A Re-Introduction to NSSE

Academic Assessment and Institutional Research and Planning invite you to a presentation and discussion on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). UW-W has been participating in NSSE since 2005, but recently the survey instrument has changed. Michael and Joan will provide an overview of NSSE and student engagement, showcase new NSSE dashboards, and offer discussion time focused on practical applications.

Participants will gain a better understanding of NSSE and come away with more awareness of students’ experiences at UW-W. Through presentation and discussion, attendees will:

1. Gain a better understanding of NSSE and student engagement measures
2. Consider ways to make use of NSSE data for assessment of program and campus SLOs
3. Understand the value of NSSE reports and dashboards for a variety of program needs
4. Engage in meaningful discussion about factors impacting student engagement

Register by April 18, 2017

Spring Conference on Teaching & Learning

The 2017 Spring Conference on Teaching and Learning will bring together 200 faculty and staff across many disciplines to demonstrate the UW System’s commitment to excellence in teaching and student learning. The conference will provide a forum to recognize, acknowledge, and share the expertise of faculty and academic staff who excel at teaching, value learning, and are committed to sharing their experience, knowledge, practice, and scholarship with colleagues. The intentional relationships among teaching, learning, and making excellence inclusive will be a foundation of this event. Information at https://www.wisconsin.edu/spring-conference/.

Conference Registration Deadline: April 11, 2017

https://www.wisconsin.edu/spring-conference/registration/

Hotel Reservation Deadline: March 20, 2017

https://www.wisconsin.edu/spring-conference/hotelsmeeting-site/

Keynote Speaker: Randall Bass, Ph.D.

Randy Bass is Vice Provost for Education and Professor of English at Georgetown University, where he directs the Designing the Future(s) of the University Initiative and the Red House incubator for curricular transformation. For 13 years he was the Founding Executive Director of Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS). From 2003-2009 he was a Consulting Scholar for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, where he served, in 1998-99, as a Pew Scholar and Carnegie Fellow. In 1999, he won the EDUCAUSE Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Technology and Undergraduate Education. Bass is the author and editor of numerous books, articles, and electronic projects, including, The American Studies Crossroads Project, “Disrupting Ourselves: the Problem of Learning in Higher Education” (Educause Review, March/April 2012) and most recently, Open and Integrative: Designing Liberal Education in the New Digital Ecosystem (with Bret Eynon, published by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, 2016).

Discussions on D2L
Creating and Facilitating Asychronous Discussions

Discussions in D2L are a form of asynchronous interaction between the members of a class. When designed properly, discussions build a learning community, encourage critical thinking, and help your students apply the material they are learning. This session will introduce you to some best practices in designing and facilitating discussion in D2L and will include sample discussion prompts you can adapt for your course.

Register by April 6, 2017

LEARN Center Workshop on Community Based Learning

Long Term University-Community Engagement and Community-Based Learning: Engaged Relationship Building for Diversity and Equity

The program for Community-based learning (CBL) and Community-based Research (CBR) has invited Boyd Rossing and Marian Slaughter of UW-Madison to present their work with the Family Voices program. Family Voices was a 15-year community based project designed around issues and concern impacting African American families living on the Southside of Madison. Through examining important aspects of this project, we hope that participants will get a sense of how one long-term community-based project developed and evolved. Boyd and Marian will provide an overview of the long journey and then take a deeper dive into relationship building in the African American community, community organization partnering and fostering deeper engagement and learning by university students of color. Along with Jodie Parys, they will facilitate discussions by participants of potentially relevant applications of their lessons for UW-W programming.

For some additional background on the Family Voice project see:

RSVP by: March 31, 2017

The Basics of Facilitating Effective Classroom Discussions

Many instructors envision a class where all students engage in thoughtful and collegial discussion of course material. Our realities don't always rise to that vision. Instructors may find class discussions to be marked by limited participation, irrelevant or inaccurate comments, and even outright disruption. The LEARN/LTC workshop series is focused on how instructors might most effectively utilize discussion in our courses (both face-to-face and online). The first session is on discussion basics- core principles and purposes of discussion as well as sharing strategies and tips for more effective discussions. The next sessions will focus on difficult discussions (3/8) and discussions conducted in D2L (4/13).

Attendees will:

1. Knowledge of different purposes for discussion and how discussion may fit with your learning goals
2. A set of discussion strategies and tips

RSVP by: February 9, 2017

The Proposed Restructuring of the University Honors Program

Members of the nationally recognized UW-W Wheelchair Athletics Program share their stories of sacrifice and success (even Olympic success!) with Honors students.

A strong University Honors Program (UHP) benefits the campus as a whole because it recruits motivated and high-achieving students who serve as role models in our classrooms, leaders in student organizations and residence halls, and future change agents beyond the university. Honors students also elevate institutional data such as retention and years-to-graduation rates, graduate school acceptance rates, and post-graduation employment data. These data in turn inform the recruitment of future classes of students.

To continue strengthening our UHP, the Honors Council (the advisory committee to the UHP) has proposed a significant restructuring of the University Honors Program that takes into account 1) best practices of Honors Programs at peer institutions; 2) a desire to make the UHP’s high-impact practices more accessible to a wider cross-section of our undergraduate population, including international and transfer students, “late bloomers,” men, URM, and first-generation students; 3) projected dramatic demographic changes in the region; and 4) feedback from previous LEARN Center workshops on this topic.

You are cordially invited to come and learn about the proposed restructuring.

Attendees will:

1. Learn about the proposed restructuring of the University Honors Program.
2. Comment on the proposed restructuring before it is sent through the curricular channels.
3. Discuss how faculty/staff may benefit from and help to facilitate the restructuring.

RSVP by: February 2, 2017

Classroom Management 101

Have you ever had a student in your classroom who failed to respond to your directives? Took your class off task? Or who exhibited other behaviors that were disruptive to the community? Whether you answered yes or no to those questions this presentation will help you gain a better understanding of how to effectively manage your classroom. We will cover a number of different topics that will help you gain more control of your class and give you the confidence to work with challenging students.

Participants will learn:

1. How to manage your classroom at the beginning of the year to avoid potential disruptive behaviors later.
2. Strategies for preventing and managing disruptive behaviors in the classroom.
3. When to ask for help and the steps to take when seeking consultation or referrals.

RSVP by: January 18, 2017

The Center for the Advancment of Teaching and Learning will be hosting a

Thursday, January 19, 2017

The institute features workshop sessions to explore pedagogical issues, faculty development opportunities, specific challenges in instruction, high-impact practices, and more showcasing the thoughtful minds of our community at work as they grapple with the interesting problems percolating in higher education.

There is no cost to attend and meals will be provided with your registration.

Space is limited, so register below today!

Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Instructional Services, Room 1144
2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, Wisconsin 54311-7001
catl@uwgb.edu

Student and Instructor Support Resources for Online Learning

The fall 2016 D2L Starter Course includes resources for student support in the online learning modality. Students have responded positively, to the resources, and have stated that the support modules have helped them to understand if online learning is a good fit for them, reduced fear and anxiety, and has given them time management skills to help them succeed in online learning. Learn how to incorporate these support modules into your online/hybrid classes. An Online Peer Class Observation, to support instructors in the online learning environment, will also be explained and interested instructors can participate in a pilot.

Participants will:

1. Learn what the D2L modules are and how to use them in online learning classes.
2. Be introduced to the Online Peer Classroom Observation and solicit interest in particiapting in a pilot.

RSVP by: November 23

Attendees will learn/gain:

1. Strategies to connect with community agencies
2. Methods to conduct needs assessments and data collection with community partners
3. Differences between internal needs assessment and program review versus academic research disseminated more broadly
4. IRB approval process for joint partnerships
5. Ways to identify relevant secondary data for student work
6. Opportunities and challenges of including undergraduates in project
7. Benefits of building a calendar of tasks for the work group to meet deadlines and goals

Student and Instructor Support Resources for Online Learning

The fall 2016 D2L Starter Course includes resources for student support in the online learning modality. Students have responded positively, to the resources, and have stated that the support modules have helped them to understand if online learning is a good fit for them, reduced fear and anxiety, and has given them time management skills to help them succeed in online learning. Learn how to incorporate these support modules into your online/hybrid classes. An Online Peer Class Observation, to support instructors in the online learning environment, will also be explained and interested instructors can participate in a pilot.

Participants will:

1. Learn what the D2L modules are and how to use them in online learning classes.
2. Be introduced to the Online Peer Classroom Observation and solicit interest in particiapting in a pilot.

RSVP by: November 23

Green Zone Training

The Green Zone Training is designed to increase the knowledge and skills of the faculty and staff, identify needs of veterans, and supports veterans during their transition from military service to university and civilian life. It is akin to Safe Zone training, with the purpose of creating "safe spaces" on college campuses though education and advocacy.

Participants will learn:

1. Be able to better recognize transitional difficulties that impact veterans
2. Be able to distinguish transitional difficulties from potential cognitive difficulties
3. Provide appropriate advice and referral information to veterans and/ or their family-members
4. Be able to engage student veterans with more understanding and awareness

Are you considering promotion to professor?
Learn about the process from a panel of your peers.

Are you thinking about the possibility of promotion to the rank of professor in your near future? But, not sure about some aspects of the process? Our panel of professors and CSC committee members will share their advice and tips for preparing for the promotion process. Bring your questions! We're planning an open and interactive session.

RSVP by: October 24th

Course Embedded Undergraduate Research

Embedding research into courses has a range of benefits for students and faculty that extend beyond the support undergraduate research programs. This workshop will discuss some of those benefits including developing student learning, assessment, faculty workload, and finding new student researchers to work with. This short background will set the stage for the active hands-on portion of the workshop. During the session, participants will be asked to outline a revision of a course or an assignment they might consider using in the future. Participants will have the option of submitting copies of their syllabi or assignments ahead of time for review and comment.

Participants will learn:

1. How to identify and work with new student researchers from a course
2. How an actual course or assignment can be revised to incorporate authentic research
3. Effective assessment strategies for course- based research projects in the context of an actual course or assignment

RSVP by: October 24th

What do we want the University Honors Program to be at UW-W: an invitation to re-conceptualize its purpose and impact

Wednesday, October 26th
UC 259B
Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch Included
Sign up Deadline: October 19, 2016

Please come and join the year-long conversation on what we want the University Honors Program to be at UW-W. Given 1) the mandate for UW-W to be an accessible institution of higher learning in the State of Wisconsin and 2) the current and ongoing dramatic demographic changes in the region and nation, how might the UHP better meet its mission as a program that “prepares high-achieving and motivated students of diverse backgrounds to be innovative and reflective thinkers, future leaders, and global citizens by providing best-practice learning and community-building opportunities….”

Attendees will:

1. Learn about the dramatic demographic shifts that will impact UW-W in the next decade and how the Honors Program can better prepare for it
2. Share ideas about how the Honors Program has integrated LEAP values into its programming and how it might do even more
3. Learn why a strong Honors Program benefits the entire campus

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

Wednesday, October 19, 2016
UC 259
12:30 - 2:00 p.m.
Lunch Included
Sign up Deadline: October 12, 2016

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.

Teaching and Advising with the UW-Whitewater Campus Stories Video Archive

Thursday, October 13, 2016
UC 259A
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch Included
Sign up Deadline: October 6, 2016

Undergraduate research. Honoring veterans. Becoming a community through dance. Marketing and Media Relations has developed and posted dozens of short videos that explore our campus culture through visual narratives. In this LEARN Center lunchtime workshop, Sara Kuhl, Director of Marketing and Media Relations, and Susan Huss-Lederman, Professor of Languages and Literatures, will share how these mini-documentaries can be used in academic advising and in classroom instruction. Susan and Sara will share some of their favorite videos and provide you with a list of all the videos available.

Attendees will learn:

1. How to use videos in academic advising (especially for first and second-year students)
2. Ways to discuss opportunities for campus engagement
3. To use videos in classroom instruction to introduce undergraduate research
4. More about UW-Whitewater's campus life

Mind the Information Gap: 
What New Freshmen Know- A Panel Discussion

At this program, a cross-campus panel of UW-Whitewater faculty and staff will discuss realities and myths about current students. Discussions will compare and contrast research with the experiences of panel members and attendees.

• Did you know that when our traditional-aged incoming freshmen, cloning has always been science fact, not science fiction? 
• For them, online searching is prevalent, does it translate into locating quality scholarly sources? 
• Do faculty expectations about time management mesh with what students actually do when they leave the classroom? 

Come and find out! How can you keep up with an ever-changing student body? Experts share some secrets they've learned about contemporary college students.

This workshop is open to everyone in our campus community who connects with students!

RSVP by: September 21

Scaffolding Undergraduate Research into the Curriculum

The benefits of undergraduate research for both students and faculty encourage us to do more of this kind of work with students. However, many departments and institutions have almost reached their capacity for summer student programs and independent studies. Revising the curriculum to build undergraduate research capacity has been an important strategy for some institutions. It has also led to deeper discussions beyond student research that include curriculum mapping, faculty workload, and assessment. Part of the workshop will focus on potential ideas for building a scaffolded research curriculum at UW-Whitewater.

RSVP by: September 20, 2016

Advising Student Organizations

The “Advising Student Organizations” LEAP team will present what great student organization advisors do in their roles to be successful. The focus will be on why we do what we do. Current, experienced UW-Whitewater student organization- advisors will talk about their experiences working with student leaders through student organization advising. They will also be available for a brief Q&A session. We hope to build a community of advisors to support one another in their advising roles.

RSVP by: September 20

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

In 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 pleased 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.

Session 1: Active Learning, an Introduction
September 15th, 11 am – noon, UC 262
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.

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

Join us for a Free Re-Imagining the First Year Webinar!

The Psychology of College Persistence

with David Yeager

As the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater embarks on a 3-year campus wide project to re-imagine the first-year college experience, we invite all members of the campus community to join in a webinar sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) entitled "The Psychology of College Persistence." In the webinar, David Yeager, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas- Austin, will share his research on how social cognitive factors interact with structural and physiological factors to create positive or negative trajectories for college students, particularly those in the first year of college. Dr. Yeager is an engaging and accessible speaker and his talk is intended for any faculty or academic staff interested in learning about how to help support students in their year of college. The webinar will broadcast in Room 068 in the University Center on Wednesday, September 14 from 1-2:30pm and will be followed by discussion among participants.

Design a SENCERized Model in an Afternoon!

This will be an interactive workshop where we will take you through the step-by-step process of designing or redesigning a course using the SENCER ideals. The SENCER approach “teaches science that is both challenging and rigorous,” “requires students to engage in serious scientific reasoning, inquiry, observation, and measurement,” “connect[s] scientific knowledge to public decision-making, policy development, and the effective "work" of citizenship,” and “encourage[s] students to engage in research, to produce knowledge, to develop answers, and to appreciate the uncertainty and provisionality of the knowledge and answers produced.” The heart of the SENCER approach is to teach the course content through its application to complex, real-world problems. The workshop will utilize backward design to focus first on the theme of the course, followed by the learning outcomes, resources, and then the process of implementation, along with a short discussion of methods of assessment. We welcome individuals or teams of faculty, staff, and/or students. SENCER models are a great way to add cohesiveness and structure to interdisciplinary or team-taught courses.

RSVP by: August 24, 2016

Instability and Innovation in the Academy: A Happy Relationship

Higher education is changing more today than it has since the post-World War II GI Bill. Unlike the changes back then, however, the changes today feel more sinister and more threatening. To understand the changes, and ultimately to develop paths to cope and thrive, we have to understand the context in which those changes are happening. For higher education, the context of change is global, and it includes areas that seem far away from the ivory tower, including the aging of the first world, climate change, automation, and a number of other factors.

In this interactive session, we will discuss several profound, global changes that are creating a new context for higher education, and explore how that new context is impacting the regulatory, academic, and operational aspects of academe. By understanding both the context and its impacts, universities, faculties, and administrations can better engage in strategic dialogues about how to ensure that they continue to lead their own futures.

Following the session with Dr. Schejbal, plan to continue the conversation from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. in the “UWW Academic Innovation Incubator.”

Join Join a roundtable discussion to talk with colleagues about academic innovative topics.

The topics iclude:

• Interdisciplinary Teaching
• Online/Blended Learning
• Self-Paced Learning
• Funding your Innovation
• Community-Based Learning, and
• Pedagogical Disruption

RSVP by: August 23, 2016

More workshops coming soon...