Summaries of 2004-05 LES Workshops

 

Did you miss an LES workshop or do you need a reminder of what was discussed? The following are descriptions of LES workshops held during the 2004-05 academic year. 

Dealing with Rude, Disruptive Students: Being Proactive
Easier Grading AND More Learning?
Teaching One on One -- Smarter
Clear Data Display and Clear Thinking: Lessons from Edward Tufte
What Do You Need to Know Before You Serve as a Reference for a Student?
Teaching in Honors
Evaluating Classroom Discussion
Remembering Student Names
Grading Written Work: Some Thoughts on How to Overcome the Twin Barriers of "I Wasn't Trained to Do This" and "It Takes Too Much Time"
Best Practice in Moderating ILP's and Internships
Creating Bibliographies with RefWorks
Working Together to Deal with Problem Students

Dealing with Rude, Disruptive Students: Being Proactive

Many of us have, unfortunately, noticed an increase in student behaviors that make our work less pleasant, whether it is conducting private conversations in class, asking badgering questions, or expressing anger over a grade.  What can we do to lessen the chances that this kind of behavior will occur in our classrooms?  What are the best tactics to use to nip it in the bud if it does occur?  Ken Jones (LES) will provide some answers from the research literature.  For more information on dealing with rude students.....

Easier Grading AND More Learning?

Would you like to find a way to make grading easier and more consistent, while at the same time increasing the ability of your students to learn?  If so, join Ken Jones (LES/History) for a discussion on the use of grading rubrics.  Ken will highlight the multiple benefits of rubrics, as well as work through critical steps in their design and use.  For more information on using rubrics.....

Teaching One on One -- Smarter

Working individually with our students is one of the most rewarding things we can do, but we rarely talk about how best to do it.  Please join Ken Jones (LES/History) and your colleagues for a conversation on best practice in this area.  We will attempt to address questions about how to make the meetings as productive as possible, how to get the ones who need help to come, how to avoid being overwhelmed, and any other related questions people want to raise.  Bring your questions, your solutions, and come hear what other people do.  For more information on teaching one on one.....

Clear Data Display and Clear Thinking: Lessons from Edward Tufte

Last April, Gordie Brown (Biology) and Bill Lamberts (Biology) attended a day-long seminar by Edward R. Tufte, an expert on graphical design and statistics.  As they listened to him explain the keys to effectively communicating quantitative relationships, they were struck by the connection between the processes for creating good visual displays and for those required for critical thinking and cogent writing.  Come join Bill and Gorie as they share the insights they gained from Tufte's work, and the implications for the classroom.

What Do You Need to Know Before You Serve as a Reference for a Student?

We all write letters of recommendation and serve as references for our students, but few of us keep up with the various issues surrounding this activity.  What issues should be considered before agreeing to provide a reference?  Join us as John Clarkson (Career Services) brings us up to date materials and information on the practical, legal, and ethical implications of faculty referrals.  Among other things, learn what information you may legally provide in a reference, how EEO laws come into play when faculty refer students, and guidelines for giving a written or verbal reference.

Teaching Honors

Are you curious about the CSB/SJU Honors Program?  Are you thinking about submitting a course proposal in Honors but aren't sure what that means?  If so, join us for an LES workshop where Richard White (Honors/Chemistry) is joined by a faculty panel and hear more about the program and what your colleagues are doing in their Honors courses.

Evaluating Classroom Discussions

Would you like to get some new ideas on how to evaluate classroom discussions?  Please join us as Richard Ice, Don Turk, and Kelly Berg-Nellis, all from the Communication Department, as they lead a discussion about evaluating class discussion.  Richard will discuss evaluating student-led discussions.  Don will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using peer and self-evaluation for discussion and its usefulness as a means for facilitating discussion and its usefulness in assessing discussion.  Kelly will discuss creating an outlet for online discussion of topics by students that can enhance student learning and provide opportunities for those students who need More time to process information or who feel less comfortable speaking out in class to contribute to the class and their own learning in a new way.

Remembering Student Names

We all know that learning the names of our students improves the classroom atmosphere and enhances learning, but most of us struggle as we try to connect names and faces at the beginning of the semester.  If you are interested in ideas on how to learn more names sooner, or just want to share your stories, please join us.  CSB President Mary Ann Baenninger and Derek Larson (History/Environmental Studies) will explain their approaches, but there will be plenty of time for others to talk about strategies that have worked for them.

Grading Written Work: Some Thoughts on How to Overcome the Twin Barriers of "I Wasn't Trained to Do This" and "It Takes Too Much Time"

We often set goals for student learning that reach past knowledge acquisition to demonstrations of the ability to synthesize, engage in critical thinking, or perform some other higher order function.  While written assignments are not the only way to evaluate those more complex skill, they are an effective way of both developing the skills and assessing student abilities.  Unfortunately, faculty are sometimes reluctant to ask students to exhibit the kind of learning we really cherish because of problems in evaluating the product.  Some of us are worried that providing feedback on such work requires going beyond our area of professional training.  More commonly, we look realistically at the time commitment involved, and decide there simply are not enough hours in the day.  The goal of this session is to try to chip away at both of these barriers.  Come join Ken Jones (LES/History) for a conversation about how we can enhance student learning by requiring significant written work while not killing ourselves.  We will talk about strategies that minimize the time commitment, and explore some arguments about why we should all feel confident about assessing our students' written work.  Fro more information on grading......

Best Practices in Moderating ILP's and Internships

Do you ever moderate independent learning projects or internships?   Do you wonder if there is a better and/or easier way to do it?  Have you found some approaches that work particularly well for you?  Rather than reinventing the wheel, let's share our hard-won wisdom.  Join Katie Johnson (Internships), Rodger Narlock (Psychology), Shelia Nelson (Sociology), Rick Saucier (Management), and Joan Steck (Communication) for a discussion of what they have found to be best practice.  Bring your questions and your own insights to contribute to the discussion.

Creating Bibliographies with RefWorks

If your scholarly work requires bibliographies, or if you are asking your students to create them in their papers, you will find this session helpful and exciting.  Spending an hour here will save you lots of time in the long run!  RefWorks is a new productivity tool that allows you to create personal bibliographic databases by importing references from online databases or adding them manually.  Once you have created your own on-going bibliographic file, RefWorks allows you to insert the references into papers using Word and the Write-N-Cite plug-in, which will automatically format the paper and the bibliography using a wide variety of styles.  Join Dave Wuolu (Libraries) and Tom Nichol (Libraries) as the walk us through a hands-on session.

Working Together to Deal with Problem Students

What is the role of faculty in addressing student behavioral issues in a manner that positively fosters growth and development for the student?  What do you do with a really belligerent or disruptive student?  What about a student who repeatedly misses class, or whose quality of work suddenly declines?  What should you do with a student who is experiencing some kind of emotional trauma?  What should you do if you have evidence of eating disorders or other drug abuse?  Occasionally we run into student behaviors that are so outside the norm that we lack the experience or expertise necessary to respond effectively.  Fortunately, we do not have to deal with these issues in isolation.  Come join Susan Douma (Advising), Jason Laker (Campus Life), and Jody Terhaar (Student Development) to talk about how we can all work together to handle these difficult moments effectively.  This is an opportunity to learn about best practice, institutional policies, and some legal aspects.  Bring your questions and enjoy this opportunity to talk with your colleagues.