Universal Design Series: How Can I Make the Activities in My Course More Inclusive?
Date: Tuesday, April 15
Time: 2:00–4:00 p.m.
Location: Meyer Library 204
Presenter: Dr. Sabrina Brinson, Professor, Childhood Education and Family Studies
Workshop is for faculty only
This fast and focused session will show you a practical approach to making accommodations and promoting equitable opportunity for learning and engagement for all your students. Instructional Designers will be available for one hour following this workshop for discussion and assistance.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify and appraise your assumptions about how students should engage in a course
- Formulate appropriate ways to discuss accommodations with a student who has disabilities
- Demonstrate practical techniques to remove barriers to learning
Faculty can register for this session through My Learning Connection.
29th Showcase on Teaching and Learning
Date: Wednesday, August 13
Time: 8:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Location: Plaster Student Union Level III
Registration is open!
The theme for the 29th Showcase on Teaching and Learning is “Facilitating Student Engagement and Deep Learning.”
This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Deborah Allen, Professor of Biological Sciences and one of the founding institute leaders from the University of Delaware’s Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education. The motivation to learn begins with a problem. For more than ten years the University of Delaware has encouraged the adoption of student-centered and active classroom pedagogies, particularly in the area of problem-based learning in undergraduate studies. Dr. Allen will talk about the use of problem-based learning to achieve deeper learning and the pedagogies of student engagement.
Registration is now open and the first 50 faculty members to sign up for sessions on My Learning Connection will receive an 8GB FCTL flash drive!
FCTL Wins National Award
The Missouri State University Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) has just been recognized as a National Exemplary Teaching and Learning Center. This is an extremely prestigious award and recognizes the quality innovative resources of our university community.
The awards for the 25th Annual International Conference on College Teaching and Learning held in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, were presented to some of the top colleges and universities in the nation. This award designates categories in Exemplary Initiatives; Teaching, Learning, and Technology; Distinguished New Faculty; Exemplary Teaching and Learning Centers; and International Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Technology. The nominees for these awards represent the finest programs in the nation.
The two primary winners in the category of Exemplary Teaching and Learning Centers were Missouri State University and the University of Washington Bothell. They were selected from 107 respondents to a national study of teaching and learning centers conducted in the fall of 2013. Other programs considered were University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Grand Valley State University, Old Dominion University, and Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.
Meyer Library Long-Range Space Plan
Date: Monday, April 28
Time: 3:30–5:00 p.m.
Location: Meyer Library 101
An open forum will be held to discuss space needs and possible long-range space plans for the Meyer Library building. MSU President Clif Smart has requested that a long-range (approx. 25 years) space plan for Meyer Library be submitted to him by May 15, 2014. Members of a task force that have been working on this project will share with attendees some possible principles and specifics of the emerging space plan. There will be plenty of time for open discussion and the sharing of ideas. For more information, please contact Tom Peters, 6-4525.
Turning Assessment into Action
Are you interested in seeing how faculty and staff at Missouri State University are turning their assessment efforts into action? The Office of Assessment is showcasing faculty, staff, and departments that are using assessment for improvement. This week, we would like to showcase Dr. Mary Jane Pardue, the Interim Department Head for the Media, Journalism, and Film Department. Read how Dr. Pardue and the MJF Assessment Committee used their assessment process to identify and implement simple changes in their course design and sequencing to improve student learning.
Read assessment into action article
LSAT Test Prep Course
Dates: April 24–June 3
Location: Glass Hall 111
Time: 6:00–9:00 p.m.
Cost: $899 (Course Materials Included)
Our intensive LSAT prep program includes 30 hours of classroom instruction from experienced exam preparation professionals. The easy to follow program uses proven techniques to simplify the LSAT. Missouri State’s LSAT course uses questions from actual LSAT exams, so that you know your preparation is as close to the real thing as possible. LSAT textbooks, study guides, diagnostic exams, and expert instruction are all included.
Visit the LSAT prep course page for registration and more detailed course information.
Grant Writing from Good to Great (Intro Course)
Date: Friday, April 25
Location: TBA
Time: 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Cost: $125
This course will allow seasoned grant writers and newcomers the chance to understand and practice the essentials of writing grant proposals in an interactive and creative workshop! This course will help you with researching, learning how to locate funding sources, and provide grant writing tips and tutorials that have taken years of our expertise to cultivate. In addition, you will learn how to pursue grant funds. This is a course not to be missed.
Visit the grant writing course page for registration and more detailed course information.
Provost Series for Faculty Development
Directing Student Research
Dates: Thursday and Monday, April 24 and 28
Time: 3:30–5:00 p.m.
Location: Carrington Hall 203
Presenters: Tom Tomasi, Associate Dean, Graduate College; Julie Masterson, Provost Fellow for Faculty Development
How do I make the research experiences of my students meaningful? How do I balance my own research agenda and the demands of directing student work? What should I expect from the students? What should they expect from me? What are the differences between a thesis and a research project/seminar paper? These questions and other issues surrounding student research will be covered in this workshop.
Register for session through My Learning Connection under the “Provost-Faculty Development” category.
Blackboard Feature Spotlight: “Post First” in the Discussion Board
A common scenario plays out in discussion boards across the world: A professor posts a discussion prompt and then an eager student posts a well thought out and informative thread, only to see nearly every following thread retread what they’d already posted in suspiciously similar language. If only the professor could force everyone to make their own posts before they could read and respond to others…
Well you can; and it’s extremely easy! With the addition of an option where “Participants must create a thread in order to view other threads in this forum” in the Forum Settings, you’re able to limit participants access to the forum until they’ve contributed their own thread independent of what’s already been posted. To start using this feature, visit the “Forum Settings” page in Experts. For assistance using this feature in your Discussion Boards or any other help with Blackboard, feel free to contact the Computer Services Help Desk.
Here’s a screenshot of the option: (click image for larger view)
This is what the student sees when they enter the forum: (click image for larger view)
See the Blackboard Blog to learn more about the great features in Blackboard, and don’t forget about all the opportunities for Blackboard training at the Blackboard at Missouri State University website, and learn how you can become a Blackboard Black Belt while you’re there! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter too!
Nominations and Applications are Solicited for the 2015–2016 Provost Fellow for Public Affairs
Nominations due this Friday, April 11, by 5:00 p.m.
The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce the Public Affairs theme for the 2015–2016 academic year will be Building Healthy Communities: Mind, Body, and Spirit. In order to allow for better planning and preparation, we have selected the theme early and are now accepting nominations and applications for the Provost Fellow for Public Affairs for 2015–2016. The selected Fellow will “shadow” the current Provost Fellow, Dr. Kurt Heinlein, in order to better understand the planning process of the Public Affairs Conference.
For more information about the theme and/or role of the Provost Fellow, please read the campus memo below. Individuals wishing to be considered for this position should submit a CV and letter of interest outlining their experience, skills and ideas to Dr. Rachelle Darabi, Associate Provost for Student Development and Public Affairs no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday, April 11. Review of applications will begin April 14. Questions concerning this position should be directed to Dr. Rachelle Darabi.
All-Faculty Recognition Reception
Date: Monday, April 21
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: PSU Ballroom
Our faculty members work diligently to make the university and our community a better place to live. Join the Office of the Provost and President Smart as we gather to honor this year’s award recipients and retirees at the All-Faculty Recognition Reception. The esteemed recipients of the Missouri State University Foundation Award in Teaching, Research and Service, Years of Service, Community Service Awards and others will be recognized. Hors D ’Oeuvres will be provided.
Understanding Student Learning of Public Affairs—A Call for Student Work
The Office of Assessment is collecting student work that showcases students’ understanding of public affairs. In addition to student work, we are interested in learning more about the public affairs work in general that your students do. Please submit student work, examples of assignments that have worked well for you, and descriptions of projects that influence student learning related to community engagement, ethical leadership, and cultural competence. As a small token of appreciation, we will bring you a Starbucks gift card and a certificate of participation for university service.
How You Can Participate:
- Fill out the online Intent to Participate Form
- Collect student work as usual
- Submit copies electronically to assessment@missouristate.edu, or
- we can come to you, make copies, and return your originals within 1–2 days
- The work will be de-identified and faculty and staff review the student work.
- An individualized report will be sent to you based on the review.
- Office of Assessment will share findings from the review related to students’ overall understanding of public affairs.
To submit student work: complete the online Intent to Participate Form
To review student work in May 2014: fill out the online reviewer application
For additional information: visit the information page on the Office of Assessment website, or contact us at assessment@missouristate.edu or 836-6300.
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