USG Teaching & Learning Conference: Best Practices for Promoting Engaged Student: Full Schedule

USG Teaching and Learning Conference: Best Practices for Promoting Engaged Student Learning

8:00am EDT

Registration/Check In

Please check in at the Conference Registration Desk and pick up your name badge, conference materials, and printed program information.

Wednesday April 8, 2015 8:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Conference Registration Desk

Registration

8:45am EDT

Exhibitors

Please vist our Exhibitors, located in the Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria, to learn about the latest tools and resources. Breaks will be held in the Exhibitor area during the afternoon on Wednesday. The Poster Presentations and the Social Reception on Wednesday evening are also held in the same area, enabling you many opportunities to visit all exhibitors. The following Exhibitors will be available on Wednesday from 9 am to 7 pm.

Echo360
GeorgiaONmyLINE
McGraw-Hill Education
Pearson
ProctorU
Smarter Services
University of North Georgia Press
USG eCore
USG eMajor
USG SRS

Wednesday April 8, 2015 8:45am - 7:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Exhibitor

9:00am EDT

Attracting, Engaging, and Supporting Military and Veteran Students

David Snow

Georgia is home to 774,000 veterans and roughly 100,000 military members (active, guard, and reserves). Attracting military/veteran students and serving the needs of this segment of the student population supports CCGA goals and can help meet the workforce demands of the state. Understanding initiatives, best practices, and specific issues, both in and out of the classroom, helps USG schools meet student needs while also impacting enrollment, persistance, and graduation. This session will present ongoing initiatives, both system and indivdual campus examples, best practices, and facilitate a better understanding specific issues, both in the classroom and beyond.

Speakers

David Snow

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room YZ

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

9:00am EDT

Developing and Applying Transferable Skills of Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation in the Online Environment

Dawn Harmon McCord, Elizabeth Kramer

The University of West Georgia’s new online Masters in Music Education has provided opportunities and tools for our students to develop critical thinking skills that they, in turn, apply in the teaching profession. Online journals, discussions, peer-review assignments, and synchronous student presentations help students develop transferable skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students apply these skills to other course activities as well as in their classrooms. The online environment includes diverse tools for students of different learning styles and provides instructors additional opportunities to guide student learning. Instructors and students in this program have seen positive growth in student engagement This presentation may be of interest to those teaching seeks increased critical thinking in an online environment. Presenters include instructors, alumni, and current students of this program.

Speakers

Elizabeth Kramer

Associate Professor of Music History, University of West Georgia

Dawn Harmon McCord

Professor of Music Education, University of West Georgia

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room R

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

9:00am EDT

Discussion Protocols: Keeping Your Students Accountable Through Engaging Conversations

Katharine Page

This session will provide participants with a variety of discussion protocols that can be used to promote active learning in both online and traditional classroom settings. Throughout this session, the audience will actively participate in a variety of collaborative protocols that can be used with students to guide them through rigorous content-driven discussions encouraging equitable student participation. A few of the protocols that will be introduced are text-based, which are used to aid students summarizing and synthesizing bodies of texts that your students are held accountable to read and comprehend.

Speakers

Katharine Page

Georgia Gwinnett College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room D

Concurrent Session, Collaborative Models

9:00am EDT

Electronic Rubric for Evaluating Student Oral Presentations

Christine Jonick, Suzanne Anthony

This presentation demonstrates a unique electronic rubric that expedites evaluating and scoring oral presentations. The faculty co-presenters have developed and implemented this tool. The electronic rubric allows instructors and peer reviewers to click on levels of performance and comments for criteria being evaluated. Based on the selections, scores automatically generate both for assessment and student grading purposes. A single click emails students their results. The rubric includes standard elements of professional delivery, yet also allows instructors to customize how content is evaluated and scored based on individual preferences. The instructor version of the tool synthesizes the results of groups of students, providing immediate statistical results on group performance. The peer evaluator version will collect input in a database that can be retrieved by the instructor.

Speakers

Suzanne Anthony

Assistant Professor, Mike Cottrell College of Business, Unversity of North Georgia

Christine Jonick

University of North Georgia

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room E

Concurrent Session, Connected & Mobile Learning

9:00am EDT

Engaging Students with Library Materials: How LMS Administrators, Faculty, and Librarians Can Collaborate for Better Learning Outcomes

Courtney McGough, Michael Campbell

Looking for better, easier ways to incorporate quality educational materials in courses? Libraries across the USG provide a wide range of books, articles, and other resources to support any course. Join us for tips and ideas on ways in which library staff, D2L campus administrators, and faculty can work together to help students access library learning materials in the learning management system. We will also discuss GALILEO integrations for D2L.

Speakers

Michael Campbell

Courtney McGough

Manager, GALILEO Support Team, GALILEO Support Services

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room TU

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

9:00am EDT

Flipping a Course Lesson into an eBook Chapter

Jeanne Sewell

Free eBooks address the need to make higher education affordable, increase graduation rates, and reduce the debt burden of students. The purpose of this interactive session is to demonstrate how faculty can create open eBook chapters using Creative Commons licensing (allows sharing, remixing, and redistribution) from the content of course lessons. The session includes a template for organizing an eBook. Small group discussion will allow participants to identify pros and cons for eBook software solutions, ways to build interactivity into eBooks, and ways that students might contribute to the development of the eBook.

Speakers

Jeanne Sewell

Assistant Professor, Georgia College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room FG

Concurrent Session, Open Educational Resources

9:00am EDT

Game Development Workshop: How Our IT Students Promoting Critical Thinking

Xin Xu, Thaonguyen Nguyen

In the past two years, we have recruited IT students to develop hands-on workshops using various software and hardware tools such as GameSalad, Scratch and MakeyMakey. These students have conducted multiple workshops to both college and high school students. The goals of these workshops are to promote problem-solving and logical thinking skills among non-IT students and to create an active learning environment to increase student engagement in general education IT courses. Workshop participants learn basic logic thinking and problem solving skills through pair programming while building a computer game. This presentation will share our experience of organizing such a project, which includes recruiting IT students, guiding students to develop hands-on materials for the workshops, and preparing students to conduct these workshops. Audiences of this presentation will have the opportunity to build a simple game using the materials developed for the workshops.

Speakers

Thaonguyen Nguyen

Xin Xu

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room L

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

9:00am EDT

Incentives Matter - When and Where

Michael Ryan

Since the announcement of the Complete College Georgia initiative in 2011, there is an increased focus on structuring course delivery in a manner that improves student success. Given this environment, I have moved from optional to incentivized participation beginning with the Fall 2013 semester. Utilizing performance on final exams as an indicator of success, the results for individual students under an optional participation condition prior to Fall 2013 will be compared to the results under the incentivized participation condition since Fall 2013 while controlling for student quality by including cumulative G.P.A. and credit hours in the model. My hypothesis is that there is a positive correlation between incentivized participation and student success.

Speakers

Michael P. Ryan

Graduate Student, University of Georgia

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room J

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

RETA Nominee - Michael Ryan - 2015 Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award Nominee

9:00am EDT

Preparing Critical Faculty for the Future: Agents of Change to Promote Student Engagement and Student Learning

Louise Wrensford, Rhonda Porter, Janis Carthon, Hema Mason, Joyce Johnson

The primary objective of this session is to describe current efforts to transform how courses are taught at our institution to include evidence based teaching strategies that are known to improve students' critical thinking skills, engagement and retention, particularly in STEM disciplines. The Preparing Critical Faculty for the Future (PCFF) program began with the training of two STEM faculty members to be transformation agents for STEM education at the institution. It has since expanded to a community of 20 faculty members from across the institution with a common goal of transforming STEM and related disciplines to improve student learning, engagement, and retention. To support this goal, a professional development program on evidence-based teaching and communication strategies was developed. This program will be described as well as the results of the implementation of the various strategies in targeted courses. The impact on the faculty and on students' attitudes and performance will also be discussed. This presentation will benefit faculty and administrators interested in improving teaching and learning.

Speakers

Janis Carthon

Joyce Johnson

Hema Mason

Rhonda Porter

Louise Wrensford

Albany State University

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room Q

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

9:00am EDT

Reading in the Disciplines: Using Digital Texts in Humanities Courses

Susan Hrach

The increasing availability of open educational resources (OER) in digital formats offers an important opportunity for faculty to interact with students about the use of these resources. My own experience in both developing and utilizing OER’s in my classes affords me a unique perspective integrating them into the classroom. In particular, I hope to raise and address an important instructional design question for OER's in digital formats: what do we mean when we ask students to "read"? What technological and pedagogical challenges must we plan to confront when assigning reading in a digital format? I will share SoTL research and my own experiences in this area.

Speakers

Susan Hrach

Distinguished Research Chair, Fulbright Canada

I'm interested in embodied cognition, experiential learning, and coaching for faculty and educational developers. Happy to chat with anyone about ideas from my book, Minding Bodies: how physical space, sensation, and movement affect learning (WVU Press, 2021).

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room C

Concurrent Session, Open Educational Resources

9:00am EDT

Small Group Problem-Based Learning Exercises to Advance Students' Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning Skills

Aaron Beedle

Critical thinking is a key component of scientific reasoning and student success in upper level science courses. However, helping students to develop such skills is a challenge. To address this need, a series of problem-based learning (PBL) sessions were designed for a 3000-level Physiology course. While individual exercises are based in physiological content, common critical thinking learning objectives are integrated, including: 1) consideration of information sources/bias; 2) evaluation and application of data; and 3) hypothesis, experimental design, and data extrapolation. The small group PBL exercises are designed to facilitate peer teaching/learning. The presentation will introduce a design for PBL team exercises, provide examples of specific sessions with student responses and assessment measures, and demonstrate a team exercise with the audience (no scientific knowledge required). Adaptation of this critical thinking exercise format to various disciplines will be discussed.

Speakers

Aaron Beedle

University of Georgia

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room VW

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

9:00am EDT

Team Jeopardy: A New 'Competitive' Approach to Critical Thinking

Samantha Bishop

Critical thinking requires a person to use conscious effort to assess a situation, analyze data, consider options, and formulate decisions while maintaining flexibility. Within the classroom it is a challenge to discover teaching methods that engage the student as well as impart valuable information related to the information being taught. This presentation will illustrate the use of a common game show and good old fashion competition to engage teams of students in the critical thinking process in order to answer application and analysis level questions in a controlled academic setting.

Speakers

Samantha Bishop

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room K

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

RETA Nominee - Samantha Bishop - 2015 Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award Nominee

9:45am EDT

Morning Break

Break located in Kellogg Concourse upstairs and Hill Atrium downstairs.

Wednesday April 8, 2015 9:45am - 10:15am EDT
Kellogg Concourse & Hill Atrium

General Session

10:00am EDT

A Faculty Member, an Instructional Designer, a Librarian, and a Student Walk into a Bar: Conversation over the Best Practices for Designing and Delivering Distance Learning Curricula

Vahe Heboyan, Georgianna Laws, Maryshka Connolly-Brown

Recent years have witnessed a paradigm shift in the design and delivery of the academic curricula. This shift has established the distance learning platform as a competing alternative to the traditional, classroom-based system. Established programs are offering distance learning options and new programs are developing primarily based on distance learning platforms. Such moves enable programs to reach a critical audience among working professionals, military, and others constrained from attending university in the traditional way. It also extends the geographic reach outside of their traditional student recruiting markets to other national and even international localities. This presentation discusses the challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned when blending technology, tools and strategies to effectively design and deliver two graduate-level distance learning courses in methodologically differing ways.

Speakers

Maryska Connolly-Brown

Serials Resources Librarian, Georgia Regents University

Vahé Heboyan

Assistant Professor, Georgia Regents University

Georgianna Laws

Instructional Designer, Georgia Regents University

My main areas of expertise are online instruction and eLearning instructional design. I'd love ideas on promoting online student-to-student engagement in exact sciences.

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room TU

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

10:00am EDT

Archiving Engagement: Public Memory, Oral History, and Critical Thinking at Georgia College

Joshua Kitchens, Katie Simon, Tess Lyle

This presentation will illustrate the process of creating an interdisciplinary course, “Critical Thinking”, and the Citizen Soldier project. Students were asked to employ critical thinking skills in the creation of a pop-up museum and digital archive, in response to the question: "How Do We Remember War?" We will discuss lessons learned from a collaboration of Georgia College faculty, staff and community partners in this project. In addition we will lead participants in a hands-on experience utilizing critically thinking in regard to issues of public and collective memory, commemoration, and the power of using archival material in support of engaged student learning.

Speakers

Joshua Kitchens

Savannah Lyle

Georgia College

Katie Simon

Georgia College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room L

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

10:00am EDT

Building Community in the College Classroom

Ray-Lynn Snowden, Allison Bailey

Building Community in the College Classroom discusses best practices, techniques, activities, and policies that can be used by college instructors to develop a sense of supportive classroom community within traditional, hybrid and online college courses. A central theme is how and why the instructor can be a facilitator for engaging students in active learning by promoting constructive classroom community through attitude, communication, technology, and class policies & practices. Concepts presented can be used across disciplines. Join us for this interactive session that will also offer participants the opportunity to share their own classroom community building techniques, narratives, feedback, and questions about building community in the college classroom.

Speakers

Allison Bailey

Associate Professor, University of North GA

Ray-Lynn Snowden

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room D

Concurrent Session, Collaborative Models

10:00am EDT

Improving Student Performance with Nudge Analytics

Providing students with continuous and personalized feedback on their performance is an important part of encouraging self regulated learning. In this session we will cover some of the latest techniques in Data Science and Cognitive Computing to advance student learning. As part of our higher education platform, for example, we built a set of data visualizations to provide feedback to students on their assignment performance. Included in the feedback are `nudges' which provide guidance on how students might improve their performance by adjusting when they start or submit assignments. In order to understand what nudges to provide to students, we analyzed historical data from over 1.4 million students on over 27 million assignment submissions to find student performance trends. We used this analysis and the past and current performance of each student to display nudges relevant for them in their visualizations, highlighting actionable strategies for improving future performance.

Speakers

Jacqueline Field - McGraw-Hill Education

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room VW

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

10:00am EDT

Innovations for Student Success: STEM and STEAM

Farooq Khan, Satyanarayana Swamy-Mruthinti, Rebecca Harrison

This presentation details two ongoing USG BOR funded initiatives for educators in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Further, it will appeal to English faculty interested in the ways in which writing courses can be meaningful parts of such initiatives. The first (funded as a BOR STEM II Initiative) seeks to increase the academic performance and progression of STEM majors and to prepare them for success in STEM careers. Key features include: (a) A Summer Bridge Program to provide a head-start in English and Mathematics; (b) An inter-disciplinary freshmen seminar course; (c) Participation in undergraduate research; and (d) Coursework significantly impacted by curricular innovations undertaken by an inter-disciplinary team of faculty members. The second initiative (a Complete College Georgia Replicate Grant) is an innovative STEAM project, wherein English composition courses are taught with assignments focused broadly around STEM themes. A team drawn from several disciplines will focus on inter-disciplinary team building, innovation, and our constant efforts in analysis and improvement. In particular, we will discuss scalability and adaptability to non-STEM disciplines.

Speakers

Rebecca Harrison

University of West Georgia

Farooq Khan

Satyanarayana Swamy-Mruthinti

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room YZ

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

10:00am EDT

Promoting Students' Engagement Through Creating Open Educational Resources

YunJeong (Eunice) Chang, Jasmine Choi

The EDIT2000 course at the University of Georgia is designed around project-based learning (PBL), to enhance college students' understanding about teaching and learning effectively with technology. PBL requires students' active engagement with collaborative learning to provoke in-depth thinking while acquiring and applying new knowledge. However, not all students are engaged during its process. To enhance student engagement, instructors designed a project around an authentic problem, and alloWednesday students to directly apply what they've learned to the proposed problem. Students were asked to create a Stop Animation for 12 first graders in a charter school in need of free online educational resources. In the presentation, we will share (1) how students' engagement was influenced, and (2) the effects of a real-world applicable project on college students

Speakers

YunJeong (Eunice) Chang

University of Georgia

Jasmine Choi

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room FG

Concurrent Session, Open Educational Resources

10:00am EDT

Raising Awareness of Critical Water Issues on the College Campus through Collaboration

Candace Timpte, Douglas Johnson, Lee Kurtz

This session is designed for professors who are considering interdisciplinary and collaborative efforts to engage their students, while developing critical thinking, collaboration, team building and communication skills. Using a recent experience where biology and leadership students worked together to research and analyze global and domestic water issues, we will share insights from the perspective of students via digital media and the involved professors, have an exemplar activity that represents the campus wide demonstrations, and conclude with a question and answer session.

Speakers

Douglas Johnson

Lee Kurtz

Professor of Biology, Georgia Gwinnett College

Candace Timpte

Professor, Georgia Gwinnett College

Student reading and comprehension in STEMGlobal water crisis and raising student awareness while meeting course goalsDEI and classroom inclusivity

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room C

Concurrent Session, Collaborative Models

10:00am EDT

The Brave New World: Promoting Clinical Decision Making through Problem Based Learning.

Kim Hudson-Gallogly, Myra Clark, Toni Barnett

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the development of a clinical decision making course and the successful implementation of problem-based learning into the curriculum. The outcome of graduate nurse practitioner educational programs is for graduates to have the ability to practice independently. Integrating clinical decision making into NP programs builds on foundational knowledge gained in pathophysiology, pharmacology and advanced health assessment. The concepts are taught and then applied through learning experiences that foster progression from a focus on gaining theoretical knowledge to the synthesis and application of that knowledge in the advanced clinical practice role. Implementation of a problem-based curriculum provides students the opportunity to gain analytic skills and step into the clinical arena with knowledge of critical thinking concepts. Clinical decision-making becomes a tangible process that students begin to apply from their first clinical encounters and into their perspective practice as an advanced practice nurse.

Speakers

Toni Barnett

Myra Clark

Associate Professor Nursing, University of North Georgia

Kim Hudson-Gallogly

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room Q

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

10:00am EDT

Tracking Trends and Transferring Knowledge: Exploring Innovative Technologies for Postsecondary and Transition Planning Success

Liz Persaud, Carolyn Phillips

The world around is evolving at an astounding rate. Assistive Technology, or AT, has been foundational in this evolution and a catalyst for positive life-changing results for individuals with disabilities. Beginning a path that leads to college or technical school can be an overwhelming experience. Students need independent access to the curriculum to become life-long learners. AT can increase opportunities for education, social interactions, and employment, especially when there is a focus on technology like tablets, apps, wearables and robotics. With such a wide range of assistive technology solutions, how does one include their choices into transition planning? This presentation will provide a brief overview of the AT consideration process including hands-on demonstration of cutting-edge technology aligned to postsecondary and transition planning. Participants are encouraged to bring their tablets, mobile devices, app suggestions and other questions as they join presenters for a thoughtful discussion on what's new in AT and in the AT community as we explore where we were, and perhaps, where we are going. Get ready to learn how Assistive Technology can help all students achieve academic success!

Speakers

Liz Persaud

Training Coordinator, Tools for Life at AMAC Accessibility at Georgia Tech

Liz Persaud is a nationally recognized keynote and public speaker addressing the need to build bridges between individuals with and without disabilities. Liz currently serves as the Training, Outreach and Development Coordinator for Tools for Life (Georgia’s Assistive Technology... Read More →

Carolyn Phillips

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room E

Concurrent Session, Connected & Mobile Learning

10:00am EDT

Triple Action: A Comprehensive Classroom Review

James Yates

In this session a classroom review methodology will be described. This methodology is designed to improve the overall quality of the educational experience for students and includes input from the peer reviewer, students, and from direct observation. This approach may be applied to a variety of classrooms and disciplines. The methodology is built on the Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (as was described at the 2013 Teaching & Learning Conference) and incorporates insight from the peer reviewer as well as a direct observation of one’s own teaching approach.

Speakers

James Yates

Assistant Professor, Darton State College

My presentation will show a simple and practical method for improving your teaching techniques. I have used this myself and have been quite pleased with the results.

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room J

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

10:00am EDT

Universal Design for Online Learning

Tyler Watts

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) combines the latest research in neuroscience and pedagogy and attempts to address learners in ways that we now know the brain works. Using multiple means of representation, expression and engagement, UDL provides solutions to issues that arise with diverse online populations, students with disabilities and multi-level learners. In this session, we will explore what UDL is through concrete examples and an evaluation of the literature. The session will also allow participants to discuss ways that UDL principles can be applied in online learning environments and wrestle with the challenges of UDL implementation. The session aims to be an introduction to the concepts of UDL and a springboard for further exploration. Participants should leave the session with a conceptual understanding of the UDL principles and concrete methods of application for further exploration.

Speakers

Tyler Watts

Assistant Director of Online Learning & CTE, Bainbridge State College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room R

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

10:00am EDT

Alternatives to the Research Paper

Wednesday Morning Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 1

Betsy Whitley

The research paper is a very traditional, but tired, method for developing critical thinking. Unfortunately, students are seldom inspired to do more than go through the motions of gathering a few facts before they get to what they consider the meat of the assignment-writing the paper. When research assignments are inspiring, students engage in the process of research, which is a continuous stream of decision-making, packed with critical thinking potential.

Speakers

Betsy Whitley

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

10:00am EDT

CANCELLED - Student Engagement in an Online Course

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session

10:00am EDT

Laboratories Engaging students in the Application and Process of Science (LEAPS): a glimpse into a curricular model to promote student critical thinking skills

Wednesday Morning Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 5

Scott Mateer
Traci Ness, Geneva DeMars, Jennifer Brofft Bailey, Melanie Link

We have implemented an authentic research experience into a multi-section undergraduate introductory biology laboratory course to introduce students to the process and application of science. Throughout the semester, students use basic molecular techniques to determine if insects they collected and identified are infected with Wolbachia. Students use bioinformatics to ascertain whether the detected strains are novel. Exploration of Wolbachia diversity provides a framework for promoting critical thinking skills. Students collaborate to conduct literature reviews, develop hypotheses, collect and analyze data, and organize and communicate results. The structure of each lab is designed to support student success: substantive pre-lab assignments prepare students for full engagement, while integrated discussions and post-lab assignments encourage synthesis and application skills. This model can be applied to other curricula across disciplines.

Speakers

Jennifer Brofft Bailey

Geneva DeMars

Melanie Link

Scott C. Mateer

Associate Professor of Biology, Armstrong State University

Traci Ness

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

10:00am EDT

Using OER to Develop a Flipped Course Model

Wednesday Morning Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 2

William Johnson

Open Educational Resources (OER) is prevalent in many levels of education. Baccalaureate institutions are beginning to realize the value of developing and using these OER to delivery a variety of subjects with little or no cost to students. This "free" area of course materials has many ways of application to pedagogy. There are textbooks, e-books, course libraries, course packs, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). There are also numerous subject specific resources available via the Internet. In conjunction with a colleague we chose to use a combination of OER materials and the Internet to create a "no-cost" e-book that emphasizes collaborative problem solving, relevant classroom activities, and summary essays for the student. The course is titled "Introduction to Computing." However, the lessons learned and resources discovered are applicable to any college level subject.

Speakers

William Johnson

Instructor of Computer Science, Georgia Perimeter College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Open Educational Resources

10:00am EDT

Using the SBH Maieutic Method to Develop Moral Reasoning and Critical Thinking

Wednesday Morning Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 4

Thomas Grant

Research with writing and communications students shows the SBH Maieutic Method, a dialogue between student and instructor based in a Platonic notion of birthing knowledge, leads to significant growth in moral reasoning skills as measured by the DIT2 (n=105, p=0.005). The research was directed toward developing a pedagogy and curriculum for teaching professional ethics. However, a control group in a non-ethics class, but one also taught with the SBH Maieutic Method, also showed significant gains in moral reasoning. The SBH Maieutic Method has been shown to lead to significant gains in moral reasoning in college athletes, military personnel and media students. This suggests that the method itself, which encourages independent thinking, may help all students develop critical thinking skills used to answer complicated ethical questions.

Speakers

Thomas Grant

Wednesday April 8, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

11:00am EDT

A Review of Multiple Modalities to Create Robust Instructional Content and Improve Student Engagement

Sherry Southard

This presentation outlines strategies, resources and examples of ways to promote student engagement in the learning process. Specific resources and tools for creating animated presentations, dynamic video content, cartoon animations, interactive exercises, and video email will be discussed. Beginner, intermediate and advanced techniques for developing highly visual content employing the use of images while avoiding copyright infringement issues will be outlined. The presenter will outline the creation process and provide helpful tips for efficiently creating the materials while remaining mindful of potential copyright issues. The presentation will offer suggestions that can be incorporated by instructors with beginner, intermediate and advanced technology skills. In order to reduce accessibility barriers to developing their instructional content, many of the resources selected for the review are available for free or at a reduced education rate.

Speakers

Sheryne Southard

Clayton State University

Wednesday April 8, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room TU

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

RETA Winner - Sherry Southard - 2015 Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award Winner

11:00am EDT

An Ounce of Prevention: Assessment and Engagement Data and Early Identification of at-Risk Students

Gregory Dixon

Many freshman students are underprepared for success at the university level. This is most clearly seen at the first freshman midterm when significant numbers of students fail. But what if we could identify these students in the first two weeks of the course, before they fail that first exam and refer them to tutoring or other support services? Could this approach reduce the DFW rates in our introductory courses? To find out, we have begun combining assessment data with early engagement data to identify students at risk of DFW and to refer these students to support services. We combine data already collected as part of assessment efforts with new online tracking data to identify at-risk students in the first two weeks of the class. The goal is to reduce DFW rates and to develop college survival skills among the students. This presentation explains how our two-pronged approach can significantly improve our identification of at-risk students and help us to improve overall student performance in the classroom and reduce DFW rates contributing to the retention, progression, and graduation of students.

Speakers

Gregory Dixon

Associate Professor, University of West Georgia

Wednesday April 8, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room YZ

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

11:00am EDT

Best Practices in Online Teaching and Learning: Perspectives from Leaders in the Field

Michael Ryan, Christine Jonick

Online instruction is increasingly pervasive in higher education, so quality of online course design and delivery is critical to the success of our institutions and individual students. This presentation will share common themes, approaches, and best practices from the teaching philosophy statements of the 2014 and 2015 nominees for the Regents' Award for Excellence in Online Teaching, individuals who were selected because they created and taught innovative and well-designed online courses that facilitate learning and engagement. Topics such as effective communication, engagement, assessment, expectations, and learning objectives span all academic disciplines. Audience members will have the opportunity contribute to the discussion and take away insights for improving their own online classes.

Speakers

Christine Jonick

University of North Georgia

Michael P. Ryan

Graduate Student, University of Georgia

Wednesday April 8, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room L

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

RETA Nominee - Michael Ryan - 2015 Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award Nominee

11:00am EDT

CANCELLED - Social Media in the Classroom: How to Better Engage Disengaged Millennial Learners

Wednesday April 8, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room E

Concurrent Session, Connected & Mobile Learning

11:00am EDT

Developing Critical Thinking Skills by Examining Assumptions behind Some Typical Preservice Teacher's Questions and Responses in an Elementary Math Methods Course

Ramakrishnan Menon

Preservice teachers taking elementary math methods courses generally ask and respond to questions without critically examining the underlying assumptions behind their questions/responses. Examples of how such questions/responses have been used to encourage critical thinking will be discussed. Also, real life examples where math can be used to critically analyze media statements and/or advertisements will be discussed. The benefits of critical thinking will be shown to help not only in math, but also help one to become a more informed citizen.

Speakers

Ramakrishnan Menon

Professor, Math Ed, Georgia Gwinnett College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room VW

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

11:00am EDT

eCore and the Opportunity for USG Faculty Involvement

Randy Blackmon and Lorin Heaton

eCore, one of the University System’s Collaborative programs, supplies the core curriculum (areas A-E) while providing convenience, affordability and flexibility. Students enjoy the benefits of online coursework with lowered tuition. Open educational resources are available in most of the courses. Starting in Fall 2015, eCore courses will become available to students at all non-research institutions within the system. Because of this rapid growth and the need to continue to keep many sections of courses available, eCore seeks outstanding, motivated USG system faculty to teach. Glean a quick overview of the highlights of eCore and learn the nitty gritty of how to become a part of the statewide distinguished faculty teaching for eCore. Learn about the benefits to you and your institution, the many faculty resources and ongoing support.

Speakers

eCampus

University System of Georgia eCore

Conference Gold Sponsor

Lorin Heaton

Senior Instructional Designer, University System of Georgia eCore|eMajor

eCore Senior Instructional Designer, responsible for faculty recruitment and professional development, online course management, revision, and development, and OER development & implementation. Lorin received her B.A. in Psychology and M.Ed. in Instructional Technology from the... Read More →

Wednesday April 8, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room R

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

11:00am EDT

Exploiting Uncertainty, Principally

Pat Miller, Elan Waite, Jordan Hill

This presentation will focus on how to build students' critical thinking skills by using questions that can only be answered by student-professor collaboration to structure a course. This structure encourages students to define context in order to pursue analysis that leads to application-a process that can be transferred to professional life. Both faculty and students will benefit from this session.

Speakers

Jordan Hill

Pat Miller

Elan Waite

Wednesday April 8, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room K

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

11:00am EDT

From Emotion to Critical Thinking? Trauma Education in Social Science Classrooms

Dovile Budryte

It is likely that trauma and suffering often enters our international studies classrooms; however, we, the educators, are often ill-equipped to address it pedagogically. This observation raises numerous questions, such as: How does teaching about traumas in international politics lead to learning that is emotionally, politically and critically significant? How to develop strategies that lead to a deeper understanding of collective traumas internationally and the ability to relate to these traumas personally? Drawing on a growing body of literature in various disciplines on intersections between emotion and learning, this presentation will analyze specific approaches (including Decoding the Disciplines method and strategies developed by the Holocaust education scholars) that can be used to "teach the unthinkable" in social science classrooms.

Speakers

Dovile Budryte

Professor of Political Science, Georgia Gwinnett College

teaching in multicultural settings; my recent book Engaging Difference https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475825077/Engaging-Difference-Teaching-Humanities-and-Social-Science-in-Multicultural-Environments

Wednesday April 8, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room Q

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

RETA Winner - Docile Budryte - 2015 Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award Winner

11:00am EDT

Open Educational Resources and Flipping the Classroom at the University of Georgia: A Case for Adoption of Pedagogical Innovations Within the Humanities

Thomas Chase Hagood, Montgomery Wolf

Since 2008, higher education constituents-local, state, and national policy makers as well as students and faculty across the United States-have been compelled, by the rapidly increasing cost(s) of higher education, amid a global economic crisis, to look for alternatives to ever-expensive college textbooks as well as to note changing attitudes about the in-class learning experiences of post-secondary students. This session examines the inner-connections of confronting the issues of rising financial costs and creating significant learning experiences for students at the University of Georgia (UGA) via course redesigns of Dr. Montgomery Wolf's (UGA History Dept.) two halves of the U.S. History survey course (2014-2015). In so doing, it addresses two of the conference strands: developing students' critical thinking skills and Open Educational Resources (OER).

Speakers

Thomas Chase Hagood

Director, Division of Academic Enhancement, University of Georgia

For more on ALL Georgia, see http://dae.uga.edu/initiatives/all-georgia-program/

Montgomery Wolf

Wednesday April 8, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room FG

Concurrent Session, Open Educational Resources

11:00am EDT

The EASE Project: Supporting Collaborative Learning in the Developmental Classroom

Jonathan Barefield, Karen Redding

Embedded Academic Support Experience (EASE), an ongoing pilot program at the University of North Georgia's Oconee Campus, integrates writing tutoring with an English Learning Support course. This presentation will explain and demonstrate how students receive dedicated, individualized tutoring and how the process provides student-focused instruction and feedback that will strengthen writing and communication skills for underprepared college students. In accordance with Complete College Georgia objectives, we predict the EASE project will enhance student performance, engagement, self-efficacy, retention, and progression. This presentation will offer early insights to higher education faculty, administrators, staff, and students of the successes and challenges of the pilot program. We will facilitate an audience participation activity and conclude with a brief question-and-answer session.

Speakers

Jonathan Barefield

Karen Redding

Assistant Professor of English, University of North Georgia

Science fiction literature & film; Developmental Language Arts; filmmaking; Lord of the Rings; good books; martial arts; funny things our toddlers say.

Wednesday April 8, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room J

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

11:00am EDT

Using Case Studies to Develop Students’ Critical-Thinking Skills

Paula Lemons, Maya Firsowicz, Joshua Abad

Case studies consist of real or realistic problems in science. Students working on a case collaborate with peers to integrate multiple sources of information and apply their knowledge to novel questions. Compared with traditional lectures, case study teaching improves retention of conceptual understanding and development of reasoning, problem-solving, and higher-order cognitive skills. Even though active-learning pedagogies, like case study teaching, have been shown to improve student learning, many college instructors struggle to implement these pedagogies due to significant barriers, such as insufficient time for curriculum development and a lack of training in managing an active classroom. In this session, we will work through a case study used in an introductory biochemistry course, including discussing how to prepare to manage small-group work and to respond to students’ misconceptions. We will identify barriers to case study instruction in participants’ courses and brainstorm solutions. Finally, we will consider how colleagues can provide support in our teaching, particularly as we attempt to sustain implementation of active-learning pedagogies.

Speakers

Joshua Abad

Maya Firsowicz

Paula Lemons

Professor, University of Georgia

I conduct discipline based education research with a focus on biochemistry learning, pedagogy, and assessment. I also investigate the impact of teaching professional development on college science faculty, and I lead institutional change efforts that work at the course, department... Read More →

Wednesday April 8, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room C

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

RETA Winner - Paula Lemons - 2015 Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award Winner

11:00am EDT

Using Risk and On-Campus Resources to Increase Student Success

Carrie Thielemier

The purpose of this presentation is to show how promoting and utilizing Supplemental Instruction and Tutoring can create a more successful student. I will discuss how I categorize students into a Risk Category - Low Risk, Moderate Risk, or High Risk of failing the class - and which method works best for each category. The intended audience are those who would like to see student success rate increase by promoting on-campus resources.

Speakers

Carrie Thielemier

Mathematics Instructor, University of West Georgia

Wednesday April 8, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room D

Concurrent Session, Collaborative Models

12:00pm EDT

Lunch - Magnolia Ballroom - Sponsored by Smarter Services

Welcome Remarks - Dr. Mike Rogers, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University System of Georgia

Speakers

Mike Rogers

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Board of Regents

Wednesday April 8, 2015 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Magnolia Ballrooom

General Session

1:15pm EDT

Interactive Keynote & Workshop - Dr. Todd Zakrajsek

Engaging Students in the Learning Process: Best Practices for both Your Teaching and Their Learning

There is a proliferation of information (and misinformation) pertaining to how students learn and how best to teach. The good news is that research provides clear evidence pertaining to what works best in the classroom with respect to human motivation and learning…and at the core is….engaging students in the learning process. In this interactive session, we will actually try out several classroom engagement strategies in a way that you can adapt and implement in your own courses. Additionally, we will investigate ways to help teach the students to better engage with the material.

Wednesday April 8, 2015 1:15pm - 3:00pm EDT
Mahler Hall

Keynote

3:00pm EDT

Afternoon Break

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

General Session

3:30pm EDT

'Divine' Assessment: Assessing Student Thinking in the Realm of the 'True and the Beautiful'

Val Czerny

According to Percy Bysshe Shelley, poetry "redeems from decay the visitations of the divinity" that exist within each of us. While instructors often cringe at the thought of creating assessments for departmental reports, such reluctance does not have to be the case. Any instructor in any discipline can create engaging, creative assessments that can be both fun--believe it or not--enlightening, and engaging for students. This presentation will demonstrate how to use the words and ideas of students as the basis for assessing students' use of critical thinking skills, as well as their philosophical and "divine" desires and inclinations.

Speakers

Val Czerny

Associate Professor of English, East Georgia State College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room L

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

3:30pm EDT

Accommodations, Academic Coaching And Tutoring: All I Need To Be Successful!

Olga Duncan, Tamara Bowden, Laura "Mimi" Smith

The transition from high school to college is not easy for students, but it can be even more challenging and overwhelming for students with ADHD and/or learning disabilities. These students have been supported by their families and the predictability of the high school environment. In college, a new world of freedom and choices excite and frighten them. Which direction should I go? Where can I get help? What do I need to know? This session presents a pilot program implemented at Auburn University with the goal of helping students with ADHD and/or learning disabilities find success in college. The Academic Enhancement Program (AEP) is a partnership between the Office of Accessibility and the Office Academic Support. The structure of the AEP, its challenges and accomplishments will be discussed. This session is especially helpful for faculty working with freshman students.

Speakers

Tamara Miller Bowden

Coordinator, Study Partners Peer Tutoring Program; First Year Seminar Instructor, Auburn University

In our session we will discuss the Academic Enhancement Program (AEP) at Auburn University. This fee-based service model is sponsored by the Office of Accessibility and in its second year of operation. Academic Support was asked to assist by providing peer tutoring to the students... Read More →

Olga Duncan

Laura"Mimi" Smith

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room C

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

3:30pm EDT

Analysis of Reading Speed and Comprehension in STEM Students at Georgia Gwinnett College

Candace Timpte, Peter Sakaris, Lee Kurtz, Mark Schleuter, Jill Penn, Latanya Hammonds-Odie

Successful students must be able to comprehend and summarize their college level reading assignments and critical thinking can begin only after readers have information and knowledge. Faculty members frequently note that students either do not read or have difficulty reading. Moreover, students frequently report that college level texts are difficult to read. In this study, students read a passage with a time limit, summarized the passage and answered comprehension questions. Student reading scores are analyzed with respect to number of college hours completed, GPA, ethnicity, English as a second language skills and other metrics. Since successful science students must understand and interpret literature that uses technical language appropriate to the field, we hope to document correlations between reading comprehension and student success in order to better understand difficulties STEM students encounter.

Speakers

Latanya Hammonds-Odie

Associate Professor of Biology, Georgia Gwinnett College

Latanya has held faculty positions at Spelman College and Dillard University before joining the faculty at GGC in 2009. She earned her MS and PhD at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Pharmacology and Cell Biology, respectively. After completing a post-doctoral fellowship... Read More →

Lee Kurtz

Professor of Biology, Georgia Gwinnett College

Jill Penn

Peter Sakaris

Mark Schleuter

Candace Timpte

Professor, Georgia Gwinnett College

Student reading and comprehension in STEMGlobal water crisis and raising student awareness while meeting course goalsDEI and classroom inclusivity

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room R

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

3:30pm EDT

Blended Learning: The BlendFlex Model

Carol Lee, Gardner Long

Until recently, instructional delivery has been separated into predefined silos. A given course was delivered face-to-face (traditional), web enhanced, hybrid, or online with the implicit understanding that these are mutually-exclusive delivery mechanisms in which the student had to pre-select one, and only one, of these options. BlendFlex breaks down these silos by providing students the flexibility and convenience to decide which methods of instructional delivery best meets their learning needs and styles during any given point within a semester. At CGTC students enrolled in BlendFlex courses have the opportunity to sit for instruction anytime, anywhere on any mobile device or in the traditional classroom setting. This presentation will discuss how one college designed and deployed the BlendFlex model of blended learning, the technology required for its deployment, the professional development deemed necessary for faculty teaching in the environment, the student support resources required and course outcomes.

Speakers

Carol Lee

Director of Educational Technology, Central Georgia Technical College

At CGTC, I am involved in the deployment and professional development training of our Blended Learning (BlendFlex) classes.

Gardner Long

Vice President Technology, Central Georgia Technical College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room TU

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

3:30pm EDT

Coaching Educator Prep Candidates Use of Analogies to Effectively Integrate Academic Language and Foster Critical Thinking

Amber Jarrard

Using analogies as an instructional tool can be very effective for teachers to relay content, make abstract concepts more concrete, and help student learn processes and procedures. When educators rely on the analogies and fail to reinforce the academic language and depth of knowledge required, the instructional effectiveness suffers. This presentation outlines ways to coach educator prep students to use analogies effectively while ensuring that academic language, content depth and critical thinking are addressed.

Speakers

Amber Ebert

Georgia Gwinnett College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room Q

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

3:30pm EDT

Combatting Textbook Costs with Digital Collaboration: The American Yawp as Case Study

Ben Wright

The collision of technology and education incites hyperbole: digital utopians dream of an open world of free learning while digital skeptics warn of profit-driven enterprises privileging shallow instruction from de-skilled educators. But beyond the dreams and beyond the nightmares, the digital humanities have created space for practical projects that address practical problems. After a year-long collaboration, over 350 historians have produced a beta edition of The American Yawp (www.americanyawp.com), a free and online, collaboratively built, open American history textbook designed for college-level history courses. Unchecked by profit motives or business models, we sought to balance openness with the rigors of academic review. Balancing academic quality with popular readability, The American Yawp offers a multi-layered, democratic alternative to the American past available freely for all.

Speakers

Ben Wright

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room FG

Concurrent Session, Open Educational Resources

3:30pm EDT

Community-Engaged Writing Partnerships

Laura McGrath

Community-engaged writing partnerships offer students enrolled in a variety of courses opportunities to write to learn and to demonstrate knowledge, to write for audiences and purposes beyond the classroom, and to receive feedback from those audiences. This presentation offers as an example a community-engaged writing partnership that included college students, an environmental education consultant, and local K-12 students and teachers. The college students created environment-themed educational multimedia projects for the K-12 students, and the K-12 students wrote back in a variety of ways. In addition to describing the project, the presenter will involve attendees in planning their own community-engaged writing partnerships that promote engaged student learning. Particular attention will be given to identifying partners, establishing goals, and planning assessments.

Speakers

Laura McGrath

Associate Professor of English, Kennesaw State University

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room D

Concurrent Session, Collaborative Models

3:30pm EDT

Increasing Completion with 15 to Finish

Sheila Caldwell, Obadi Obadi

Full time-students are taking an average of five years to earn a bachelor's degree and four years to earn an associate degree (Complete College Georgia, 2011). The goal of Complete College Georgia and 15 to Finish is to provide better information and educate all students on tuition and fees, graduation rates, and job opportunities to ensure successful college completion. This presentation will focus on current trends and findings regarding college completion in the state of Georgia. Practical information will be presented to help students' graduate college faster and spend less money on their education. Obadi Obadi will provide a student perspective on how he has lead the way on the UNG-Gainesville campus and encouraged more of his peers to enroll in 15 or more credit hours.

Speakers

Sheila Caldwell

Obadi Obadi

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room YZ

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

3:30pm EDT

Peer Financial Counseling to Promote Financial Literacy

Penelope Lyman, Katie Simmons

This presentation will demonstrate that college students are very receptive to being taught by their peers and are likely to change their behavior after learning how to manage their finances responsibly. The presentation should appeal to conference members interested in an innovative approach to student engagement. Since 2005, student members of Enactus, the business club at the University of North Georgia (UNG), have participated in the Peer Financial Counseling Program developed by the University of Georgia's Department of Financial Planning, Housing, and Consumer Economics. Student educators are prepared to teach modules on credit and debt, identity theft, budgeting, and student loans. Post-presentation surveys indicate that peer education has a positive impact on the student audience's perception of the importance of responsible financial management and behavioral intentions.

Speakers

Penelope Lyman

Katie Simmons

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room J

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

3:30pm EDT

Redesigning Precalculus for Affordability, Engagement and Success

Charles Kutal, Kris Biesinger

A common stumbling block for students considering a STEM major has been introductory math courses. The University System of Georgia (USG) is addressing this problem by supporting the development of an online multi-institutional pre-calculus course. This course combines lessons learned from the Math Emporium model with elements of massive open online course (MOOC) delivery to create a highly interactive, affordable, accessible, and support-rich online learning experience. Participants will learn about the changes that have been implemented across three semesters of course offering with particular attention to engagement strategies refined for spring 2015. Successful online instructional strategies that have worked on other campuses will be invited for sharing.

Speakers

Kris Biesinger

Charles Kutal

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room E

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

3:30pm EDT

Using Civic Issues to Engage Students and Develop Critical Thinking Skills

Caralyn Zehnder

Does planning your course make you feel like you are racing to require students to complete a list of assignments from an ever-expanding textbook? Do you dread giving yet another dry lecture? Imagine a classroom where, instead of listening to a lecture, students are leading discussions organized around civic issues. Imagine students collaborating in teams to apply course content to real-world examples instead of recalling facts on an exam. After a brief introduction to the process of backward design, you will 1) discuss ways to connect your course to a civic issue 2) define critical thinking for your discipline and 3) examine activities, connected to a civic issue, that develop students' critical thinking skills. This session is appropriate for instructors in any discipline, and be please prepared to participate.

Speakers

Caralyn Zehnder

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room VW

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

RETA Nominee - Caralyn Zehnder - 2015 Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award Nominee

3:30pm EDT

Digital Tools for Online & Regular Instruction

Thursday Afternoon Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 1

Lee Woodham Langub

The "go to" assessments for many years in college classrooms have been tests and papers. With the move towards online instruction, as well as improved online applications, a number of tools have emerged as powerful alternatives for assessment. This presentation will showcase a number of these and discuss possibilities they hold for teaching and engaged student learning.

Speakers

Lee Woodham Langub

Associate Professor Curriculum & Assessment, Kennesaw State University

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

RETA Nominee - Lee Woodham Langub - 2015 Regents' Teaching Excellence Award Nominee

3:30pm EDT

Inquiry 1000: Question Everything.

Wednesday Afternoon Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 5

Elizabeth Huggins, Deborah Richardson

Opportunities for first year students to develop critical thinking skills are essential, however, freshmen are often overwhelmed with adjustment to college, and therefore unable to accommodate this skill. Inquiry 1000, a new one credit hour discussion-based course in Area B, is designed to engage second term freshmen or first term sophomores in the discovery, exploration, and analysis of ideas that faculty members, across a variety of disciplines, study and investigate. All INQR 1000 students participate in the INQR EXPO--an academic festival showcasing student work via posters, photos and videos-- scaffolding the research process they might demonstrate their junior or senior years.

Speakers

Elizabeth Huggins

Director of First & Second Year Experiences, Augusta University

Deborah Richardson

Director of Faculty Development, Augusta University

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

3:30pm EDT

Pedagogic Challenges in Technology Intense, Quantitative Online Classes

Wednesday Afternoon Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 4

Ulrike Lahaise

College-wide data on passing grades vs. W/F's show that introductory online astronomy labs suffer higher W/F percentages than face-to-face astronomy labs and other science classes. Course assessment data reveal that those online lab students who persist to semester-end do as well as ftf lab students. Both types of students face the same non-science major learning challenges. But ol students struggle with personal technology and time/space isolation as shown by student availability data. For a viable, synchronous 4-member study group (a proven tool for success) to form, a pool size of >= 60 students is needed. Clearly, targeted timely intervention techniques are needed to promote student persistence, such as more detailed pre-registration advising, pooling parallel sections, and frequent, low stakes performance checks with instructor feedback.

Speakers

Ulrike Lahaise

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

3:30pm EDT

The Right Stuff: Are We Teaching It In College Algebra?

Wednesday Afternoon Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 3

Lisa Yocco

The Right Stuff: Appropriate Mathematics for All Students was a project by the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges funded by the National Science Foundation. The project promotes a redesigned college algebra course that engages students in data modeling, effectively uses technology, equips students with strong problem solving skills, increases critical thinking skills, and enhances quantitative literacy. Mathematics has traditionally been taught using "skill and drill" methods, which often leaves students bored, uninterested, and distasteful of math. An approach incorporating data analysis, modeling, and technology makes College Algebra relevant, refreshing, and interesting. As a result, faculty are preparing students mathematically for their majors, future careers, and life.

Speakers

Lisa Yocco

Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Georgia Southern University

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

RETA Nominee - Lisa Yocco - 2015 Regents' Teaching Excellence Award Nominee

3:30pm EDT

Using A Student Generated Syllabus in a Capstone Course

Wednesday Afternoon Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 2

Jennifer Wallin-Ruschman

Teachers often craft student engagement techniques after the syllabus has been created but what would happen if we let students be involved earlier in the process? How could student involvement be enhanced if they have control over the types of assignments, the weighting of assignments, and the content of the course? What if we started the first day of class by handing out a syllabus with course objectives and said, okay how do we get here together? This brief Pecha Kucha will describe the instructors' process and experience of creating a student generated syllabus for a senior capstone course. The primary objective of the course is for students to conduct a self-designed research project, write a report, and give a professional presentation.

Speakers

Jennifer Wallin-Ruschman

Wednesday April 8, 2015 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Collaborative Models

5:00pm EDT

P01-The Next Step in Instructing

Catherine Funk

PowerPoint makes instructing easier, but it has its limitations. What if you could make it interactive? What if you could make notes directly to your slides, but not interrupt the presentation? This presentation is a technical poster displaying AppleTV's use in the classroom including: the technology needed, set up, how to use it in the classroom, and ways to incorporate it in your classroom. The presentation will display how AppleTV can allow an instructor to simultaneously present slides, make notes or highlight material, add student responses, and maintain eye contact during the lecture. This is directed towards college faculty in all disciplines, as well as Institutional Technology individuals looking for ways to upgrade systems.

Speakers

Catherine Funk

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Collaborative Models

Poster Number Digital Poster 1

5:00pm EDT

P02-Camp Appalachia: Collaborating to Meet Gifted Students' Needs

Catherine Linsky

In this unique project, the UNG Gifted Endorsement Program and Appalachian Studies Center collaborate to offer a "Living History" summer camp for North Georgia's gifted and talented students. College of Education professors and undergraduates seeking their Gifted Endorsement will work collaboratively to create an interdisciplinary experience for the area's gifted students based on Appalachian History. Camp Appalachia: Living History through Inquiry is a collaborative effort between multiple UNG departments, undergraduate students, and local Gifted/Talented programs. It came about as a result of a need for an undergraduate track in the UNG Gifted Endorsement and a required field placement for potential students. Due to the endorsement professors' interest in Appalachian history, we joined with the Appalachian Studies center to offer a "themed" camp where students will "live" 19th century Appalachian culture and practices at the historic Vickery House in Dahlonega while challenging their minds through problem solving and inquiry.

Speakers

Catherine Linsky

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Connected & Mobile Learning

Poster Number Digital Poster 2

5:00pm EDT

P03-Teaching Beyond the Classroom: Using Oral History to Promote Critical Thinking and Community Engagement

Dee Gillespie, Terry Easton, Sara Mason

With support from a 2014 Presidential Academic Innovation Award, we incorporated oral history interviewing in English, History, and Human Services classes to promote student engagement, preserve regional history, and create connections between the University of North Georgia and the broader northeastern Georgia community. At this session, we will discuss the goals, methods, and results of our efforts. We will offer practical advice about integrating oral history into undergraduate classes and in developing and maintaining community and university partnerships necessary to sustain the work. We aim to create a learning community, where we engage the audience in dialogue to discuss ongoing projects and creatively address common challenges. This session will be of interest to participants who are using oral history and participants who are interested in integrating oral history into courses.

Speakers

Terry Easton

Dee Gillespie

Sara Mason

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Poster Number Digital Poster 3

5:00pm EDT

P04-Complete College Georgia: Albany State University Student Perspectives on Retention and Graduation

Emmanuel Konde, Courtney Harris

Complete College Georgia's (CCG) goal mandates USG System institutions to develop strategies that will result in substantial numbers of college educated graduates to man the projected labor needs of Georgia's 21st century economy. Improving college access and completion for students traditionally underserved in postsecondary education is one of the USG's CCG areas of focus. The majority of Albany State University (ASU) students are "underserved". To achieve the CCG goal, ASU's five-year CCG-Plan seeks to reduce academic deficiencies by 2% annually, and to increase retention and graduation rates by to 70% and 45%, respectively, by 2017. ASU students' perspectives will greatly enhance the prospect of success. This project will collect, classify, and analyze the perspectives of ASU students on how to achieve its CCG goals. This presentation presents the results of research that examines, through solicitation of responses to a written questionnaire survey, the views of students about academic and other services provided by Albany State University that are likely to assist them to persist and progress seamlessly toward graduation.

Speakers

Courtney Harris

Emmanuel Konde

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

Poster Number Digital Poster 4

5:00pm EDT

P05-Inspiring Without the Burn

Josephine Dawuni

The day I stop caring is the day I stop teaching, was a remark I made to my colleague when we had coffee at the end of the semester to talk about our high and low moments that semester. I see teaching as a calling on my life and for this reason, I do more than teaching--I inspire my students. The purpose of this poster presentation is to analyze the role of the teacher as an inspirer in and out of the classroom. The presenter will discuss the different strategies of motivating and inspiring students and the challenges associated therewith. Drawing on personal narratives, the presenter discusses current best practices in student engagement strategies and concludes with proposals on how to inspire students across disciplines without getting burned out.

Speakers

Josephine Dawuni

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Poster Number Digital Poster 5

5:00pm EDT

P06-What Students Want....and Mabye Need

Josephine Dawuni, Javaughn Waller, Laura Walsh, Tyler Vinning, Caitlin Sinclair

Increasingly, studies have shown that annual evaluations have become a tool for students to either reward or punish faculty. Thus the role of evaluations in improving instructor teaching has been drastically reduced. Ken Bain's book on "what the best college professors do" has been a seminal book used to improve faculty teaching. As professors find ways of improving their teaching strategies, it may be worthwhile to pause and ask ourselves "what do the best college students want or need from their professors?". The purpose of this poster session involving some of the best students we have had is to engage in a discussion on what students need from professors and how professors can leverage direct advice from good students to improve their teaching strategies and to reach all students in their classrooms. The discussions provide different strategies to reach students across disciplines.

Speakers

Josephine Dawuni

Caitlin Sinclair

Tyler Vinning

Javaughn Waller

Laura Walsh

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Collaborative Models

Poster Number Digital Poster 6

5:00pm EDT

P07-Student Created Primary Source Lesson Plans from an Undergraduate Multicultural Course

Josh Pfiester, Nubia Federico

A rural advocate in Elliott Wigginton's Sometimes a Shining Moment (1985) stated that "the beauty into which you were born into is often the beauty you never see" (p. 53). This doesn't have to be true- schools can help people see the beauty of their communities. This presentation will highlight student created primary source social studies lesson plans that were created from a collaboration between a School of Education faculty member at Dalton State College and the Emery African-American Heritage and Multicultural Center in Dalton, Georgia. A few lesson plans will be on display for the audience. The intended audience is teachers and college faculty (especially those engaged in social studies).

Speakers

Nubia Federico

Josh Pfiester

Dalton State College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Poster Number Digital Poster 7

5:00pm EDT

P08-Using a Reasons for the Seasons Research Project to Develop Students' Pedagogical-Content Knowledge (PCK) in an Elementary Science Education Course

Josh Pfiester, Amanda Lann

Research has shown that many people hold alternative conceptions in even basic concepts and processes in science. It is thus important that future teachers that work from inquiry-based methodologies to understand such alternative conceptions and the challenges in altering them. To promote this, an Elementary Science Methods professor created a Reasons for the Seasons project that all students complete as a research paper. Starting from the film A Private Universe, elementary education students chose from a suite of strategies to attempt to cause disequilibration in project participants identified as holding alternative conceptions related to the reasons for the seasons. The presentation includes the perspectives of several present students. Intended audience include methods instructors and pre-service and practicing teachers.

Speakers

Amanda Lann

Josh Pfiester

Dalton State College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Collaborative Models

Poster Number Digital Poster 8

5:00pm EDT

P09-Building an Open Community at Athens Technical College

Mary Clare DiGiacomo, Robin Fay

This presentation will provide an overview of OER, open textbooks, and current Athens Technical College's (ATC) progress on OER initiatives. Initiatives include the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant which includes OER content developed using Creative Commons; ATC's Center for Teaching & Learning OER training and development programs for faculty and staff including Creative Commons training; review of open textbooks by subject and participation in the Adopting Open Textbooks MOOC sponsored by BC Campus and other regional and national programs. The target audience for this digital poster presentation is designed for faculty, administrators, and staff interested in exploring OER content and learning strategies for promoting OER, to facilitate and build an open community campus-wide.

Speakers

Mary Clare DiGiacomo

Athens Technical College

Robin Fay

LOR Portal Manager/Developer, Athens Technical College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Open Educational Resources

Poster Number Digital Poster 9

5:00pm EDT

P10-SmarterMeasure: UNG Online Student Readiness Implementation Plan

Nina Lamson, Jeanette Mann, Stephanie Hulsey

Determining a student's readiness for online instruction is paramount to their success. In order to make this determination at the University of North Georgia, the SmarterMeasure Readiness Assessment was employed July 2013. Initially, only pilot test data were collected in a few select classes. From this adjustments were made in the readiness ranges, a section eliminated, and customized questions adjusted in preparation for implementation August, 2014. In our presentation we will share some descriptive data as it compares to the SmarterMeasure 2014 Student Readiness Report in addition to identifying factors that may correlate with students at risk, who withdraw, and who are retained. We will conclude with proposed plans for moving forward as we share our experiences with those who are contemplating or beginning to use the SmarterMeasure assessment.

Speakers

Stephanie Hulsey

Coordinator of Online Student Success, University of North Georgia

Student Success Statistics, Online Readiness / Preparation, Online Student Services and Orientation

Nina Lamson

jeanette Mann

Instructional Technology Specialist, University of North Georgia

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

Poster Number Digital Poster 10

5:00pm EDT

P11-Substantiation of the Rigorousness of an Online Research Project

Nina Lamson, Kathrine Kipp

Incorporating high-quality scientific research experience in an online psychology course can be challenging. Several years ago at this conference one of the authors presented a research project she incorporated into her 2000 level online psychology course as a way to meet this challenge. Today we will review the project and substantiate its appropriateness using an evaluation method designed by Mawn et al., (2011). Their 16 Elements of Scientific Inquiry assesses the rigorousness of research experiences in online courses. This will be of interest to those needing to substantiate a scientific research project in their online science courses.

Speakers

Kathrine Kipp

Nina Lamson

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

Poster Number Digital Poster 11

5:00pm EDT

P12-Use of Problem Based Learning & Team Work to Achieve Internationalized Learning in Non-majors Biology

Pratima Darr

Problem-based learning and group work have both been proposed as effective active learning methodologies. These two approaches were blended to promote internationalized learning in a non-majors biology class. This class was structured to draw attention to other nations and cultures within the framework of standard course objectives. In-class group work on specifically tailored case studies tied course content to issues of global relevance. The key objective is development of awareness on the impact of sociocultural, political, economic and historical factors on the state of the planet so as to foster reflection on the mitigation of human impacts for achieving sustainability in a culturally sensitive manner.

Speakers

Pratima C. Darr

Asssistant Professor of Biology, Georgia Gwinnett College

Flipped classrooms; ways of promoting preparedness for better classroom engagement; getting candid feedback from students; getting high level buy-in for active learning; writing case studies tailored for completion in 1-2 class periods; anything related to approaches to an active... Read More →

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Collaborative Models

Poster Number Digital Poster 12

5:00pm EDT

P13-Virtual Conversations: Connecting Students with Industry Professionals in a Critical Thinking-Reflective Process

Rachel Eike, Arrie Milam

In order to prepare Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design (FMAD) students for the next stage of their career journey, six FMAD industry professionals virtually connected with the professional seminar class and shared their apparel industry experience. Upon virtual conversation completion, students analyzed, synthesized, and reflected upon the knowledge gained from these conversations. This reflection process allowed students to communicate their individual growth experienced from virtual conversations (complemented by other course activities) while indicating their future implementation plan to apply knowledge gained. This connection-reflection process was an efficient engagement method that enabled students to understand industry expectations, network with potential employers, and develop a methodical reflection procedure for workplace annual reviews. This virtual conversation and reflection process may be implemented into any academic discipline.

Speakers

Rachel Eike

Arrie Milam

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Poster Number Digital Poster 13

5:00pm EDT

P14-Applying Universal Design in Today's Classrooms

Roben Taylor, Abby Sparks, Sara Douglas

Universal Design for Instruction targets the best practices of teaching for each student's learning needs. According to Scott, Shaw, and McGuire (2001), there are six principles guiding Universal Design for Instruction: 1) equitable use, 2) simple and intuitive, 3) perceptible information, 4) low physical effort, 5) a community of learners, and 6) instructional climate. This presentation seeks to educate all teachers on the benefits and ease of implementing a universal design approach in all our classrooms. Students know how they learn best. Let's give them the opportunity to become partners in the creation of a positive instructional climate! This poster presentation provides participants with sound practical strategies suitable for all teachers.

Speakers

Sara Douglas

Abby Sparks

Roben Taylor

Assistant Professor, Dalton State College

Scholarship: Taylor, R. & Antrop-Gonzalez. (2014). “Understanding educators' perceptions of diversity and its influence on teaching" This is a newly developed research investigation that will serve to quantitatively measure future educator perceptions of diversity from several regional... Read More →

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Poster Number Digital Poster 14

5:00pm EDT

P15 - CANCELLED - Art Experiments: Collaborative Installations as a Form of Response to Narrative, to Generate Empathy for Multicultural Difference, and to Imagine beyond the Limits of the 'Present Order'

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Collaborative Models

Poster Number Digital Poster 15

5:00pm EDT

P16-Administrative Logic: Building an Institutional Planning Model to Promote Student Success

Adam Wyatt, Carol Rychly

Over the past two years, Georgia Regents University (GRU) has increased its graduation rate by 2% and increased by nearly 25% the number of students who progressed from freshman to sophomore year with 30 credit hours or more. These results have been achieved because of GRU's focus on student success initiatives established through Complete College Georgia. To help drive these initiatives, GRU developed and refined F.A.C.T.S. - a model through which we examine and implement our student success initiatives. Student learning is the center of the model, which examines the areas of faculty, advising, curriculum, traditions, and administrative support. This poster presentation is intended for academic administrators and those individuals responsible for ensuring student learning at their institution.

Speakers

Carol Rychly

Adam TM Wyatt

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Success, Augusta University

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

Poster Number Printed Poster 16

5:00pm EDT

P17-Art Historical Fiction as a Learning Tool

Ana Pozzi-Harris

Instructors teaching college-level introductory surveys face the challenge to expand course content beyond image and historical style analysis. This presentation explores a learning tool that promotes critical thinking about social relations in the art world. The presenter created a guided-reading assignment centered on two examples of art historical narrative fiction: Girl with A Pearl Earring and Lady and the Unicorn, by Tracy Chevalier. The assignment effectively fosters students' in-depth reflection about complex questions: the social relations between artists and patrons, artists and models, artists and market, artists and audience, artists and materials. The presentation documents examples of student writing in response to the assignment. It will appeal to college instructors and high school AP teachers of art, art history, and other liberal arts disciplines.

Speakers

Ana Pozzi-Harris

Lecturer, Art History, University of North Georgia

Dr. Pozzi-Harris has been teaching at the Department of Visual Arts, University of North Georgia since 2006. Every semester, her teaching duties include ART 2510: Introduction to Art History I, ART 2520: Introduction to Art History II, and one or two rotating upper-division courses... Read More →

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Poster Number Printed Poster 17

5:00pm EDT

P18-Workshop Integration into First Year Substantive Courses

David Kerven

GGC introduced a series of voluntary workshops to facilitate the development of various skills associated with student success in pursuing an undergraduate degree. Several of these workshops, for example, library research orientation and time management, directly seek to develop foundational research related skills. The attendance at these voluntary workshops has been limited. This project aims to improve impact by integrating such workshops topics into introductory substantive courses and to stimulate the understanding and importance of such workshop topics through content specific assignments related to the workshop material that tie into the substantive goals of the specific introductory course. Results from integration in two general educations classes will be presented. Potential cross-disciplinary integration will be discussed.

Speakers

David Kerven

Associate Dean, School of Science & Technology, Georgia Gwinnett College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

Poster Number Printed Poster 18

5:00pm EDT

P19-Engaged Ecologists: Using Service Learning to Teach about Healthy Ecosystems in an Introductory Course

Evan Lampert, Annika Kohle

The presenters for this poster will discuss using inquiry-based service learning for four semesters in Biology 1108K, the second course of an introductory biology sequence for science majors. Students develop projects in which they select an ecosystem service (e.g., clean water supply, soil formation) to research. Research projects had to benefit a community partner reliant on those ecosystem services. Students were required to summarize data and provide them to the partner. Several dozen student teams worked for an average of eight hours/team with over twenty partners, including our own institution and a local environmental education center. Student reflections indicated that these research projects were the most engaging experience they had in the introductory biology courses, and also that students learned more from these "hands-on" engaging experiences than any other experiences in the classroom or lab.

Speakers

Annika Kohler

Evan Lampert

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Collaborative Models

Poster Number Printed Poster 19

5:00pm EDT

P20-Laboratories Engaging Students in the Application and Process of Science (LEAPS) Promotes Student Critical Thinking Skills

Geneva DeMars, Jennifer Brofft Bailey

The presenters developed and implemented a semester-long, student-centered, discovery-based laboratory research experience that actively engages students in the process and application of science. Screening local insect populations for novel strains of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia provides the framework for students to develop competencies in the following: quantitative analysis, technical skills, scientific communication, and information literacy. According to survey data, students express an increase in confidence in these four competencies. Objective assessments indicate student gains in understanding molecular biology concepts and skills as well as the interdisciplinary nature of science. These data indicate achievement of project goals. The transformation of our introductory lab course has challenged students to develop critical thinking skills that should prepare them for success in STEM and other academic fields.

Speakers

Jennifer Brofft Bailey

Geneva DeMars

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Poster Number Printed Poster 20

5:00pm EDT

P21-Combating 'Plant Blindness' in Students with an Active Learning Based Curriculum

Kimberly Kellett

Many institutions offer short seminars or courses focused on stimulating student engagement in areas outside of their major, but the effectiveness of these courses is rarely evaluated. We developed a "First Year Odyssey" course aimed at increasing interest in plants and combating "Plant Blindness," the inability to see or notice the plants in one's own environment. The course used a variety of creative activities, group discussions, and field trips to expose students to the multitude of ways plants are highly adapted to the challenges their environments present. We found that student awareness of and interest in plants increased significantly after taking our course, and that field trips and learning activities were the most common reasons given for this increase.

Speakers

Kimberly Kellett

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

5:00pm EDT

P22-Strategic Thinking about Patents, Trade Secrets, and a 600-Year Old Illustration

Kimberly Green

This activity explores decisions that underlie patents and trade secrets for disciplines in which intellectual property concerns affect revenue streams from innovations. The audience includes instructors of a wide range of disciplines such as business, entrepreneurship, engineering, life sciences, software development, art, architecture, and theater. Class discussion is based on patents accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website and the example of the 600-year old dome of the cathedral in Florence, Italy. The dome has been the subject of reverse engineering efforts documented in the NOVA public broadcasting program and serves as a creative example of a trade secret. Prior to seeing the video, students can reverse engineer the product (i.e., the dome) in class with blocks to approximate bricks of the dome. The discussion compares benefits and risks of patenting versus trade secrets to protect proprietary information and the implications of reverse engineering. The audience fpr this presentation will see the forms and manipulatives used in class and receive a handout explaining how to implement the exercise in the classroom and tie the components together. The activity is suitable for face-to-face or online classes.

Speakers

Kim Green

University of West Georgia

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Poster Number Printed Poster 22

5:00pm EDT

P23-Learning through the Eyes of a Student: Using Technology to Develop Preservice Teachers' Critical Thinking

Lucas Vasconcelos

One of the most important skills for 21st century successful professionals regardless of their field is critical thinking, which enables them to make wise, informed decisions and solve problems. This poster presentation aims at sharing and discussing the process and the results of a learning adventure project wherein preservice teachers enrolled in the course EDIT 2000: Introduction to Computers for Teachers learn through the eyes of a student by engaging in a critical thinking and problem solving project themselves. This project requires them to gather technological resources, design a multi-day lesson addressing a Georgia Performance Standard and publish it on a website to guide a hypothetical K-12 group of students through the learning adventure. This project will help educators and practitioners striving to address and foster college student's critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Speakers

Lucas Vasconcelos

PhD student and Teaching Assistant, University of Georgia

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Poster Number Printed Poster 23

5:00pm EDT

P24-Why You Should Include a Librarian in Your OER Project

Mary Ann Cullen, Ann Mallard

Whether your open educational resource (OER) project is writing a biology textbook or assembling a coursepack for English Literature, creators of courses using OERs can benefit from librarian involvement. Librarians can locate resources, provide expertise on Creative Commons licenses and e-text formats, write or recommend relevant information literacy content, and provide user support for the final product. The presenters' involvement in GPC's English Composition and Intermediate Algebra e-texts are used as examples.

Speakers

Mary Ann Cullen

Ann Mallard

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Open Educational Resources

Poster Number Printed Poster 24

5:00pm EDT

P25-Flipping The Classroom: Why Didn't I Do This Earlier?

Michelle Dykes, Joy Humphrey

The concept of the flipped classroom has been a hot topic in nursing education in the last few years. While some institutions have fully embraced this style of learning, others have good intentions but may not know how and where to start when it comes to actually implementing this approach. Beginning in Fall 2014, a fully flipped classroom was implemented in senior level medical-surgical course. This presentation discusses the implementation process, student feedback, and student outcomes in the course. Faculty will be introduced to the process of flipping the classroom, in-class teaching strategies, and addressing student concerns. Discussion will be centered on simple strategies for flipping the classroom and how to address student concerns related to removing traditional lecture from the classroom.

Speakers

Michelle Dykes

Georgia Southwestern State University

Joy Humphrey

Georgia Southwestern State University

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Collaborative Models

Poster Number Printed Poster 25

5:00pm EDT

P26-Thinking Critically about Public Health Practice: Photovoice as an Assessment Tool

Moya Alfonso

Little is known about the use of service learning in public health education and appropriate methods for assessing whether it results in students' improved abilities to think critically about public health practice. The purpose of this poster is to present the results of a study designed to determine whether Photovoice is a feasible and valid approach to assessing the effects of service learning on master's level community health students' ability to think critically about public health practice. A case study of students engaged in public health practice as a component of a master's level community health course (Community Health Assessment) will serve as the backdrop for the presentation.

Speakers

Moya Alfonso

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Poster Number Printed Poster 26

5:00pm EDT

P27-Mentoring Undergraduate Research Handbook

Robin Lewis, Doreen Sams, Rebecca McMullen, Rosalie Richards

The overarching goal of this poster is to share mentoring strategies with faculty from multiple disciplines using a new e-publication, Mentoring Undergraduate Research. The e-handbook provides an overview of the benefits of research mentoring, mentoring theories, a discussion of barriers to mentoring, and strategies to overcome obstacles.

Speakers

Robin Lewis

Director, OGSP, Georgia College

Rebecca McMullen

Rosalie Richards

Doreen Sams

Professor of Marketing, GEORGIA COLLEGE & STATE UNIVERSITY, USA

I am the Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors Faculty Coordinator at Georgia College. I am the Course Lead for the Georgia WebMBA. I am the founder and Chair of the GC Shades of Green. I am a CUR Councilor and campus liaison.

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Open Educational Resources

Poster Number Printed Poster 27

5:00pm EDT

P28-Inquiry Based Learning: Assessing Student Achievement and Openness to the Approach

Thomas Cooper, Brad Bailey

The presenters have completed a two-year quasi-experimental study of the use of Inquiry-Based Learning in Precalculus. This study included six traditional lecture classes and seven IBL classes taught by three instructors. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to investigate achievement as well as attitudes and beliefs. In this poster presentation, we will present a brief summary of our results with a particular focus on an "Openness to Inquiry Based Learning" survey that we have developed for assessing students' preferences for Student-Centered or Teacher-Centered instruction. Students who score higher on this survey, tended to perform better on the final exam; indicating that a key element to success in an IBL course may be the students willingness to participate.

Speakers

Brad Bailey

Thomas Cooper

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

RETA Nominee - Thomas Cooper - 2015 Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award Nominee
Poster Number Printed Poster 28

5:00pm EDT

P29-Implementation and Impacts Of The Small World Initiative: Hypothesis-Driven Undergraduate Research To Crowdsource New Antibiotics

Wendy Dustman, Alexandra Kurtz, Rebekah Ward, Pratima Darr, Julie Shearer

Our purpose is to analyze undergraduate student attitudes toward science and research ownership via participation in a multi-institution and authentic hypothesis-driven research project (the Small World Initiative [SWI]), and to inspire biology majors to pursue graduate studies and careers in science and have an informed appreciation for the process of science. This project also addresses a global urgent health threat: the proliferation of bacterial resistance to currently available antibiotics. This issue also exemplifies international collaboration in the scientific community. The SWI project will make a significant contribution to 1) GGC's commitment to a 4-yr URE 2) GGC's national reputation for excellence in STEM education 3) improving our students' broader perspective of scientific collaboration 4) enhancing our students' marketable skill set and critical thinking abilities and finally, 5) aiding discovery of novel antibiotics for future pharmaceutical development.

Speakers

Wendy Dustman

Georgia Gwinnett College

Lee Kurtz

Professor of Biology, Georgia Gwinnett College

Julie Shearer

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Georgia Gwinnett College

Rebekah Ward

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Poster Number Printed Poster 29

5:00pm EDT

P30-Mulligan Please! A Strategy To Increase Student Motivation On Low-Stakes Assessments And Improve Learning

Wendy Dustman, Catherine Flippen

Frequent formative assessment of student learning influences student grades because it provides valuable information about how students are meeting class expectations and allows students to adjust study habits to improve performance. Increasingly, assessment is trending towards low-stakes/low-pressure activities which actively engage students while simultaneously assessing performance and cultivating the learning experience. Student perceptions of frequent assessment range from "very helpful" to "too much work", the latter negating student buy-in and participation. To improve student motivation and value of frequent low-stakes assessments, I implemented the use of 'mulligan points' which earned by student participation and performance on low-stakes formative learning activities. 'Mulligans' serve as 'free passes' to apply towards exam questions; each eligible exam question has a 'mulligan point' value; students determine which, if any, questions to which they apply their 'mulligans'.

Speakers

Wendy Dustman

Georgia Gwinnett College

Cat Flippen

Educational Technology Training Coordinator, Georgia Gwinnett College

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

Poster Number Printed Poster 30

5:00pm EDT

P31-Rehearsing Critical Thinking: Using the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy to Support Writing in the Theatre Classroom

Wyatt Geist

This presentation describes the evolution of one graduate teaching assistant's approach to supporting student writing in the theatre classroom and suggests strategies for improving the quality of student responses in artist's journals. Artist's journals provide another rehearsal space in the theatre classroom, allowing students to plan, reflect, and create in a manner that supports their development as actors and prepares them to participate in collaboration and discussion. When students receive guidance through strategic instruction, practice, and self-evaluation based on Lorin Anderson's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy, artist's journals can also encourage critical thinking, turning low-stakes writing assignments into high-value learning opportunities. This poster session is relevant to those seeking a structured method for improving the quality of low-stakes writing in their own classrooms.

Speakers

Wyatt Geist

Graduate Teaching Assistant (Theatre), University of Georgia

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Poster Number Printed Poster 31

5:00pm EDT

P32-Flipping the Classroom: Where does that fit in Online and Community Engagement Pedagogies? Lessons from Sociology and Health Science

Florence Wakoko-Studstill, Paula Walker King

While flipping the classroom may not be new in the humanities, it's usage in social studies and hard sciences including applied biological fields is more recent. Existing literature focuses on flipped pedagogy within lecture halls. In support of Columbus State University's Quality Enhancement Plan, Writing the Solution, the presenters re-designed two online courses to integrate student-centered writing and community engagement as learning tools. They share the process, success and challenges encountered in Clinical Sociology: SOCI 4135 "Critical thinking in Service Learning, and in Health Science Applied Nutrition: HESC 2125 "research, reflective writing and community engagement" to creatively enhance student learning outcomes.

Speakers

Paula Walker King

Associate Professor, Columbus State University

Florence Wakoko-Studstill

Associate Professor, Columbus State University

Who am I? This is what one student says about me at one of the interviews Author: Megan Higgins, Honors Student, CSU (Sept. 6, 2015) Dr. Florence Wakoko is currently a researcher employed by Columbus State University. Until this semester, she was a sociology professor... Read More →

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

Poster Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

Poster Number Printed Poster 32

5:30pm EDT

Social Reception - Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria - Sponsored by Blackboard

Wednesday April 8, 2015 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
Hill Atrium/Pecan Tree Galleria

General Session

8:00am EDT

Registration/Check In

You may check in at the Conference Registration Desk to pick up your name badge, conference materials, and printed program information.

Thursday April 9, 2015 8:00am - 10:00am EDT
Conference Registration Desk

Registration

9:00am EDT

A Flipped Classroom Approach to Teaching Biochemistry

Melinda Maris

Active learning promotes student engagement, increases learning gains, enhances long-term retention, and enables the development of higher-order thinking skills. To investigate the efficacy of active learning, a flipped classroom approach was implemented for a unit on laboratory techniques. Students developed skits based on clinical scenarios for which these techniques are used for diagnosis and treatment. Student learning gains were assessed via multiple choice questions (MCQs). Performance on individual MCQs for this module ranged from 76% to 100% versus an average of 72% for all other MCQs. Students' attitudes were assessed using an optional, anonymous survey. Survey data, along with students' free-response reflections, supported students' positive attitudes towards the unit. These data further support active learning as an effective and empirically validated teaching practice.

Speakers

Melinda Maris

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room L

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

9:00am EDT

College Students ENGAGE with Teens in a Transformational Model of Interdisciplinary Health Issue Performances

Karen Berman, Kristi Papailler

Georgia College Theatre has created an innovative undergraduate research model involving a high impact interdisciplinary course combining Nursing, Early College with at-risk high school students in a general education core curriculum course to create scenes on health issues. As the recipient of multiple grants for Undergraduate Research which resulted in Assessment Models utilizing both Quality Enhancement Plan Rubrics and Association of American Colleges and Universities VALUE Rubrics, presenters are prepared to suggest high impact learning collaborations, social change objectives, critical thinking improvements, and methods of assessing collaborative research. Georgia College students from these classes will demonstrate through theatrical performance the success of these programs. Faculty wishing to be inspired by interdisciplinary collaborative models of engaged service learning and assessment will enjoy this session.

Speakers

Karen Berman

Georgia College, 922

Kristi Papailler

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room C

Concurrent Session, Collaborative Models

9:00am EDT

Comparing Academic Achievement Using an Open-Source Textbook vs. a Publishers Textbook

Charles Huffman, Judy Orton Grissett

The presentation provides a comparison between academic achievement in two Introduction to Psychology courses--one using an open-source textbook and one using a publisher's textbook. The comparison will include mid-term grades, DWF rates, and student satisfaction. Our first goal for this project is to provide affordable learning options for students, who have to purchase expensive textbooks throughout their college career. Our second aim is to conduct an empirical investigation examining the effects adopting an open-source textbook have on student attitudes and performance (e.g., end-of-course grades, DWF reports) compared to students who are using a traditional textbook. Specifically, we aim to better understand the benefits and challenges of adopting a free, open-source text in a required course. This presentation will highlight the differences in the two sections of Introduction of Psychology at the midterm of the spring 2015 semester.

Speakers

Judy Orton Grissett

Director of Experiential Learning, Georgia Southwestern State University

Charles Huffman

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room FG

Concurrent Session, Open Educational Resources

9:00am EDT

Effective Use of Student Presentations in a Mathematics Course: An Analysis of Student Performance

Rhonda Porter, Chinenye Ofodile

The use of student presentations was examined in a required mathematics course to see if the approach increased students' content knowledge and critical thinking skills. The professor used traditional methods for content delivery during the first half of the semester, and the students presented the content information during the latter part of the semester. A comparative analysis was done on student performance based on examinations addressing the material presented in the traditional method versus material presented in the student presentations. The students' performance was consistently higher on the examinations covering the material presented with the student presentations versus the material presented in the traditional method. This interactive session would be beneficial for faculty as well as administrators directly involved with evaluating faculty or providing professional development for faculty.

Speakers

Chinenye Ofodile

Rhonda Porter

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room R

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

9:00am EDT

Fostering Engagement Through a Faculty Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Laura Ng, Mary Carney

This session will provide an overview of a blended educational development program on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Participants will engage in collaborative work to develop a research question around discipline-specific engaged learning activity. Presenters will review how D2L, and other technology tools were utilized to create a flexible format for professional development. This session is designed for those interested in a fluid design for programs that foster a cycle of inquiry and innovation in their courses, as well as faculty developers, academic leaders, and faculty who wish to create communities of practice.

Speakers

Mary Carney

Director of Center for Teaching, Learning, and Leadership, University of North Georgia

Laura Ng

Assistant Professor of English, University of North Georgia

Dr. Laura Ng is an associate professor of English at the University of North Georgia. Her research interests include gender, peace studies, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room TU

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

9:00am EDT

I've Got Georgia ONmyLINE: USG's Distance Education Search Engine

Sandi Suda

You can't complete college until you know where to start. Georgia ONmyLINE equips students with information to get started on the right foot. Learn more about Georgia ONmyLINE, the search tool for finding online programs and courses offered at USG Institutions. Find out about the free marketing opportunities for institutions to promote online degrees, courses, students, faculty, news, and more on our website and social media.

Speakers

Sandi Suda - Georgia ONmyLINE

Communications Specialist III, Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

I am a Communications Specialist for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. I manage the website, social media, and marketing for Georgia ONmyLINE. This website is a search engine for online programs and courses offered at all institutions in the USG.

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room J

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

9:00am EDT

Impact of Shaping the Future

Santanu Majumdar

A significant successful result has been observed by introducing an adaptive and flexible mentoring program based on each individual student's need, while carefully listening to the challenges they face during their academic years. This careful study and systematic observation help decipher what did and did not work. The new mentoring method has increased graphic design students' success rate, dramatically improving it from previous years. It is immensely important to understand and appreciate the diverse background and different levels of understanding for individual students. This nature of observations helps the mentor to prepare the curriculum and explain assignments from various angles, allowing for a more target-oriented approach. Adaptive mentoring is an excellent way to support diversity and construct a dialog that builds confidence.

Speakers

Santanu Majumdar

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room Q

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

9:00am EDT

Multidisciplinary Student Engagement Techniques: Lessons Learned from the Governors Teaching Fellows Program

Elaine Bailey, Pamela Hayward, Renuka Mehta, Susan Codone

This session's faculty presenters were participants in this summer's Governor's Teaching Fellows program. Each panelist will discuss student engagement techniques they were introduced to during GTF training and explain how they were motivated to apply these methods to their teaching. The four panelists represent four different fields of study: pediatrics, chemistry, technical communication, and interpersonal communication. The session will begin with an introduction to the Governors Teaching Fellows program and then each panelist will talk about the student engagement techniques they utilized in their instruction. During the second part of the presentation, audience members will come up with examples of how they could incorporate at least one of the student engagement techniques they just learned about into their own instruction.

Speakers

Elaine Bailey

Susan Codone

Pamela Hayward

Renuka Mehta

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room K

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

9:00am EDT

Shaking up the Family Tree: Exploring Personal Cultural Identity for Broader Social Context

Linda Hughes, Kathryn Gray-White

We often ask our students to understand and embrace the cultures of others, but how well do they understand their own? Dr. Kathryn Gray-White, professor of history, and Dr. Linda Hughes, professor of teacher preparation, use activities in their classes to help students explore their own backgrounds and beliefs. In this session we will explore one such activity to give participants the experience of exploration and connection to others. Invariably, students are surprised by what they learn from their own family elders or from others in their stead, and they are amazed to discover the connections they uncover with others in the class. What connections might be made in this session? Join us to find out.

Speakers

Kathryn Gray-White

Linda Hughes

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room D

Concurrent Session, Collaborative Models

9:00am EDT

Solving Two Common eLearning Problems: Student Retention & Proctoring Process Management

Andrew Davis

Students often drop out due to non-cognitive factors such as procrastination, motivation, and technology skills. The SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator is the leading assessment of non-cognitive skills. SmarterProctoring is a Proctoring Process Management System which allows schools to provide multiple proctoring modalities such as testing centers, human proctors, and virtual proctors.

Speakers

Andrew Davis - SmarterServices

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room VW

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

9:00am EDT

Textbook Transformation: Options and Outcomes

Lauren Fancher, Jeff Gallant, Deanna Cozart, Camille Payne, Anthony Scheffler, and Julie Lester

Members of one or more grantee teams from Affordable Learning Georgia Textbook Transformation grants will present as a panel on their work in transforming the use of the textbook in their instruction to low or not cost options, including Open Educational Resources, lessons learned, and student outcomes to date.

Speakers

Deanna Cozart

Coordinator of Open Educational Resources, The University of Georgia

Jeff Gallant

Program Director, Affordable Learning Georgia, University System of Georgia

Jeff Gallant is the Program Director of Affordable Learning Georgia, an initiative of the University System of Georgia (USG) intended to promote student success and foster educational equity through supporting the adoption, adaptation, and creation of affordable and open educational... Read More →

Lester Julie

Camille Payne

Anthony Sheffler

Associate Dean, Valdosta State University

Affordable Learning Georgia - OER Conference Track Sponsor

Director, GALILEO Support Services, BOR-USG

OER, GALILEO, libraries, affordable learning materials, University System's efforts to improve student success through affordable learning materials, questions about Athens, and why OER NOW...

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room YZ

Concurrent Session, Open Educational Resources

9:00am EDT

Using Assessment to Critically Engage Student in Their Learning

Judith Longfield

Although the focus of assessment is often grades, assessment can also be a useful tool for engaging student in critical thinking about their learning. Angelo & Cross (1993) point out that by helping students understand what they are learning, it is possible to increase their learning. This session is designed for those interested in learning about the role of assessment in learning, and how a variety of classroom assessment techniques (CATs) can increase students' engagement with their learning. Participants will have the opportunity to examine ways CATs can be used to evaluate student learning and to critically engage students in their own learning. A selection of CATs useful in multiple disciplines will be demonstrated. Questions to be addressed include: What is a CAT? Why are CATs important to learning? How do CATs help students think critically about what they are learning and not learning?

Speakers

Judith Longfield

Instructional Services Coordinator, Georgia Southern University

At Georgia Southern I work directly with faculty on teaching, learning and assessment issues, and I especially enjoy teaching the Introduction to College Teaching and Teaching Academy series. I also provide grant writing support to departments and faculty members, and have served... Read More →

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Room E

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

9:45am EDT

Morning Break

Thursday April 9, 2015 9:45am - 10:15am EDT
Kellogg Concourse

General Session

10:00am EDT

Change to Learning Support Policy as Part of the Complete College Georgia Initiative

Wendy Harrison

Serving learning support students has been a challenge for many USG institutions. The goal of this session is to demonstrate how one USG institution introduced new learning support practices to better serve students, faculty, and the institution. If the plan works as designed, students who might have been mired in learning support for multiple semesters are able to take English 1101 and a co-requisite lab class their first semester, pass 1101 and move successfully to English 1102, thus advancing their academic careers. These new practices, made possible because of changes in Board of Regents policy, not only benefit students but also faculty who experience the satisfaction of teaching students who are prepared for academic writing and the institution in the form of more graduates.

Speakers

Wendy Harrison

Thursday April 9, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room J

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

10:00am EDT

Critical Thinking Made Memorable: Student-Led Active-Learning Presentations

Donna Gessell, Lindsey Luchansky, Rocki Forester

Many instructors engage their students in active learning; however, many students may not be aware of what active learning is, and most have little idea of how to instigate it in formal and informal settings. By making a presentation involving active learning of their peers, students not only benefit from learning what they teach, they benefit from learning the skill of engaging audiences through active learning, and their classmates benefit from being exposed to a variety of innovative, creative teaching methods beyond just that of the instructor. This session showcases the value of student-led active-learning presentations in the classroom to stimulate critical thinking and enhance classroom discussions. The audience will also participate in a discussion of how to adapt this best learning practice to any discipline.

Speakers

Rocki Forester

Donna Gessell

Lindsey Luchansky

Thursday April 9, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room VW

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

10:00am EDT

OER Textbook Transformation with the University Press of North Georgia

Bonnie Robinson, Corey Parson, Laura Getty, Kyounghye Kwon

The University Press of North Georgia recently won a Complete College Georgia grant to develop an Open Educational Resources (OER) World Literature I textbook. This presentation will focus on textbook transformation, referring to our OER World Literature I textbook as a guide. Transforming textbooks with the University Press of North Georgia involves situational analysis, determining objectives and strategies, and making action plans, including proposal development, task flow, editorial review, instructional design, copyright clearance, ADA compliance, traditional pre-publication peer review, and production. We will discuss developing original textbook content that can replace or augment already-available OER for customized classroom use.

Speakers

Laura Getty

Kyounghye Kwon

Corey Parson

Managing Editor, University of North Georgia Press

Bonnie Robinson

Director, University of North Georgia Press

Thursday April 9, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room FG

Concurrent Session, Open Educational Resources

10:00am EDT

Pitfalls and Potential in Client-Based Learning

Leigh G. Dillard, Sarah Madsen, Esther Stuart

While the modern classroom can provide a variety of learning opportunities, increasing efforts to extend these boundaries and apply skills outside the standard setting offer students a broader spectrum of interactions and engagement. Client-based learning is one such method that puts students in direct contact with community partners, those seeking potential solutions to a defined problem or opportunity. This panel reflects on recent experiences in an upper-division technical communications course framed around a set of clients in the university and local communities. With its inherent connection to forces beyond the classroom, this tech comm course not only alloWednesday students to take ownership of their work but also forced them to work together to solve both internal and external challenges. Discussions of course aims and design will be enhanced by comments from students in the class, who will share their experiences with this client-based model.

Speakers

Leigh Dillard

Associate Professor of English, University of North Georgia

Sarah Madsen

Esther Stuart

Thursday April 9, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room TU

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

10:00am EDT

Receiving Real-Time Instructional Feedback: A Classroom Assignment Model

Thomas Lilly

Receiving real-time instructional feedback explains and analyzes an assignment called "The Reflection Journal" I have assigned in my ENGL 1102 for several years. The purpose of the assignment is for students to reflect and comment upon classroom experiences and difficulties in a manner that asks them to define or describe a problem and to seek solutions and perspective. Students often comment on difficulties in the instruction or materials; I use their comments to revise instruction while entering into conversations about their individual learning experiences. This has proved to be a useful real-time form of receiving student feedback - and as this also functions as a writing assignment, I have observed notable improvements in student clarity, I believe, because of the unstructured nature of journal writing.

Speakers

Thomas Lilly

Thursday April 9, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room Q

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

10:00am EDT

See It, Say It, Do It: Instructional Differentiation in Higher Education

Erica DeCuir

This presentation will describe strategies for differentiating instructional practices to meet the needs of diverse learners. Today's college students are not only culturally and linguistically diverse, but they also reflect various learning styles and abilities to understand information and solve problems. The IDEA method (Introduction, Development, Expansion, Assessment) will be introduced as a lesson planning strategy to enhance learning outcomes for all students. Additionally, practices to support instructional differentiation in each area of the IDEA cycle, such as cooperative learning and graphic organizers, will be discussed. The intended audience is college professors across disciplines who are seeking to modify their courses to increase inclusivity and student learning.

Speakers

Erica Decuir

Associate Professor, Albany State University

Albany State

Thursday April 9, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room YZ

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

10:00am EDT

The Scholarship of Teaching: How the Classroom Can Be Used as an Object of Inquiry, Community and Cultural Relevance to Engage Student Learners

Nicole McZeal Walters

What is culture as it relates to teaching and learning? How is building relationships a significant component in developing collaboration within the classroom setting? How do we engage a frontier of teaching and learning where students are encouraged to be direct catalysts and take ownership of their knowledge? What is the power in co-teaching as teachers and students work together to transform pedagogy? This interactive presentation explores the importance of fostering a classroom environment that welcomes developing a sense of community, relationship building and developing critical thinking to engage students. Intended Audience: Junior and senior level faculty, curriculum directors, trainers of trainers, teaching fellows.

Speakers

Nicole McZeal Walters

Associate Dean, Assistant Professor, University of St. Thomas

I am an Associate Dean and Assistant Professor within the School of Education at a small, Catholic liberal arts university in Houston, Texas. I support and manage one of the largest graduate programs on campus, and I love it! I am also an Educational Leadership Professor interested... Read More →

Thursday April 9, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room C

Concurrent Session, Collaborative Models

10:00am EDT

Transformational Learning: The Connection between Student Transitions and Growth

Nikki DiGregorio, Amanda Rich, Caitlin Bailey, Kelley Perkins

Through the perspective of transformative theory, we propose that in order for students to engage in higher order thinking skills throughout their educational experiences the information must be relevant and applicable. This strategy enables students to play a continually active and participatory role throughout the entire learning process. Furthermore, when students are provided with an opportunity to directly influence their educational experiences, they engage in reflexive thinking and are able to critically analyze their involvement. This teaching strategy was piloted in a graduate level family studies course that incorporated research methods, family theory and professional development. Within the framework of transformative learning ideology, problem based methods were employed. This project provided an opportunity for students to develop a research project from the beginning; identifying relevant theoretical frameworks, making decisions regarding methodology, developing measures, collecting qualitative and quantitative data, analyzing data, critically reflecting on the project's limitations, and dissemination.

Speakers

Caitlin Bailey

Nikki DiGregorio

Associate Professor of Child and Family Development, Georgia Southern University

Kelley Perkins

Amanda Rich

Thursday April 9, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room L

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

10:00am EDT

Using POGIL to Engage Students in the Classroom

Elaine Bailey, Elaine Rossignol, Alana Hall, Daniel Whitson, Le’Shaunda Jones

Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) is a student-centered teaching method that allows students to construct new knowledge. In POGIL, groups of 3-4 students are given carefully designed activities that guide them through core concepts. POGIL develops problem-solving and critical-thinking skills while promoting a deep understanding of the material. In this session I will demonstrate my adaptation of POGIL. Alongside some of my students, the audience will participate in a POGIL activity that has been designed to be accessible to a non-science audience. Those students will also be available to answer questions and give their thoughts regarding the technique. Although I am presenting a science demonstration, the audience will see how POGIL methods can be adapted to virtually any field.

Speakers

Elaine Bailey

Alana Hall

Le’Shaunda Jones

Elaine Rossignol

Daniel Whitson

Thursday April 9, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room K

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

10:00am EDT

Using Pop Culture in the College Classroom: A Guide for the Cool and the Tragically Uncool

Amanda Nash, Emily Thornton, Laura Sinclair

This session explores using elements of popular culture, like television shows and games, to introduce course content. We share specific examples we've used successfully in our library instruction and information literacy classes. These include the board games Guess Who? and Taboo, as well as an episode of The Big Bang Theory. We demonstrate the games and show a clip of the episode, explaining how these materials can teach concepts like Boolean searching, keyword selection, and research methods. Although our examples focus on information literacy, we provide suggestions for finding pop culture materials for other academic areas. We discuss the benefits of using pop culture to promote student engagement and active learning. We also examine potential fears about using pop culture in class, like students not "getting" the reference, and demonstrate ways to resolve those concerns.

Speakers

Amanda Nash

Head Librarian-Gainesville, University of North Georgia

Laura Sinclair

Emily Thornton

Thursday April 9, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room R

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

10:00am EDT

Using Storytelling In The College Classroom To Enhance Student Learning

Diann Moorman

This presentation addresses the conference goal of demonstrating effective methods for promoting engaged student learning by endorsing storytelling as means to enhance student learning in the college classroom. In many fields, the perception exists that storytelling is not a real learning tool. The main objective of this session will be to dispel that notion. Storytelling, when used in thoughtful and formalized ways, creates positive learning environments. The intended audience includes educators who seek communication-based methodological approaches to enhance student engagement-irrespective of field of study. Through the presenter's use of storytelling during the demonstration the audience will be drawn in and will be provided with suggestions how educators and students can work together to create classrooms that thrive through storytelling.

Speakers

Diann Moorman

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

Thursday April 9, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room E

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

10:00am EDT

What Engagement Looks Like Through Free, Fun, Fabulous Online Tools

Phyllis Snipes

It is not always easy to develop a sense of community and involvement in an online environment. Creativity and a broad knowledge of various online tools can help to overcome this student engagement piece that is often more readily developed in the face-to-face world. This session will help all instructors and course designers broaden their repertoire of tools that can be used for content delivery and/or methods for completing student assignments. A variety of free online resources suitable for inclusion in D2L, easy to integrate into instructional modules, and exciting for students to manipulate will be demonstrated. Tools and examples of how they can be employed to lead to increased student engagement will be the focus of the session.

Speakers

Phyllis Snipes

Professor, University of West Georgia

Phyllis R. Snipes is a Professor in the School Library Media Program at the University of West Georgia. She was a school librarian for 30 years before working full time at the university level. Her current work focuses on the development of a relevant librarian evaluation process... Read More →

Thursday April 9, 2015 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Room D

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

11:00am EDT

Collaborative Research: A Journey Uniting the Arts & Literacy

Linda Golson Bradley, Carly Jara

Join us for this interactive session exploring the power of collaborative partnerships for supporting faculty and student learning. Exemplary teaching and meaningful learning does not always happen automatically, even with our best intentions. Sometimes we must seek out the expertise of others to gain authentic tools for engaging in faculty development that can transform and renew our practices. This session will describe the work of an interdisciplinary arts and literacy research team, composed of faculty and an exemplary graduate assistant, who have united across disciplines to engage in providing arts enrichment for a community-based after school program. Through collaboration, the graduate assistant, faculty members and newly recruited undergraduate teaching teams are discovering new and powerful opportunities for learning.

Speakers

Linda Golson Bradley

Carly Jara

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room C

Concurrent Session, Collaborative Models

11:00am EDT

Electronic Media as an Effective Teaching Tool with FERPA Compliance as Guidance

Doreen Sams, Rebecca McMullen, Jennifer Hammack, Robin Lewis

This session will be conducted by a team of Georgia College faculty and students demonstrating a variety of successful creative electronic and mobile media delivery methods that enhance student learning within Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA) compliance. Teaching at the USG's liberal arts university often means the students are attracted to the personaL attention in a face-to-face environment. When creatively infused into today's learning environment, mouse-to-mouse and videoconferencing are adding value to learning by engaging students in active learning experiences. Concurrently, FERPA compliance is the guiding principal of educational institutions and media tools add an extra layer of concern that must be managed. The goal of this session is to provide attendees with a variety of media educational tools that will enhance engaged student learning while being mindful of FERPA.

Speakers

Jennifer Hammack

Robin Lewis

Director, OGSP, Georgia College

Rebecca McMullen

Doreen Sams

Professor of Marketing, GEORGIA COLLEGE & STATE UNIVERSITY, USA

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room J

Concurrent Session, Connected & Mobile Learning

11:00am EDT

Engaging Students in Learning Through Study Abroad

Jennell Charles, Colleen Walters, Karen Massiah

In 2013 and 2014 registered nurses enrolled in a baccalaureate program participated in an 8-day immersion experience on the island of La Gonave, Haiti. For many years, study abroad experiences have been valued as a significant pedagogical tool for student learning. It has only been in recent years, however, that professional degree programs, such as nursing, have integrated these opportunities into curricula due to practicum degree requirements. The study abroad to Haiti provided students an opportunity to fulfill practicum hours targeting objectives related to leadership and community health. The critical elements that converged to make such an opportunity possible, and the core activities that facilitated student learning will be presented. Recommendations of "best practices" for study abroad experiences to promote engaged learning will be explored.

Speakers

Jennell Charles

Karen Massiah

Colleen Walters

Delaware River Basin Program Manager, River Network

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room Q

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

11:00am EDT

From Columbus to Appomattox in 22 Days: One Teacher's Attempt

Courtney Joiner

How do you accommodate Complete College Georgia, creative scheduling, the push for more online offerings, and increasingly visual learners who - like most students - want, expect, and need to be entertained to keep their attention? How do you also make it possible for the students to achieve the learning outcomes, keep up the standards you expect, and - perhaps most importantly - maintain your academic integrity and self-respect? Video lectures on YouTube. During the presentation, the audience will watch a brief video and perform the work of a student in the class. Then we will look at methods used, pros and cons, and what actually worked through one professor's very successful initial attempt at becoming a "YouTube Sensation."

Speakers

Courtney Joiner

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room TU

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

11:00am EDT

Google Drive as Grading Platform: Measuring Effort in Student Writing

Matthew Horton

This session will demonstrate the online peer feedback and revision mechanisms that make Google Drive a compelling alternative to the traditional word processing "submit and return" approach to feedback and evaluation. Attendees will be able to test the comment and text suggestion features within Google Drive to see how they (a) promote student engagement, with the instructor and other students, in the practice of revision and (b) allow instructors to assess student effort in the practice of revision. Attendees will also be able to interact with students who are currently using Google Drive in their English 1101 courses. This session will be helpful to any faculty or staff seeking strategies that will facilitate collaboration and shared feedback. Attendees are encouraged to bring a portable device (laptop preferred) in order to participate in the hands-on activity.

Speakers

Matthew Horton

University of North Georgia

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room VW

Concurrent Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

11:00am EDT

Making the Language Classroom Textbook-Free

Sabrina Wengier

This session is aimed at World Language instructors who wish to replace costly textbooks with free online materials. Participants will learn how to design learning units that incorporate reading, writing, listening, and speaking, along with grammar, using authentic material found on YouTube, in newspapers, and television and radio stations. Instructors will be given examples of how to create meaningful activities that engage students, immerse them in the current events of the culture they are studying, and hone their critical thinking skills as they reflect on the language and culture. The course becomes more flexible, more personal, and more relevant. Examples will be taken mostly from French and Francophone sites but can be easily adapted to other languages.

Speakers

Sabrina Wengier

Associate Professor of French & Coordinator of Modern Languages, Middle Georgia State University

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room E

Concurrent Session, Open Educational Resources

11:00am EDT

Open Your Text to Page FREE!!

Molly Smith, Sara Selby

This presentation will focus on how an introductory biology class was revised to accommodate the use of an Open Educational Resource (OER) from OpenStax College. Participants will have the opportunity to navigate the text used in the course for hands-on demonstrations of ease of use and exploration of features available to students. Data pertinent to student satisfaction, retention, and progression will be shared. The intended audience is anyone currently using or considering using OER. Discussion will focus on how use of an OER combined with various apps to facilitate flipping the classroom increased student engagement.

Speakers

Sara Selby

Professor of English, South Georgia State College

Molly Smith

Professor of Biology, South Georgia State College

I am a Professor of Biology using OER and various active learning strategies in my courses.

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room FG

Concurrent Session, Open Educational Resources

11:00am EDT

Playing to Learn: How Reacting to the Past Provides Dynamism for the Flipped Classroom of Any Discipline

Thomas Chase Hagood, Naomi Norman

Playing to Learn marries a consideration of the ongoing revolution in American higher education pedagogies-namely, that of "gamification" and "flipping." It also asks participants to reflect on how institutions, Centers for Teaching and Learning, and other similar instructional units can equip and develop faculty to utilize games when flipping their classes and, thus, address the intimidating and gnawing question: "Now that I've flipped my class, what are my students (and I) to do during class?" The session will contribute to three of the conference strands, namely: open educational resources, developing students' critical thinking skills and connected and mobile learning.

Speakers

Thomas Chase Hagood

Director, Division of Academic Enhancement, University of Georgia

For more on ALL Georgia, see http://dae.uga.edu/initiatives/all-georgia-program/

Naomi Norman

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room R

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

11:00am EDT

Reflecting on the value of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Diana Sturges

Boyer (1990) redefined scholarship by introducing the concept of Scholarship of Teaching and elevating the traditional role of teaching from "a routine function" to an essential component of scholarly life in higher education. In this session, the presenter, a University System of Georgia Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Award winner, will provide participants interested in research on teaching a brief overview of SoTL, discuss the value and need for SoTL from a personal perspective (Sturges, 2012), as well as an imperative in higher education for student learning (Trigwell, 2013), institutional effectiveness (Bernstein, 2013) and faculty development (Fanghanel, 2013). The session will conclude with a discussion on how SoTL both informs and dovetails with teaching and attendees' reasons to be engaged in SoTL.

Speakers

Diana Sturges

GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room L

Concurrent Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

RETA Winner - Diana Sturges - 2015 Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award Winner

11:00am EDT

Through another's eyes: How to use PhotoVoice to teach and learn about intersection

Jennifer Wallin-Ruschman, Mackenzie Sirmans, Holley Lee

This presentation will exemplify student engaged learning through PhotoVoice. This process excels at developing students' critical thinking skills, requiring students to synthesize multiple course concepts into a single image and then make meaning of the image by applying course content on diversity, oppression, privilege, and social justice to a personal image. PhotoVoice is a tool to promote participatory and action oriented research while also enhancing student directed learning and student capacity to apply abstract concepts to their lived experience. In this session the instructor and students from an upper division Psychology Class -- Rural Experiences of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality -- discuss their experience using PhotoVoice to learn about the concept of intersecting identities and the matrix of domination. The session will include a brief overview of PhotoVoice, its use in the classroom, and student generated photos and accompanying descriptions. We will conclude by brainstorming the ways in which PhotoVoice can be integrated into learning environments.

Speakers

Holley Lee

Mackenzie Sirmans

Jennifer Wallin-Ruschman

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room D

Concurrent Session, Collaborative Models

11:00am EDT

Why Don't My Courses Transfer? Articulation as a Method for Meeting CCG and Keeping Students Engaged

David Jenks

Motivated students drop out of University System of Georgia (USG) institutions for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons often given is that some, or all, of the credits they earned at one USG Institution do not transfer to another. The USG acknowledged this problem and corrected it for Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) to USG institution credit transfers in January of 2012 under the "Complete College Georgia Articulation Agreement." While this was a step forward, for many students in Georgia, there remains work to do. The Department of Criminology at the University of West Georgia has explored a variety of options regarding articulation. Those experiences will be shared and strategies for others moving forward will be discussed.

Speakers

David Jenks

Professor and Chair, Department of Criminology, University of West Georgia

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room YZ

Concurrent Session, Complete College Georgia Efforts

11:00am EDT

A Flipped Classroom in Geoscience Education

Thursday Morning Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 1

Daniel Snyder

Teaching basic college-level geology, such as rock and mineral identification, requires hands-on learning and a great deal of individual attention. The flipped classroom paradigm, in which lectures are presented online and class time is dedicated to group activities and laboratories, thus has a particular appeal. Is a flipped classroom better suited to teaching geology than a traditional classroom? An introductory Physical Geology classroom was flipped, using a 20-30 minute online lecture to be viewed before class. Students engaged with additional hands-on activities and labs during the gained time. Learning was assessed through quizzes. Compared to a control, the flipped classroom demonstrated approximately equal achievement. The flipped classroom may be more appropriate for fully hybrid STEM classes.

Speakers

Daniel Snyder

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

11:00am EDT

Achieving Academic Excellence Utilizing A Capstone Learning Initiative with a 21st Century Zest

Thursday Morning Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 4

Irma Gibson

Teaching while, expounding, inspiring and capturing the hearts and minds of students in the 21st century can be challenging to say the least. Resources are lacking and often times the faculty members are compelled to operate under conditions that are synonymous with managed care in the world of human services. Nevertheless, solutions and best practices must be discovered and cultivated to meet not only the strategic plan of the university but equally important, the missions and goals of the departments as well as the various governing accreditation bodies that are involved in various disciplines. This learning initiative proposes a unique and passionate solution to meeting and exceeding these goals and objectives while addressing the specifics of innovative 21st century pedagogies.

Speakers

Irma Gibson

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

11:00am EDT

Assessing Students Perceptions of Learning and Engagement

Thursday Morning Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 5

Deborah Richardson, Datta Trinanjan, Georgina Hammock, Kristin Casaletto

Active learning typically involves engaging students in a variety of interactive and/or hands-on activities. An instructor may have a sense of whether activities and assignments were effective but may also want to examine the perspective of students. The instructor may want to know whether students feel they have learned and whether they found the experience to be engaging. This presentation will describe an efficient and effective technique for assessing student perceptions of learning and enjoyment of assignments and activities in diverse classrooms. As an end-of-course evaluation, this assessment allows students to critically evaluate their experience in the course and to (perhaps) recognize when less enjoyable assignments may nevertheless enhance their learning. Examples from humanities, physics, and psychology classes will be included.

Speakers

Kristin Casaletto

Gina Hammock

Augusta University

Deborah Richardson

Director of Faculty Development, Augusta University

Datta Trinanjan

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills

11:00am EDT

Creating a Climate for Success: Online Learning and Student Engagement

Thursday Morning Pecha Kucha Session
Presentation 2

Keith Pacholl

The presentation emphasizes two major areas: engaging with students and personalizing the online environment. It will give concrete examples of how to engage with students, including the use of interactive features within a learning management system and other software. It will also discuss how to promote student creativity by allowing them to personalize assignments while at the same time meeting rigorous academic expectations. Creating a successful online classroom requires a teacher to personalize the online environment, and I will conclude with a discussion of how to personalize the content of the class. I hope that by the end of the presentation, faculty and students who have been on the fence about teaching or taking online classes might be motivated to give it a try.

Speakers

Keith Pacholl

University of West Georgia

Thursday April 9, 2015 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Room K

Pecha Kucha Session, Distance Learning-Blended Learning

12:00pm EDT

Thursday Lunch - Keynote - Dr. Houston Davis

Speakers

Dr. Houston Davis

Executive Vice Chancellor & Chief Academic Officer, University System of Georgia

Thursday April 9, 2015 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Magnolia Ballrooom

Keynote

12:00pm EDT

ALG Post-Conference Workshop - Transforming Your Textbooks

ALG Post-Conference Workshop
Transforming Your Textbooks

This event is a separate event from the USG Teaching and Learning Conference and you must pre-register to attend.

Following the USG Teaching and Learning Conference, Affordable Learning Georgia will host a Post-Conference Workshop: “Transforming Your Textbooks”

Description: Transforming from a commercial textbook to free and open educational resources allows day-one access for all students, encourages course retention, and saves students money. At the conclusion of the 2015 USG Teaching and Learning Conference, Affordable Learning Georgia will provide an introductory workshop to USG faculty and staff on open educational resources (OER), open textbooks, open licenses such as Creative Commons, and the pedagogical and instructional issues required to transform your commercial textbook into no- or low-cost resources.

Price: Free for USG faculty and staff, limited number of seats available, but you must register to attend. Joint Lunch with the Teaching & Learning Conference 12:00pm-1:00pm

Register Now To Reserve Your Seat

Contact Information: Please contact Jeff Gallant jeff.gallant@usg.edu for further information about this event or visit Affordable Learning Georgia to learn more.

Thursday April 9, 2015 12:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Room Q

Post-Conference Workshop, Open Educational Resources