Welcome

Laurie Richlin
President & Conference Director, International Alliance of Teacher Scholars

Milton D. Cox
University Director for Teaching Effectiveness Programs & Founder & Director, Original Lilly Conference, Miami University

Turning a Faculty Development Center Into an Active Learning Center
James M. Salvador & Holly Denney, Center for Effective Teaching & Learning
University of Texas at El Paso
Participants will discuss and actively engage in the strategy of getting faculty to demonstrate what they do through leading faculty development workshops. It’s been our observation that presenters often benefit the most, a concept not unlike the active learning techniques used in classrooms. We took that observation to the next logical level and organized an Active Learning Conference for our faculty, an activity so successful it will now be repeated twice a year.

Design Factors of Web-Based Information Skills for Freshman Seminar
Linda B. Alexander & Robert Smith, School of Integrative Studies in Teacher Education, Western Kentucky University
This presentation is based on a study comparing the performance and preferences of students enrolled in a Web-based and a traditional library skills component of a freshman seminar program. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed on data collected. Research findings revealed significant differences between groups on satisfaction/demographic variables. Web courses draw from non-traditional student populations, who are more satisfied with the format, than traditional students who prefer the conventional classroom setting.

Build It, And They Will Come: What Does It Take To Build Great Student Learning Communities?
Gwyn Boyter, Rick Kreminski, Texas A & M University – Commerce
Presenters will briefly share significant aspects of building an innovative learning community concept for entering freshman, which will be inaugurated in fall 2000. Participants will then be involved in structured activities to identify and discuss components of an effective student learning community.

Growing a Teaching-Learning Center
Max Elden, School of Business and Public Administration, Margaret Snooks, Fitness & Human Performance, Wendy McKean, Human Resource Management
Judy Bergman, Mathematics, Mike McMullen, Sociology & Lillian McEnery, Education, University of Houston - Clear Lake
This session will recount the activities that, in retrospect, are contributing to the deliberate evolution of a highly participatory teaching-learning center in which faculty and students help faculty master more powerful ways of enhancing student learning. The activities include a teaching improvement self-help group of faculty who have been meeting informally for lunch on a monthly basis for more than three years, an ad hoc committee of senior faculty who raised the issue on a university-wide basis and surveyed faculty attitudes toward teaching and its improvement, and a self-selected group of faculty who are exploring how a teaching-learning center could best be created to meet the needs revealed by the survey. Representatives from each of these activities will present their experiences and plans for further development as a basis for feedback on the approach.

Communication in Instruction: Teaching and Learning as a Relational Activity
Timothy P. Mottet & Steven A. Beebe, Speech Communication, Southwest Texas State University
Effective teachers are effective communicators - they understand the relational aspects of teaching and learning. How does "what you say" and "how you say it" influence student learning? How does student communication influence you and your teaching? How are emotions in the classroom communicated and "caught"? How can focusing on students enhance your classroom communication? These are just some of the questions this session will explore based upon over two decades of research in instructional communication.

Vive la Louisiane: Un Etat Pas Comme Tous les Autres
Susan F. Spillman, Languages, Xavier University of Louisiana
This session demonstrates a CD-Rom for teaching languages and culture that features Francophone Louisiana residents speaking in French about work responsibilities, family background, and other cultural tasks. All the language task activities and structures featured will be presented in video interviews with native speakers of French from southern Louisiana. The videos depict the multiethnic, multicultural presence of French in Louisiana and feature Creole, Cajun, Vietnamese, and Caribbean speakers of French.

Student Learning Portfolios/Faculty Teaching Portfolios: A Look at Each From Both Sides, Now
Milton D. Cox, Teaching Effectiveness Programs, Miami University
This session will explore the purposes, benefits, and challenges of student learning portfolios and faculty teaching portfolios. Both can play important roles as developmental and assessment processes for students and faculty. I will bring several student portfolios for "hands on" examination, providing an opportunity to see their effectiveness as reflective documents which increase students' awareness of their learning and inform and guide the instructor's teaching. I will also display some faculty teaching portfolios which illustrate potential for demonstrating the effectiveness of teaching and learning, including the complexities of one's philosophy, style, students, and discipline. We will note the results of Miami's departmental teaching portfolio project and how portfolios are used to select award-winning teachers. In conclusion, we will look at student and faculty portfolios from "both sides."

Planning for Instruction
Henryk Marcinkiewicz, Center for Teaching, Learning, & Faculty Development, Ferris State University
Instruction does not just happen; there is rhyme and reason to it. Should it be planned? If so, what should be considered? How are these areas integrated? How can a professor possibly account for all that might happen during instruction? This session will serve as an introduction with substance for the novice, or as a meaningful refresher to the experienced teacher.

Encouraging and Rewarding Scholarly Teaching and the Scholarship of Teaching
Laurie Richlin, President, International Alliance of Teacher Scholars
What is the definition of teaching excellence? of scholarly teaching? of the scholarship of teaching? How are they the same or different from each other? Who should be expected to participate in scholarly teaching or the scholarship of teaching? What are the outcomes of scholarly teaching? of the scholarship of teaching? How should they be evaluated? How should they be rewarded? The presenter will bring participants up-to-date on current thinking about these issues, and lead small group discussions to help clarify these ideas.

Teaching Excellence: What’s Important and What’s Not!
Loyd S. Wright, Paul C. Raffeld, Theron Stimmel, & R. Wade Wheeler, Psychology, Southwest Texas State University
Experts agree that effective college teaching is multidimensional. The question is, "Does the importance of these dimensions vary from one type of class to another?" After assigning participants to small groups based on the type of classes they typically teach, groups will be asked to rank the importance of nine dimensions of effective teaching. We will compare the rankings among groups and present the results of a study that was conducted to answer this question.

Videoconferencing: Making One Class Using Several Sites
Richard Tuerk, Literature & Languages, Texas A & M University – Commerce
The presentation will explore ways of overcoming problems of alienation involving students at different sites in classes taught using interactive television. It will demonstrate that such problems exist and explore the theoretical and real consequences. It will investigate ways to overcome the problems while retaining quality and producing a better learning experience for both students and instructors.

Technology and Instructional Design Make a Difference
Nancy Hadley, Education, Angelo State University
Procrastination and passivity plague university classrooms in all disciplines. A strategy will be presented for structuring classroom interactions to maximize student engagement and shift more responsibility for learning to the student. This strategy combines Gagne’s instructional design principles with effective uses of technology to offer heuristics for applying technology based on the domain of the objective sought. Example course structure will be given and results of student surveys shared.

Teaching/Learning With a Different Approach
Maggy Smith, Office of the Provost & Dorothy Ward, Entering Student Program, University of Texas – El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a majority-minority (66% Hispanic), largely commuter institution, where most students are the first in their families to attend college. To address the particular needs of its first-year students, UTEP has initiated the Seminar in Critical Inquiry. This presentation briefly overviews the development of the Entering Student Program, including the institutional challenges involved with bridging Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, and uniting college-initiated programs with university-initiated programs. It will provide an overview of the major program and will address in detail the seminar and its acceptance as a core curriculum course.

Motivation: How to Plan for It in Your Instruction
Henryk Marcinkiewicz, Center for Teaching, Learning, & Faculty Development, Ferris State University
Lack of motivation among students is a little like the weather: you can talk about it but you don’t quite know what to do about it. Also, there is a mass of theories of motivation. What can you do to motivate your students? This presentation will present a model which summarizes most major theories, including Keller’s ARCS model, and will draw suggestions from the participants about how to apply the model in planning for instruction.

Walking in Another’s Shoes: Utilizing Oral Readings for Out-of-Consciousness Experiences
Jeffrey DeLotto, Languages & Literature, Texas Wesleyan University
Through a brief presentation, I will ground the practice of an oral reading of literature in composition theory, postmodernism, and multiculturalism. Working toward reason and encouragement for the practice I will suggest its facility in getting students beyond themselves and into the consciousnesses of others. We then break up into groups with sample texts/readings for participants’ (and you will all be participants) practice and encouragement. The session will conclude with a review of suggested practices and guided practice from selected texts.

8:30pm & Resource Fair

Join your colleagues for libation and snacks while you visit with poster session presenters. There will be refreshments and an open beverage station (sodas, wine, and beer) at this after-dinner Reception/Poster Session/Resource Fair. If you have materials about your work, program, or project, let me know and we will have a table ready for you for display at the Resource Fair. This is lots of fun and gives participants an opportunity to talk with others in a relaxed atmosphere about the exciting work your colleagues and you are doing (or thinking about doing).

Formal Appointments and Reported Responsibilities for University Faculty
Laurie M. Apple, Family & Consumer Sciences, Southwest Texas State University
This poster presents a study that compared the responsibilities and selected outcome measures of Texas comprehensive university faculty. This is part of a larger study where faculty reported spending considerable time on teaching, advising undergraduate and graduate students, conducting research, providing service and some administrative duties, regardless of assigned percentage to responsibility. As expected, findings indicated teaching loads and emphasis on types of scholarly output differed between disciplines. However, do responsibilities of a faculty member affect teaching effectiveness?

Teaching Disability Philosophy and Concepts Through Team Building
Daniel Cook, Rehabilitation Education & Research, University of Arkansas
This poster will describe a unique graduate course on independent living (IL). The course provides an opportunity for students to study problems and practices involved in developing and maintaining IL programs for people with severe disabilities. The course merges lectures and media presentations with a hands-on approach where student teams are organized to write a federal grant to establish a local IL center. Members from each team are required to lead a seminar on an IL grant-related topic. The instructor serves as a consultant to the teams. Team members are encouraged to contact community leaders in developing seminars and as grant writing resources.

Publishing the Scholarship of Teaching
Milton D. Cox, Teaching Effectiveness Programs, Editor-in-Chief, Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, Miami University
Find out how-to’s of publishing your teaching scholarship. Discuss your ideas for articles and books and get feedback on your plans.

Promoting a Campus Dialogue on the Scholarship of Teaching
Theron Stimmel, Psychology, Nancy Chavkin, Social Work, C. Sue McCullough, Educational Administration & Psychological Services & Ronald Brown, University College, Southwest Texas State University
In fall, 1999, with a small grant from the Kellogg Foundation, our campus began a dialogue on the scholarship of teaching. Results from a faculty survey indicated areas of concern and generated interest in proceeding with an examination of teaching and its reward structure. Four faculty committees explored different aspects of the scholarship of teaching. This poster will describe the process, share the survey, and provide dialogue outcomes to date.

The Third Time is the Charm: The Evolving Nature of Web
Martha Meacham, Instructional Technology, St. Edward’s University
The process of creating instructional Web pages is an iterative process. Not only should revisions be made using formative feedback from the primary audience members, but designers should constantly be aware of ways to provide real-world experiences for students. Faculty who may feel unsuccessful in their endeavor to add value by adding technology to their course should be encouraged to "try again." To be successful, the process is one of continuous change and improvement.

Teaching in Kazakhstan
Laurie Richlin, President, International Alliance of Teacher Scholars
The PowerPoint™ presentation will show the students, professors, institutions, and settings of a weeklong experience in the summer of 1999. The presenter taught Sociology graduate students from many of the former Eastern republics of the USSR who were developing their doctoral proposals.

Fostering Critical Thinking and Mature Valuing Across the Curriculum
Craig Nelson, Biology and Public & Environmental Affairs, Indiana University
Sophistication in thinking is prerequisite to many of the goals of liberal and professional education. This major workshop will explore the implications of classroom practices of each of three important frameworks for fostering critical thinking: cognitive science, intellectual and ethical development, and thinking-as-conversation. An underlying theme will be that critical thinking often can be fostered best by increasing the ratio of support offered for a given level of challenge.

Student Learning Communities and Faculty Learning Communities:
Change the Teaching and Learning Culture on Your Campus
Milton D. Cox, University Director for Teaching Effectiveness Programs, Founder & Director, Original Lilly Conference, Miami University
Faculty learning communities offer many of the same learning outcomes as student learning communities. When compared to "regular courses," both students and faculty in learning communities evidence greater satisfaction with college life, improved communication across disciplines and with each other, a better understanding of self and others, a faster rate of intellectual development, better retention rates, and a stronger commitment to civic responsibility. In this session we will investigate ways of building faculty learning communities on your campus. We will also examine the above outcomes as well as some of the obstacles challenging the implementation and continuation of learning communities.

The Teaching Portfolio: Putting It All Together
Evelyn J. Posey, Academic Affairs & Darla Smith, School of Allied Health/Kinesiology, University of Texas at El Paso
At universities nationwide, teaching portfolios are increasingly used to demonstrate effective teaching in an organized and convincing way. So what is all of this talk about teaching portfolios? Who should create one? What should it include? Where do you begin? This workshop provides an overview of the teaching portfolio movement, including a discussion of the pros and cons of creating teaching portfolios, what a portfolio should include, and how it can be used for both formative and summative evaluation.

Drawing Connections: A Logical Case for Visual Representation of Arguments
M. Francine Danis, English/Drama/Communication Arts, Our Lady of the Lake University
Far from being childish and indulgent forms of expression, the use of drawing, webbing, concept mapping, and related strategies helps us do the critical thinking necessary to argue with conviction and compassion. This session will provide opportunities for visual representation aids us in discovering our claims and considering our audiences.

True Colors: A Method for Considering and Capitalizing on Differences
Janet Bezner & Brenda Boucher, Physical Therapy, Southwest Texas State University
The management of human relationships and the appreciation of differences are crucial to success in education and other businesses. Our True Color course provides a model for relationships that can be applied to any setting. Participants will identify their color/style and explore the way in which their color spectrum influences communications and behaviors. Participants will learn to view differences as strengths to enhance communication, cooperation, and group effectiveness.

Using the Bafa Bafa Simulations to Increase Cross-Cultural Awareness
Joan Rivera & Sharynn Tomlin, Business Administration, Angelo State University
Bafa Bafa is a powerful, innovative simulation designed to increase cross-cultural awareness and appreciation. It provides participants with a first-hand experience interfacing with a dissimilar culture. With the fast-growing global economy, students around the world benefit from the cross-cultural exposure this simulation offers. The workshop is suitable for professors who wish to sensitize students to change, whether it be within a organization, or across national boundaries.

Rules & Roles: Meetings That Work
Henryk Marcinkiewicz, Center for Teaching, Learning, & Faculty Development, Ferris State University
Faculty and administrators in higher education are expected to participate in meetings. Unfortunately, it is often assumed that meetings will be effective "by themselves" or without a deliberate plan. The truth is that with a realization that there are simple rules to establish and follow as well as roles to assume, meetings can be very effective…even enjoyable. After all, participating in meetings is part of our work; we should plan to do it well.

Nontraditional-Aged Students and New Technology: Fear and Loathing in Cyberspace
Libby Allison, English, Southwest Texas State University
As more older students enter higher education, professors are faced with how to teach technology to students who are often frustrated with and fearful of it. This session will provide new approaches to helping students more easily accept and learn from technology. Through small group interaction, we will examine our own experiences learning to use computers and will use these experiences to learn to teach others. In addition, I will share my approaches to teaching technology to older students.

Teaching Effectiveness Dimensions and Evaluation
C. Sue McCullough & Marianne Reese, Educational Administration & Psychological Services & Tim Mottet, Speech Communication, Southwest Texas State University
Southwest Texas State University began a faculty dialogue on the scholarship of teaching in fall, 1999. This presentation will reflect the process that resulted in identifying dimensions of teaching effectiveness, multiple evaluation sources, and key issues in rewarding effective teaching. Participants will reflect on how effective teaching is identified, evaluated, and rewarded at their own institutions and generate an action plan for themselves or their institutions to generate dialogue on the scholarship of teaching.

Presentation Style: A Comparison of Socratic and Feminist Approaches
Elaine Fredericksen & Tony Stafford, English, The University of Texas 
at El Paso
The traditional college/university presentation style involves lectures followed by teacher-led discussions. Using the Socratic method, professors elicit from students answers to pre-determined questions for which professors have preferred answers. Through exploratory discussion, students come to articulate these "correct" answers. Feminist presentation style presumes that students have read the material, and often there is no lecture. Rather, professors serve as discussion facilitators, beginning with a leading question and allowing conversation to take its own path, intervening only to clarify or to refocus when discussion lags. The feminist professor has no predetermined answers.