Fall 2017 Student Engagement Series: Technologies and Techniques Workshop

This Fall semester, the UW-Whitewater LEARN Center and the Learning Technology Center (LTC) have been co-sponsoring a series of workshops on student engagement.

Chalkboard and cell phone

 

The first in the series of workshops provided an overview of challenges and approaches to student engagement. The second in the series of workshops featured a faculty panel discussing different approaches to student engagement. The third, and final, session will provide information on a few different instructional technologies that can be used as a means to help facilitate student engagement. Participants in the third, and final, workshop will also have the opportunity to test out these tools/technologies.

The last session of the Fall 2017 student engagement workshops series is Monday, November 6th. The session runs from Noon to 1:30 pm, and begins in UC 259B. Lunch is provided.

Please sign-up for the final workshop before Monday, October 30th by visiting the UW-Whitewater Event Signup Tool (you will need log in with your Net-ID and password), and look for the LEARN Center section.

Programming and Partnership

In my last blog post, I shared the LTC’s mission and promised that I would be back to share about some of the exciting projects that we have been working on. Well, here I am!

Often, our projects do not necessarily fit into one specific area. Today I want to talk to you about one project that I am incredibly proud of–how the LTC supports instructors through cutting edge programming via a partnership with the campus unit, LEARN.

Like all areas of ICIT, the LTC values strategic partnership with instructors, students, departments, colleges, campus units, and administration. We started collaborating with LEARN a year ago on a three-part workshop series offered each semester focused on instructor needs around teaching and learning.

For the past three semesters, we have partnered to offer this series on key focus areas (e.g., facilitating discussions, active learning, and student engagement) following a similar format that starts with the first session being a brief introduction, the second featuring instructors from each college talking about their experiences, and the third exploring how technology can be leveraged to assist in that area. This has been a wonderful collaboration and we look forward to it continuing!

This semester we used data from our annual instructor support survey to help drive decision-making around the topic where instructors identified student engagement to be a key pedagogical challenge for them. Andrew Cole, Learning Technology Specialist with the LTC, lead an interactive introduction to student engagement in “Student Engagement Challenges in the 21st Century Classroom” in September. We had so Chalkboard and cell phonemany participants register that we had to change rooms! We still have plenty of room in our second session (Thursday, October 26 from 12-1:30pm) where instructors (Tammy French, College of Arts and Communications; Choton Basu, College of Business and Economics; Kelly Hatch, College of Education and Professional Studies; and Eric Loepp, College of Letters and Sciences) will discuss student engagement strategies that they are using in their own classes. We also still have plenty of room in our third session (Monday, November 6 from 12-1:30pm) where we will be exploring how learning technologies can assist with student engagement (teaser: you’ll even get to try some out and make a plan for how you might use it in your class!). 

For more information and to sign-up, please (log in with your Net-ID and password and) visit the LEARN section: https://my.uww.edu/signup/

Student Engagement Workshop Series

Chalkboard and cell phone

The Learning Technology Center and LEARN Center are pleased to co-sponsor a 3-part workshop series focused on student engagement, based on issues identified by faculty in recent instructor support surveys. This series will focus on current opportunities and challenges relating to student engagement, in both face-to-face and online courses.

By taking part in the Student Engagement Workshops Series, instructors will be able to:

  • Examine different research-supported approaches to student engagement
  • Compare and contrast different methods of engaging students across different modalities
  • Practice using different technologies and techniques to engage students

Attendance at all 3 sessions is encouraged, but not mandatory.  For additional information, check our signups.

If you have any questions about these workshops, please contact Sally Lange at learn@uww.edu or (262) 472-5242.

Unique Challenges of Active Learning: Active Learning in the Online/Blended Environment

activeThursday, November 17, 2016

11-12pm, UC 262

Lunch included, please register by November 15, 2016

The final session of the active learning series will focus on the unique challenges and opportunities of the online/blended modalities. This session will focus on teaching strategies and tools, including options for collaborative work, discussions, blogs, wikis, clickers, and synchronous meetings. We will also have the opportunity for hands-on practice with the tools discussed.

Please register by November 15:  Register Here

Incorporating Active Learning Strategies into your Teaching: Evidence-Based Practices, Case Studies, and Stories from the Field

activeWednesday, October 19, 2016

12:30-2:00 pm, UC 259

Lunch Included

This session is intended to showcase examples from the UW-Campus with a special panel presentation made of experienced UW-Whitewater instructors. Our panel members include Kris Curran (Biological Sciences), Sara Deschner (IT and Supply Chain Management), Teri Frame (Art and Design) and Anne Tillett (Continuing Education). Following the presentation, attendees will be able to discuss active learning strategies with their colleagues and resources will be distributed to help instructors implement active learning within their own courses.

Please register:  Link to Registration

If you have questions regarding this, feel free to contact us:  ltc@uww.edu

 

Active Learning Workshop Series

Active Learning:  Engagement, High-Level Thinking & Enhanced Learning

ClassroomIn 1987 Chickering and Gamson wrote that “learning is not a spectator sport,” and in 2016 their words still fit.  Active learning involves students in the learning process, leading to better retention and student outcomes.  The LTC and LEARN Center are please to co-sponsor a 3-part workshop series focused on active learning.  This series will explore a variety of approaches to active learning, applicable to both face-to-face and online learning environments.

Attendance at all 3 sessions is encouraged, but not mandatory.

Session 1:  Active Learning, an Introduction
September 15th, 11 am – noon, UC 262
Facilitators:  Elizabeth Simpson & Barbara Beaver
Signup at: https://my.uww.edu/signup/Registration/Details/14784

This session will examine the definitions and possibility of active learning, and explore why it is a continuing trend in higher education.  We’ll address examples from here on the UW-W campus, as well as others from UW System and across the nation.  Participants will gain suggestions for the integration of active learning in their own courses, examples assignments, and techniques.

Upcoming Sessions:

Session 2:  Incorporating Active Learning Strategies into your Teaching: Evidence-Based Practices, Case Studies, and Stories from the Field.
October 19th, 12:30-2 pm

Session 3:  The Unique Challenges of Active Learning in an Online/Blended Environment.
November 17th, 11 am – noon

If you have any questions about these workshops, please contact ltc@uww.edu.

Webinar Opportunity: Integrating Evaluation and Feedback for Pedagogical Change

DSC_3956Improve Your Online Teaching:  Integrating Evaluation and Feedback for Pedagogical Change

Noon to 1:00, January 25, 2016

Room: UC 259A

Please join us for this fascinating webinar, presented by Jean Mandernach, the Executive Director of the Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching at Grand Canyon University.  In this presentation she will examine strategies for evaluating online teaching and explore how we can utilize evaluation data to enhance the quality of our online teaching.  We will have the opportunity to ask her questions, and a short informal discussion will follow the webinar.

After participating in this webinar, participants will be able to:

  1. Integrate formative and summative evaluation strategies into their online classrooms.
  2. Operationalize teaching behaviors that align with best practices in online education.
  3. Create a holistic strategy for utilizing teaching evaluation data to enhance online instruction.
  4. Utilize self-, peer-, and administrative evaluation data to drive pedagogical change.

Signup:  http://my.uww.edu/signup/Registration/Details/14480

For more information, visit: Educause Events

Additional Resources:

Palese, K. & Mandernach, B. J. (2015). Data analytics and predictive modeling: The future of evaluating online teaching. eLearn Magazine.

Mandernach, B.J., Donnelli, E., Dailey, A., & Schulte, M. (2005). A faculty evaluation model for online instructors: Mentoring and evaluation in the online classroom. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 8 (3).

If you have any questions, please contact the Learning Technology Center.

“The Flipped Classroom” Recording Now Available

On February 11, 2014, Chris Henige, Beth King, and Katrina Liu shared their experiences with flipped classes.  Typically, “flipping” is considered to be the practice of using video segments to disseminate content-rich lessons outside of the classroom, thereby allowing classroom time to be used for interaction and hands-on activities.  However, the flipped classroom model can take many forms and may also involve a wide variety of technologies and methodologies.  The panel shared the advantages of a flipped class over traditional lectures, the roadblocks they encountered, and advice for others who are considering flipping their own courses.

If you have any questions regarding “The Flipped Classroom” session, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Save the Date: Flipped Classrooms

ClassroomJoin your colleagues Chris Henige, Beth King, and Katrina Liu as they share their experiences with flipped classes.  This session is scheduled for February 11, 2014, from 1:00 – 2:00 pm, in the University Center, room 259.

Typically, “flipping” is considered to be the practice of using video segments to disseminate content-rich lessons outside of the classroom, thereby allowing classroom time to be used for interaction and hands-on activities.  However, the flipped classroom model can take many forms and may also involve a wide variety of technologies and methodologies.  Join your UW-Whitewater colleagues as we consider what it means (and does not mean) to “flip” a classroom and discuss the potential benefits and pitfalls of this practice.

Reserve your seat today at https://my.uww.edu/signup/ under LEARN Center.

This event is sponsored by the Learning Technology Center (LTC) and the LEARN Center.

Instructors’ Imaginations Ignited: Second Life at UW-W

Learn about the innovative use of Second Life in higher education and learn about the work of a year-long, cross-disciplinary learning community of UW-Whitewater instructors focused on leveraging Second Life in their courses.

Day: Wednesday, Oct. 12
Time: Noon – 1 pm
Location: UC 275A

During this LEARN Center session, instructors involved in the Second Life Learning Community will discuss how they experimented with instructional strategies to leverage the use of Second Life in their coursework. Examples of actual course activities will be showcased and key success factors learned, ideas, strategies, and tools used by the learning community will also be shared. The learning community work was made possible through a UW System Curricular Redesign Grant administered through the Learning Technology Development Council.

Details at: http://www.uww.edu/learn/ws1112.php
Please register no later than October 11.

To reserve a place, please contact the LEARN Center:
262-472-5242 or learn@uww.edu (learn@uww.edu)
Register online at: http://signup.uww.edu using your Net-ID
The workshop is listed under “LEARN Center.”