Events for SU faculty

One of our goals as a Center is to engage SU faculty in conversation around the deeper questions of teaching and learning, based on national and international Higher Education research. CETL events are open to all SU faculty. 

 
MON, APR 2 | 12:30–3:30 | Chardin 142 | Lunch provided
TUE, APR 3 | 12:30–3:30 | Chardin 142 | Lunch provided
Facilitated by David Green, CETL

At this stage in the Core revision process, many of us are busy working to produce outlines of new or adapted courses that will be exciting for us to teach and engaging for students to participate in and learn from. During this three-hour workshop, we’ll share CETL’s spin on the course design process, using the “Constructive Alignment” model for producing solid course proposals. Constructive alignment will help make the implementation process much smoother for you and your students, saving you time in the long run. It leaves you with a clear, but flexible framework for your course, providing enough clarity up-front, while allowing you scope to get creative in the final run-up to delivering your courses. You’ll leave the workshop having made concrete progress along the way to producing your final outline ready for the Core review process.

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TUE, APR 24 | 3:30–5:00 | Hunthausen 110 | Appetizers and refreshments provided

Co-sponsored by the Math Department, College of Science and Engineering
Guest speaker: Mary Nelson, George Mason University
(formerly at University of Colorado, Boulder)

Oral reviews are hour-long, ungraded opportunities for students, working with faculty, to negotiate meaning, make conceptual connections, discuss why procedures work, and draw representations that make concepts clearer. In this talk, our guest speaker will outline the oral review process and present data that demonstrate a strong correlation between oral reviews and improved conceptual understanding, confidence, retention, and satisfaction, using examples from the field of calculus.

Calculus I was once notoriously reported to have a 40% failure rate nationally. To address this, the Applied Mathematics Department at the University of Colorado, Boulder, offers oral reviews to all Calculus I and II students, which has resulted in dramatic improvement in student performance. This talk gives us all opportunity to consider how we might use oral reviews in our own disciplines to enhance the learning experience.

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WED, APR 25 | 12:30-1:30 | Student Center 130 | Lunch provided

At this meeting, we'll explain the structure and process of Faculty Writing Groups, discuss why this process works, and organize groups. Click here for more information.
 
Jointly sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) and the Office of Research Services and Sponsored Projects (ORSSP).

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TUE, May 1 | 12:30–1:50 | Casey Commons | Lunch provided
WED, May 2 |12:30–1:50 | Casey Commons | Lunch provided  
Facilitated by David Green, CETL

We all have ideas about the typical stellar or not-so-stellar student, but we rarely have the opportunity to test these ideas. Our preconceptions may put us at risk of missing key evidence; more importantly, they may prevent us from noticing students in real need of our support and encouragement. This workshop is based on an international study where professors’ preconceptions were compared with data from over 1,000 of their students, including actual grades. So is it true, for instance, that students with sports scholarships do less well than other students, or that white students are more likely to excel? Does it make a difference if students sit at the back of the class,  if they regularly attend religious services, or if they speak English at home? Together we’ll examine which preconceptions proved accurate and which inaccurate and will then explore what actions we might take in our classes to level the playing field so that our students have a more equitable chance of success.

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