Morning Breakout Sessions (11:15-12:00)
Support and Encouragement for New Faculty
Dr. Meg Thams
Tenure, understanding and navigating university and departmental culture, faculty-student balance of power, resource identification, student evaluations…remember the stress of being a first year faculty member? This workshop will focus on the development and support of our new faculty. Discussions in this workshop will include new faculty challenges and best practices from Regis College Faculty and Faculty Development Centers at other universities. Participant input from this workshop will be included in planning of the Regis University Faculty Development center.
Teaching the Humanities in the 21st Century
Dr. Eric Fretz and Dr. Jason Taylor
What does it mean to teach the Humanities in the twenty-first century? This workshop intends to facilitate a discussion on this question by focusing on the role that humanistic inquiry can or ought to play in contemporary higher education.
Writing Reticent to Writing Intensive: Incorporating Writing Into Your Assignments
Dr. Morgan Reitmeyer
By the end of this session you will walk away with a writing assignment, tailored for your classroom, that will increase student comprehension without increasing your grading load. We will cover the basics of good write-to-learn activities, useful assessment techniques, and helpful language for teaching writing in your discipline.
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Afternoon Breakout Sessions (1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.)
Promoting Better Teaching: A Case Study of Academically Adrift
Dr. Ken Sagendorf, United States Air Force Academy
“A pattern of limited learning is prevalent on contemporary college campuses.” The overall level of learning is “associated with measurable differences in students’ educational experiences.” In their 2010 book, Academically Adrift, Arum and Roksa wrote comments like this that raised the hackles of college teachers and administrators across the country. This session will share what happened when faculty discussed the research of these authors – how they reacted with outrage, how they spent almost six weeks challenging the study’s research methods and statistics, and how it all led to self-identifying teaching practices that drive critical thinking.
Resources:
Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa. (2011). Academically Adrift. Chicago : University of Chicago Press.
Beyond the Blue Form: Working with Students with Learning Differences
Heidi Barker, Liz Grassi, & Rebecca Betjemann
As a greater number of students with learning differences enter college, it is important for faculty to become familiar with the issues the students are facing. This session will provide background on some common learning differences such as reading problems and ADHD, and will give strategies for faculty to best work with students with diverse learning profiles.
Afternoon Breakout Sessions (2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.)
Reel Meaning: Using Film in the Classroom
Dr. Tom Leininger and Dr. Janellen Hill
Janellen Hill and Tom Leininger will briefly demonstrate how they might use film in the classroom and then discuss other approaches to film as well as the promises and challenges of such approaches. Particular attention will be given to the use of film to explore concepts and worldviews; analysis of a film as a reflection of culture and society; historical examination of film; and finding common concepts and ideas in groups of films. There will be opportunity for other faculty to share their approaches and questions.
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Transgressing Teaching: Unexpected Rewards and Pitfalls
Dr. Eve Passerini and Dr. Melissa Nix
This session will explore non-traditional ideas for engaging students in the community and in course material. We will share the complicated, messy pros and cons of this work, and will hope for spirited discussion about diverse struggles to make the classroom experience meaningful and lasting.
Guiding and Empowering Our First-Generation Students
Dr. Lisa Garza and Dr. Nicki Gonzales
First-generation college students often face cultural, economic, and social challenges that we as professors don't always think about. Sometimes these challenges lead the most talented students to feel alienated and to perform far below their abilities, while others simply leave Regis. Lisa Garza and Nicki Gonzales will lead a discussion about the experiences of our first-generation students and about how we, as Regis faculty, might begin to address their needs.
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