Todd Zakrajsek is the Executive Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was previously the Inaugural Director of the Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching at Central Michigan University and the founding Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Southern Oregon University, where he also taught in the psychology department as a tenured associate professor. Todd also directs two Lilly Conferences on Teaching and Learning and assists with the International Conference on Improving University Teaching. Dr. Zakrajsek received his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Ohio University. He has published and presented widely on the topic of student learning, including workshops and conference keynote addresses in 36 states and 5 countries in the past several years.
Overcoming Apathy: Strategies for Teaching from the Psychology of Learning
Dr. Todd Zakrajsek
What can instructors do to facilitate learning when they encounter students who seem uninterested and even apathetic toward course content and assignments? Part of the responsibility for learning belongs to students, but as faculty, we can find new ways to motivate, inspire, and maybe even cajole students to learn. This workshop will demonstrate and explain how instructors can make classroom learning, perhaps one of the most artificial learning settings, a more meaningful experience for students. The presenter uses theories of learning and motivation as a basis for creating strategies to increase student engagement in course content and class sessions. Participants will have an opportunity to try out and experience first-hand some of these techniques. Topics covered in this session include a discussion of active learning, motivation, collaborative learning, metacognition, learning theory, and interpersonal communication.
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What Can a Center for Teaching and Learning Do for You?
Panel Session with Dr. Todd Zakrajsek and members of the Regis University Advisory Committee for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
The first Center for Teaching and Learning was founded only about 60 years. In that relatively short time they have become a valuable resource for faculty throughout the United States on a wide variety of campuses (e.g., community colleges, regional universities, large research extensive universities, and technical/trade schools). The specific resources developed and services offered vary greatly from one center to the next, often based on specific campus needs. In this session we will discuss typical functions served by Centers for Teaching and Learning, and also investigate specific current needs that may be present at Regis University.
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