Chairs Interest Group

Friday, August 16, 2013 9:00am-11:30am
Kelly Center, Cox A
Breakfast Included

 

 

 

Mark Dennis photo
Provost Donovan
Provost Donovan invites all department chairs to meet for breakfast and to discuss developing a chair's website.

Topics: budget and triangulation of teaching evaluation, including observations, small group instructional diagnosis, peer review, video, and eSPOT.

 

 

Teaching Naked: How Moving Technology out of your College Classroom will Improve Student Learning by Dr. Jose Bowen

Thursday, September 19, 2013, 11:30am-1:30pm
Kelly Center, Cox B
Lunch provided

 

Technology is changing higher education, but the greatest value of a physical university will remain its face-to-face (naked) interaction between faculty and students. The most important benefits to using technology occur outside of the classroom. New technology can increase student preparation and engagement between classes and create more time for the in-class dialogue that makes the campus experience worth the extra money it will always cost to deliver. Students already use online content, but need better ways to interact with material before every class by taking online quizzes, doing interactive online assignments, playing games, asking questions or working in online communities. By rethinking our assignments, use of technology, and course design, we can create more class time for the activities and interactions that most spark the critical thinking and change of mental models we seek.

Jose Bowen photo
Dr. Jose Bowen

 

In this hands-on keynote presentation, Dr. Jose Bowen, author of Teaching Naked and popular TED Talks, will share thoughts and strategies for improving student learning by moving technology outside of the classroom.

 

 

 

Designing Learning Spaces

Tuesday, November 12, 2013 11:30am-1:30pm
Tucker Technology 139

Lunch Provided

 

Mark Dennis photo
Dr. Gordon Sanson

Presentation by Professor Gordon Sanson of Monash University (Australia) and Academic Liaison at Pearson eCollege (US).

 

Dr. Sanson will share lessons from Monash University’s journey in designing learning spaces for the 21st century classroom and integrating spaces with the development of a new technology for classroom engagement. This journey was guided by the recognition that Face-to-Face classroom time is precious and expensive and too often sub-optimal or even squandered because of poor learner preparation, barriers to engagement and the pressures of a social situation.


Gordon Sanson believes that education is undergoing transformational change, but is concerned that much of this change is technologically driven by what can be done, rather than by what needs to be done. Nonetheless, technology can give every learner a voice, contribute to better engagement, and foster individuals taking responsibility for their own learning. However, the biggest challenges may be the institutional and personal constraints on taking risks and adopting new practices. Effectively embracing the emerging opportunities requires cultural change in education.

 

Read Dr. Gordon Sanson's bio.