on the link between moderate enjoyable physical movement and de-stressing is unambiguous.
- Protect your sleep. Just do it. Seriously.
- Get out in nature. This one combines several other suggestions on this list, and we live in a part of the world where we are spoiled with choices on natural areas to enjoy.
- Choose your own pleasurable activities and do them. Sing along to holiday songs while driving, binge-watch The Crown, savor a novel, paint some pottery.
- Reframe your thinking. If you feel yourself spiraling into imagining worst-case scenarios, stop and put your mind elsewhere. Set realistic expectations for yourself. Strive for acceptance of situations outside of your control. Here’s a novel way to disrupt harmful mental loops: alphabetize your favorite books or spice rack in your head.
You know this! None of these are rocket surgery, and it’s quite likely you dispense similar advice to your students when they are anxious. Take your own sage advice; you are every bit as important as those worthy young souls you tend so conscientiously.
For more information contact Karen Eilfer at eifler@up.edu.
Fall 2019 Butine Awards Announced
The Committee on Teaching and Scholarship (TAS) has determined award recipients for the 2019-2020 Butine Faculty Development Fund Fall cycle, according to committee chair Hannah Highlander, mathematics. Butine award recipients are:
- Lauren Alfrey, American Sociological Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA August 8-11, 2020 ($1,755)
- Michael Cameron, Annual Joint Meeting, American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature, San Diego, CA, November 23-26, 2019 ($1,000); Annual Meeting, North American Patristic Society, Chicago, IL, May 24-26, 2020 ($1,000)
- Heather Carpenter, Examining the effects of horse users on shellfish populations in Ngarunui Beach, Whaingaroa, New Zealand ($1,460)
- Heather Dillon (with Jeff Kerssen-Griep), “Peer Observation of Teaching Paradoxes” ($3,000)
- Laura Dyer, “Probing the effects of shear stress on coronary artery development to determine how developmental defects arise” ($5,000)
- Maria Echenique, Pacific Ancient and Modern Languages Association PAMLA San Diego, CA – Nov. 14 – 18, 2019 ($400)
- Benjamin Gallegos, “Developing Virtual Rehearsal Scenarios for Educational Teaching and Learning Practices: Utilizing Mixed-Reality Simulation for Teachers and Students” ($4,850.50)
- Nicole Hanig, Sabbatical Activities ($4,700)
- Randy Hetherington, American Educational Research Association 2018 Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA.
April 17-21, 2020 ($2,000) - Christina Ivler, “Flight Testing of Obstacle Avoidance for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)” ($5,000)
- Jakob Kotas, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Conference on Optimization, Hong Kong, May 26-29, 2020 ($2,000)
- Paddy McShane, Workshop in Normative Ethics, Tucson, AZ, January 16-18, 2020 ($1350); Summer research grant ($3,000)
- Hillary Merk Gaudino, Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, Hawaii Jan 4-7, 2020 ($500)
- Gregory Pulver, Playwriting ($5,000)
- Isabelle Soule, Rwanda Site Visit ($3,900)
- Dave Taylor, “Plant-Pollinator Interactions and Reproductive Isolation in the Taiwanese endemic species of Mussaenda (family Rubiaceae)” ($5,000)
- Ben Tribelhorn, Predicting the onset of chaos in Lorenz systems using deep learning ($3,000)
- Blair Woodard, “Protests, Posters, and the Visual Diplomacy of Cuban-Vietnamese Relations, 1959-Present” ($4,920)
- Aaron Wootton, Summer Research Trip to Europe ($5,000)
- David Wynne, “Investigating the function of a protein that regulates cell division using C. elegans” ($5,000)
- Halina Wyss with Amber Vermeesch, “Building resilience, health, and wellness for nursing students beyond the parameters of Title IX and early alert programs” ($5,000)
For more information contact Highlander at tas@up.edu.
First Name | Last Name | Title | Amount to Fund |
Lauren | Alfrey | American Sociological Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA August 8-11, 2020 | $1,755.00 |
Michael | Cameron | Annual Joint Meeting, American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature, San Diego, CA, November 23-26, 2019 | $1,000.00 |
Michael | Cameron | Annual Meeting, North American Patristic Society, Chicago, IL, May 24-26, 2020 | $1,000.00 |
Heather | Carpenter | Examining the effects of horse users on shellfish populations in Ngarunui Beach, Whaingaroa, New Zealand | $1,460.00 |
Heather & Jeff | Dillon & Kerssen-Griep | Peer Observation of Teaching Paradoxes | $3,000.00 |
Laura | Dyer | Probing the effects of shear stress on coronary artery development to determine how developmental defects arise | $5,000.00 |
Maria | Echenique | Pacific Ancient and Modern Languages Association PAMLA San Diego, CA – Nov. 14 – 18, 2019. | $400.00 |
Benjamin | Gallegos | Developing Virtual Rehearsal Scenarios for Educational Teaching and Learning Practices: Utilizing Mixed-Reality Simulation for Teachers and Students | $4,850.50 |
Nicole | Hanig | Sabbatical activities | $4,700.00 |
Randy | Hetherington | American Educational Research Association 2018 Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA. April 17-21, 2020 |
$2,000.00 |
Christina | Ivler | Flight Testing of Obstacle Avoidance for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) | $5,000.00 |
Jakob | Kotas | Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Conference on Optimization, Hong Kong, May 26-29, 2020 | $2,000.00 |
Paddy | McShane | Workshop in Normative Ethics Tucson, AZ January 16-18, 2020 |
$1,350.00 |
Paddy | McShane | Summer research grant | $3,000.00 |
Hillary | Merk Gaudio | Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, Hawaii Jan 4-7, 2020 | $500.00 |
Gregory | Pulver | Playwriting | $5,000.00 |
Isabelle | Soule | Rwanda Site Visit | $3,900.00 |
Dave | Taylor | Plant-Pollinator Interactions and Reproductive Isolation in the Taiwanese endemic species of Mussaenda (family Rubiaceae) | $5,000.00 |
Ben | Tribelhorn | Predicting the onset of chaos in Lorenz systems using deep learning. | $3,000.00 |
Blair | Woodard | Protests, Posters, and the Visual Diplomacy of Cuban-Vietnamese Relations, 1959-Present | $4,920.00 |
Aaron | Wootton | Summer Research Trip to Europe | $5,000.00 |
David | Wynne | Investigating the function of a protein that regulates cell division using C. elegans | $5,000.00 |
Halina & Amber | Wyss & Vermeesch | Building resilience, health, and wellness for nursing students beyond the parameters of Title IX and early alert programs | $5,000.00 |
TLC Teaching Tip of the Week: Using “Backward Design” to Plan Lessons
In this IGNITE-funded video, education professor Julie Kalnin talks with Karen Eifler about using an orientation called “Backward Design” to plan lessons that foster deeper understanding rather than passive memorization. It is a good complement to Jeffrey White’s IGNITE video on course design and Terry Favero’s on painless formative assessments.