Future Directions of Teaching and Learning in Undergraduate Education
Sept 17, 12:00—1:30 p.m., Perkins 217
Dr Steve Nowicki, Dean and Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education
In this workshop, Dr. Nowicki will share how Duke and other leading institutions are promoting innovation not only in teaching, but also in undergraduate education from both curricular and co-curricular dimensions of the educational experience. As a professor, high school biology textbook author, lab manager, and administrator, he will share how new models of teaching and learning both inside and beyond the classroom inform future faculty roles.
PhD Laboratory in Digital Knowledge
Oct 1, 12:00—1:30 p.m., Perkins 217
Dr David Bell, Professor of French Studies
Dr Cathy Davidson, John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Ruth F. Devarney Professor of English
The PhD Digital Knowledge Lab is an experimental arena in which groups of PhD students can receive training in—and contribute to the production of—new forms of digital scholarship, new pedagogies, and new engagements with the public that the computational and informational revolutions afford. We are working with students on the conceptual problems that underlie digital scholarship, which are philosophical and critical: What is a screen?, for example, or, What does it mean to offer massive open online courseware (to mission of the university or to society broadly speaking?) And we are providing a forum for producing new kinds of scholarship and pedagogy using peer feedback and collaborative communities made possible by the digital networks that have become familiar to this and coming generations of graduate students.
The Other Side of the Box: Fostering Creativity in—and out of—the College Classroom
Oct 9, 12:00—1:30 p.m., Perkins 217
Dr Michael Palmer, Associate Professor and Assistant Director, Teaching Resource Center, University of Virginia
Edward de Bono wrote, “Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at life in a different way.” Think of the word ‘life’ as a placeholder, a fill-in-the-blank. Now, imagine that ‘life’ changes to ‘biology’; 'biology’ becomes ‘sociology’ becomes ‘philosophy’… What established patterns might be worth breaking in your discipline? How might you help your students look at your field in new and unexpected ways? In this session, we’ll explore ways to foster creativity in your students and to help them become creators, inventors and discoverers of knowledge, in any number of disciplines.
Promoting Academic Integrity
Oct 29, 12:00—1:30 p.m., Perkins 217
Dr Ed Neal, Professional Consultant in Higher Education; Editor, Journal of Faculty Development; Adjunct Professor of Education, UNC-CH; Former Director of Faculty Development, UNC-CH
Among college students cheating, plagiarism, and various breeches of academic integrity have become more common in recent years. A majority of high school and college students admit that they have cheated at some point in their academic careers and with the advent of various forms of digital technology the opportunities for cheating have expanded dramatically. However, research on academic dishonesty offers solutions to these problems and this workshop will address some of the best practices for promoting integrity and preventing dishonesty in our classrooms.
The Art of Teaching: Using Acting Techniques in the Teaching/Learning Process
Nov 5, 12:00—2:00 p.m., Perkins 217
Dr Gregory Justice, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts, Virginia Tech
This workshop looks at some of the techniques used by professional theatre, film and television performers that can be used to enhance communication effectiveness with faculty, staff and students. Whether you are trying to reach an audience of one or 100, these techniques will enhance both your speaking and performance abilities. Topics examined include: nerves, using the body in a more dynamic way, developing a better voice, and improving your creativity through imagination, concentration, observation and relaxation. The workshop is participatory, fun and probably quite different from any other workshop you have taken on teaching skills.
Take Your Teaching Skills Anywhere: Identifying Transferable Skills for Alternative Careers
Nov 12, 12:00—1:30 p.m., Perkins 217
Dr Melissa Bostrom, Director of Graduate & Academic Professional Development, USNC Graduate School
You may have devoted many hours to teaching assistantships during your doctoral career. But if you’re not planning a career as a faculty member, how can you capitalize on the skills you’ve developed through teaching to position yourself for success in industry, government, nonprofit, or alternative academic careers? This interactive workshop will help you identify the transferable skills you’ve cultivated and market them effectively in your application materials.
Using Virtual Environments to Visualize Learning
Feb 11, 12:00—1:30, Perkins 217
Dr Craig Roberts, Assistant Director of Education and Assistant Professor of the Practice, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
This session addresses how emerging technologies, particularly online environments, can be used effectively to facilitate the exchange of ideas between faculty, students and distant content experts. The activities and discussion will focus on enabling the learner to communicate her understanding of a concept in a mode that is easily understood by others, and facilitates a dialogue among all members of the learning environment. Full participation requires a wifi-enabled laptop.
Audio Feedback for Student Writing
Feb 25, 12:00—1:30, Perkins 217
Dr Cary Moskovitz, Director, Writing in the Disciplines, Thompson Writing Program
While teachers have traditionally given students feedback on their writing in writing, advances in digital technology have made oral feedback a viable option. Giving oral feedback can be more pleasant and efficient than written feedback, and students generally respond positively to the intimacy of their instructor’s spoken voice and the greater nuance of spoken comments. Topics will include benefits and drawbacks of recorded oral feedback, types of oral feedback, and an overview of current technologies for recording and disseminating recorded responses.
Why you should use wikis for student writing assignments
Mar 18, 12:00—1:30 p.m., Perkins 217
Dr Cary Moskovitz, Director, Writing in the Disciplines, Thompson Writing Program
While wikis (like Google Docs) were originally designed to facilitate collaborative authorship on a document, they offer many advantages as a workspace for student writing. This talk will discuss these advantages--such as eliminating late or missing papers, hassle-free document sharing for peer feedback and coauthoring, and automatic saving of drafts--as well as issues of privacy and setting permissions. When a new technology can actually save us time and hassles--we should use it! Participants will get hands-on practice setting up wikis for student writing using online tools available at Duke. Bring your laptop.
Course Evaluations
April 1, 12:00—1:30 p.m., Perkins 217
Dr Matt Serra, Director, Office of Assessment, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
In this session, Dr Serra will discuss course-level assessment, particularly student course evaluations: how they work, what departments do with this data, and, significantly, what should graduate students/future faculty be doing with this information to reflect on their teaching and/or document their teaching. This is a discussion-based session, and your questions will be welcome.
MOOCing It Up In and Out of the Duke Classroom
April 15, 12:00—1:30 p.m., Perkins 217
Dr Mohammed Noor, Professor and Associate Chair of Biology
Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) are a relatively new (and compelling!) phenomenon in higher education. In this highly interactive, engaging session, Dr Noor will lead participants in a discussion of his experience as the instructor of a MOOC at Duke (Intro to Genetics and Evolution) as well as how he's tried to integrate it into his on-campus class (Bio202L) and how this sort of online course may be altering the landscape in higher education.