Primarily Education-Focused Sessions and Resources
20 Minute Monday Morning Mentor (Week of October 26th)
Date: Available October 26th – November 1st
Session Title: How Can I Reduce Student Apathy and Increase Motivation?
Presenter: Kenneth Alford, Ph.D. (Associate Professor Chemistry – Brigham Young University); Tyler Griffin, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor – Brigham Young University)
Overview:
“Is this going to be on the test?”
It’s a question that probably makes you cringe. The only reason your students are paying attention is because something might show up on an exam. It’s not because they care about what you’re saying. And if whatever you are talking about is not going to be on the test? You can probably cue the texting, the daydreaming, and the dozing.
Student apathy. It’s just a fact of life in higher education. Or is it?
Certainly different students have different motivation levels, and some students won’t care no matter what you do. But they might just be the exceptions and not the rule. In fact, you have more control than you might realize, and there are things you can do to improve student focus and connection to the course.
If you want to learn proven strategies that get your students more engaged, you’ll want to watch How Can I Reduce Student Apathy and Increase Motivation?, a Magna 20-Minute Mentor with Brigham Young University associate professor Kenneth L. Alford and assistant professor Tyler Griffin.
Dr. Alford and Dr. Griffin will help you recognize that part of your job is getting students to recognize why they should care. When you increase the relevance of your course content so your students understand why it matters—to their degrees and to their lives—they naturally grow more engaged in what you are teaching. You can’t make every student care no matter what you do, but there is a lot you can do to improve overall student engagement and motivation.
Learning Goals
When you are finished with this program, you will:
- Understand the difference between the process and the products of learning in order to help students achieve both
- Recognize that some causes of student apathy are beyond your control
- Be able to identify the causes of apathy that are within your control
- Be able to identify, implement, and adapt techniques that can increase relevance in your course design, your syllabus, your classroom, your assignments, and your exams
- Have the courage to try new things—and even have a little fun while you’re at it
The session link and login information to the October 26th 20 Minute Monday Morning Mentor is available in the announcements section of the Professional Development course within Blackboard. Enrollment instructions for the Professional Development course are located at http://tinyurl.com/profdevenroll.
Who Am I When I Teach? Understanding Teaching Persona
Date: November 3, 2015
Time: 1:00 PM – 1:40 PM
Location: GEB A302
Overview:
The learning environment we seek to spark begins with who we are when we teach. Our teaching persona can ignite or impede our engagement at the same time it can ignite or impede students’ engagement as they pursue new ideas.
The teaching persona we bring to our work can set a tone for a productive dynamic, lead us to communicate with clarity, and invite a joy for learning. Too often educators are told, “be natural, be yourself,” without being given any real guidance as to how to develop an authentic teaching identity that can serve to embolden our teaching and spark student commitment to learning.
Through case studies, questions for self-reflection, options for follow-up activities, and resources for continuing understanding and application, this online seminar will provide you with the tools to gain insights into your teaching persona’s role as a catalyst in the development of an engaging teaching and learning environment.
During this seminar, you will:
- Discover key features of your own teaching identity
- Develop an awareness of the choices and influences those features generate in the learning environment
- Expand your repertoire of teaching capabilities through critical reflection on the relationships among teaching identity, learning environment, expectations, and engagement
- Activate catalysts for the continuing growth of your teaching identity to bring ongoing meaning and accomplishment to your work
The presenter, Linda Shadiow, Ph.D., brings 27 years of teaching at Northern Arizona University, including nearly a decade directing their faculty professional development program. Tap in to the understanding she brings to explore the choices inherent in honing and communicating a teaching persona that can become a conduit for purposeful and energized teaching and learning.
To register to attend this session please go to: http://tinyurl.com/uthsc-teachingpersona-nov2015
Plagiarism: What You Need to Know (A discussion with the Office of General Counsel)
Date: November 5, 2015 (Please note the change in date. This session was originally scheduled October 22nd)
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM (Lunch will be provided beginning at 11:30 AM)
Location: GEB A204
Overview:
Important note: We are able to broadcast this session to faculty, staff, and postdocs who cannot join us in Memphis. Email Dr. Cindy Russell (crussell@uthsc.edu) if you need to participate in this way.
Register here: http://tinyurl.com/uthsc-plagiarismdiscussion
Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit. While we often search for ways to identify and respond to student plagiarism in the classroom setting, are you aware of how important attention to plagiarism is in your professional life and your academic, scholarly, and research activities?
Attend this session delivered in-person by Lela Young, Attorney & Associate General Counsel, UT Office of General Counsel, to understand more about plagiarism.
Don’t want to ask your own question or raise an item? At a distance and want to make sure your question is heard? We are using a system for feedback called “TodaysMeet” for you to send in questions and/or comments to share in the session. Go to this URL https://todaysmeet.com/room/1995080 and create a nickname, click join, then type your question/item in the message box and click Say. Or send questions to Dr. Cindy Russell (crussell@uthsc.edu) at any time.
National Distance Learning Week Session – Virtual Presence: Inspire and Engage in the Virtual Classroom and Beyond
Date: November 11, 2015
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM (A light lunch will be provided beginning at 11:30 AM)
Location: GEB A104
UTHSC will celebrate National Distance Learning Week (NDLW)by hosting a campus viewing of a live webinar provided by the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) on November 11th. Please see the session overview information and registration link below. To learn more about NDLW and all of the sessions that will be offered November 9th – 13th, please go to: https://www.usdla.org/events/ndlw/.
Overview of November 11th Session:
In the virtual medium, great content can easily be sabotaged by a presenter’s low energy, irritating vocal qualities or general inability to engage and excite their audience. Whether presenting online to hundreds via webinar, facilitating a small virtual classroom workshop, or phone conferencing with team members and direct reports, the most effective training leaders and facilitators harness their virtual presence to authentically connect with the hearts and minds of others for maximum impact.
To register to attend this session go to: http://tinyurl.com/uthsc-ndlw2015
Did you know….
You can apply credit received for professional development outside the university to your faculty training records? Simply complete the HR Request for Additional Training Credit form found at http://www.uthsc.edu/hrtraining/pdfs/additional_training_credit_form.pdf and forward it, along with a copy of the program’s agenda, to the HR Training Department at 910 Madison, Suite 727.
Why do this? The University of TN believes that professional development and training of its employees are central to the university’s mission, vision, and values. Having credit received elsewhere to your UTHSC training records is very useful to your department and college – for things such as annual reviews and program accreditations.
UTHSC's Teaching & Learning Center 