View the CITL Teaching & Learning Newsletter September Issue.
Announcements
Fall 2016 Junior Faculty Seminar Series on Teaching
Please join us in this specially-designed faculty workshop series as we meet new colleagues to learn, discuss, and share best practices for effective and efficient teaching that can be immediately implemented in your courses. Topics range from student feedback, active learning, questioning skills, teaching multicultural students, and more. All instructors are invited to participate. Space is limited. Register early as many of our past attendees return to participate. You may register for the Junior Faculty Seminar series here.
TA Reading Groups Beginning for Fall
How do the best college teachers teach? Find out by reading Ken Bain’s What the Best College Teachers Do with fellow TAs and a CITL facilitator. Meetings will be arranged to fit your schedule and participation will count toward the teaching certificates. Sign up for to be in a TA Reading Group by following this link – you will be matched up with other TAs and a facilitator with similar availability.
Reimagining the Classroom Symposium: Last Call For Registration
Calling all faculty. This is the last call to register for the September 23 Reimagining the Classroom Symposium at the Ikenberry Commons from 8 am-3 pm. This biennial event brings together over a hundred faculty, staff, administrators, and vendors for a day of conversations around how we design classrooms, how we teach in them, and most importantly, how our students learn in them. This year’s program includes futurist speaker Rex Miller, roundtable conversations about teaching and learning, an architect panel highlighting design trends, and spotlight presentations about classroom projects happening on this campus. A self-guided Classroom Tour and two optional CEU courses will be offered at 2pm. The Symposium is free to UIUC Faculty, Staff, & Invited Students. Lunch is included. Register at go.illinois.edu/reimagining
Teaching Portfolio Program
The CITL Teaching Portfolio Program is designed for those graduate students who have the opportunity for many teaching experiences, the dedication to develop a deep understanding of teaching and learning, and the desire to document their teaching in a professional teaching portfolio prior to entering the academic job market. Visit the teaching portfolio page of our website for more information and to apply.
Teaching Certificates
The Teaching Certificate Program offers a great way to document your commitment to being an excellent teacher. We offer five certificates to serve a wide audience, whether you are a grad student without a teaching appointment, a teaching assistant just getting started, or an experienced instructor of any rank. Please see the teaching certificate program's webpage for more information.
Illinois Online Network
ION is a faculty development program created by the University in 1997 to train and prepare faculty who will teach online at the University, in Illinois community colleges, and beyond. The ION Making the Virtual Classroom a Reality (MVCR) online series exists to provide a broad range of online teaching and learning competencies. UI faculty and other teaching professionals receive this training at no cost. For other UI academic professionals and staff, the cost for participation is minimal. There are scores of UI Master Online Teachers. See this link for more information about ION. Next term starts October 17.
CITL Events & Workshops
Wednesday, Sep 21
Jr. Faculty Fall 2016 Seminar Series: #2: Active Teaching = Active Learning: Strategies for Deep Learning and Retention
11:30 A.M. - 1:00 P.M., room 428 Armory Building
Speaker: Cheelan Bo-Linn (CITL)
Friday, Sep 23
Reimagining the Classroom Symposium
8:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M., Ikenberry Commons (SDRP) 301 Gregory Drive
Speakers: Various speakers throughout the day
Tuesday, Sep 27
Distractions, Opportunities, and Orientations: Technology in the Classroom (TA to TA Series)
4:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M., room 428 Armory Building
Speakers: Donovan Bisbee (CITL)
Wednesday, Sep 28
Jr. Faculty Fall 2016 Seminar Series: #3: “Opening the Classroom Door” – Opportunities to Observe Exemplary Teachers
11:30 A.M. - 1:00 P.M., room 428 Armory Building
Speaker: Cheelan Bo-Linn (CITL)
Teaching Tips
Ready to Flip: Three Ways to Hold Students Accountable for Pre-Class Work. One of the most frequent questions faculty ask about the flipped classroom model is: “How do you encourage students to actually do the pre-class work and come to class prepared?” This is not really a new question for educators. We’ve always assigned some type of homework, and there have always been students who do not come to class ready to learn. However, the flipped classroom conversation has launched this question straight to the top of the list of challenges faculty face when implementing this model in their classrooms. Here is an article that suggests several ways to prepare for your class.
Save the Last Word for Me: Encouraging Students to Engage with Complex Reading and Each Other. Online discussions are often implemented in college classes to allow students to express their understanding and perceptions about the assigned readings. This can be challenging when the reading is particularly complex, as students are typically reluctant to share their interpretations because they are not confident in their understanding. This can inhibit meaningful interactions with peers within an online discussion. Through a review of research, we found that more structured discussions tend to exhibit higher levels of shared cognition (deNoyelles, Zydney, & Chen, 2014).