Each year, Educause Learning Initiative (ELI) surveys members of the higher education community to get their input on top issues and opportunities they will need to face. Academic transformation and faculty development ended up as the top two for 2016. Assessment is #3, which we at DMU may have higher than that on our own list. Digital accessibility and universal design for learning is in seventh place on their list (see http://elearninginfographics.com/key-issues-teaching-learning-2016-infographic/). Innovative learning space design is in their sixth spot, so DMU can feel good about our work to change the Munroe classrooms into active learning spaces as well as the strong utilization of the space since. Based on many of those top issues, we chose active learning as the theme of this newsletter. Its core elements are student activity and engagement in the learning process. As you work to integrate more active learning experiences into your curricula, remember that we in CTL are here to assist you in that process, in addition to most of the other things from the ELI top issues list. Active learning approaches often ask the learner to make connections between what they already know and new information which then expands their overall understanding, which is really a constructivist theory. Learners are active partners with instructors in the learning process and should know that expectation from the start so they know your intentions behind any educational activity in which you ask them to participate. How did you feel walking into the Munroe classrooms after the remodeling or a similar active learning classroom? Did you wonder why the desks weren’t in rows to listen to the presenter for the whole period? Why do some seats face away from the teaching station? Why are there so many monitors? What am I supposed to DO in here? Consider how your students feel when faced with a similar situation in which they might be expecting a traditional lecture but walk in to see group stations set up or even have prep work for a flipped class. Their expectations are suddenly and drastically changed. It’s important to address their concerns up front, especially if they and/or you are fairly new to active learning, by explaining your intentions and expectations of them, how they will be assessed, and who has which roles. They will then be able to accept the change, move on, and realize that they, and you, can make mistakes as long as you all learn from them since you are partners in the learning process. That also gives you the opportunity to guide them to be more active and responsible for their own learning rather than be expected to deliver everything to them in a nice, tidy PowerPoint package. Implementing active learning and changing your role to a more guiding one is not an easy process. We in CTL would love to (continue to) be your partner in that learning. As we design and deliver various workshops and develop resources for you, we are actively attempting to help build on your experiences and prior knowledge so you can also expand or reconstruct your understanding of teaching and learning. I would love to get your feedback and input toward our services and initiatives. Examples of us partnering with you in the learning process include our Master Medical Educator Series of workshops we offer each academic year. We have delivered a few of them already and have several more in store. See the list of upcoming workshops in this newsletter. We have worked with others on campus to determine a core set of teaching and learning essential workshops which we will deliver every year in partnership with CME for credit. Once you complete them all, you will get additional recognition from CME that you have completed the essential set. More information will be coming soon. I also have remaining openings for another group of faculty to enroll in the Magna Publications Principles of Effective College Teaching online course. As a cohort, we will meet for discussion after completing each of the 3 units online. The meetings will take place in January and February, but I plan to enroll individuals as soon as I get all slots filled. We hope you enjoyed the events from our Teaching, Learning and Assessment Showcase October 5 and 6. I would like to especially thank our faculty and staff who presented sessions: Leslie Wimsatt, Jim Mahoney, Tim Yoho, Christina Fernandez-Morrow, Matt Henry, Muhammad Spocter, and all my CTL staff. Dr. Jennifer Fager’s keynote presentation has been recorded and is available on the CTL website at https://www.dmu.edu/ctl/faculty-support/ . There are some great articles in the SoTL Corner that relate to active learning or are newly published. I am also considering more ways for us to partner with you, such as starting a faculty learning community or to share our collective CTL expertise through some form of topic-based rotating office hours. I welcome your input and feedback for those ideas as well as workshop topics or resources you would like to see offered. Thank you for all your support so far! Continued success, Kerry Dr. Kerry Gregoryk, CTL Director Upcoming Workshops
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SoTL CornerEach month, CTL will share links to articles and multimedia items of interest that fit current DMU activities. These will be archived with each newsletter for your future reference.
Brame, C., (2016). Active learning. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved October 21, 2016 from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/active-learning/. DeNisco, A. (2016, October 3). Why the university of the future will have no classrooms, no lectures, and lots of tech. Tech Republic, online. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/why-the-university-of-the-future-will-have-no-classrooms-no-lectures-but-lots-of-tech/ Education, A. f. (2014, February 16). Why are medical students 'checking out' of active learning in a new curriculum? Medical Education, pp. 315-324. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/medu.12356/pdf Fang, B. (2012, September 5). Addressing Academic Dishonesty in the Age of Ubiquitous Technology. Retrieved from EduCause Review: http://er.educause.edu/articles/2012/9/addressing-academic-dishonesty-in-the-age-of-ubiquitous-technology Honeycutt, B. (n.d.). Addressing the most frequently asked questions about the flipped classroom (series of flipped classroom articles). Retrieved from barbihoneycutt.com: http://barbihoneycutt.com/addressing-frequently-asked-questions-flipped-classroom/ Price, C. (n.d.). How Can I Create Effective Mini-Lectures? Retrieved from Magna 20 Minute Mentor Commons: http://www.magnapubs.com/mentor-commons/?video=3170 Sadigh, M. (2016, October 10). A Simple Invitation: Please See Me! Retrieved from Faculty Focus: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/simple-invitation-please-see/?utm_campaign=Faculty+Focus&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=35581785&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--aGsrcXWqiUdcg9EH_nBOUzfrKVx1C0qLJ4P9qYojTV_DN1oMi4dOIHLgs Weimer, M. (2016, October 19). Getting More out of Exam Debriefs. Retrieved from Faculty Focus: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/getting-exam-debriefs/?utm_campaign=Faculty+Focus&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=36098109&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9REqLvrYg_iONI8CWyArJJWftMI0qo_YyXsYQE5JFgcWR756g6cILYEgc-B4wJQHPK9bRIZ Weimer, M. (2016, September 28). The Questions We Should Be Asking Our Students. Retrieved from Faculty Focus: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/questions-we-should-be-asking-students/?utm_campaign=Faculty+Focus&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=35018028&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8OmwXWEhPAO4SUmfo_DlNmqoe-ZAZFs1Eh9dWwrE1V51QPTR9NByoE
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