N AKATANI TEACHING
AND L EARNING C ENTER
Updates and Inspirations
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Impressive presence
at 2011 ISSoTL Conference . . .
T
wenty-four current and former UW-Stout faculty members recently presented at the 8th Annual International
Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
(ISSoTL) conference. The conference, Transforming the
Academy Through the Theory and Practice of SoTL, was
held October 20-23, 2011 in Milwaukee.
SAVE the DATES for these events:
January 18: JPD - “Write Here, Write Now:
Using Informal Writing as a Tool for Learning in
Any Classroom”
May 1: “How Students Study” and “The Impact
of Social Media and Technology on the Brain”
with Guest Speaker, Regan Gurung
May 21: MayDay
May 29 - June 1: Faculty College
June 4: Experiential Learning Workshop
August 14-16: New Instructor Workshop
Teaching and learning resources can be found at the
Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center Website:
http://www.uwstout.edu/ntlc/index.cfm
Issue #010
In addition to attending presentations, faculty members were
treated to several memorable receptions including one at the
Milwaukee School of Engineering Grohmann Museum and a
second evening at the Harley-Davidson Museum. Although the
days were packed, the ISSOTL conference was a wonderful
opportunity for faculty to network, learn, and inspire one another.
For abstracts of ISSoTL presentations given by UW-Stout
faculty go to: http://www.uwstout.edu/ntlc/upload/ISSoTL-Stoutpresenters-2011.pdf
Milwaukee, WI
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu
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The ISSoTL conference plenary sessions always include
highly accomplished, respected speakers in the field
of higher education, and this year was no exception!
Plenary presenters for the 2011 ISSoTL Conference: Dan Bernstein, University of Kansas, spoke on Addressing
Higher Education’s Enduring Challenges: What a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Can Offer; Sherry
Linkon, Youngstown State University, USA and Torgny Roxa, University of Lund, Sweden presented Theorizing
the Teaching Commons; Peter Felten, Elon University, USA and Keith Trigwell, University of Sydney, Australia
discussed Is SoTL Good for Faculty Professional Development?
NTLC Newsletter
This annual event provides an opportunity for national and
international educators to share their scholarly activities
through presentations, poster sessions and discussion
groups with the intent of exploring how their collective
efforts can be used to influence higher education in
positive, productive ways.
2011 fall
Newsletter
The NTLC Library . . .
Inside this issue:
Issue #010
2
NTLC Newsletter
ISSoTL Conference .............................. 1
Letter from the Director ........................ 2
Advancing SoTL across Stout............... 3
New Program ....................................... 3
Summer Institutes 2011..................... 4-8
Curious Stout Innovators .................... 9
Faculty College ...................................11
Community of Practice ........................11
Sharing Communities ......................... 12
Arthur A. Nakatani .............................. 12
NTLC Top Ten Benefits ...................... 13
Letter from the Director of NTLC
With a change of seasons and a new semester beginning, it seems only right to reflect upon the many
changes that the NTLC has experienced since our last newsletter. As you read through these pages, you will
learn about our summer workshops, the year-long projects that are now underway, our newest programs, and
our relocation to a new space. Words like “crazy busy”, “exciting” and “never a dull moment” come to mind as I
try to sumarize what the last few months have been like. With gratitude, I acknowledge that this level of activity
and change has gone well because of the outstanding faculty, staff and administrators that I am privileged to
work with on a daily basis.
In this newsletter, you will most likely see someone you know, maybe even yourself! The NTLC is pleased to
be able to feature so many individuals who care deeply about enriching their professional development as
educators. It has been exciting working side-by-side with faculty and administrators in a variety of activities
including Faculty College at UW-Richland, the ISSOTL conference, and the development and implementation
of several large research projects.
When you have a free moment, I invite you to visit me at 301 Millennium Hall where
the Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center is now located. Our new home houses
a library of teaching and learning resources that we are always willing to loan out.
In addition, we offer meeting spaces for NTLC related activities and discussions.
So, whether you are looking for inspiration, resources, or just a friendly face, you
are always welcome to check out the NTLC and to learn more about the quality
teaching and learning opportunities we offer.
Kindest regards,
Renee
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu
Renee Howarton
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
301 Millennium Hall • Menomonie, WI 54751
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - STOUT
New Program to Fund Research
T
NTLC Staff Members:
NTLC Advisory Board
Fall 2011--Spring 2012 Members:
—Invigorating Student Learning: How Should
Students Study? • May 1, 2012 • 4:30-5:30 p.m.
—Social Media, Learning, & Living: How Facebook &
Texting Can Rewire Your Brain • May 1, 2012 •
7:00-8:00 p.m.
For more information on this event, go to: http://
www.uwstout.edu/ntlc/
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UW-Stout faculty, staff, students and the
community are invited to attend . . .
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Bryan Beamer - Department of Operations &
Management
Amanda Brown - Department of Speech Communication,
Foreign Languages, Theatre and Music
Jill Klefstad - School of Education Instructional Unit
Paul Lokken - Department of Business
Julie Peterson - Department of Art and Design
Laura Schmidt - Department of Mathemetics, Statistics
and Computer Science
Debbie Stanislawski School of Education Instructional
Unit
Joan Thomas Dean of Students
Julie Watts - Department of English and Philosophy
Meridith Wentz - Director of Planning, Assessment,
Research and Quality
Derek Wissmiller - Department of Engineering &
Technology
This program runs from November 2011 though fall
2012 providing faculty with a meaningful window of
time to propose a research idea, craft a meaningful
project, implement and address the research, and
develop a dissemination plan involving potential
presentations and publications. A financial incentive
is provided to mentors and faculty participants upon
completion of the project.
NTLC Newsletter
Renee Howarton, NTLC Director, Department of
Business
Jane Henderson, Director of Learning Technology
Services
Millie Kotulek, NTLC Marketing Specialist; Learning
and Information Technology Operations Program
Associate
he NTLC has most recently launched a new
program, Advancing Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning across Stout, designed to fund research
ideas that our campus faculty members are interested
in pursuing, developing and eventually sharing with
others. The program provides a guided experience
in which selected applicants are paired with other
researchers and a mentor who offer guidance and
feedback throughout completion of their projects.
Mentors are selected on the basis of their disciplines
and previous scholarship experience. This year’s
recipients are John Scheffler (Technology), Lorraine
Mitchell (School of Education), Mitch Ogden (English
& Philosophy), and Anne Hoel (Business).
2011 fall
Newsletter
2011 Summer Institutes . . .
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
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NTLC Newsletter
On June 7th, the NTLC
in collaboration with the
Provost’s Office and UWSystem, hosted Making Prior
Learning Assessment Visible
at UW-Stout. This workshop
was funded by a $5,000
UW-System Planning grant
and was designed to assist
Diane Treis Rusk
department chairs and faculty
in applying PLA to their specific programs/courses.
The interest in increasing the number of awarded
PLA credits is directly tied to the System’s Growth
Agenda - More Graduates and its desire to improve
adult student retention and degree completion. Using
Prior Learning Assessment as a process enables
students to receive academic credit for learning they
have already mastered outside the traditional college
classroom; recognizing the value of their civic
involvement, work experience, independent study,
and corporate or military training.
Workshop participants included: Inoussa Boubacar
(Social Science), Leslie Bowen (Operations and
Management), Mark Fenton (Business), Raghava
Gundala (Business), Susan Hunt (Art & Design),
Brian Oenga (Business), Jeanette Kersten
(Operations and Management), Georgios Loizides
(Social Science), Marlann Patterson (Physics),
Ben Pratt (Art & Design), Dorothy Rombo (Human
Development & Family Studies), David Seim
(History), Jeff Sweat (Social Science), and Ana
Vande Linde (Chemistry). Diane Treis Rusk, UWSystem Educational Attainment Project Coordinator,
attended as a special guest since she is coordinating
efforts across the UW campuses to develop systemwide policies and guidlines that will promote the
expanded awarding of PLA credits.
Undergraduate Program Director
Assessment Summer Institute
Susan Hatfield, Professor of Communication
Studies at Winona State University, led this summer
workshop. Recognized as a leading expert in
assessment, her presentation, Assessing Program
Level Student Learning Outcomes helped UWStout program directors and faculty members
broaden their understanding of evaluation issues.
Hatfield discussed why it is essential to effectively
assess learning outcomes, the difference between
assessing program effectiveness and student
learning, the importance of defining desired learning
outcomes and linking them to the curriculum, and the
continued . . .
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
301 Millennium Hall • Menomonie, WI 54751
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - STOUT
Assessment Summer Institute continued from page 4
need for students to demonstrate achievement of outcomes, as well as to identify
meaningful assessment points in the curriculum. Attendees engaged in reviewing
their program’s learning objectives and outcomes and in strategizing how to
improve the effectiveness of their assessment efforts. A follow-up session for the
Undergraduate Program Director Assessment Institute is planned for those who
participated in the June 2011 institute, with additonal assessment institutes for
new participants in 2012 and 2013.
Universal Design Summer Institute
Dave Edyburn
Faculty members involved in the Universal Design project include: Kitrina Carlson
(Biology), Renee Chandler (School of Education), David Ding (Operations &
Management), Mark Fenton (Business), Sharon Giroux (Gaming Management), Glendali
Rodriguez (Construction), Debbie Stanislawski (School of Education), Kevin Tharp
(Communication Technology), Ana Vande Linde (Chemistry), Dean Wirtanen
(Construction), and Julie Zaloudek (Human Development & Family Studies). Jamison
Patrick and Rich Berg (Learning Technology Services) also attended as guests.
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Throughout this fall, participants are meeting to research, discuss and plan what they will
implement and how they will assess their projects and learning outcomes during spring,
2012. In May, Dr. Edyburn will return to UW-Stout and our faculty will share their projects
and research results with him.
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During the first week of August, the NTLC hosted a Universal Design Summer Institute. Dave Edyburn, of UWMilwaukee, facilitated the workshop and helped us launch a multi-phase year-long program for faculty wanting
to effectively implement universal design concepts into their courses. The focus of this project is to assist faculty
in creating barrier-free learning environments that support the needs of the widest range of learner differences.
Funding for this program is provided by UW-Stout Online (Customized Instruction Program).
NTLC Newsletter
Workshop participants included:
Mark Fenton, Bill Kryshak and Bill Murphy
Susan Hatfield
(Business), Laura Schmidt, Seth Dutter, and Ben Jones (Applied
Math and Computer Science), Adam Kramschuster and Wendy Stary
(Plastics) Jeff Sweat, Nels Paulson and Chris Ferguson (Applied Social Science), Kyle Kleist, DeLeana Strohl and Deb Homa (Vocational
Rehabilitation), Kathy Cochran and Adel Mekraz (Retail Management),
Tamara Brantmeier, Julie Peterson and Maureen Mitton (Art & Design),
Wendy Dittmann, Len Pederson and Kelly Schultz (Management), Gene
Gutman, Jim Keyes and Bill Kemp (Supply Chain Management).
2011 fall
Newsletter
New Instructor Workshop - 2011
Issue #010
During mid-August, the NTLC hosted its annual threeday workshop for faculty and academic staff. Twentynine new employees participated in sessions that
focused on teaching, research, and service expectations
on our campus.
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The New Instructor Workshop participants included:
Beth Janetski (Speech); Gregory Bard, Keith
Wojciechowski, Peter Oman, and Mark Pedersen
(Math); Wesley Kerr (Computer Science); Amanda
Barnett (Human Development and Family Studies);
Tony Beardsley (School of Education); Catherine
Winters (Career & Tech Education); Gabriel Hanna
(Physics); James Church (Biology); Shane Medin
(Chemistry); Mitch Ogden and Daniel Ruefman (English
& Philosophy); Keif Oss (Communicaiton Technologies);
Joan Pougiales (International Education); Alicia
Stachowski and Jessica Swanner (Psychology); Tina
Lee, Tom Scheiding, and Murali Kuchibhotla (Social
Sciences); Naveen Chikthimmah and Eun Joo Lee
(Food Systems & Technology); Dave Beck, Emily Beck,
Andrew Williams, and Robert Fraher (Art & Design);
Nancy Flyen (Business); and Daniel Kelsey (Vocational
Rehabilitation).
NTLC Newsletter
“Loving and respecting your students is
the key to all successful teaching.”
- Dan Riordan (Former NTLC Director)
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
301 Millennium Hall • Menomonie, WI 54751
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - STOUT
First Year Faculty Pilot Program
NTLC Newsletter
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Issue #010
2011 fall
Newsletter
Infusing Diversity across the Curriculum
Issue #010
Faculty members representing a broad spectrum of
disciplines came together at the end of August for a two
day summer institute to jump-start a year-long project
designed to transform and integrate diversity throughout
the curriculum. Virginia Lea (School of Education), Holly
Teuber (Speech), and Renee Howarton (NTLC Director)
facilitated the workshop and are serving as project leaders.
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NTLC Newsletter
Generous funding for this multi-phase project has come
from two sources: an Undergraduate Teaching and Learning
grant provided by the UW System Office of Professional and
Instructional Development (OPID), and our Provost’s Office
and Deans. This financial support has enabled twice as
many faculty members to participate in the project: Tamara
Brantmeier and Ben Pratt (Art & Design), Thomas Pearson
and Kate Thomas (Social Science), Terri Karis and Dorothy
Rombo (Human Development & Family Studies), Lama
Othman and Tami Weiss (School of Education), David Ding (Operations & Management), Kristal Gerdes and
Frederick Prassas (Hospitality & Tourism), Sharon Giroux (Gaming Management), Maleka (Polly) Hashmi and
Amanda Little (Biology), Amitava Karmaker (Mathematics), and John Scheffler (Packaging).
Meeting in small groups, participants are developing Inclusive Teaching practices that they will integrate into
existing courses during spring 2012. They are also creating assessment tools to determine the effectiveness
of individual activities as well as to help in modeling this transformative curriculum application to a wider
array of faculty. In an effort to capture perceptions of faculty and student learners, digital stories are being
developed that visually compare and contrast their perceptions of inclusion and diversity course content and
its impact upon them.
Virginia Lea
Holly Teuber
Renee Howarton
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
301 Millennium Hall • Menomonie, WI 54751
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - STOUT
Curious Stout Innovators
Hat’s off to four faculty who have completed their
curious Stout innovators (CSI) activities during
2010-11. Each of them was invited to participate
in this program due to the merit of their previous
Wisconsin Teaching Fellow and Scholar (WTFS)
applications. NTLC created the CSI award to
encourage continued faculty scholarship in a
supportive environment.
Wissmiller surveyed 55 sophomores in engineering statics
and the class was selected because these students had
not yet formally studied the behavior of fluid mechanics,
continued . . .
Issue #010
Pre-and-post surveys were used to assess students’
feelings towards and previous experiences with
science courses, as well as their self-assessed
level of preparedness for the course. Additionally,
Derek Wissmiller (Engineering and Technology)
researched the effect of alternative methods of student
assessment on conceptual knowledge transfer relating
to the topic of buoyancy. He hypothesized that assessing
proportional reasoning skills rather than just numerical
calculation procedures might enhance students’
understanding of the desired conceptual knowledge.
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Since its inception, Dr. Grant has expanded the
project and is actively collaborating with Maleka
Hashi (Biology) and Deanna Suilmann (Menomonie
High School). The group is currently exploring ways
to meaningfully share the illustrated novels with a
Menomonie High School biology class, and as this
project evolves they plan to develop a website suite
of materials for use in both college and high school
courses. Most recently, they have incorporated this
project into their linked learning communities (Grant’s
Vocational Rehabilitation and Hashmi’s Health and
Wellness Communities).
comments were solicited as to the students’ hopes and
expectations for this project. The post-project survey
addressed whether the Illustrated Novel project helped
students master subject material and stimulated their
interest in and enjoyment of
science. Anecdotal accounts
from students indicated that the
final project helped them gain
confidence in the course, and
better prepared them for exams.
In many cases students shared
their novels with people outside
of class, including prospective
employers.
Jennifer Grant
NTLC Newsletter
Jennifer Grant (Biology) developed an assignment
for her introductory Human Biology course that engages her students’ creativity while advancing their
understanding of the human body and its organs.
Known as the “Illustrated Novel” project, students
demonstrate their mastery of subject material by designing their own book. For this project, they create a
15-20 page illustrated novel and are graded on scientific accuracy, depth, creativity, and effort.
2011 fall
Newsletter
Curious Stout Innovators continued from page 9
Issue #010
and as such, any preconceptions they had were not
the result of their formal education. After reading a
one page handout describing buoyancy, students were
asked to complete a short assignment about what they
had just learned. They were then split into two groups:
Group A completed an activity that contained only numerical calculation questions which they solved, while
Group B’s activity had both numerical calculation and
proportional reasoning questions.
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NTLC Newsletter
The activities involved calculating the tension force in a
string holding different types
of blocks under water. One
week later, students were
asked to answer a conceptual
question related to buoyancy.
When comparing students who
correctly answered the final
Derek Wissmiller
proportional reasoning question to those who were originally assigned only the numerical calculation question
(Group A), 71% of students gave a correct answer
versus only 44% completing the calculations. These
results suggest that conceptual knowledge is enhanced for students who perform well when prompted
with a proportional reasoning question. Information
from this research is currently serving as a foundation for a larger study associated with Dr. Wissmiller’s
Wisconsin Teaching Fellows project.
Leni Marshall (English & Philosophy) finished her CSI project, Learning AdvantAge. She
developed three aging studies
learning modules designed for
instructors who have not been
trained in aging studies, but
Leni Marshall
who have some experience
teaching about other forms of diversity. Each module
is intended for one class period of composition or
literature general education classes and it includes an
assessment component.
Marshall presented information about her CSI project
at her Department of English and Philosophy’s spring
dissemination seminar, and at the 2011 annual convention of the Modern Language Association. She
shared her project findings at the European Network
of Aging Studies Conference, Maastricht, Netherlands,
in October, 2011, and at the Gerontological Society
of America Convention, Boston, in November 2011.
She is also scheduled to present to the Age Studies
Discussion Group Executive Council of the Modern
Language Association Convention in Seattle and at
the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education
Conference in 2012. In addition, Dr. Marshall received
a UW-Stout Faculty Research Initiative grant for this
project. As a result of these dissemination efforts, Marshall has been nominated to serve on the Gerontological Society of America’s Arts and Humanities Council.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
301 Millennium Hall • Menomonie, WI 54751
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - STOUT
U
niversity of Wisconsin-Stout instructors attended Faculty
College at UW-Richland, from May 31st through June
3rd. Stout’s Wisconsin Teaching Fellow, Derek Wissmiller
(Engineering and Technology), and Scholar, Diane Klemme
(School of Education) along with additional Faculty College
guests, Jennifer Grant (Biology), Jeanette Kersten (Operations
and Management), Lorraine Mitchell (School of Education), and Ahmet Turkmen (Engineering and Technology)
attended the event. Renee Howarton (NTLC) served as a Faculty College Observer and is now assisting with the
planning of Faculty College 2012.
Faculty College provides access to scholarly information as well as lays the foundation for the year-long
research project and/or activity that the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars complete. It is an opportunity
to explore scholarship and collaborate with like-minded colleagues against a backdrop of a rolling Wisconsin
Illustrated Novels Community of Practice
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The NTLC actively seeks suggestions for future Communities of Practice and
Sharing Communities. Please click on http://www.uwstout.edu/ntlc/ under OnCampus Opportunities for more information and application requrements.
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In September, the NTLC offered a new Community of Practice (CoP), Illustrative Novels,
facilitated by Jennifer Grant and Maleka Hashmi (Biology). Working together, these faculty
members have developed an innovative teaching method designed to creatively engage
students and allow them to draw on their personal areas of interest and strengths. During
the fall semester, one faculty member, Mitch Ogden (English and
Philosophy) joined them to explore how Illustrated Novels can be
Jennifer Grant
adapted to his courses, develop methods for assessment, and
identify appropriate venues for disseminating project outcomes. In
spring 2012, he will implement the illustrated novel project into one of his courses, assess
its affect on student learning and course attitudes, and identify how the project impacts
teacher attitudes.
Maleka Hashmi
NTLC Newsletter
Each day was filled with sessions, dialog and even homework. However, there was also time for socializing,
participating in evening games, and lots and lots of eating. Everyone appreciated the wonderful hospitality
shown to us by the “lunchroom ladies” as they were affectionately called. The overarching session topics
included Signature Pedagogies (Nancy Chick and Aeron Hayne), Using Think Alouds to Open Up Hidden
Worlds of Student Understanding (Lendol Calder), Using High Impact Practices (HIPs) as a Means of Making
Excellence Inclusive (Alma Clayton-Pedersen) and Gathering SoTL Evidence: Methods for Systematic Inquiry
into Student Learning (Renee Meyers).
2011 fall
Newsletter
Critical Friends across the Campus
Sharing Community
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NTLC Newsletter
Several faculty members have been coming together
this fall for the purpose of sharing thoughtful, respectful
feedback with colleagues regarding their courses. This
community was inspired by an article that appeared in
the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, entitled, “Critical Friends”. The author, Deborah Bambino, writes about how she and a group of her
colleagues met monthly to examine student work and
their own work. Their intention, through working and
supporting each other, was to improve the day-to-day
learning of their students and to enhance their teaching
excellence. Lorri Mitchell (School of Education) desires
to bring this supportive culture
to UW-Stout and is facilitating
this community experience.
The Community is encouraging an active exchange of
feedback from colleagues
regarding their course ideas
and content.
Lorraine Mitchell
Mothers and Academic Sharing Community
In 2010, the Mothers and Academic Sharing Community began, and is still going strong!
This community has allowed mothers who are in academia to share their experiences
and learn strategies helpful in balancing their demanding roles. Participants read
articles, watch documentaries, listen to speakers and discuss issues that are impacting
their daily lives. Maleka Hashmi (Biology) is facilitating the group with members
conciously working together to create a nurturing environment that encourages open
dialog about topics that women across the campus are concerned about.
Maleka Hashmi
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu
NAKATANI TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER
301 Millennium Hall • Menomonie, WI 54751
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - STOUT
NTLC Newsletter
13
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