CIRTLCast

Issues confronting minority graduate students: Examining the issues and responses through case studies

In this CIRTL webcast, participants will discuss a case study about challenges encountered by a underrepresented minority graduate student. Participants will discuss the case study and its implications for teaching, retention and mentoring. This webcast is part of a resource developed by a DELTA Teaching as Research intern that can help facilitate discussions about issues of diversity in higher education.

Kermin Martinez-Hernandez, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, St John Fisher College

Event Flyer (pdf)              Case Study w/ Discussion Questions (pdf)           Session Recording

Powerpoint Slides

CIRTLCast

Service Learning in STEM disciplines

This CIRTL cast will introduce how to set up a service-learning course that addresses: 1) the academic learning objectives of a course in the STEM disciplines, 2) the personal development of the students, and 3) the needs of the community. Examples of STEM service-learning courses and the associated community-engagement projects will be shared. Discussion will include the development of interdisciplinary service-learning courses and the role of reflection in service-learning classes to enhance students' understanding of diversity in teaching, learning, and societal issues.

Anna Karls, Associate Professor, Graduate Coordinator, Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia

Paul Matthews, Assistant Director, Office of Service Learning, University of Georgia

Event Flyer (pdf)       Powerpoint Slides        Session Recording

CIRTLCast Presentation

Linking Pedagogy to Professional Skills: Instructional Resources on Problem-Solving and Teamwork

As we help prepare the next generation of STEM professionals, what are the skills, knowledge and ways of thinking they will need for the workplace? How can we connect pedagogy and course content to these abilities? In an NSF-funded study of professional work, we asked these questions of engineers and observed their work to determine how STEM education can better connect to current practice. As with our November 7th CIRTLCast, this session will draw on findings from our study to dig into two more of the essential skills emphasized by STEM professionals--problem-solving and teamwork. We will explore how to explicitly develop students' real-world problem-solving and teamwork skills within your courses without a lot of extra work.

Tom McGlamery, Faculty Associate, Department of Engineering Professional Development, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Kevin J. B. Anderson, PhD CESA #2 School Improvement Consultant in STEM Education

Event Flyer (pdf)   Powerpoint Slides     Session Recording

1-Pagers (pdf):  Communication    Ethics    Lifelong Learning     Problem Solving    Teamwork

CIRTLCast Presentation

Research Ethics

STEM education is more than just teaching science. It means engaging undergraduate students to develop their sense of professional identity, while collaborating with other scholars on research teams. On the front lines of this discussion are graduate teaching assistants. At UAB, we’ve challenged TAs to design and test lesson plans on research ethics. Mitzy Erdmann, a graduate student in Chemistry, will share her experience in teaching and assessing more than 600 undergraduate STEM students as they learn about the potential pitfalls in data integrity, including inaccurate data, mislabeled samples, and possible fraud.

Jeff Engler, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University of Alabama at Birmingham Graduate School

Nancy Abney, Instructor & Program Manager, University of Alabama at Birmingham Graduate School Professional Development Program

Mitzy Erdmann, Chemistry Education Graduate Assistant, Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Event Flyer (pdf)
Blackboard Collaborate Session Recording

CIRTLCast Presentation

Mentoring Graduate Students and Postdocs

What makes for a successful mentor? What pitfalls might you encounter as a new faculty member building your lab group? How do the mentoring needs of graduate students compare to those of postdocs? And finally, what resources are available to help you build confidence in your identity as a mentor to graduate students and postdocs? Most graduate students and postdocs don't receive training in the critical skill of mentoring. In this session, Cornell University presenters will discuss common dilemmas, field questions, and share best practice advice from their experiences.

Laura Harrington, Associate Professor, Department of Entomology, Cornell University

Colleen McLinn, Program Director, CIRTL, Cornell University

Christine Holmes, Director for Postdoctoral Studies, Cornell University

Event Flyer (pdf)
Blackboard Collaborate Session Recording
PowerPoint Slides (ppt)

CIRTLCast Presentation

Linking Pedagogy to Professional Skills: One-Page Instructional Resources Built from an NSF Study on Engineering Practice

As we help prepare the next generation of STEM professionals, what are the skills, knowledge and ways of thinking they will need for the workplace? How can we connect pedagogy and course content to these abilities? In an NSF-funded study of professional work, we asked these questions of engineers and observed their work to determine how STEM education can better connect to current practice. This session will provide an overview of the study's findings and dig into one of the essential skills emphasized for effective work--communication. We will explore how to explicitly develop students' communication skills within your courses without a lot of extra work.

Sandra Courter, PhD Professor Emeritus, Engineering Professional Development University of Wisconsin

Kevin J. B. Anderson, PhD CESA #2 School Improvement Consultant in STEM Education

Christine Nicometo, MS. Technical Communication, Engineering; Professional Development, University of Wisconsin

Event Flyer (pdf)
Blackboard Collaborate Session Recording
Responses to Discussion Questions

CIRTLCast Presentation

Active, hands-on learning in large lecture classes

How do you get the attention of students and keep them engaged when teaching a course in a large lecture setting? In this CIRTLCast, Dr. Simon Bott, who teaches introductory chemistry classes with up to 600 students, shares his experience teaching courses for chemistry majors and non-science majors. Learn about the various approaches he uses for teaching different groups of students, as well as how his strategies change during various times and stages of the semester.

Simon Bott, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Houston

Event Flyer (pdf)
Blackboard Collaborate Session Recording

CIRTLCast Presentation

What is a Teaching Portfolio & Why You Need One

Strong teaching portfolios can be key to a successful job search. Come hear about the essential elements of a teaching portfolio and how to begin to draft a personal Philosophy of Teaching, upon which the portfolio is built. Learn about tools for gathering necessary documentation and what employers are looking for in your teaching portfolio.

Nancy Abney is with the Graduate School Professional Development Program at University of Alabama at Birmingham and will be teaching a CIRTL Network course this summer entitled "Developing a Teaching Portfolio." Get a taste of her summer course in this one-hour CIRTLcast.

Event flyer (pdf)
PowerPoint Presentation (pptx)
Blackboard Collaborate Session Recording

CIRTLCast Presentation

Fostering Inclusive Classroom Practices

Join this CIRTLCast for a mini-lecture and conversation with Dr. Angela Byars-Winston from UW Madison. Come learn about positionality and multiculuralist pedagogy and participate in sharing ideas about fostering inclusive classroom practices and course design in a guided discussion.

Questions to Consider

General questions:

• Please share one salient position that affects how you learn.
• Do you think your positionality influences your disciplinary knowledge? Yes or no?
• Would anyone be willing to share an example of how?
• How is the knowledge you have acquired in your discipline shaped by the scholars who have contributed that knowledge?

In considering the plan for a course:

• Whose knowledge is included and whose is excluded in syllabi you have in mind?
• How do/can assignments facilitate learners’ critical self-reflection?
• In what ways can learners be encouraged to challenge the taken-for granted knowledge in a given field? Type one specific example in the chat window.

In considering classroom practices:

• How do you demonstrate multicultural competence in your instruction? Type a specific example in the chat window.
• What are some ways your teaching can better reflect diversity of your students?

Event Flyer (pdf)
Blackboard Collaborate Session Recording

CIRTLCast Presentation

Engaging Students in Learning Through Diversity (LtD) Using Environmental Case Studies

Solutions to environmental issues are usually based upon STEM knowledge, economics, and cultural values and beliefs. Discussions of these issues can be incorporated into any STEM class because of their cross-disciplinary nature. For instance, student discussion of the recent BP oil spill off the coast of Louisiana could engage them in discussions of the chemistry of oil, the physics of winds and waves, the ecology of the Louisiana salt marshes or the geology of petroleum. Learning benefits can be extended through learning through diversity when students are asked to justify proposed solutions to these problems using both their knowledge and values.

Dr. Bruce Herbert, Professor of Geology & Geophysics, Texas A&M University

YouTube Video Recording
Audio Recording

CIRTLCast Presentation

Classroom Reconsidered: Engaging Students with Clickers

Classroom response systems (“clickers”) are technologies that enable teachers to rapidly collect and analyze student responses to multiple-choice questions during class. These systems can be used to engage students in any size class in any discipline. In this CIRTLCast, you’ll learn about questions and activities that make the most of these systems, as well as hear tips for dealing with a few common challenges in teaching with clickers.

Derek Bruff is author of Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments (Jossey-Bass, 2009), Assistant Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching, and Senior Lecturer of Mathematics at Vanderbilt University.

YouTube Video Recording
PowerPoint Presentation (pdf)
Audio Recording
Derek's Blog
Derek's Twitter

CIRTLCast Presentation

Preparing to be a Faculty Member: What Do I Need to Know about Faculty Work?

Are you thinking about being a faculty member? Join an interactive web presentation-discussion to consider what faculty members need to be able to do and know. What is faculty work like and how is it changing? What does the new generation of faculty need to be able to do? What competencies should graduate students and post-docs develop as they prepare for faculty roles? We will discuss these questions in this web seminar, which will be facilitated by Ann Austin, Professor of Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education and Director of the Global Institute for Higher Education at Michigan State University, and Co-P.I. of CIRTL. Ann has researched and written extensively about faculty work and careers, including her recent co-authored book (with J. Gappa and A. Trice) entitled Rethinking Faculty Work: Higher Education's Strategic Imperative.

YouTube Video Recording
PowerPoint Presentation
Audio Recording

CIRTLCast Presentation

Time Management 101

Ever get to the end of the day and realise that you did not get done what you planned? Do you think that what matters is the time you spend in the lab or what you get accomplished? Are you addicted to email? Would you like some ideas about ways to get better control of your time? This online talk will give you some ideas about techniques that you can use to help get control of your schedule and make progress on long term projects. You are also encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to raise specific issues (in the CIRTLcast discussion forum) that you would like help with so that the session can be tailored to your needs. This CIRTLcast is intended to introduce some key ideas and stimulate discussion on these topics!

Dr. Patricia Rankin, University of Colorado at Boulder

Audio Recording

CIRTLCast Presentation

The Science of Broadening Participation

Ever wonder why an intervention designed to get more women into science may not work as planned? Why the percentage of women who are physicists in Italy is higher than the percentage in Denmark? We are starting to realize the importance of understanding interventions and assessing their effectiveness in context so that we can develop more effective strategies to increase inclusion in the STEM fields. This CIRTL-cast is intended to introduce some key ideas and stimulate discussion on these topics!

Dr. Patricia Rankin, University of Colorado at Boulder

Audio Recording