View the CITL Teaching & Learning Newsletter March 23 Issue.
Announcements
Draft List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent Available
The fall 2016 draft List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their students for Fall 2016 is ready for review. Contact our office at 244-3839 or email ices@illinois.edu with any updates or questions. The list will be published in the Daily Illini on Thursday, March 16.
Create Your Own Online Course Workshops
CITL will be hosting the second iteration of "Create Your Own Online Course" series of consecutive, typically 30-minute workshops on April 3, 4, and 6 from 12:30 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. each day. This is open to all instructors and TAs who want to learn best practices for creating an online course. Detailed agenda and registration information can be found at http://go.illinois.edu/CreateYourOwnOnlineCourse.
Certificate Deadline is April 17
If you hope to earn one of our teaching certificates this year, please have all requirements completed and your application submitted by the end of the day on Monday, April 17. You may drop off your completed application to the CITL office in room 249 of the Armory, or send it through campus mail (MC-528). Certificates will be awarded on May 2; more details to come.
Get a certificate in science communication!
The new Certificate in Science Communication is offered jointly by the 21st Century Scientists Working Group and the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning.
The ability to communicate with others about your research is an important part of being a scientist today. Understanding your audience and presenting your work in a way that resonates with them will help you interact more successfully with members of the press, members of the public, and grant committees. It may also enable you to engage directly with your audience through your own writing, videos, podcasts, or other media. Learn more about the Certificate in Science Communication. Please send questions or inquires about pursuing the certificate to 21centurysci@gmail.com.
College Teaching Effectiveness Network (CTEN) March Meeting
Join the College Teaching Effectiveness Network for their March meeting. Graduate students from all departments and all levels of teaching experience are encouraged to attend. The main event is a guest presentation/pedagogy talk by Dr. Jose Vazquez, Professor of Economics and Director of the LAS Teaching Academy. Following that, we'll be planning our upcoming workshop: "How the Best UIUC Teachers Handle Difficult Topics." Please join us in Armory 428 from 3:30-4:30 on March 30th. Feel free to contact Donovan Bisbee (bisbee2@illinois.edu) with any questions.
CITL Events & Workshops
Want to see what workshops and events are coming later in the system? Look at our full calendar for more information.
Workshops
Fri Mar 10
Microaggressions and Teaching
12:00 P.M. - 1:30 P.M., room 428 Armory Building
Speaker: Audrey Neville (CITL)
Mon Mar 13
Oh No! Dealing with Difficult Situations in the Classroom
3:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M., room 428 Armory Building
Speaker: Kazem Alidoost (CITL)
Wed Mar 15
The Power of Presentations: Enhancing your Slides for Teaching and Engagement
11:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M., room 314 Main Library
Speaker: Jamie Nelson (CITL)
Jr. Faculty S'17 Seminar Series: #4: Creating Effective Team Assignments and Student Teams: What, How, and Why
11:30 A.M. - 1:00 P.M., room 428 Armory Building
Speaker: Cheelan Bo-Linn (CITL)
Mon Mar 27
Jr. Faculty S'17 Seminar Series: #5: Enhancing Teaching – Is That Sufficient? The Critical Role of Students in Their Own Learning
11:30 A.M. - 1:00 P.M., room 428 Armory Building
Speaker: Cheelan Bo-Linn (CITL)
Wed Mar 29
Jr. Faculty S'17 Seminar Series: #6: 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)
Technical Training
Fri Mar 10
Illinois Compass 2g Grade Center Workshop
10:00 A.M. - 11:30 A.M., room 428 Armory Building
Speaker: Dan Hahn and Rick Hazelwood (Technology Services)
Mon Mar 13
Illinois Compass 2g Grade Center Workshop
3:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M., room 428 Armory Building
Speaker: Jordan Branham (CITL)
Tue Mar 14
Stata I: Getting Started with Stata
5:30 P.M. - 7:30 P.M., room G17 Foreign Languages Building
Speaker: CITL Data Analytics
Wed Mar 15
Questionnaire Design
5:30 P.M. - 7:30 P.M., room G8A Foreign Languages Building
Speaker: CITL Data Analytics
Tue Mar 28
CITL Statistics, Data, and Survey Research Workshop Series
5:30 P.M. - 7:30 P.M., room G8A Foreign Languages Building
Speaker: CITL Data Analytics
Training Opportunities Across Campus
Fri Mar 10
PowerPoint 2016: Getting Started
10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M., room 27, Illini Hall
Sponsor: Fast3/Webstore Training Services
Photoshop CC: Image Adjustments
1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M., room 27, Illini Hall
Sponsor: Fast3/Webstore Training Services
Mon Mar 13
Dreamweaver CC Level 1
1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M., Location TBA
Sponsor: Fast3/Webstore Training Services
Teaching Tips
Are Happier Students Better Performers?
The importance of student happiness cannot be underestimated as a determining factor in academic performance, especially in the context of today’s universities. However, teachers can be empowered in their roles as holistic educators and become positive mentors for their students, providing understanding, empathy and encouragement. Furthermore, they can also train students in developing their emotional resilience. This should be given particular emphasis in this day and age, where students are increasingly vulnerable to the negative effects of boredom, stress and frustration in their university courses. So, teachers have an increasingly important role as contributors to student happiness. It can be said that a truly happy student is likely to excel in his academic pursuit.
Learning with Students vs. Doing for Students
Here’s a quote,
“I see myself as a learner first, thus I create my classes with learners, not for them ….”
When I think about classes I think about myself as a teacher first. So, I’ve been trying to imagine facing a teaching task from the perspective of a learner. The quote represents another push away from teaching and toward learning. But the preposition “with” makes it something more than just another admonition to be more learner-centered. Classes are created withlearners, not forthem. Even given my long-standing interest in learner-centered teaching, I have to be honest and admit, I created courses and now create workshops forlearners, not withthem. Perhaps here is a way by doing beneficial things forstudents if I use what I have learned by doing things withthem.
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