Session Descriptions

Listed in order of presentation

Brenda Wilson (Department of Computer Science and Information Systems)

Big Idea: Some disciplines are so varied in curriculum that a holistic view of the discipline supplied in a breadth-first course is needed.

For many years, there has been concern in the CSIS (Computer Science & Information Systems) education community that the traditional “programming-oriented” introduction to CSIS gives students a limited view of the discipline. This is, after all, an ever-expanding field that includes many activities beyond programming. To provide that more holistic view of the discipline, we, in the CSIS department, designed a brand new innovative course. This presentation will discuss some of the techniques we are using to involve these students in meaningful ways such as active learning methodologies and critical / independent thinking activities.

Wayne Tervo (Department of Accounting)

Big Idea: Online courses are not easier for students to succeed or for faculty to teach.

I have to continuously tell students who sign up for my Accounting online course that online does not mean easier. In fact, it usually means harder, because you (the student) are assuming more of the learning responsibility. What I have found is that it also means more time for me working with the online students to meet the course objectives. In this presentation, I will discuss a few approaches I have used to foster interaction in an online environment and align instructional practices between traditional (face-to-face) and online courses. I have seen the online course I teach continually grow in size, and I expect the trend to continue. As faculty, continuing to improve our online courses will be necessary if we intend to be a participant in this education market.

Howard Whiteman (Department of Biological Sciences)

Big Idea: Undergraduate research can be an effective pedagogical tool.

Experiential learning is often suggested to lead to higher levels of retention. Undergraduate research can maximize experiential learning opportunities and provide students with basic and applied knowledge, job skills, and increased motivation toward their future goals. In this presentation, I will outline the basics of undergraduate research and use several case studies to illustrate the success of research in both classroom and independent project situations.

Ann Beck (Department of Government, Law and International Affairs)

Big Idea: Effective teaching is based on engagement of the student with the world through problem-based learning.

Many teaching scholars have suggested that both engagement and problem-based learning strategies lead to greater short- and long-term learning outcomes. This presentation addresses how individual and group exercises coupled with uses of internet sources can enhance both teaching effectiveness and learner engagement. I outline the sequencing of individual and group activities along with uses of internet sources in a freshman level course that ready the students for more difficult assignments that require discovery through focusing on a student-selected social, economic, or political problem.

Jonathan Awori (Department of Theatre and Dance)

Big Idea: Teaching today can still benefit greatly from one of the most simple, yet effective, techniques of the greatest teachers throughout history: the story.

As we specialize in our various fields, it is easy, as teachers, to get caught up in the jargon and concepts of our discipline. Eventually, this language can become obscure to those in our classes, particularly non-majors. Historically, teachers, especially spiritual ones, have reduced abstract, complex ideas to accessible thoughts by the creative and deliberate use of stories. This presentation will focus on how to go beyond sharing a few simple illustrations in class to a more thought-out use of narrative as a teaching tool. The presentation will also demonstrate how this approach can improve student attention, make remote ideas clearer and provide cognitive “hooks,” potentially improving student performance.

David Gibson (Department of Mathematics and Statistics)

Big Idea: Leading students to figure out the “whys” makes for a more complete learning experience.

Knowing, of course, is one of the goals of learning. However, knowing can be thought of in different ways. One way to do this is to distinguish between “knowing that”, “knowing how”, and “knowing why”. For example, in mathematics, students may know that certain symbols represent a particular mathematical formula. They may also come to know how to use the formula correctly. In addition, it is possible to gain the knowledge of why the formula works the way it does. It is this last type of knowledge that may not only be the most interesting, but also the most valuable. In particular, “knowing why” can be an integral part of developing some of the Characteristics of the Murray State Graduate such as #1 - engaging in independent and mature thought, #2 - applying the methodologies of the academic discipline, #3 - reaching logical decisions, and #9 - gaining mastery of the chosen field. (Mathematical examples used in the talk will not only be accessible to a general audience, but will hopefully improve their confidence as well.)

Kelly Rogers (Department of Wellness and Therapeutic Sciences)

Big Idea: If experience is the best teacher, it should be a part of every learning environment.

Obviously, not all students are alike. If they were, our jobs as educators would be a lot less challenging, even boring. Students learn differently and believe it or not, it is our job to provide learning experiences that match their various learning styles. Engaging students in authentic and meaningful experiences while meeting course objectives is entirely possible. This presentation will provide a brief overview of experiential learning and discuss the benefits of facilitated learning experiences such as service-learning and other hands-on approaches to learning.

Duane Bolin (Department of History)

Big Idea: Music can enhance learning in the classroom

Teachers (of History, and teachers of other disciplines) want students to learn the skill of analysis. Analytical thinking is required in many disciplines and in many occupations. Students must learn to analyze documents and data. Practicing the skill of analysis, for example, is important in the History classroom, where students learn to analyze primary (first-hand or eye-witness accounts) and secondary sources (second-hand accounts). Students can learn the skill of analysis through musical sources, both primary and secondary. In History—and in other disciplines as well—music can be used to introduce a topic, or it can be used to enliven the discussion of a specific topic. Most importantly, music can be used to teach the skill of analysis.

Whitney Peake (Department of Agricultural Sciences)

Big Idea: There are numerous ways to make course material more hands-on, relevant, and interesting by integrating common software programs into everyday classroom instruction.

With students accustomed to near constant stimulation via cell phones, iPods, and blackberries, traditional lectures given by even the most enthusiastic and dynamic instructors may result in mediocre course evaluations. As an instructor with a teaching load focused on basic economic principles, accounting, and statistics applied to agriculture, attempting to make this material more exciting is an all too familiar struggle. This presentation will discuss opportunities and strategies for integrating common software programs into traditional lecture formats in order to heighten student learning of and engagement with material and ideas through frequent hands-on application.

Renee Campoy, Martin Jacobs, Pam Matlock, George Patmor, and Ginny Richerson (College of Education)

Big Idea: The power of a conceptual framework can be used to align courses, instruction, and assessment around important ideas in education such as national and state standards, professional ethics, diversity, and reflection.

The College of Education has recently approved an update to the unit’s conceptual framework. This framework is the driving force behind all that we do. In this presentation, faculty will provide the foundations behind the framework (e.g., constructivism, educational philosophy, reflection, and professional dispositions) and will provide multiple examples of specific applications (instructional and assessment) within our programs and courses. Finally, technology will be presented as a current foundation with examples of how we use database technology as a documentation and monitoring tool—leading to continuous improvement. The audience will grow in appreciation for “systems thinking” and the high level of faculty and program collaboration necessary—that lead to direct impact on student outcomes.

Maryellen Weimer

Keynote Address: Assumptions that Grow Teachers

Good teaching requires a lot of teachers: emotional energy, the will to keep caring, intellectual stamina, creative approaches, vigilance, faith in the power of feedback to prompt learning and perseverance to find the way back from failure. This keynote will explore all that it takes to sustain teaching excellence across a career, not in the how-to-do excellent teaching sense, but how growth and change can be approached so that they make improvement a positive and productive process. We will propose ways of thinking about instructional growth and ways of implementing change that can increase both the motivation to change and effectiveness in the classroom.

Linda Bartnik, Ashley Ireland, Don Kim, Jill Mahoney, Adam Murray, Lilia Murray, Julie Robinson (University Libraries)

Big Idea: The University Libraries can be an integral component of academic life by providing services and resources to connect faculty teaching with student learning.

We live in an era where information is generated and stored at a highly accelerated rate. While this wealth of data is highly useful, and often available electronically, the diversity itself can serve as a barrier to student learning. The University Libraries work to demystify the many sources of information available to the modern student, collaborating with faculty to turn students into lifelong learners and savvy consumers of information. Libraries no longer operate as simply warehouses of print material, but rather create an atmosphere of social learning, where the services provided can bridge faculty teaching and student learning. This presentation highlights some of the services provided by the Murray State University Libraries, including Library on Blackboard, Google Custom Search Engines, Chat Reference, Find-a-Journal, Interlibrary Loan, and Streaming Media.

Maryellen Weimer

Workshop: Successfully Implementing Change to Promote Student Learning

Devoted to the process of successfully implementing new approaches, strategies and techniques, this workshop will identify a series of steps that help insure that change positively impacts learning outcomes. In addition to making good change choices, faculty must adapt approaches and strategies so that they fit particular instructional situations. Faculty must also implement change in a thoughtful manner, then assess for impact, using the assessment data to determine if the strategy needs further adaptations and should be used again or used more widely.