Category: CTL News

Contains news and topics of interest to faculty and instructional staff at Michigan Tech.

CTL Technical Workshop: Getting Started with iClicker Cloud

Thursday, January 4, 2024 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Location: Library Room 244

The Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) will host a technical workshop Thursday, January 4, 2024, to introduce instructors to iClicker Cloud software.

iClicker Cloud helps instructors engage with their students in the classroom by asking polling questions that can promote discussion, identify areas of confusion and generate questions. Michigan Tech has a campus site license for iClicker Cloud, so instructors can use this tool at no additional cost to their students.

In this CTL technical workshop, we’ll review how to get started using iClicker Cloud in your classroom. We’ll review how to set up your instructor account, iClicker Groups, make custom course settings to meet your needs, and integrate the course with your Canvas course. 

Register for the workshop — make plans to join us Thursday, January 4, 2024, from 2-3 p.m.

The workshop will be held in Library 244.

Contact the CTL at elearning@mtu.edu with any questions about this workshop or using iClicker Cloud in your class.

2023 CTL Instructional Awards Announced

The Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) congratulates the following 2023 Deans’ Teaching Showcase members who have been selected to receive 2023 CTL Instructional Awards.  

  • Elham Asgari (College of Business)- Innovative or Out of Class Teaching:  
  • Tim Wagner (Mathematical Sciences)-Large Class Teaching
  • Pasi Lautala (CEGE), and Radheshyam Tewari (ME-EM)-Curriculum Development and Assessment

This year’s recipients will present an overview of the efforts that led to their teaching awards at a CTL Lunch and Learn event on Tuesday, September 12, at 12:00 in the MUB Alumni Lounge.  Each presenter will receive formal recognition and a cash award. 

Please register in advance to attend the luncheon.

The CTL would also like to thank previous instructional award recipients who were instrumental in the selection process.

We’re looking for nominations for the upcoming 2024 Deans’ Teaching Showcase during spring semester. Please consider suggesting (to your dean or chair) instructors whom you’ve seen make exceptional contributions in curriculum development, assessment, innovative or out-of-class teaching, or large class teaching.

Contact the CTL (ctl@mtu.edu) for more information.

August 2023

Thursday August 24 and Friday August 25, 2023

New GTAs are asked to attend a general teaching orientation EITHER Thursday or Friday morning the week before classes begin.   This essential session will review national and university instructional policies (FERPA, Title IX, Academic Integrity), basic classroom management and expectations (safety, managing disruptions, inclusion), effective communication with students (in and out of class), and introduce campus instructional resources (library, Student Services, CTL). You must register for a session prior to the event.

Register for Thursday August 24 here.

Register for Friday August 25 here.

October

CTL Coffee Chat: Planning for Regular and Substantive Interaction in All Classes
Thursday, October 14, 2021

As we pivoted to remote teaching, many of us completed courses in online teaching.   The U.S. Department of Education requires that all online courses using federal financial aid “ensure that there is regular and substantive interaction between students and instructors.”   But now that most of us are back to in-person teaching, it’s worth asking: what if we applied the same standard to face-to-face courses?    In this workshop, we’ll dig into these definitions and try to answer that question.  We’ll also explore ways to initiate “regular and substantive interactions” with all of your students, regardless of the course size or instructional mode.  Participants who wish to attend remotely should indicate this in the comments of their registration.   

To attend this event register here

CTL Instructional Award – Large Class Teaching: Andrew Galerneau and Teresa Woods
Tuesday October 19, 2021 at 3:45PM

Teresa Woods
Title:  Tend to the Basics, and Find Your Own Shtick!

Abstract:  Whether you are cooking, playing basketball, teaching, or doing countless other activities, careful execution of the basic skills often leads to success.  When I reflect on my own teaching, I don’t see a lot of razzle dazzle, but rather a fierce commitment to aligning learning objectives, learning activities, and assessment (the basics of good teaching).  In this presentation, I will outline my course design and planning routine to illustrate how I accomplish this alignment for a large section linear algebra course.  I’ll also share how over the years I’ve grown confident being myself in the classroom, rather than trying to imitate others who have inspired or impressed me.

Andrew Galerneau 
Title: 
Using Gamification for Teaching Difficult Topics

Abstract: As students, we have all had that one class, the “why am I here, and do I really have to do this?” class. Fast forward a few years later, and some of us are lucky enough to teach one of these classes. When I first started teaching organic chemistry, I endeavored to not repeat the mistakes I perceived of my professors when I was an undergraduate student. Drawing from personal experiences and information learned from CTL workshops, I utilized Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) and small group work to facilitate learning and engagement with the curriculum during my first teaching assignment. Despite any success I had in the first year, I believed that entire experience could still be more engaging. Based upon lessons learned from modern video games, I gamified my organic curriculum the following summer. The level of engagement and attitudes of my students shifted dramatically, and I have since fully committed to this course structure to date. I look forward to sharing my gamified curriculum design, and the lessons that I have learned in the previous decade.

To attend this event, please register here.

CTL Technical Workshop: Creating Accessible Documents in Microsoft Word or Google Docs
Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Workshop details: What does it mean to create an accessible document?  Why is it important? How can you create accessible documents from scratch or remediate existing documents to improve accessibility?

In this workshop we will review the most common issues that can introduce digital barriers in documents including headings, lists, links, tables, images, and color use considerations.  We’ll also review the tools available in Microsoft Word or Google Docs to ensure your documents are structured for accessibility, how to check for errors, and how to export accessible PDF versions of your documents.

Computers will be available during the workshop to try out the tools in either Word or Google Docs.  Feel free to bring your own documents to work with during the workshop.

To attend this event register here.

CTL Coffee Chat: Computerized classroom testing: infrastructure, ideas and best practices
Thursday, November 4, 2021 3:30 PM

During remote teaching, many instructors learned how to leverage Canvas or other computerized tools for quizzes and exams. These tools offered advantages like automatic grading, the use of question banks, and the ability to easily randomize correct answers to increase integrity. Remote proctoring, meanwhile, offered significant challenges.  As we’ve returned to the classroom, infrastructure has been put in place to allow computerized testing in university classrooms. This allows more conventional proctoring while taking advantage of the efficiencies and higher integrity of computerized exams.  In this session, we’ll explore that infrastructure and best practices for giving computer-based exams and quizzes in classrooms.

To attend this event register here.

CTL Instructional Award – Curriculum Development or Assessment: Todd Arney, Senior Lecturer in Applied Computing and Paul Sanders, Patrick S. Horvath Endowed Professor in Materials Science
Tuesday, November 9, 2021 3:45 PM

Todd Arney
Title: The challenge of making complex topics accessible and engaging to a broad audience

Abstract:  Sometimes, what starts as a simple question or task, turns into a lengthy and involved procedure or explanation that diverts us away from our original goals. For example, when someone asks a question like “Why isn’t my phone working?” what they are actually asking is, “What is the simplest way to get my phone working?”. In academia, so much time is spent on the nuances and intricacies of “Why” we sometimes lose sight of the question “What is the easiest way to explain this?” – especially to an audience unfamiliar (or frankly uninterested) with the topic. Recently, I had the opportunity to work with faculty in the College of Engineering (Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering) and bring concepts from the College of Computing (Applied Computing) to one of their “Water Resources System Modeling and Design” classes. The task became: “How could I take complex topics like cybersecurity, cyberethics, virtualization, the Linux operating system, and computer networking and distill them down to the bare essentials and make everything accessible (and engaging) to non-technology classes and students?” In this presentation, I’ll share what I did, why I did it, and how it was received.

Paul Sanders
Title: Advanced Tools for Undergrads: Using Material Design to Teach Materials

Abstract: Many engineering students progress through the curriculum by learning the content of each course sequentially but not quite seeing the big picture. The Capstone Senior Design experience is a place where the big picture could come into focus, but often it does not. The field of view expands so fast that it can be overwhelming. There needs to be a stepping stone between semester-size courses and real-world engineering. This reality led to the development of a design methods course that is greater than the sum of the parts. It uses graduate level and beyond tools to integrate many parts of the curriculum in a way that is comfortable and engaging. By simplifying the concepts and teaching the course as an example design project using advanced tools, the students begin to see how pressing engineering challenges can be solved by design methods outside the traditional box.

The format of this presentation will be a journey of personal discovery, or perhaps more honestly, how others who had the vision showed me how this was possible in an undergraduate setting. I’m standing not quite on the shoulders of giants, but rather on the shoulders of many competent educators and one expert who tricked me, and I refer to him as the “accidental mentor”.

To attend this event register here.

CTL Technical Workshop: Creating Accessible Documents in Microsoft Word or Google Docs
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Workshop details: What does it mean to create an accessible document?  Why is it important? How can you create accessible documents from scratch or remediate existing documents to improve accessibility?

In this workshop we will review the most common issues that can introduce digital barriers in documents including headings, lists, links, tables, images, and color use considerations.  We’ll also review the tools available in Microsoft Word or Google Docs to ensure your documents are structured for accessibility, how to check for errors, and how to export accessible PDF versions of your documents.

Computers will be available during the workshop to try out the tools in either Word or Google Docs.  Feel free to bring your own documents to work with during the workshop.

To attend this event register here.

September

Center for Teaching and Learning bring back the Coffee Chat, Thursday September 16, 2021 at 4:00 PM

Student Mental Health continues to be a significant concern to front-line instructors.   The new My SSP  (student support program) app is just one of many excellent resources to help instructors help students stay well and address mental health concerns.  In this coffee chat, we’ll review these resources, then apply them to a variety of common student mental health situations.   Those planning to attend (remotely or in person) are asked to register and to watch the above-linked video prior to the event. . (Video duration: ~20 minutes) 

This event can be attended via zoom or in person. Please register here and indicate how you will be attending.

CTL Instructional Award: Innovative or Out of Class Teaching: Smitha Rao, Thursday September 23, 2021 at 3:45 PM

The CTL recognizes, from those nominated via the Deans’ Teaching Showcase, instructors who make contributions in large class teaching, out of class or innovative teaching, and curriculum development or assessment. This year, Smitha Rao, Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering, has been selected to receive the CTL instructional Award for Innovative or Out of Class Teaching. The abstract for her presentation, entitled “Reaching out to Student Researchers: An ‘old’ mentor’s journey” is below. Following her presentation, Smitha will be recognized formally. We hope you can join us for this event! To register, click here.

ABSTRACT: As a newly minted faculty, the harshest reality I had to face was that the students saw me as a “mentor.” (I soon learned this was code for “old”!) I found that I had to remind myself (repeatedly) that my undergraduate students had only recently completed high school. Not only was I not a peer, but the age gap seemed to grow (sigh!) and become a huge problem. How would I reach across this chasm? In this presentation, I’ll explore the solutions I have found. To seek common ground, I work to challenge student curiosity, engage them through opportunities in the lab and encourage them to take ownership of their work. I will share things I have tried and ideas I have learned as I work with graduate and undergraduate researchers. I hope the presentation stimulates dialog so we can all continue to learn and grow and rely on these combined experiences as we engage with more students.

April

Each workshop consists of two consecutive presentations followed by 10 minutes of discussion.

Spring UPTLC virtual presentation 3, April 13, 2021 at 3:30 PM

Returning Students to the Classroom Post Concussion by Co-Presenters: Joseph D. Susi II, LSSU School of Kinesiology and Erin Young, LSSU Student
Abstract: 
Concussion incidence varies among sports with the NCAA illustrating football with the highest overall portion of collegiate athletic concussions at 37% (2013-2014 NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook).  However, a 2019 study on the incidence of concussion among US undergraduates depicts that the overall concussion rate of sport related concussion was lower than non-sport-related concussion.  Athletes have Return to Play Guidelines and professionals to assist them along the way.  What provisions are available for students and student-athletes in returning to the classroom or “Return to Learn?”  Our talk is based on a class project from fall 2019 and will  examine concussions, identify a “Return to Learn” Team and present guidelines for a “Return to Learn” protocol for students who have experienced a concussion.   

“This Film Made Me Want to Pull My Hair Out!” The Value of Student Diaries for Course Assessment by H. Russell Searight, School of Behavioral Sciences
Abstract:
 Describes a faculty-student collaboration that provides meaningful course assessment information highlighting student reflections on course content. The presentation describes how the use of student dairies can provide a deeper understanding of the impact of a course.  

The subjective impact of a college course on students’ knowledge, critical thinking and ethical development is difficult to assess with standardized quantitative ratings or summative end-of-semester written comments. In particular, when teaching a new class with non-traditional pedagogy, such as the Honors Course, “Medical Ethics and Film,” students’ subjective experiences can provide valuable information for the instructor. Film, as an affectively-evocative narrative, may produce strong emotional reactions which can aid or hinder students’ understanding of course content. Students in “Medical Ethics and Film” were asked to keep a diary in which they recorded their reactions and ethical analyses for each week’s movie. The diary method is useful in providing educators with useful insight into how the class actually impacted students’ knowledge, critical thinking, and personal development and can be a form of communication between teachers and learners. To optimize the pedagogical value of personal course diaries, students should be able to write about their experiences in a reflective manner and experience openness and trust in how their writing will be used. Students were informed at the outset of the course that their reflections and observations through their diaries would be used in a qualitative research paper which they would co-author. However, students were assured that their diary entries would be described without identifying information. At the end of the course, an article, co-authored by the students and instructor was submitted and subsequently accepted for publication

To register for other UPTLC presentations, use these links:

Tuesday, February 16 at 3:30 PM 

Tuesday, March 16 at 3:30 PM