Trying to teach students to improve their writing can be like trying to teach cats to fetch:

• Demonstrate all you want
• Encourage all you want
• Implore all you want;
• You’re apt to be met with nothing but blinks.
• You’ll never change cats … but you can change students.

During this Monday Morning 20 Minute Mentor session (How Do I Give Feedback that Improves Student Writing?), Maryellen Weimer, Ph.D., consultant, editor of The Teaching Professor and professor emerita at Penn State-Berks, shares with you her seven novel feedback techniques that will motivate your students and drive real improvement in their writing.

Professional Development Outcomes:

• Learn how you gain student “buy-in” to the feedback process
• How you can separate feedback from grading for better results
• How to use benchmarking and “gateway” techniques to streamline the feedback process
• How you can make feedback more “actionable” for students

With this Monday Morning 20 Minute Mentor session, you’ll gain valuable insights into strengthening and improving your pedagogy.

The session link and login information to this 20 Minute Monday Morning Mentor will be available in the announcements section of the Professional Development course within Blackboard on March 21st . Enrollment instructions for the Professional Development course are located at http://tinyurl.com/profdevenroll.

Go2Knowledge (Your Link to On-Demand Professional Development)

UTHSC has purchased an institutional membership to Innovative Educators. Our membership provides all UTHSC faculty and staff access to on-demand events available through the Innovative Educator’s digital library (Go2Knowledge).

The Go2Knowledge library contains over a hundred sessions that fall within six of the following categories:

• At-risk populations
• Campus safety
• Organizational development
• Student success
• Teaching and learning
• Technology

Printable certificates of completion are available for each session. For information related to accessing sessions available through Innovative Educators/Go2Knowledge please visit the Professional Development course within Blackboard. Enrollment instructions for the Professional Development course are located at http://tinyurl.com/profdevenroll.

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Primarily Education-Focused Sessions and Resources

OLC Innovate 2016 – Innovations in Blended and Online Learning

Dates: April 20th – April 22nd

Conference Overview:

SIX REASONS TO VIRTUALLY JOIN US AT OLC INNOVATE

To ensure learning remains at the forefront while we witness the confluence of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge, OLC Innovate will aim to address these six concerns (and many more!):

• How do we develop learning environments that support interconnectedness between educators and students, and are equipped to quickly change processes and strategies, while simultaneously fostering and celebrating creativity and ingenuity?

• What new methods and technologies are most scalable in teaching and learning? Which are most prevalent and why?

• How has technology changed teaching and knowledge acquisition and how will we adjust current paradigms to ensure sound pedagogy as we innovate?

• How does technology in the classroom increase student engagement?

• What is the best balance between analog and digitally enhanced teaching?

• What are common obstacles that educators face regarding technology? How can we avoid being technocentric while improving pedagogical practice with technology?

UTHSC has purchased an institutional virtual attendee OLC Innovate package that will allow any faculty or staff member virtual attendee session access for sessions that will be streamed live from the conference site in New Orleans, LA. Virtual attendee access will allow you to view the live sessions from any location. Can’t make time during these three days to participate? Go ahead and register for virtual attendee and have access to the session recordings for one year.

A complete list of  sessions available to virtual attendees can be found at: http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/olc-innovate/program/all_sessions/#streamed

Please contact Kristy Conger (kconger@uthsc.edu / 901-448-2253) to request virtual attendee access for an individual or a college/program/department. This is a great professional development opportunity for those who teach online or support online faculty.

TLC’s Showcase in Teaching and Learning 

Date: April 28, 2016
Time: 8:30 AM – 1:3o PM
Location: Student Alumni Center (SAC)

Overview:

The UTHSC Teaching and Learning Center Showcase will highlight successful teaching strategies used by faculty at UTHSC! Two keynote speakers will address instructional ideas that can be used by all teaching faculty. Faculty will also have the opportunity to participate in concurrent sessions packed with useful ideas.Time will be set aside for faculty to mix, mingle, discuss, and share ideas and successful (as well as not so successful) strategies. 

Register to attend: http://tinyurl.com/tlc-showcase-4-28-2016

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 Professional Sessions

Microaggressions and Workplace Bullying (Two-Session Live Webinar)

Dates: March 22, 2016
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:3o PM
Location: GEB A104

Register to Participate:

March 22, 2016 – http://bit.do/WorkPlaceBullying032216

Overview:

This is part two of a 2-session live webinar for UTHSC faculty and staff is co-sponsored by Faculty Affairs, Office of Equity and Diversity, and Human Resources.

Learn how to proactively identify and remove microaggressions and bullying from your office, department, and institution. During this two-session webcast you will examine critical issues related to microaggressions in higher education, including:

• Physiological and psychological impact on co-workers
• Role-based and hierarchical interactions
• Impact on organizational climates
• Implicit biases you and your coworkers may have

To view the agenda for each of the sessions please go to: http://www.academicimpressions.com/webcast/microaggressions-and-workplace-bullying#Agenda

Common IRB Provisos to Avoid

Date: March 30, 2016 (Wednesday)
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM 
Location: Hamilton Eye Institute – Freeman Auditorium (930 Madison, 3rd Floor)

Overview:

Join the Institutional Review Board for “Common IRB Provisos to Avoid” on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm in the Hamilton Eye Institute’s Freeman Auditorium, 930 Madison, 3^rd floor. The auditorium is easily accessible for attendees without a UTHSC badge coming from off-campus. Parking is available in the covered garage adjacent to the 930 Madison Building.

You may view the program remotely by clicking on the following site at the time of the session: http://mediaserver.uthsc.edu/uthscms/Play/00cc165828064636a730c739a9647b2c1d

If you miss the session, the video and slides will be posted a few days after the training session to the IRB  website (under “See Previous IRB Insights materials.”) at: (http://www.uthsc.edu/research/research_compliance/IRB/training.php)

New Faculty Orientation

Date: April 1, 2016 (Friday)
Time: 7:30 AM – 1:00 PM (A light breakfast and lunch will be served)
Location: SAC (Student Alumni Center) – Dining Hall

Register to attend: http://bit.do/NFO-Spring2016

Overview:

The Office of Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs (AFSA) will be hosting New Faculty Orientation as a supplement to the orientation that is provided by Human Resources at each faculty member’s hire date. The AFSA New Faculty Orientation is catered specifically to the faculty with introductions of people and resources that may be of help in their growth and advancement during their time of employment with UTHSC.

This orientation is for ALL new faculty hired after January 1, 2015,  who have NOT YET attended a New Faculty Orientation. A light breakfast will be provided beginning at 7:30 AM. Orientation will begin at 8:00 AM.

Dealing with Recent Changes in NIH Proposals

Date: April 13, 2016 
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (Light refreshments will be served)
Location: Hamilton Eye Institute – Freeman Auditorium (930 Madison, 3rd Floor)

Presenter: Dr. Israel Goldberg

Overview: 

This session is open to all UTHSC faculty, postdocs, administrators, students, and staff. 

For more information regarding Dr. Goldberg please visit: http://www.uthsc.edu/research/research_resources/consulting.php

TLC Reception and Networking Event 

Date: April 14, 2016 
Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM 
Location: Madison Plaza – East Dining Area

Overview: 

Join Colleagues and the Teaching and Learning Center Advisory Board, Directorship, and Staff for tea and coffee in the Madison Plaza Dining area. 

Register to attend: http://tinyurl.com/TLC-reception-04-14-2016

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Did you know….

You can also visit the Professional Development Calendar to access a list of upcoming sessions sponsored by Academic/Faculty Affairs or other groups on campus at: https://academic.uthsc.edu/cii/calendar.php

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.