TLC – The Newsletter of the BCCC
Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning
Volume VIII, No. 2
November 2005
From the Facilitator:
As always, this fall semester has been a time of new beginnings. We welcomed 14 new full time tenure
track and special term contract faculty to the College.
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Linda Garcia, Health, Physical Education & Nursing, X 6539, (Voicemail), garcial@bucks.edu
William Gee, Arts,X 8434, geew@bucks.edu
Kelly Gredone, Business Studies, X8253, gredonek@bucks.edu
Susan Hagen, Arts, X8421, hagens@bucks.edu
Dr. Marianne Loyd, Language & Literature, X8179, loydm@bucks.edu
Rochelle Milhous, Arts, X 8487, milhousr@bucks.edu
Dr. Paul Phillips, Science & Technology, X8362, Phillips@bucks.edu
Albert Rieger, Jr., Social & Behavioral Science, X 8278, riegera@bucks.edu
Alan Rubin, Language & Literature, X8153, Rubina@bucks.edu
Thomas Shields, Social & Behavioral Science, x 8288, shieldst@bucks.edu
Joseph Shakely, Language and Literature, X8266, shakelyj@bucks.edu
Linda Treglia, Health, Physical Education & Nursing, X8551, treglial@bucks.edu
Janet Wierenga, Health, Physical Education & Nursing, X6549 (Voicemail), wierenga@bucks.edu
Daniel Wilkinson, Arts, X8433, wilkinda@bucks.edu
We also welcomed two new Faculty Center Advisory Board
members: Lori Grady from Business Studies and Shawn
Queeney from the Department of the Arts. Together with the
other board members, they have planned a full schedule of
Faculty Center events for your enjoyment and edification. The
spring schedule will be posted soon, and we invite every faculty
member to join us for as many sessions as you can fit into your
schedule. Watch the intranet for the notice of the spring events.
New faculty open the school year at a
luncheon with Dean Conn and President
Linksz on Sept. 1.
Rebecca Stevenson, x8065 stevenso@bucks.edu, Facilitator
Rider University Faculty Present on Implications of Brain
Research for Teaching and Learning
Dr. Jonathan Karp of the Biology Department and Dr. Stephanie Golski of the Psychology Department of
Rider University visited the BCCC Faculty Center this fall to bring the latest information about research on
the brain and to suggest some ways that faculty can use knowledge of this research to help improve their
students’ learning.
Dr. Karp’s presentation was entitled Learning with Your Brain and asked the question,
“Should what (and how) we teach be associated with what we know about the nervous system?”
Dr. Golski’s presentation, entitled No Brain Left Behind: Cognitive Neuroscience
Research and Best Practices in Undergraduate Education, provided numerous practical
examples of assignments and activities that take advantage of specific brain functions in
order to achieve improved student learning.
WTL – What is Writing to Learn?
It’s a new program this fall sponsored by the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning. Writing to Learn
uses brief, ungraded, “low stakes” writing activities to help students think about key ideas being presented
in class or in readings.
Why are we talking about Writing to Learn? Writing to Learn encourages critical thinking and deeper
learning by the students, because it can require students to reflect on what they have (and have not)
learned. It encourages class discussion and can be used to engage all students in the class. Any student
may be asked to share his or her writing with the class, or all students may be asked to share the writing
with a partner or a group. The activities do not create an extra grading burden for faculty, but they help
faculty get immediate feedback on what students do and do not understand.
Writing to Learn Team 2005 – 2006
Writing Fellows:
Colleen Dunn
Dr. Hendrik Booraem, V,
Dr. Stephen Sullivan
for the Business Studies and Health, Phys. Ed., and Nursing Depts.
for the Social and Behavioral Sciences and Arts Depts.
for the Science and Technology and Math/Computer/Information Sciences
Depts.
Resource Fellow:
Dr. Stephen doCarmo
Language and Literature Dept.
Team members:
John Petito
Alan Rubin
Behavioral and Social Sciences Dept.
Language and Literature Dept.
Team members are offering workshops in all departments this semester.
We Have Winners!
The winners of the Early Student Engagement/First Day Contest sponsored by the Faculty Center for
Teaching and Learning are: Eileen Cohen, Lang. & Lit., Dr. Bill Ford, Soc./Behav. Sciences; Kelly
Gredone, Business Studies. They will present a panel discussion on their ideas during the spring
semester.
Congratulations to all who entered the contest (over 20 people)! All will be honored at the February Dean’s
Reception and will be invited to provide a poster session as the program for the reception.
Professional Development Opportunities:
The Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC) invites scholars in the greater Philadelphia area to attend a
meeting on the public humanities. The meeting will demonstrate how scholars can collaborate with
community groups to expand public participation in the humanities. The PHC connects community groups
such as museums, public libraries, and arts groups with outstanding humanities scholars to present a
wide variety of programs for the public, including book discussions, exhibitions, lectures, and workshops.
The PHC represents Pennsylvania in the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Federal-State
Partnership. Tuesday, December 13 from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. at Penn State Abington. People
interested in attending should contact phc@pahumanities.org, (800) 462-0442, or (215) 925-1005.
Technology Days, sponsored by the Teaching and Learning with Technology Roundtable, BCCC
Jan. 5 and 6, 2006., Newtown, PA 18940
Integration of Knowledge Institute, Bucks County Community College
Jan. 9-12, 2006, Newtown, PA 18940
Letter of Interest must be submitted to Dean Conn by Dec. 6, 2005. Stipend: $600.
DeVry University's Educator Fellowship Program: The program offers community college and high school
faculty and faculty administrators the opportunity to take classes at no cost.
Contact:
Sid Holmes, Director, Community Relations
Devry University, Philadelphia Metro
1140 Virginia Drive
Fort Washington, PA 19034-3204
sholmes@phi.devry.edu
866.303.3879 x5740
http://www.devry.edu/philadelphia/
National Endowment for the Humanities:
Landmarks of American History Workshops are offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities to
provide the opportunity for community college educators to engage in intensive study and discussion of
important topics in American history. These academies will give participants direct experiences in the
interpretation of significant historical sites and the use of archival and other primary historical evidence.
Check the website at www.neh.gov. The 2006 workshops will be announced in January. The stipend last
year was $500.
National Endowment for the Humanities: Each year NEH offers teachers opportunities to study
humanities topics in a variety of Summer Seminars and Institutes. The dates and duration of each project
are listed under each title. The application deadline is March 1, 2006. All teachers selected to
participate in a seminar or institute will be awarded a fixed stipend based on the length of the seminar or
institute to help cover travel costs, books and other research expenses, and living expenses: $1,800 (2
weeks), $2,400 (3 weeks), $3,000 (4 weeks), $3,600 (5 weeks), or $4,200 (6 weeks).
Fulbright Scholar Program: Competition opens March 1, 2006;
Application deadline is August 1, 2006.
For information, contact Rebecca Stevenson at x8065.
Conferences and Meetings:
NADE (National Association for Development Education) national conference
Feb. 15 – 18, 2006, Philadelphia, PA www.nade.org
New Mexico Higher Education Assessment and Retention Conference
Feb. 23-24, 2006, Las Cruces, NM http://www.nmsu.edu/~NMHEAC/
The 40th Annual TESOL Convention and Exhibit
March 15-19, 2006, Tampa, Florida www.tesol.org
League for Innovation in the Community College: Innovations Conference,
March 19-22, 2006, Atlanta Georgia
http://www.league.org/i2006/index.html
On Course National Conference: (Best practices in student success)
March 23-24, 2006, St. Louis, MO http://oncourseworkshop.com/Conference.htm
Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning: 17th International Conference on College Teaching
and Learning
April 10-14, 2006, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL www.teachlearn.org
American Association of Community Colleges, Annual Conference
April 22-25, 2006, Long Beach, California www.aacc.nche.edu
NISOD (National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development International Conference on Teaching
& Leadership Excellence
May 28-31, 2006, Austin, Texas www.nisod.org
BCCC Faculty of the Future Conference, June 2, 2006
League for Innovation – Learning College Summit
June 11-14, 2006, St. Louis, MO www.league.org
League for Innovation – Conference on Information Technology
October 22-25, 2006, Charlotte, NC www.league.org
EDUCAUSE national conference (Information technology in higher education)
October 9-12, 2006, Dallas, TX www.educause.edu
Professional Development Activities
N.B. This section of the newsletter is based on information received in the Academic Affairs Office between May 2005 and Nov. 18, 2005
Attending/Presenting at Conferences:
Lisa Angelo, Math/CIS; Charles Beem, Bus. Studies; Mary Ellen Bornak*, Learning Resources; Charles Burrage,
Health/PE/Nurs.; Dr. Annette Conn*, Ac. Affairs; Susan Darrah, Lang. & Lit.; Georglyn Davidson, Learning
Resources; Elaine Fitt, Math/CIS; Angela Germano, Arts; Michael Hennessey, Lang. & Lit; Dr. Karen Kaplinski,
Soc/Beh. Sci.; Lynn McCarty, Sci./Tech.; Dr. Maureen McCreadie, Learning Resources; John Petito, Soc./Beh.
Sci.; Marilyn Puchalski, Learning Resources; Dr. Priscilla Rice, Health/ P.E./Nurs.; Liz Sette*, Learning Resources;
John Sheridan, Arts; Rebecca Stevenson*, Ac. Affairs; Arta Szathmary*, Math/CIS; Joseph Walsh, Soc./Beh. Sci.;
Joan Weiss*, Bus. Studies, attended the League for Innovation Conference on Information Technology (CIT) in
Dallas, TX in October.
* These persons also made presentations at the CIT conference. .
Mary Marco, Math/CIS, presented at the Educause conference ; Karen Goeller and Mike Lakis, Learning
Resources, also attended.
Dr. Bill Ford, Soc./Behav. Sci., and Pamela Leutwyler, Math/CIS, attended a WebCT conference.
Mary Ellen Bornak and Georglyn Davidson, Learning Resources, Sachi Horback, Soc./Beh. Sci., and Michael
Hennessey, Lang. & Lit., attended Quality Matters training.
Brendan Mulvey, Soc./Beh. Sci., appeared in “The Sound of Music” and “My Fair Lady” over the summer at the Bucks
County Playhouse. In October he appeared in “Cabaret” at Muhlenberg College.
Susan Darrah, Dr. Stephen doCarmo, and Alan Rubin, Lang. & Lit., John Petito and Dr. Rik Booraem, Soc/Beh.
Sci., Colleen Dunn, Bus. Studies, and Dr. Steve Sullivan, Sci/Tech. , attended a workshop on Writing to Learn at
Reading Area Community College on Sept. 15.
John Sheridan, Arts, was featured in a Bucks County Courier Times article on Oct. 1, 2005.
Karen Goeller, Learning Resources, gave the opening speech on enhancing instructional technology communications
for the joint meeting of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic WebCT User’s Group meeting Oct. 12. The speech was entitled
“Blogs and Wikis and RSS... Oh My!”
Karl Carter and Marilyn Puchalski, Learning Resources, attended Sharepoint Training.
Arta Szathmary, Math/CIS, attended a Chautauqua course in July 2005.
Marian Colello, Occ. Program Support Services, attended a conference at Penn State. She and Arta Szathmary
also attended a meeting on “Classroom Learning Strategies. “
Brian Johnstone, Library, attended training on the SIRSI software system.
Fran Orlando, Arts, and Tom Shields, Soc./Beh. Sci., offered a session on Learning Opportunities Presented by the
Dante/Michael Mazur Exhibition in the Faculty Center.
Jim Freeman, Lang. & Lit., presented a paper at the Two-year College English Association, which is part of the
National Conference on Teaching English.
Matt Rusnak, Lang & Lit., presented at the opening of the Inferno of Dante exhibition and also at the Colloquium
held in the auditorium on Friday, October 14. He also participated in a six-week NEH institute in Washington during
the summer.
Denise May, Lang. and Lit., attended On Course Student Success Workshop and the Pennsylvania Association of
Developmental Education (PADE) Regional Workshop on Bridging the Gap: Preparing Students for Further Success.
Sherry Eichert, Lang. & Lit., attended the TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) Summer
Academy Workshop on “Generation 1.5 Meets College Composition”; the Penn-TESOL East Fall Conference on “ESL
Students: Meeting Diverse Needs”; and the PADE (Pennsylvania Association for Developmental Education) SE
Regional Workshop on “Bridging the Gap: Preparing Developmental Students for Further Success.”
Maxine Plummer, Sci./Tech, attended the American Association of Small Ruminant Veterinarians Conference in
Albuquerque—microbiology track.
Michael Hennessey presented on Use Of Web-Based Plagiarism Deterrent Tools in the Faculty Center.
Dr. Michaeleen Lee, Sci./Tech., attended the 2YC3 (Two Year Community Chemistry Committees conference) in
Indiana.
Honors, Awards, and Publications:
Lyle Rosenberger, Soc./Beh. Sci., was quoted in the April 2005 issue of “Techniques” in an article that included the
BCCC historical preservation program and featured its students. He also served on a panel with representatives of
the National Park Service and two Virginia colleges at a Community College Humanities Association meeting.
Joan Weiss, Bus. Studies, received the Double Eagle award from SIFE at a meeting in St. Louis, MO.
Rik Booraem, Soc./Beh. Sci., published an article in the journal of the Lancaster County, S.C., Historical Commission.
Charles Beem, Bus. Studies, won an Excellence in Teaching Award for Region 2 of the ACBSP (Association of
Collegiate Business Schools and Programs). He also was appointed to the Board of Commissioners for Two Year
Colleges. This board examines self-study documents for accreditation and reaffirmation of member institutions. Beem
received a “Continued Excellence in Advising Award” from Phi Theta Kappa.
Cara Schollenberger, Arts, coordinated the shooting of a Stephen King film on campus.
Barbara Korb, Math/CIS, was selected to be the recipient of a technical assistant grant in the Book Arts Studies
program of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.
Dr. Christopher Bursk, Lang. & Lit., participated in a program on poetry and the former Bucks County Poets
Laureates during an edition of Radio Times on WHYY-FM, hosted by Marty Moss-Coane. Chris’s book, The
Improbable Swervings of Atoms, won the 2004 Donald Hall Prize in Poetry.
James Freeman, Lang. & Lit., gave a reading from his recent novel, Parade of Days, at the Writers Room in
Doylestown, Sept. 17.
Mark Sfirri was featured on the August cover of Woodwork Magazine. The article was written by fellow faculty
member Susan Hagen. Professor Emeritus Robert Dodge collaborated with Sfirri on some of the objects. All are
from the Department of the Arts.
Barbara Pearl, Math/CIS, lent part of her origami collection for a display at the Newtown campus library.
Dr. Allen Hoey, Lang. & Lit., recently published two new books, The Precincts of Paradise and Provencal Light. He
and Dr. Michael Hoffman of the Arts Dept. collaborated on a poetry/jazz music performance, Nov. 18.
Mary Ellen Bornak and Georglyn Davidson, of Learning Resources, published an article this Fall entitled, "Time
Management for Online Instructors" in the publication, Online Classroom.
Martin Sutton, Soc./Beh. Sci., led a group to “Updike Country” including the Reading Museum and other sites about
which Updike wrote.
Dr. Roberta Mayer, Arts, attended the NASAD (National Association of Schools of Art and Design) conference in
Philadelphia.
Barbara Pearl, Math/Computer & Information Science, recently donated What the Best College Teachers Do by Ken
Bain to the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning’s library. Don’t forget that faculty are welcome to stop into the
Center to browse the collection or may check out the books by signing them out on the clipboard at the bottom of the
bookshelf. Thanks, Barbara!