NTLC Newsletter • Spring 2013
N AKATANI TEACHING
AND L EARNING C ENTER
S
ince our fall newsletter, the Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center
has been busy sponsoring a variety of summer workshops,
yearlong programs, and short-term activities. . .
Inside this issue . . .
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What is SoTL All About?
Thoughts from the Director’s Desk
NTLC Teaching Strategies
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Research Model
Advancing SoTL Across Stout
New Instructor Workshop
First-Year Faculty Program
Infusing Diversity Across the Curriculum
Universal Design Across the Campus
2012-13 Wisconsin Teaching Fellows
and Scholars Program
Curious Stout Innovators Program
NTLC Vision Statement . . .
The Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center
nourishes a campus culture of learning and
teaching characterized by discovery, curiosity,
innovation, collaboration and research.
Summer 2012 Institutes:
• Write Here, Write Now: Using Informal Writing as a Tool for
Learning in Any Classroom
• First Year Seminar Workshop for Advisors
• Universal Design Across Campus - New Cohort
• New Instructor Workshop
• Infusing Diversity across the Curriculum - New Cohort
• Thomas Angelo’s Assessment Workshop
Ongoing Communities of Practice (new in fall 2012):
• Learning Objectives Based Assessment
• Collaborative Grants Writing
Ongoing programs designed to support research:
• Advancing Scholarship of Teaching and Learning across Stout
• Curious Stout Innovators
• Universal Design across the Campus
• Infusing Diversity across the Curriculum
Programs providing faculty development activities:
• First Year Faculty Program
• Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program
New for spring 2013:
• Sharing Community: Effective Assessment in the Classroom (A
follow-up to Angelo’s August workshop)
• NTLC sponsored January Professional Development activity
(Intelligent Design: Crafting Formal Writing Assignments)
• MayDay Event
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu
New Instructor Workshop
R
ecords were broken this summer when 43 new faculty,
academic staff and adjunct instructors participated in
the New Instructor Workshop.
In August 2013, our new instructors met as a group to
explore teaching, research and service expectations within
the UW-Stout culture. Faculty recognized for excellence in
these categories presented and interacted with the new
employees; valuable information was exchanged and new
friendships were fostered.
All four colleges and almost every discipline were
represented within this group. The Nakatani Teaching
and Learning Center celebrates the hiring of the following
qualified and passionate educators listed below.
Julie Bates
Devin Berg
Monica Berrier
Seth Berrier
Melody Brennan
Debashish Burman
Kori Callison
Karunanithy Chinnadurai
Daniel Clark
Maureen Clark
Brandon Cross
Courtney Danielson
Kate Roberts-Edenborg
Fassil Fanta
Haley Frater
Vadim Gersham
Alex Hall
Maren Hegsted
Darlene Holland
Ursula Husted
Jindal Shilpa
Anne Kerber
Brenda Kretzschmar
Natasha Lemler
The First Year Faculty Program
Lisa Linares
Kim Loken
Chelsea Lovejoy
Jane Lund
Kristina Marler
Mike Mensink
Nham Ngo
Josh Norton
Laura Oliver
Masako Onodera
Dave Plum
Peter Reim
This year’s First Year Faculty Program meetings include
presentations by UW-Stout faculty and staff, such as:
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or those instructors who are hired as tenure track faculty,
the NTLC, with support from the Provost’s Office, provides
a once-a-month opportunity that weaves together speaker
information and networking opportunities over a delightful
lunch from UW-Stout’s Dining Services.
Chris Richardson
Steve Salm
Deanna Schultz
Bethanne Shriner
Joseph Velasquez
Lesley Voigt
Andrew Williams
Wei Zheng
Amy Zimmerman
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Striving for Excellence in Teaching: Lessons Learned
from New and Seasoned Outstanding Teachers
Strategies for Achieving Effective Teaching and
Classroom Management
What Faculty Can Do to Effectively Motivate and
Engage Students
Assessment Practices for the Classroom
What the Library Offers for Faculty and Students
Alike
Copyright Issues: What Faculty Members Really
Need to Know
Tackling Tough Student Issues: Words of Wisdom
from the Dean of Students
Student Advisement Issues: Suggestions from
Registration and Records
Charting the Promotion and Tenure Pathway
Understanding Stout’s Culture through the Provost’s
Eyes
Celebrating Faculty Achievement
What is SoTL All About?
A
t the core of the Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning (SoTL) philosophy is an understanding
that intentionally studying teaching practices and
student learning outcomes is crucial for producing
excellence in instruction.
In 1998, the Carnegie Foundation launched Carnegie
Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
(CASTL). The idea for this program was based on a
1990 report, Scholarship Reconsidered, an article,
Scholarship Assessed, and the work of Illinois State
University faculty and their students. The CASTL
program defines scholarship of teaching and learning
as “systematic reflection on teaching and learning
made public.” Its goal is to support the development
of instructional scholarship that 1) fosters significant,
long-lasting learning for all students, 2) enhances the
practice and profession of teaching, and 3) brings to
faculty members’ work as teachers the recognition
and reward afforded to other forms of scholarly work.
The program emphasizes the need and value of
transforming teaching from a private, individualized
activity to a more public forum that encourages
evaluation by professional peers and the sharing of
research results with others engaged in scholarship.
SoTL actively values the exchange of scholarship
across diverse disciplines and subject matter.
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
encourages scholarly reflection, assessment,
dissemination, critique and construction of a living
body of knowledge, and an understanding and wisdom
about teaching and learning (2). Mary Taylor Huber
and Pat Hutchings (3) have suggested that pursuance
of SoTL means viewing the work of the classroom as a
site for inquiry, asking and answering questions about
students’ learning in ways that can improve one’s own
classroom and also advance the larger profession
of teaching. In other words, SoTL nurtures a deep
curiosity about how, when, where and why people
learn and how best to teach to create optimal learning
opportunities (3).
Bibliography
1. CarNegie foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (n.d.). Carnegie
Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
2. Georgia Southern University (n.d.). What is SoTL? Center for Excellence
in Teaching.
3. Georgia Southern University (n.d.) Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning. International Jouurnal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Director’s Note . . .
A
s I reflect on this
past summer and fall,
I am sincerely grateful
for the collaborative
and creative efforts
of colleagues who
joined me to work on
Renee Howarton
a variety of teaching
and learning projects. The articles contained
in this newsletter highlight individual and
group accomplishments associated with faculty
development and enhanced student learning.
Our Center activities have included yearlong
projects, short-term events, and many one-on-one
conversations focusing on issues such as how
to most effectively infuse diversity and universal
design principles into the campus curriculum,
improvement of teaching strategies, the
expansion of SoTL research, and the inclusion
of assessment practices within the classroom.
Each discussion has led to an exchange of
insights and professional growth for all involved.
I
invite you to spend a few moments reading
the newsletter articles both from a perspective
of learning about what the Center sponsors,
as well as appreciating and joining me in
celebrating the achievements of our dedicated
and extremely impressive UW-Stout instructors.
Kindest regards,
Renee
Renee Howarton
Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center, Director
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Millennium Hall, Room 301
howartonr@uwstout.edu
715-232-5196
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Research Model
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) entails certain practices of
classroom assessment and evidence gathering; teaching that is informed, not only by
the latest ideas but also by ideas about teaching found generally, and specifically within
disciplines; and teaching that invites peer collaboration or review (1 ). This philosophy
actively combines elements of discovery, integration, and application because it typically
involves classroom inquiry, synthesizing ideas from different fields, and the improvement
of practice, all at the same time (3).
Key components that comprise the Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning Research Model include:
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Ask learner-centered questions
Build on the works of others
Determine the method you will use to gather data
Analyze the evidence
Disseminate the results
Reflect and apply
The SoTL Research Model was inspired by a speech given by Karen Richardson (3), Office of Teaching
and Learning Fellow, at Bridgewater State University, during September 2011. The talk was entitled,
Getting Started on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. The ideas are also based on information
that was formerly created and housed in the Office of Professional and Instructional Development
website, University of Wisconsin System, Madison, Wisconsin (2). For a more detailed discussion of each
component, click on http://www.uwstout.edu/ntlc/SOTL/index.cfm
Advancing Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Across Stout: A Program
A
program developed at UW-Stout strives to nurture and support teaching-related faculty research on our
campus. The NTLC launched a new Scholarship of Teaching and Learning program in spring 2011 enabling
faculty participants to submit an idea for a teaching-related project that they were interested in researching, as
well as to study in a guided experience that values and supports excellence in teaching and learning. Participants
were paired with other researchers and a mentor who provided guidance and feedback throughout the yearlong
project. Mentors were selected on the basis of their discipline and previous scholarship experience.
Last year, three faculty members completed the 2011-12 Advancing Scholarship of Teaching and Learning across
Stout program—Anne Hoel (Business), Mitch Ogden (English & Philosophy) and John Scheffler (Technology).
This program supports faculty in the development of a research idea and the crafting of a meaningful project,
implementing and assessing the research, and developing a dissemination plan involving potential presentations
and publications. The mentors for these participants included Peter Galante (Apparel & Communication
Technology), Anne Hoel (Business), and Robin Muza (Human Development & Family Studies).
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu
Examples of Advancing SoTL across Stout
Anne Hoel
Anne Hoel, Business Department, used current events to
teach strategic analysis as a problem-solving model for her
capstone management course. For each class period, a
student began a group discussion by sharing five current
events. The main purpose of the project was to facilitate
a student-led dialogue pertaining to a chosen topic and
relevant to strategic thinking. Students were allowed to
select one sustainability topic, one international topic and
three topics of their choice. Leading a dialogue among
classmates for 10-15 minutes was the stated goal, as
it models discussions occuring when project-oriented
industry teams work to resolve identified issues.
The assessment tools included an outline of talking points prepared by the student
facilitator, a pre-and-post activity reflection essay compiled by all students in the class,
and an instructor journal of observations from each discussion period. Anne’s daily journal chronicled student
progress, surprises, and any meandering that occurred. Themes of the student feedback included: respecting
differences of opinion; appreciation for varying cultures; realizing there is rarely just one right answer to solve a
problem; and the world is smaller than it seems, as all people strive for simple solutions to common issues.
Lessons Learned: The entire experience turned out to be a study in developing and sustaining a positive and unified
classroom culture. Having five international students and two non-traditional students in a class of 22 showed the
true value of taking the time to listen and respond to a diversity of view points. At times, current event topics ended
up involving interests central to student’s countries of origin! These news events often revolved around national
security interests or natural energy sources. Anne plans to continue using a current events discussion format to set a
tone of inclusiveness in her capstone course and believes that solving problems in the workplace can be modeled in
the classroom if the focus is placed on positive acceptance of diverse opinions.
Mitch Ogden, English and Philosophy, invited five students who had previously completed
his 2011 fall semester Fiction into Film class to form a collaborative team that met with
the intention of dismantling the wall that separates students’ experiences of taking a
class, from having the opportunity to help improve that same course. Although students
have opportunities to give course feedback, instructors tend to exclude them from
creating, planning, and revising the courses they take. Believing that exclusion is counterproductive and limiting, the purpose of this project was to test the experience of planning
and revising with students, trying to determine how student input could be most usefully
solicited and applied.
Students that were selected demonstrated a high level of engagement in the class
and this team was created intentionally to include more-and-less-talkative students.
Participants came from a variety of programs including Game Design & Development, Interior Design, Applied Social
Science (History and Politics), and Business Administration. In addition to five working meetings, students conducted
research and wrote documents summarizing their findings and ideas. To compensate them for their time and energy,
students received a small stipend funded by Access to Learning and an additional $250 was provided to purchase
texts and films in response to their suggested ideas. (cont...)
Mitch Ogden
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu
(“Examples of Advancing SoTL across Stout”, cont.)
During the meetings, the student team was highly engaged in discussion of how the course
succeeded and how it could be improved. Based on their input, several specific components
of the fall course were retained: the study of The Color Purple, the study of certain graphic
novels and other highly-visual texts, the game-play experience, etc. In addition, their input
led to new components being added which were included during the fall 2012 and spring
2013 course: the Snow White fairytale (text), a collaborative group project that allows
students to pick their own film adaptation of a text, and the text (The Invention of Hugo
Cabret).
Lessons Learned: Although Mitch created this project based on his philosophy of democratic
pedagogy, he was nevertheless surprised at the extent of the students’ interest and the
sophistication of their ideas. In fact, the ideas they generated were overwhelming; there
were so many more activities, texts and assignments than could ever be contained in a
single semester!
But what was the benefit to the students? They learned how to justify liberal education in/on their own terms; they reshaped
their relationship to the University and to its structure and authority; and they possibly became more prepared to be active
participants in all kinds of institutional interactions. As a result of this project, Mitch will continue to design an opportunity
to engage students in the process of debriefing and contributing to the design of courses. He believes that we have a
treasure trove of expertise and insights in the students who complete our courses.
John Scheffler, Engineering and Technology, designed a packaging project using real-life
case studies as active learning tools to engage students in reflective practice. His goal was to
understand the effectiveness of using this type of assignment combined with student reflections
to identify themes and trends in how students think and process industry information. In
preparing them as future employees in the packaging industry, John wanted to assist students in
refining their professional problem-solving skills by assigning them a series of case studies that
gradually increased in thought provoking analysis and rigor. Students had to solve questions by
reflecting on and listing steps linked to logical solutions for damaged packaging for bathroom
fixtures. Project findings were analyzed using thematic analysis.
John Scheffler
Lessons Learned: Since many students will express their thoughts in greater depth behind a
computer screen, project documentation was achieved by using D2L to gather and analyze
discussion group answers from case studies and individual’s reflective responses. John learned that D2L was useful in
engaging students and his initial findings have encouraged him to apply this teaching practice to all of his classes. He will
increase the rigor of case studies by asking students to list solutions, and demonstrate a greater understanding and ability
to connect problem-solving thought processes/steps with industry solutions. He also plans to have students rank these
steps based on importance in solving case studies.
Emerging Technology Grants
The NTLC offers $100 grants to instructors who use a Web 2.0 Emerging Technology in
their classes. This grant applies to a wide range of applications from Jing, and Google
Streets, to YouTube, Facebook, and more!
The grant requires that participants apply the technology meaningfully within one of
their courses and write a report evaluating the effectiveness of the application relative
to student learning. The report must follow the NTLC Emerging Technology Project
Evaluation template. Refer to: http://www.uwstout.edu/ntlc/funding.cfm
UW-Stout’s Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholar for 2013-2014
E
ach year, the NTLC invites instructors to apply to become a Wisconsin Teaching Fellow
or Scholar (WTFS). Sponsored by the UW-System Office of Professional and Instructional
Development (OPID) and UW-Stout’s Provost Office, this award honors both experienced and
early-career educators and recognizes their excellence in teaching and research. Candidates must
be exceptional teachers who publicly share their expertise and demonstrate leadership.
Wisconsin Teaching
Scholar
Wisconsin Teaching
Fellow
Maureen Mitton
School of Art & Design
Joleen Hanson
Department of English &
Philosophy
Wisconsin Teaching
Fellow
Todd Zimmerman
Department of Physics
WTF Alternate
John Kirk
Department of Chemistry
UW-Stout’s 2013-14 Wisconsin Teaching Fellows are Todd Zimmerman (Physics) and Joleen
Hanson (English & Philosophy), and the Scholar is Maureen Mitton (Art and Design). Each of these
applicants was selected based on the quality of his or her proposed research project as well as
exemplary past achievements in teaching, research and service as they relate to Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Recipients of this prestigious award engage in yearlong activities
in which each participant completes a SoTL project, collaborates with other Fellows and Scholars
on designing projects, and shares research results in public forums. John Kirk (Chemistry) was
selected to be the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows Alternate and will participate actively in the
yearlong Curious Stout Innovators Program.
Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center
The Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center (NTLC) is devoted to
promoting and supporting the art and science of teaching. The NTLC
encourages valuing teaching and learning by all members of the UWStout community through collaboration, creating programs for faculty
development, and facilitating the use of technology.
Curious Stout Innovators . . .
F
or some time now, the NTLC has received more applications from faculty for a Wisconsin Teaching Fellow and Scholar
(WTFS) position than positions are available. Desiring to encourage the continuation of campus research, the NTLC has
developed the Curious Stout Innovator’s Program (CSI).
2012-2013 CSI Participants
John Kirk
Daisy Pignetti
CSI is a UW-Stout yearlong program that supports faculty scholarship while
simultaneously establishing a “Best Practices” research support system.
Participants are those individulals who applied for that year’s WTFS program and
submitted highly rated, well designed, and thoughtful research proposals but
were not accepted as a Scholar or Fellow. Applicants meet throughout the year
for the purpose of further refining their research ideas and identifying useful
resources.
The NTLC always seeks to find meaningful ways to provide faculty, new as well
as seasoned, with the tools they need to be successful scholars. This program
offers a creative, supportive environment along with a financial incentive. This
year’s CSI participants are John Kirk (Chemistry) and Daisy Pignetti (English and
Philosophy), while the 2011-12 CSI participants included Silvia Ruiz-Tresgallo
and Kevin Tharp.
Kevin Tharp, Communications Technology, used case studies delivered in a variety of
teaching formats, text, hybrid and video instructions, to ascertain if students were learning
and maintaining desired knowledge associated with course objectives. These assignments
were applied to both an online and face-to-face introductory web- design course over two
semesters. Kevin designed five case study assignments, incorporating universal design for
learning practices. Students could choose which format they wanted to interact with and case
study responses were assessed in a pass/fail format.
Upon completing Case Study 1 and Case Study 2, the students were asked to answer a survey
assessing their use of the materials and their perceptions of whether or not the materials/
formats were helpful. Text instructions (27/82%) and video instructions (22/67%) were
the most frequently accessed materials. When asked if they felt that they had learned from these assignments,
almost every student (33/97%) agreed. They also indicated that they appreciated being provided multiple means of
instruction, and that the students often paired their use of more than one of the materials with their personal use
preference.
Kevin Tharp
During spring 2012, the project was revised and final exam questions were developed; five of them were designed to
determine if students still comprehended lessons from the case studies, while the sixth one required an application
of concepts learned from the cases. Online students outperformed the face-to-face students on nearly all of the
questions, with online student grades on the applied question averaging 5% higher. Since both groups had access
to the same materials, higher performance across the board by the online students may not be associated with the
instructional materials, but rather it may be linked to social or cultural factors associated with why students are
pursuing their education online versus face-to-face.
Lessons Learned: One of the most important things Kevin got from participating in this research project
was the ability to take a larger picture approach to assessment. He now asks “What am I really measuring when
I am doing my assessments?” This is often followed by “Why am I doing it this way and can it be done in another
way?” These questions have led him to modify his final exam/end-of-semester questions related to his course
objectives. Although he still uses similar questions, he now allows students to answer them in the form of papers,
presentations, videos, audio recordings, poems, etc., encouraging them to be creative and to address multiple
learning styles.
(“Curious Stout Innovators”, cont.)
Silvia Ruiz-Tresgallo
Silvia Ruiz-Tresgallo, Speech
Communication, desired to increase
student engagement and critical
thinking in her US Hispanic Literature
and Latin American Short-Story courses
by researching why students have
difficulty in thinking critically, and
communicating their perception of
literary works. Encouraging students
to engage in critical thinking exercises
is especially challenging since those
enrolled in these courses must express
themselves entirely in Spanish!
Choosing to be more transparent and intentional about
addressing critical thinking skills, Silvia began by including a
statement in her course syllabus regarding the importance of
critical thinking as an expectation of her students. She then
developed a series of rubrics that detailed writing expectations:
quality of language used (grammar, vocabulary) organization
of ideas, and content (depth of analysis, quality of examples
provided, and critical thinking).
papers that listed such criteria as the quality of
language used, depth of analysis, quality of examples,
incorporation of scholarly research, originality of ideas
provided, and critical thinking.
Lessons Learned: Both Silvia and her students learned
that critical thinking has to be exercised regularly in order
to be improved. Therefore, it is a step-by-step process
requiring that previous information be provided in an
organized way: learning about the author, the period and
movement in which the text was written, understanding
the language of the text, paying attention to the themes
and techniques the author uses; and finally, unveiling the
objectives of the author. It is also important for students
to see that sometimes there is no wrong or right answer,
they just have to justify their points with examples of text
that are logical and make sense.
Throughout the semester, students appeared to be more
engaged and ultimately expressed their satisfaction with
being able to better communicate their ideas in an oral
and written form while gaining a deeper understanding of
another language and culture.
Silvia also provided an assessment sheet regarding academic
Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center
Advisory Board Members 2012-13
Bryan Beamer
College of Management
Aaron Durst
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Jane Henderson
Director of Learning Technology Services
Co-Director of NTLC
Renee Howarton
Director of NTLC
Jill Klefstad
College of Education, Health and Human Sciences
Millie Kotulek
NTLC Program Assistant
Learning and Information Technology
Julie Peterson
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Debbie Stanislawski
College of Educaton, Health and Human Sciences
Joan Thomas
Dean of Students
Meridith Wentz
Director of Budget Planning, & Analysis
Amanda Little
College of Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathmetics
Julie Watts
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Paul Lokken
College of Management
Todd Zimmerman
College of Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics
Infusing Diversity across the Curriculum
F
requently referred to as the “diversity project,” this yearlong
project has morphed into an extended research study that
continues to expand the design and implementation of diversitybased assignments and assessment practices into spring 2013
courses. Six faculty members are currently participating in the
project and include Wan Bae (Mathematics), Julie Bates (Rehab
& Counseling), Mark Fenton (Business), Urs Haltinner (Marketing
Education), Glenda Jones (English & Philosophy) and Arthur
Kneeland (Biology).
Wan Bae
With funding provided by the Chancellor and the Diversity
Leadership Team, this project supports faculty research,
the administration and analysis of a pre-and-post surveys,
presentation activities, and a research assistant (Emma
Granquist). Guidance for the diversity project continues to be
provided by several investigators including Renee Howarton
(NTLC), Virginia Lea (School of Education), and Holly Teuber
(Speech Communication).
Although last year’s project concluded during the summer, the
creative, productive assignment and assessment outcomes
produced by the faculty participants continue to garner attention
in a variety of venues. Eighteen posters, showcasing what
individual faculty had done in their spring 2012 Courses, were
displayed during Faculty College at UW-Richland (May 29th - June
1st). Then in August, several participants shared their experiences
with the new Infusing Diversity across the Curriculum cohort in
a two-day workshop; exchanging a wealth of knowledge with the
newer participants. Next, a proposal seeking the Ann Lydecker
Education Diversity Award was written based on project outcomes
and the formation of the new cohort. Much to our excitement
and gratitude, it was announced this past fall that UW-Stout
was the recipient of this prestigious UW-System award. It
speakes highly of all of the faculty efforts; their creativity
and dedication to this long-term project.
In October, several of last year’s participants
presented at the International Scholarship
of Teaching and Learning Conference in
Hamilton, Canada. It was a wonderful
opportunity to inform an international
audience about the project while enjoying
Canadian hospitality and culture. Presentation
of the project outcomes continues to be
scheduled into 2013, starting with January
Professional Development Week activities
and including participation in the OPID spring
conference (UW System) in April 2013.
Julie Bates
Mark Fenton
Glenda Jones
Urs Haltinner
Arthur Kneeland
Virginia Lea
Holly Teuber
Renee Howarton
Universal Design across the Campus
T
Kevin Doll
Joleen Hanson
Monika Herrmann
en faculty members successfully completed last
year’s Universal Design (UD) project, producing
a wide variety of thoughtfully executed research
projects. Funded by UW-Stout Online, a new
cohort has been actively working on developing
UD assignments and assessment practices that
they will implement in one or more of their spring
semester courses. The newest participants
include Kevin Doll (Human Development &
Familty Studies), Joleen Hanson (English &
Philosophy), Monika Herrmann (Technology), Mitch
Ogden (English & Philosophy), and Diane Olson
(Operations & Management).
I
Mitch Ogden
Diane Olson
Kitrina Carlson
Renee Chandler
Kevin Tharp
Debbie Stanislawski
n addition to the brand new group, three former
faculty members have continued on as an
Advanced Universal Design cohort—Kitrina Carlson
(Biology), Renee Chandler (School of Education)
and Julie Zaloudek (Human Development and
Family Studies). They are actively working on
designing and taking their previous projects to
an expanded level. They are also engaged in
mentoring the new participants and exploring
exciting opportunities for the documentation and
dissemination of both last year’s and this year’s
project outcomes.
Julie Zaloudek
R
H
t
Renee
Howarton
T
his past October, former UD faculty presented
information regarding how last year’s Universal
Design project was structured—actual projects that
were implemented and assessed within specific
courses, faculty and student reflections, and
research results from overarching pre-and-post
surveys. This presentation was given by Kitrina
Carlson (Biology), Renee Howarton (NTLC), Debbie
Stanislawski (Marketing Education), and Kevin
W. Tharp (Apparel & Communication Technology)
at the International Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning Conference in Hamilton, Canada.
Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center . . . http://www.uwstout.edu/ntlc/
Teaching Strategies . . .
How many teachers take steps to ensure that students are not only
hearing the words uttered during their classes but are actually listening
to them? Here are seven strategies instructors can utilize to encourage
active listening:
1. Get to know students--and let them get to know you: Students are
more likely to listen to instructors who have taken the time to get to know
them as individuals -- learn their names and interests, and help them see
that you are a warm-blooded and even a (gasp!) fallible person.
2. Talk less: Regardless of your class size, remember that your ultimate goal is for students to learn and that
listening to you talk about something in no way ensures they learned it. If and when you find it necessary to lecture,
make it a mini-lecture on a crucial/complex matter or a longer lecture punctuated by individual, pair or group work.
3. Let others do the talking: Listening to each other grapple with issues, thinking through problems, and sharing
viewpoints can be just as illuminating for students, if not more, than just hearing you say it. A guest speaker and
carefully selected video or audio clip are other good alternatives.
4. Hold them accountable for listening: Provide only skeletal/outline versions of your PowerPoint slides; that will
force students to listen in order to fill in the gaps. Impromptu activities and questions based on what was just said
can also hold students accountable for listening.
5. Model good listening behavior: To enhance your own listening skills, use the “restatement” strategy by
paraphrasing students’ responses to make sure you understood them correctly. Perhaps ask them to restate each
other’s, or one of your points.
6. Let them help each other listen: Consider allocating a couple of minutes for a “note-check” by having students
compare notes, with 1 or 2 students sitting near them and filling in any major gaps they missed.
7. Keep ‘em on their toes: Nothing encourages drifting off into one’s imagination, falling asleep, or inattention
more than monotony. If students realize that at any moment you might call on them or ask them to work on an
exercise, they are much more likely to stay attentive.
Artze-Vega, I. (October, 2012). Active listening: Seven way to help students listen, not just hear. Teaching and
Learning.
One more specific teaching tool . . .
Pass out two or three poker chips (or other colorful objects) to every student. Once classroom discussions begin,
ask each student to give back a chip each time they answer a question you previously prepared. The talking
students will quickly use up their chips. Since they can no longer speak in class, it leaves the non-talking students
to answer the remaining questions. Bob Burdette, Assistant Professor of Accounting, Salt Lake Community College
Bart, M. (July 2012). Classroom discussion: Professors share favorite strategies for engaging students. Effective Teaching Strategies.
Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center . . . http://www.uwstout.edu/ntlc/
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu