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2009/2010 Scholarship of Teaching
Spring 2009 Sessions
1) INTRODUCTION TO PEER INSTRUCTION (WEBCAST)
DATE: Thursday, April 30, 2009
TIME: 2PM
LOCATION: ENGR II – Room 205-206
SPEAKER: Dr. Eric Mazur, Harvard University
I thought I was a good teacher until I discovered my students were just memorizing information rather than learning to understand the material. Who was to blame? The students? The material? I will explain how I came to the agonizing conclusion that the culprit was neither of these. It was my teaching that caused students to fail! I will show how I have adjusted my approach to teaching to incorporate Peer Instruction and how it has improved my students' performance significantly.
The basic goals of Peer Instruction are to encourage and make use of student interaction during lectures, while focusing students' attention on underlying concepts and techniques. The method has been assessed in many studies using standardized, diagnostic tests and shown to be considerably more effective than the conventional lecture approach to teaching. Peer Instruction is now used in a wide range of science and math courses at the college and secondary level. In this webinar, participants will learn about Peer Instruction, serve as the "class" in which Peer Instruction is demonstrated, discuss several models for implementing the technique into the classroom, and learn about available teaching resources.
Dr. Eric Mazur is the Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Harvard University. An internationally recognized scientist and researcher, he leads a vigorous research program in optical physics and supervises one of the largest research groups in the Physics Department at Harvard University.
In addition to his work in optical physics, Dr. Mazur is interested in education, science policy, outreach, and the public perception of science. He believes that better science education for all - not just science majors - is vital for continued scientific progress. To this end, Dr. Mazur devotes part of his research group's effort to education research and finding verifiable ways to improve science education. In 1990 he began developing Peer Instruction a method for teaching large lecture classes interactively. Dr. Mazur's teaching method has developed a large following, both nationally and internationally, and has been adopted across many science disciplines. Mazur is Chairman of the Instructional Strategy Advisory Group for Turning Technologies, a company developing interactive response systems for the education market.
Dr. Mazur is author or co-author of 219 scientific publications and 12 patents. He has also written on education and is the author of Peer Instruction: A User's Manual (Prentice Hall, 1997), a book that explains how to teach large lecture classes interactively. In 2006 he helped produce the award-winning DVD Interactive Teaching.
RSVP IS REQUESTED BY Monday, April 2
2) WRITING ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES: A PANEL DISCUSSION ON A CAMPUS INTIATIVE TO ENCHANCE STUDENT WRITING IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS
DATE: Thursday, May 7, 2009
TIME: 11:30 – 1:30 (11:30-12:00 Lunch, 12:00-1:00 session, 1:00-1:30 Q&A)
LOCATION: Bourns A265
MODERATOR: Dr. John Briggs, Director of University Writing Program
PANELISTS:
Dr. Jeffrey Bachant, Cell Biology & Neuroscience
Connie Chow, University writing program
Dr. Stephanie Hammer, Comparative Literature and Foreign Languages
Dr. Randolph Head, History
Kathy Moore, University Writing Program
Dr. Connie Nugent, Cell Biology & Neuroscience
Writing across the disciplines is a new campus initiative designed to enhance students’ writing skills. Faculty panelists will share their experiences in working with the University Writing Program to implement this instructional change and the outcomes that they have seen in their students’ work. You are invited to learn more about this exciting initiative.
RSVP IS REQUESTED BY Monday, May 4
3) THE VALUE OF TEACHING SCIENCE INTERACTIVELY
DATE: Thursday, June 4, 2009
TIME: 11:30 – 1:30 (11:30-12:00 Lunch, 12:00-1:00 session, 1:00-1:30 Q&A)
LOCATION: ENGR II – Rooms 205-206
SPEAKERS: Dr. Ward Beyermann, Physics Department
Dr. Robert Clare, Physics Department
Research on science learning shows that techniques utilizing active-student engagement enhance student learning outcomes in comparison to the traditional passive lecture style of instruction. Dr. Ward Beyermann and Dr.Robert Clare incorporated aspects of an active learning pedagogy into the Physics 2ABC series starting in Fall 2007. In this session they will share their findings from this 2 year pedagogical change.
RSVP IS REQUESTED BY Monday, June 1