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Traveling Workshop Descriptions

“The opportunity to choose from a varied list
of professional development presentations is very helpful.”

Jim Reynolds
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty
Wilmington College of Ohio

The Collaboration’s Traveling Workshops bring cutting-edge approaches to the major topics that concern colleges and universities today, from promoting active and student engagement to developing adjunct faculty and teaching with technology, including:

Most workshops address more than one of these key topics. Click on one of the themes above to see which workshops address that theme. Then, for more information, click on a workshop title to read the workshop description and link to information about our facilitators. Or just browse the workshop descriptions to see the breadth of subjects available.

Still don’t see what you need? Just call (651) 646-6166 or email us with your workshop needs, and we will develop a customized workshop for your institution or department. We can also provide keynote speakers for your campus events.
 

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Active Learning and Student Engagement

Active Learning and Student Engagement Keynotes

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Assessment and Evaluation

      Assessment and Evaluation Keynotes

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Keynotes

Curriculum & Course Development

Curriculum & Course Development Keynotes

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Diversity & Multiculturalism

      Diversity & Multiculturalism Keynotes

Ethical & Legal Issues

      Ethical & Legal Issues Keynotes

Faculty, Staff, & Campus Issues

      Faculty, Staff, & Campus Issues Keynotes

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Student Retention

      Student Retention Keynotes

Teaching with Technology

Teaching with Technology Keynotes

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WORKSHOPS


Addressing Offensive Behavior and Harassment on Today’s College Campus

It is not uncommon on today’s college and university campuses for students, faculty, or staff to make comments or engage in behavior that others find to be harassing or offensive. Distinguishing what is illegal harassment from inappropriate and unacceptable behavior or free speech can be challenging. This workshop addresses characteristics of illegal harassment compared with other types of harassing and offensive behavior. The facilitator addresses the obligations of a campus when a complaint of harassment or offensive behavior is brought to its attention. Topics include the standards and legal directives contained in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and other applicable laws and regulations relating to harassing and offensive behavior, as well as application of FERPA (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) to these kinds of allegations. Participants will learn how to conduct an effective investigation of these types of complaints. Workshop length: Half-day format. Facilitator: Phyllis Karasov

Assessing Learning in the Academic Major

This workshop takes participants step-by-step through the process of designing an effective plan for assessing learning in the academic major. Participants will develop learning outcomes specific to a program or major, choose from a variety of assessment strategies, and design a process for aggregating and analyzing assessment results. Participants will consider factors and components important in building a practical and feasible plan. The facilitator will review lessons learned from experience and from the assessment literature to help departments avoid common pitfalls. Workshop length:  Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Pamela Pinahs-Schultz

Averting Future Public Disasters: Fostering Ethical Decision-Making Among Students

Unscrupulous mortgage and investment policies, risky actions by health-care professionals, inferior materials used to build infrastructure—the news is full of questionable decisions that put many people at risk. As educators, what are our role

and responsibility in fostering ethical insight and thoughtful decision-making on the part of our students? In this session, participants will discuss practical strategies for incorporating ethical awareness and decision-making into the curriculum.

Through experiential activities and small group discussions, participants will explore theories of ethical development, examine ways to establish classroom environments conducive to discussing ethical issues, and consider helpful teaching strategies such as case studies, role plays, research, and reflective assignments. Participants will examine ethical concerns across disciplines and look at means of fostering

ethical decision-making in students. Workshop length: Half-day format

Facilitator: Miriam Rosalyn Diamond

 

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Becoming a Parent-Coach: How to Help Your Child Succeed in College

The transition to college is a challenge for parents, as well as for students. Their children are becoming more independent and will encounter perspectives that differ from those they learned at home. How can parents transform their role to support student success? How do their conversations with their children need to change to facilitate their transition to independence? This interactive workshop, designed to be part of an orientation program for parents of new college students, introduces a

co-active coaching model and ways to have meaningful conversations that facilitate their child’s transition and success in college. It will address ways to provide ongoing support and encouragement, as well as ways to deal with more difficult issues. Workshop length: Half-day format Facilitator: Velma Lashbrook

Beliefs or Behaviors That Help or Hinder Intercultural Relationships

What does each of us do to that helps or hinders relations with those of other racial or ethnic backgrounds? What beliefs do we have, that we may not even consciously

be aware of, that impact interaction with others? The facilitators have collected data from many groups about the beliefs and behaviors that get in the way of honest

interaction within intercultural groups as well as those that promote positive relations. The facilitators will demonstrate two complementary skill-sets to improve both campus

and classroom diversity climates. Participants will learn to use an interview process that identifies specific beliefs and behaviors that both help and hinder relationships between people of color and European Americans. Following the interview methodology, participants will learn a very successful four-stage style of intergroup dialogue that allows participants to move from individual learning to dialogue in groups using the information they learn from the interviews. Armed with information about beliefs and behaviors, participants will be prepared to mitigate some behaviors and encourage others. This workshop pairs nicely with the keynote “Intercultural Beliefs and Behaviors: Building Healthy Campuses Through Dialogue.” Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats Facilitators: Vivian Jenkins Nelsen and Nancy Rodenborg

Best Practice: Employing Strategies That We Know Enhance Student Learning

In 1987, Zelda Gamson and Arthur Chickering distilled decades of research on good teaching and learning into their eminently reasonable “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education.” Actually implementing the principles, however, can be a little daunting, especially when there are so many other demands on faculty time. In this interactive workshop, participants will review the seven principles and develop concrete ideas for implementing them. Among other things, the facilitator will present active learning techniques and ways of enhancing student accountability. Participants will leave the session with a better understanding of best practice and a “tool kit” of ideas for implementation. Workshop length: Full-day format Facilitator: Kenneth Jones

 

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Building Blocks of Success: Strategies for Building Strong Departments

In the best of times it is important that higher education departments and units work at full capacity, but in difficult economic times this is even more essential. Unengaged or partially engaged faculty and staff, unclear goals and processes, a lack of ability to address conflict, and poor leadership all undermine institutional effectiveness. This workshop provides the opportunity to identify critical building blocks, learn about examples of effective application of these elements, and develop strategies to address missing or weak elements. The half-day format provides the opportunity to develop a plan to address one critical element with time for reflection, feedback, and incorporating other suggestions. The full-day workshop allows for addressing more than one building block and greater development of the plan. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats

Facilitator: Daniel Wheeler

But Life Isn’t Fair! Assessing Individual Performance in Group Work

Faculty often want to use group work in classes, but are concerned about assessing the outcomes of such assignments. They may be apprehensive about the "free rider" effect of uneven participation and falling into the trap of crediting some people for others’ work. They may worry that less prepared or less confident students will fall behind as they are excluded by more adept or outspoken teammates from meaningful participation in group assignments. How can an instructor assign grades for group work in ways that reflect learning, effort, or teamwork skills? What are advantages of assigning individual grades compared with group grades? Through cases, experiential activities, and discussion participants will look at group work theory and the value of employing these teaching methods. Participants will consider means of addressing common concerns and have an opportunity to develop an instrument that can be used to determine individual contributions to group work. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Miriam Rosalyn Diamond

Classroom Simulations in the Social Sciences

Classroom simulations are innovative and flexible tools that promote critical thinking and stimulate lively class discussion. They encourage students to interpret, analyze, and place learning into their own contexts. Consequently, simulations address diverse learning styles, promote student retention, and foster success for at-risk students. Participants in this workshop will engage in two classroom simulations. After each simulation, participants will consider how similar simulations can contribute to a deeper level of knowledge and comprehension for college students. Simulations can be used very effectively in a range of disciplines, such as history, political science, economics, sociology, international relations, and social science education. Participants will work with colleagues to apply this methodology in their disciplines and begin creating their own simulations. Following the workshop, attendees will have access to the instructor’s website so that they can download ten classroom simulations for use in their courses. Workshop length: Half-day format. Facilitator: David Ghere

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Conducting a Peer Review of Teaching

Peer reviews of teaching, conducted by colleagues, mentors, and coaches, provide valuable feedback to faculty seeking to hone their teaching skills and also play important role in the promotion and tenure process at many institutions. This workshop introduces participants to the clinical observation process, including conducting a pre-conference, identifying observation goals, selecting instruments to assess performance, observing an episode of teaching, analyzing observation data using criteria related to productive teaching, making a preliminary evaluation of performance, conducting a post-conference, making a final judgment regarding performance (including identifying commendations and goals for professional growth), and writing a descriptive narrative report of findings. The session can be tailored to a formative coaching process, a summative performance assessment process, or a combination of the two. Participants will conduct a simulated peer review during the workshop, gaining knowledge, skill, and confidence in their ability to provide feedback and collaboratively reflect on an observed episode of teaching. Workshop length: Half-, full, or two-day formats. Facilitator: Sarah Noonan

Counteracting Crisis, Burnout, and Stress for Faculty and Staff

College and university life can be stressful for faculty and staff. Academic work is itself stressful, compounded by pressures for promotion and tenure, which can result in a burnout that reduces the joy of college work. Recent research has suggested that a newly recognized factor is an indirect form of stress that results from listening to the stories that students tell us of their own exposure to trauma, such as the death of loved ones, violence, sexual assaults and, notably, school shootings. Compassion fatigue can be a real challenge for those who care about students. In this workshop, participants will examine sources of stress in their lives and assess themselves for burnout. They also explore practical suggestions for reducing the negative impact of that stress in order to rediscover the joy of working in higher education. This workshop can be provided for a general audience of faculty and staff or tailored to address specific campus needs or for specific audiences, such as department chairs. Workshop length: Half-day format. Facilitator: Russell Lee

Creating a Learning-Centered Institution: Facilitating Lasting Change

Improving student retention and success require a transformation from teaching-centered to learning-centered classrooms, programs, and policies. Whether or not specific changes will achieve desired outcomes critically depends on how well they serve key stakeholders’ interests and how effectively changes are implemented at individual, departmental, and institutional levels. Within this workshop, which will be tailored to the specific needs of the institution, participants will examine what makes a difference in student success and assess how well the institution is addressing these issues—what’s working and what’s not. Participants will explore stakeholder interests, examining why most changes fail to be implemented and what approaches lead to lasting change. Participants will leave with action plans and strategies for facilitating personal, program, and institutional change. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Velma Lashbrook

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Creating a Successful First-Year Program

Ensuring that first-year students get off to a good start is in the best interest of both students and institutions. This workshop provides an overview of the most common models of first-year studies programs, including learning communities, cohorts, and first-year seminars. It highlights practical strategies, such as interdisciplinary teaching, integrating skills across the curriculum, and linking academic and student affairs. Participants will consider steps to implementing successful first-year programs, discuss political issues that can impact the effectiveness of first-year programs, and learn ways to avoid common pitfalls. The goal of the workshop is to identify workable first-year programs that match the mission, vision, and goals of the college or university and help participants consider ways to apply these models and strategies in their settings. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Dean Pape

Creating Diverse Learning Experiences for Diverse Learners

Despite our increased awareness of students’ differing learning needs (including learning styles, culture and linguistic background, or disabilities), there is often a mismatch between what instructors understand about students’ learning styles and needs and the instructional methods that best address them. This can leave both students and faculty feeling discouraged. There is hope! Effective instructional methods that create diverse learning experiences can help faculty teach in a way in which nearly all students can benefit. This interactive workshop seeks to bridge what we know about best practices in teaching students with diverse learning styles and needs. To do this, participants will experience and critically assess the potential of multiple learner-centered techniques, identifying specific methods to enhance instruction in their own classes. Participants will leave the workshop with a variety of teaching tools and strategies to better meet the needs of diverse learners. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Kimberly Johnson

Creating Learning Environments That Discourage Rude and Disruptive Student Behaviors

Many of us have, unfortunately, noticed an increase in student behaviors that make our work less pleasant, whether it is conducting private conversations in class, asking

badgering questions, or expressing anger over a grade. What can we do to lessen the chances that this kind of behavior will occur in our classrooms? What are the best tactics to nip it in the bud if it does occur? Participants will leave this session with a better understanding of the causes of undesirable student behavior and concrete strategies for dealing with it. Workshop length: Half-day format Facilitator: Kenneth Jones

 

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Customer Service in Higher Education: Improving Student Retention and Achievement

Promoting strong student retention and achievement is more important now than ever. Colleges and universities need to engage all the best tools available to achieve

this important goal. Corporate America has found that providing exceptional customer service can result in a sustainable competitive advantage like no other. Are students “customers” in the traditional sense? Perhaps not, but providing exceptional customer service to students can be a cost-effective way of improving retention and achievement. Customer service skills are universally applicable, and higher education is no exception. Participants in this workshop will learn tangible customer service skills that can be used immediately. They will be able to audit their institution’s customer service and develop quantifiable objectives for service improvement. Participants will leave committed to improving their service to students and will also possess a renewed appreciation for why they chose a career in higher education in the first place.

Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats Facilitator: Kenneth Johnson

Designing and Assessing Writing Assignments

This workshop, designed for faculty from all disciplines, begins with a discussion of the principles of writing-across-the-curriculum and the value of using writing assignments as a way of enhancing student learning. Participants will then consider techniques for developing writing assignments that grow out of course goals and take student ability into account. They will apply a coaching framework to the tasks of responding to drafts and evaluating final products. The workshop will focus on both anticipating and addressing potential problems students may encounter with assignments. Workshop length: Full- and two-day formats. Facilitator: Marion Hogan Larson

Developing and Evaluating a General Education Curriculum

This workshop introduces the history of current trends in and guidelines for developing or retooling a general education curriculum. Participants will be able to define and identify the components of an effective general education curriculum and develop student learning outcomes for their program. In addition, they will be introduced to the most salient issues in the development of a comprehensive assessment program that focuses on the measurement of student learning. Participants will leave the session with multiple strategies to evaluate the general education curriculum and determine which method will fit best into their program. Workshop length: Full-day format. Facilitator: Pamela Pinahs-Schultz

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Developing Electronic Portfolios

Electronic portfolios are an increasingly common and effective way to authentically demonstrate student learning. This workshop provides insight into the use of portfolios in a variety of disciplines. The facilitators will outline the rationale, illustrate the processes used to create electronic portfolios, and provide relevant examples, including assessment rubrics. Participants will develop their own electronic portfolio implementation plans, including a timeline, identification of necessary personnel and resources, and a rubric. Reference materials, including step-by-step guides and templates and a CD will be provided. Workshop length: Full-day format. Facilitators: Jeff Ford and Eugene Hermitte

Developing and Using Rubrics to Promote Excellence

What does excellence look like? Rubrics help us answer that question—for ourselves and for our students. A well constructed rubric helps clarify student learning outcomes and provides a clear picture for how student work will be evaluated. Rubrics have many benefits including communicating expectations to students, providing feedback to students, and helping ensure that our grading is unbiased. Although it can be challenging to write assessment criteria that capture the higher level skills that we want our students to demonstrate, it is worthwhile work that can actually save us time in grading. This workshop provides focused training on the development and use of various types of scoring rubrics, including developmental and absolute rubrics, holistic and analytical rubrics, and general and task-specific rubrics. Participants should bring a student assignment for which they would like to create a rubric. Workshop length: Half-day format Facilitator: Lenore Kinne

Differentiating Instruction to Increase Student Retention and Success

Student retention and success are significant challenges in most institutions. Today’s college students differ significantly from one another in terms of their academic readiness, self-management skills, learning styles, and learning background and interests. Traditional instructional beliefs and methods do not sufficiently address the diverse needs of today’s students. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore the differences that influence student performance and examine how their personal beliefs and practices affect students. They will also review the latest literature on effectively meeting the needs of diverse learners, and identify specific ways to begin differentiating instruction to improve student retention and success. Participants will leave with an action plan to incorporate differing strategies into a specific course. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Velma Lashbrook

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Engaging Critical Thinking and Content Mastery via In-Class Mini-Debates

There’s nothing like a good debate to get students’ attention and make them think. Mini-debates engage students with course content, develop their skills at persuasion, encourage critical thinking, and help students learn to respectfully, yet effectively, challenge the ideas of others. Participants will learn how to prepare for and facilitate mini-debates, foster excellent argumentation skills, and work with overly aggressive or apprehensive students. The mini-debate approach modeled in this workshop is applicable in a wide range of disciplines for small or large classes. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Dean Pape

Engaging the Student: A Hands-on Guide to Increasing Student Learning

Research shows that people learn best and are most motivated through active involvement with the subject matter. In this workshop we examine rationales for and means of engaging students in the learning process. Participants will explore a variety of low- and high-tech approaches that can help students meet learning outcomes, from quick in-class exercises to games, group projects, and service-learning course components. We also will address ways of evaluating learning that results from engaging classes. Through experiential activities, demonstrations, and small group discussion, participants will begin designing lesson plans, assignments, and assessments for their courses that incorporate this approach. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Miriam Rosalyn Diamond

Enhancing Student Success Through Group Discussion and Problem Solving

Group discussion and problem solving are popular ways of engaging students. But how can instructors use these strategies to greatest effect? Participants in this workshop will learn how to challenge students to apply and analyze course content through purposeful and interesting group discussion assignments and strategies. This session equips instructors to enhance students’ problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities in a group format. It emphasizes power dynamics among students, task and social roles fulfilled by groups, and strategies for overcoming common pitfalls of group discussion and decision-making. Since the “real world” operates by small groups—committees, task forces, and decision-making bodies of all sizes and shapes—the more experience we provide students, the more confident and successful their group work will be. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to use a variety of group discussion techniques more effectively in their classes and will be better prepared to evaluate group discussion fairly. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Dean Pape

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Establishing Expectations That Increase Student Success

Instructor expectations influence student outcomes—that is the well-established conclusion of research regarding self-fulfilling prophecy. How can we use this awareness to maximize student success? In this highly interactive workshop, participants will consider explicit and subtle ways that instructors communicate expectations. They will learn how to channel expectations to foster participation,

encourage students to prepare for class, promote strong attendance, and create a classroom environment that brings out the best in students. To address the needs of students who may have performed poorly in the past, they will look at pedagogical techniques designed to reduce some of the subjectivity in grading. And they will discuss classroom techniques that give students some of the tools necessary to perform well on tests and papers. By the end of the workshop, participants will have greater awareness of the impact of their expectations on student success and concrete strategies to use this new awareness to foster greater student achievement. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats Facilitator: Russell Lee

The Ethics of Teaching: Responding Constructively to Complex Situations

As faculty members, we all face ethical dilemmas in our work. Yet many of us receive little guidance on dealing effectively with the ethical dilemmas that arise in student-faculty interactions. How does one develop a professional, yet accessible, relationship with students; handle student grade expectations; address homework errors sensibly; use humor appropriately; or foster sensitivity and fairness in a multicultural or diverse classroom setting? What is the best way to enact damage control when one has made a faux pas? This workshop supports faculty in dealing with ethical dilemmas that commonly arise while teaching. Through case studies, role-playing, and discussion, participants will address areas of concern, identify key ethical principles associated with teaching, and consider the relative merits of potential responses to ethical challenges. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Miriam Rosalyn Diamond

Fostering Critical Thinking and Deep Learning in the Disciplines

Traditional approaches to college teaching, particularly in lower-level undergraduate classes, foster surface rather than deep learning. Research demonstrates that surface learning is short-lived and often results in negative attitudes toward a discipline. Deep learning is lasting and encourages students’ desire to learn more. Integrating critical thinking and dialogue into the curriculum is essential for fostering deep learning. This workshop explores how to apply these strategies to improve individual classes and departmental programs in order to produce lasting learning. It focuses on helping students learn to think like a professional in a discipline. Participants will design natural learning experiences to foster critical thinking and dialogue. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Velma Lashbrook

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Fun, Effective, Game-Based Learning
 

Ready to re-engage your learners? Create and show students how to create games to improve their own learning outcomes. Discover Web 2.0 and PowerPoint tools, applicable in any discipline, that make it fun for students to learn difficult vocabulary terms, review content, and collaborate. This workshop will show several easy ways to make short, student-directed instructional games that engage and excite students. Learn how to lead your students through the process of creating games to extend student thinking into Bloom’s “Synthesize” domain and increase test scores by five to seven percent. Workshop length: Half-day format Facilitator: Mark Geary

A Guerrilla’s Guide to Educational Technology

Faculty wonder, “How do new technologies interact with learning? What technologies, if any, should I use for my course?” These can be confusing questions. Where can instructors turn for advice? This workshop presents ideas on how to make effective use of educational technology with minimal investment of time. Participants will evaluate potential educational technology tools and scenarios. They will then learn how to utilize readily-accessible technologies for their teaching, such as creating web pages from PowerPoint presentations and Word documents and adding audio clips to PowerPoint presentations. Finally, by considering the practical applications of emerging technologies and participating in demonstrations and hands-on exercises, they will discover strategies to engage students in online and classroom learning. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Mark Winegar

The Harvard Case Method: Discussion That Enhances Student Learning

Case-method teaching is a form of discussion-based teaching that actively engages students in solving complex problems. Although long used in law and medical schools, case-method teaching is most commonly associated with Harvard Business School. Increasingly, however, the case method has been introduced into the undergraduate classroom in many different disciplines to help students learn critical thinking skills and to engage their interest by applying theoretical knowledge to real problems. Used this way, cases can energize the undergraduate classroom and deepen students’ learning. Participants will experience a case discussion, develop basic principles of case teaching, practice teaching a case, and learn how cases could be effectively integrated into a course they teach. All participants will leave with information about sources for existing cases. Participants in a full-day workshop can also learn basic principles of writing cases. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: David Schodt

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How Can We Get More Learning Without Overworking Faculty?

We all know that students read more carefully and think more critically if they are writing a paper or preparing for a test, but those activities generally result in more grading for faculty. This interactive workshop offers some ideas on how to maximize student learning without over-extending ourselves. Participants will explore ways of structuring in-class activities to promote more out-of-class work, including small and large group discussion tactics, writing-to-learn techniques, and ways of encouraging students to shift their perspective from a performance approach to a mastery perspective. Workshop length: Half-day format Facilitator: Kenneth Jones

How to Assess Classroom Learning

Effectively assessing classroom learning is an essential part of an instructor’s role; yet many feel ill-prepared to do it fairly and accurately, especially using performance-based methods that go beyond traditional papers and texts. This interactive workshop equips instructors to use a variety of assessment methods with confidence. Participants will first focus on the creation of well-written instructional objectives and the concepts of validity, reliability, and usability. The focus then shifts to making appropriate decisions about use of traditional and performance assessments. The workshop will then explore advantages and disadvantages and writing guidelines for each type of traditional assessment item before concluding with practical suggestions about designing performance assessments and constructing rubrics. Participants should come prepared to create and critique instructional objectives, traditional assessment items, performance assessments, and rubrics. Workshop length: Full-day format. Facilitator: Jay Rasmussen

Humor in Teaching: Surely, You Can’t Be Serious!

Most faculty have heard that the use of humor can be an effective pedagogical device, but many are reluctant to take a chance on using it for fear that their jokes will just fall flat! Poorly used humor can be more than not funny; it can be offensive. This workshop helps instructors refine their ability to use appropriate humor as a way of engaging student interest and helping students to remember material. In this lively workshop, participants will consider issues such as knowing one’s audience, using humor as a mnemonic device, selecting culturally appropriate humor, engaging student interest through humor, the importance of timing, and what makes students laugh. Institutions of higher education may vary considerably, but there is something funny about us all! Let’s use humor to help our students learn. Workshop length: Half-day format. Facilitator: Russell Lee

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Infusing Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum

Developing critical thinking skills in students is a fundamental responsibility of college instructors. But critical thinking takes practice, and these skills need to be reinforced throughout the college experience. What specific steps can one instructor take to foster critical thinking in students? In this workshop, participants will discuss strategies to develop campus-wide competence in critical thinking. They will learn about four key skills that every student should possess and teaching strategies faculty can use to encourage these competencies. Through interactive exercises and group discussion, participants will develop goals and specific strategies to improve students' critical thinking skills in their own classes and across the curriculum. Workshop length: Full-day format. Facilitator: Eugene Hermitte

Integrating Online Learning into Instructional Strategy

Online learning is, in one sense, merely another tool in the learning toolkit. In another way, however, it dramatically alters the time and place where learning occurs. This workshop focuses on designing courses that make the best use of classroom and online methodologies to offer meaningful and varied experiences and facilitate effective student learning. Participants will compare and contrast classroom, online, and integrated learning designs and apply a learning design model to a specific class. They will also consider where to substitute online learning for current classroom activities to deepen learning. Participants are asked to bring a syllabus for a course they currently teach. They will leave the workshop with concrete plans for incorporating online strategies into this course and resources to support the development of learning activities. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Velma Lashbrook

Intellectual Property Primer

The development of the Internet has created a myriad of legal issues, many of which affect college and university faculty, staff, and administrators. This session provides basic information regarding some of the legal principles and issues concerning computers, copyright, telecommunications, and privacy on campus. Discussion topics include the significance of having a copyright, the concept of fair use, and the TEACH Act and its implications for online education. Several “hot” topics such as social networking sites and file sharing will be addressed. The workshop also addresses institutional liability for infringement by its faculty or students and what faculty and staff can do to avoid putting themselves or their institutions at risk. Throughout the workshop, participants will consider the implications of intellectual property laws for their teaching practice. Workshop length: Half-day format. Facilitator: Phyllis Karasov

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It's All About Me! Actively Engaging Students

To reach today’s students, faculty must tailor their teaching to meet diverse learning needs. This highly interactive workshop will equip participants with a mix of differentiated instruction and cooperative learning strategies that will help them

increase the engagement of their students. Participants will consider what makes teaching effective and assess their own teaching practices. They will participate in activities that will transfer to their teaching and develop activities to use in their

classes. Research from Thompson (differentiated instruction), Johnson and Johnson (cooperative learning), Hershey and Blanchard (leadership training), Schwartz (choice), and Goleman (emotional intelligence) will support the research based practices presented in the workshop. Participants will work both individually and collaboratively to incorporate selected practices into their own lessons and classrooms. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats Facilitator: Susie Lubbers

Language and Learning: Teaching Linguistically Diverse Learners

Examination of cultural values and intercultural competence are two important components of effectively teaching culturally and linguistically diverse learners, but the very important issue of language is all too often overlooked. This workshop includes that focus on language. The facilitator will share current research in adult second language acquisition, and experiential activities will allow participants to more clearly appreciate the experiences for many of our students who are speakers of second languages or varieties of English (such as Liberian English or African American English). Interaction, discussion, and critical reflection will be used to raise awareness about the nature of language learning and to identify linguistic and cultural obstacles that exist for our students. Participants will identify strategies for use in their own teaching contexts to make teaching more learner-centered and effective for all students. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Kimberly Johnson

Leading the Academic Department

Leading academic departments and teaching college courses require two different skill sets. This workshop introduces department leaders to the essentials of chairing the department, providing skills, knowledge, and resources that can support success in this position. Participants will consider the core responsibilities of department chairs, focusing on a few key responsibilities for in-depth examination and discussion. The workshop will be customized to the specific needs of your institution, choosing from a menu of topics such as: supervision, performance appraisal, coaching, budget preparation, interpreting financial data, overseeing curriculum development, serving as liaison between the department and the institution, strategic planning, conflict management, change management, sexual harassment, diversity, and networking. Workshop length: Half-, full- and multi-day formats. Facilitator: Daniel Wheeler

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Learner-Centered Academic Advising

You wouldn't design a course without thinking through your learning objectives, activities, and methods of assessment; the same care and preparation needs to be given to advising. This workshop offers tips and tools to help you convert your academic advising sessions from a routine review of the course catalog and the requirements for the major into an opportunity for students to engage in reflective self-assessment that fosters connections between life goals, learning goals, and the courses and programs students select. Participants will be introduced to the concept of learner-centered advising, learn how to leverage advising sessions to develop personal learning plans, and engage in hands-on activities to bring this concept to life. Workshop length: Half-day format. Facilitator: Katherine Hirsh

Learning Styles, Learning Cycle: Planning Lessons to Engage All Learners

In this hands-on session, participants will discover a lesson planning method that meets diverse learning style needs and enhances retention for all types of learners. The method involves reformatting lessons to address abstract conceptualization (thinking), active experimentation (doing), concrete experience (feeling), and reflective observation (watching). Since this lesson-planning approach encourages faculty to offer content through lectures, discussion, application, and synthesis, “content” is not sacrificed at the expense of meeting diverse learning needs; rather, it is enhanced and augmented in ways that makes ideas memorable and relevant to all students. Participants will develop lesson plans for their own disciplines and work together with others to develop rubrics to assess student learning. Attendees will leave with knowledge of their own learning style preference, at least one lesson plan for a course they teach, and a rubric for assessing student learning. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Deanna Sellnow

Making a Full-Time Difference as Part-Time Faculty

It is often difficult for adjunct or part-time faculty to fully understand and fulfill the institution’s educational mission and the program’s objectives or see their unique relationship with the campus. It can be challenging to figure out what’s really needed and expected of them. Based on the latest research on learning and the role of part-time faculty, who now comprise about 46 percent of faculty in higher education, this workshop is designed to help these individuals become more effective in the classroom. Through a combination of individual and group exercises, case studies, learning maps, and handouts, this workshop equips part-time and adjunct faculty members with the tools needed to motivate and facilitate student learning. Participants will leave the workshop with a clear plan for making a lasting difference. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Velma Lashbrook

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Making Problem-Based Learning Work

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an effective method for enabling students to learn through inquiry. Through PBL assignments, students enhance their oral and written communication skills and prepare for situations they will encounter in the workplace. In this workshop, participants will examine the theoretical underpinnings of PBL (including its role in addressing diverse learning styles), develop practical applications for their courses, and create assessment tools for their own classroom settings. Participants will leave with strategies and resources to make PBL work on their campus. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Deanna Sellnow

Making the Grade: Methods and Philosophies of Fair Grading

Many have voiced concerns about grade inflation in higher education, questioning whether or not current grading philosophies and practices promote excellence. Participants in this workshop will consider how their own evaluation of student work fits with their institution’s mission by discussing the pros and cons of various philosophies of grading. The literature on grade inflation helps to identify real and perceived barriers to faculty efforts to promote excellence and suggests possible ways to overcome these barriers. This material will be the basis for small and large group discussion and brief individual reflection during the workshop. Workshop length: Half-day format. Facilitator: Marion Hogan Larson

Podcasts: How to Create, Evaluate, and Use Them in Your Classes

Podcasts can be highly effective learning tools. How does one tap into this promising technology? This hands-on workshop provides everything instructors need to know to begin using podcasts in their courses. Participants will discuss characteristics of effective educational podcasts and rate actual educational podcasts used by major universities. Script-writing strategies are presented including storyboarding and note taking and each participant will write a podcast script. Participants will learn how to move from script to creating an actual podcast. Essential hardware and software requirements are explained and demonstrated. Each participant records a podcast for use in one of their own courses. Several methods are shared for making podcasts available to students. Participants will leave with an actual podcast in hand for a course they teach and the knowledge of how to use podcasting technology. Participants should bring course syllabi and course materials to the workshop to use in preparing podcasts. Workshop length: Full-day format. Facilitator: Mark Winegar

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The Power of Story in Teaching, Learning, and Dialogue

We interpret our own experience as well as the experiences of others through story, discovering our mutuality and humanity in the process. The exchange of stories affirms

diversity, establishes trust in interpersonal relationships, and creates a sense of belonging within communities, particularly where differences divide rather than draw

us together. Workshop participants will experience the power of story through facilitated dialogues organized around powerful episodes of learning such as taking

risks, experiencing change, finding a voice for social action, or recovering from a wounding event. At the close of the workshop, participants will understand the

transformational and interactive nature of story, experience several techniques for facilitating the exchange of stories with college students and adult learners, and understand how story serves as the foundation for dialogue and intercultural communication. This workshop pairs nicely with the keynote “Leadership Through the Power of Story.” Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats Facilitator: Sarah Noonan

A Practical Approach to Student Persistence and Retention

Institutions with high rates of retention consistently attend to four elements: data collection, academic advising, teaching effectiveness, and student services. When each of these functions is executed and integrated well, rates of student persistence increase. In this workshop, participants will identify data sets that measure “dropout proneness” and will learn to use that information to track targeted student populations in order to provide intervention strategies that increase the likelihood of student success. Through small group collaboration, participants will explore models for advising first-year and continuing students. They will learn step-by-step strategies that can be used within academic programs and departments to improve retention. Participants will also engage in role-playing as they consider the critical purpose support services play in student success. This workshop can be tailored to a specific audience such as faculty, student affairs staff, or administrators, or it can be delivered to a mixed audience. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Charlotte Reed

Reducing Student Stress to Improve Learning and Retention

Stress can play a major role in learning and student retention. Participants will be actively engaged in identifying personal and student stress triggers and the stress signals that alert our bodies to being “distressed.” By understanding the effects on the brain and learning, teachers can be proactive in effectively managing their personal stress to prevent negative effects chronic stress may carry into the classroom. The workshop will also increase awareness of the many stresses students are facing that may affect classroom performance. Participants will learn variables of motivation theory, factors that affect retention, key considerations of primacy-recency, and causal factors of attribution in learning. Faculty will explore a variety of ways to apply these theories to strengthen life balance and create a classroom climate conducive to learning. Workshop length: Half-day format. Facilitator: Terry Eckmann

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Selecting and Developing Adjunct Faculty to Support Your Mission

Higher education institutions now employ more than a half million adjunct professors nationwide. How well institutions manage this often overlooked human resource increasingly determines how well they achieve their educational missions. Referencing current research regarding part-time faculty and effective staffing practices, this workshop engages participants in a process of clarifying desired outcomes, assessing current practices, and designing strategies to improve the selection and development of adjunct faculty. Participants will receive a toolkit (including concrete examples) to assist in recruiting, selecting, orienting, developing, and involving adjunct faculty in support of the educational mission. The workshop employs a strategy-mapping process to help participants clarify what is most important and how to achieve it cost-effectively. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Velma Lashbrook

Service-Learning How to: Strengthen Student Learning and Retention in Any Discipline

Service-learning is a celebrated strategy for increasing the depth and relevance of student learning. The benefits touted for students are many—deeper understanding of course content, improved motivation leading to increased retention, greater interpersonal connections promoting career development, stronger community commitment leading to more engaged citizenship – the list goes on. Yet how does one really go about incorporating a service-learning project into a course? This workshop gives faculty the tools to successfully utilize service-learning. Specifically, this workshop provides explanations of service-learning pedagogy, gives an overview of national data, and addresses its applications to Generation Y. It guides faculty through the process of identifying service-learning opportunities, building service-learning into courses (using examples from many disciplines), managing student projects, providing opportunity for reflection and connection, and assessing student learning. The workshop is filled with practical insights based on a decade of experience with this methodology. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitators: Timothy Ewest and Tammy Faux

Strategies for Increasing Student Involvement

In recent years, educators have arrived at a more complete understanding of the learning process. We now understand that the more deeply and elaborately new information is processed by students, the greater the likelihood that significant learning will result. This highly interactive workshop supports faculty as they translate contemporary learning research into instructional practice appropriate for a variety of disciplines. Participants will explore research by Johnson and Johnson (cooperative group work), Brookfield (adult learners), Brookfield and Preskill (community building, conversation), and Neisser (information processing model). A number of instructional strategies, grounded in research, will engage faculty throughout this workshop. Workshop length: Full-day format. Facilitator: Jay Rasmussen

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Tapping the Power of Faculty Learning Communities to Improve Teaching

Faculty learning communities can have a profound influence on instructors’ understanding of effective learning methods, leading to significant improvement in student learning. In this workshop, participants will learn how to form a faculty learning community focused on effective use of engaged learning strategies. Through modeling the learning community approach, participants will experience the methodology. Through reflecting on engaged learning practices and considering the fit of the learning strategies with their courses, participants will assess the applicability of learning communities’ process to needs at their institution and leave with tools to establish learning communities at their own institution. In addition, they will glean using several engaged learning activities they can immediately begin using in their classrooms. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitators: Kristin Bransford, Karen Moroz, and Angie Nippert

Teach Big and Enjoy It: Engaging Techniques for Large Sections

Large sections of courses are often the first classes students take, setting the tone for their college careers. Good experiences in large introductory courses provide a positive shared experience and help students get off to a good start. Participants will gain new strategies for tapping into that passion for teaching and connecting with the over-stimulated and often under-achieving students of the large course. In this workshop, participants will discover the hidden advantages of large sections and learn how to use those advantages effectively. Through detailed instructor demonstrations, participants will learn teaching techniques specifically formulated to make effective use of large classes and how to incorporate these methods into the syllabus of a course they teach. Workshop length: Half-day format. Facilitator: Gerard Aloisio

Teaching 101: A Workshop for Teachers Who Are New, Adjunct, or Just Interested!

Teaching 101 is a highly-interactive full-day workshop designed to help prepare new and adjunct faculty for the nuts-and-bolts issues, challenges, and excitement of college teaching. The workshop includes an overview of research about learning, practical tips on how to write a syllabus, a format for planning engaging lessons, strategies for dealing with problems, tools to assess learning, recommendations for handling racial issues in the classroom, and tactics for managing class participation. By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped to present truly memorable lessons! Workshop length: Full-day format. Facilitator: Russell Lee

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Teaching and Reaching Millennial Students: Tapping the Opportunities and Meeting the Challenges

Research confirms what many faculty members have been noticing—today’s traditional-aged students are different. Most of these students, born since 1982, have

always lived in cyberspace, had their performance judged by “high stakes” standardized tests, and been connected to others by electronic devices. They prefer interactivity, teamwork, frequent feedback, and structure. In many respects their approaches to learning are startlingly different from their Baby Boom and Generation X professors. This workshop will introduce faculty to the learning needs and characteristics of Millennial Students. Through discussion and active learning exercises, participants will consider how to work with this generation’s strengths and challenges, use technology prudently in teaching, promote critical thinking and

effective writing skills, and engage in constructive interactions with parents. Participants will leave the workshop with learning and support techniques geared

to Millennial Student learning and working styles. This workshop pairs nicely with the keynote “Cracking the Code of Teaching and Reaching Millennials.” Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats Facilitator: Miriam Rosalyn Diamond

 

Team-Based Learning: Engaging Active Learning while Promoting Critical Thinking

 

Team-based learning is an active classroom strategy using peer-to-peer learning and focused activities and exercises to help students learn more effectively. The primary objective of a team-based learning course is to help students learn how

to apply course concepts and practice critical thinking skills rather than simply recall content. Team-based learning can easily be incorporated into any area of study. Participants will experience a mock team-based learning session, obtain

valuable resources in order to implement this approach, and learn to create a challenging but supportive learning environment that stimulates intellectual curiosity and creativity and fosters student collaboration and peer support. Workshop length: Half-day format Facilitators: Mona Klose and Sarah Fuchs

Ten Strategies for Supporting Student Cognitive Processes with Concept Maps

“A picture is worth a thousand words!” This old adage is true because the brain thinks in pictures. Concept maps are a practical, brain-friendly strategy that can be used to help students learn and remember better, and they are easy to use, fun to do, and widely applicable. The workshop provides ten ready-to-implement strategies for teaching with concept maps, based on current cognitive science views of what concepts are and how we learn them. Interspersed with mini-lectures, participants will gain experience creating and using maps to develop conceptual understanding, support student memory processes of storage and retrieval, and foster conceptual change. The ten strategies, appropriate for any discipline, include maps for activating prior knowledge, connecting prior to new knowledge, facilitating transfer to long-term memory, and addressing misconceptions. The concept map assignments featured in this workshop include instructor-made and student-made concept maps, individually-created and collaboratively-created maps, and maps for introducing, reinforcing, and assessing knowledge. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats Facilitator: Lisa Larson

 

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Too Influential to Ignore: Engaging Learning at the Secular Studies-Religion Intersection

Religion impacts virtually every discipline and area of life, from economics to health care, the arts to scientific research. Many suggest that an educated populace should know about the influence of faith in these arenas and have a basic understanding of world religions to function optimally in our global society. At the same time, faculty trained in other disciplines seek guidance for addressing student questions and resistance based on religious ideologies. In this session, participants will investigate issues that arise when faith meets secular studies. The facilitator will identify learning and student development that may occur when diverse strongly-held perspectives co-exist in the same space. Through discussion and interactive exercises, attendees will take steps to create lesson plans that address religion in ways that promote learning and student development while maintaining disciplinary integrity. This workshop pairs

nicely with the keynote “When Religion Surfaces in Class: From Conflict to Engagement.” Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats Facilitator: Miriam Rosalyn Diamond

 

Tools for the Teaching Toolbox: Guided Inquiry and Team-Based Learning

 

Telling is not teaching! Regardless of class size, there is an array of effective teaching options other than lecture. Using team-based learning and guided inquiry learning, the facilitators will demonstrate how they have changed the culture of their classrooms from instructor-centered to student-centered. While the two activities presented will be from chemistry classrooms, no chemistry background is required. In fact, participants will learn not only how to use these student-centered activities in their classrooms, but will likely learn some chemistry as well! By the conclusion of the workshop, participants will develop a plan for introducing student-centered activities into their classes. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats Facilitators: Mary Hadley and Jeffrey Pribyl

Web 2.0 in the Classroom: Collaborative Tools for Teaching and Learning

In recent years the Internet has evolved from a tool for sharing and linking documents to a platform for global collaboration. As “digital natives,” today’s students grew up with the Internet; they embrace the social networking features. A new vocabulary has emerged as interactive applications such as flickr, YouTube, Google Earth, Blogger, Twitter, Wikipedia, and Facebook have been collectively dubbed “Web 2.0.” Incorporating Web 2.0 tools into college coursework enables educators to utilize the new technologies students find so compelling. In this hands-on session, participants will interact with several Web 2.0 applications and discuss their utility for teaching and learning. Participants will gain experience with selected applications such as: using social bookmarking sites to tag, share, and find resources on the web; using media-sharing sites to find and upload photographs; locating and reading RSS feeds and/or Podcasts; and setting up or participating in a blog or wiki. Participant will apply Web 2.0 tools to design and share learning activities that utilize these technologies. Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Mark Frydenberg

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What Do I Do Now? Managing Diversity Flashpoints in Higher Education

Have you wondered how to respond when someone uses a racial slur or disparages someone speaking a language other than English? Diversity flashpoints are difficult interpersonal situations that originate from identity difference such as race, class, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, language, religion, or ability. In campus settings, a flashpoint results in a broken connection between people who should be working together on a common task, such as teaching and learning. Left unaddressed, flashpoints have the potential to adversely impact student learning and effective teaching. Using strategies from her 2007 book, Managing Diversity Flashpoints in Higher Education, Karen Hoelscher will guide participants through skill development connecting research-based strategies with diversity flashpoints faced by them and others in higher education. Participants will leave better able to recognize and respond to such difficult situations. This workshop pairs nicely with the keynote "Aligning Who We Are with What We Do: Becoming a Builder in Your Organization." Workshop length: Full-day format. Facilitator: Karen Hoelscher

Wikis, Blogs, IMs, Facebooks, YouTube, and Second Life: Technology in the Grounded Classroom

Blogs, wikis, instant messaging, YouTube, podcasting, Second Life— my goodness! Students use these media every day, and now it is time to take these appealing technologies and use them for academic purposes. This workshop unlocks some of the secrets to popular technologies, including how they are used day in and day out. Participants will learn how to access these technologies at little or no cost and apply them to advance pedagogy in and outside the classroom. In addition, workshop participants will gain tools that help students evaluate online evidence. This is not a technology workshop; it is a teaching and learning workshop that uses various easy-to-use technologies to advance students’ engagement in course material to improve their knowledge and skills. This workshop pairs nicely with the keynote "Tapping Student Techno-Culture to Motivate Learning." Workshop length: Half- and full-day formats. Facilitator: Dean Pape

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