2012 Teaching, Research & Technology Workshops Session Descriptions Archive

August 15

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Audio/Visual Demonstration (Library 115)

Library AV Staff

Learn how to hook up your laptop to the projector and how to play audio and DVDs in a standard AU classroom.

10:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. (Session One Workshops):

101: The New iPad as a Teaching Tool (MGC 247)

Kelly Tucker & Aaron Davis (Apple)

The iPad is going to college in a big way with education apps that support productivity, reinforce subject material and offer digital textbooks to engage your students while learning. Join Apple for an update on the new iPad’s features, learn more about ways to use iPad in your classroom, check out education apps and see a demo of iBooks Author, Apple’s newest free app for creating your own digital textbooks.

102: Creating an Effective Syllabus (MGC 200)

Marilyn Goldhammer (SETH)

A well-crafted syllabus provides students with a blueprint for your course: what they will learn and how you will measure their competency. Explore ways to further engage students by connecting your assignments, class activities and grading policy to overall course goals and student learning outcomes.

103: Introduction to Blackboard (Ward ST-01)

Library Staff

In this Introduction to Blackboard workshop, faculty will practice with the document management, the communication, and the online discussion features of Blackboard.

• Learn how to upload content such as Word documents, images, and PDF files
• Link to multimedia such as YouTube clips
• Add an audio clip to your course
• Create announcements
• Send email to students
• Locate a roster of students
• Use a group blog or Discussion Board questions to provoke discussions about the readings before class
• Submit requests for e-reserves

104: Introduction to Citation Management Software Tools (Anderson B-14)

Robin Chin Roemer (Library)

Citation management software programs help individuals organize and cite research as they create a personal library of citations. This workshop will cover the three main tools in use on campus – EndNote, Zotero, and Mendeley – and will discuss the individual features and relative strengths of each. Time will be given for individuals to download and get started using these programs.

12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch with Presentation: (MGC 4)

Teaching with Technology Award

Stef Woods (CAS-Anthropology)

One of two winners of the 2012 Jack Child Teaching with Technology Award, Professor Stef Woods, will discuss how she uses technology to educate and inspire students.

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Session Two Workshops):

201: Lights, Camera, Capture! Using Panopto Lecture Capture System in Your Classroom (MGC 247)

Katie Kassof (Library) & Meghan Foster (CTRL)

This session will prepare you to use the newly purchased Panopto lecture capture system in your class. We will go over what lecture capture is, the software and hardware requirements it has, and the pedagogical enhancements it can provide to your class. Not only will you learn the technical aspects of the software, but also how to integrate this technology into your class effectively, which situations will work best for capture and how to use it as a teaching tool rather than a record keeper. Please bring your own laptop for this session.

202: Block Classes: Engagement High, Dead Time Low (MGC 200)

Angie Chuang (SOC), Amy Eisman (SOC), Alex Hodges (Library/SETH) & Rob Kelley (SIS)

Do some of your block classes have students dragging in after a full-day internship or part-time job? Panelists discuss how they engage students by employing a variety of instructional strategies. Topics covered include group work, assignment development and a growing emphasis on experiential learning. There will be time for Q&A and for participants to share ideas.

203: Advanced Blackboard (Ward ST-01)

Library Staff

This workshop will show you how to set up assignments that are linked to the Blackboard Grade Center, and how to set up assignments either as individual items or in a category in the Grade Center. You will also practice weighting assignments, downloading assignments, and providing feedback to students through the Grade Center. We may also practice the use of blogs and discussion boards and the pedagogical uses of these features.

204: Meet Zorro – High Performance Computing Cluster (Hurst 202)

Jelena Kmezic (CTRL) & Assen Assenov (CTRL)

Zorro, the AU High-Performance Computing (HPC) Cluster provides high-speed parallel and distributed data processing and research-dedicated storage with high input-output capabilities. Researchers who find that standard workstations cannot perform necessary research-related tasks efficiently are encouraged to review HPC system policies and obtain a faculty or student account. In this session you will learn how to use the high performance computing to enhance faculty research and student learning and collaboration. This workshop will introduce where and how students and faculty can get help with software and application use in programming, running simulations, and analyzing large data while doing quantitative research.

3:15 p.m. – 4:50 p.m. (Session Three Workshops):

301: Teaching Online When You Need to Be Off Campus (MGC 247)

Jim Lee (CTRL) & Paul Prokop (CTRL)

Online learning is a way to provide class continuity while you are at a conference or during area-wide emergencies such as snow days; or to provide an online supplement to your face-to-face class. We will review the different scenarios and together come up with various pedagogical approaches so that you can have a plan in place. We will also review the different technologies and social media tools that faculty have used in the past with successful results. In addition, we will discuss grant opportunities for Online Learning (Spring and Summer 2013) and provide details for a CTRL Hybrid Teaching Initiative.

302: Unplugged: Disconnecting the Smart Phone in Search of Work-Life Balance (MGC 200)

Amy Farr (AHealthyU) & Stacey Snelling (SETH)

It’s no argument that smart phones, tablets, and social media have revolutionized the work place, but what have they done for America’s work force? Explore the challenges of living in technology driven times and how being connected impacts work-life balance, for better or worse.

303: Introduction to Collaborate (Ward ST-01)

Library Staff

Using Collaborate, the newest web-conferencing product on the market, professors can talk with students in real-time, share applications, files and images and record these sessions for future use. Please join us to learn how Collaborate can help you offer a review session or office hour, or face a weather emergency, or teach a hybrid class. And with Collaborate, you can also set up groups so that your students can use all the features of Collaborate for their group projects without you in attendance.

304: Qualitative Research Tools: Everything You Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask (Hurst 202)

Crystal Corman, Assen Assenov, Sophie Grumelard, & Ivanova Reyes (CTRL)

Are you nervous that qualitative research seems too time-intensive for students to use within a semester? Would you like to do mixed methods research with colleagues at AU or off campus? This workshop will introduce you to the computer assisted qualitative data analysis software NVivo, supported by CTRL. We’ll offer a brief overview to demonstrate how your students can use it with a variety of data and diverse qualitative analysis techniques. For more sophisticated projects, we’ll also look at its capacity for data visualization and compatibility for mixed methods. Finally, we’ll discuss the different research support services we offer such as research design consultations.

Thursday, August 16th

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Audio/Visual Demonstration (Library 115)

Library AV Staff

Learn how to hook up your laptop to the projector and how to play audio and DVDs in a standard AU classroom.

10:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. (Session Four Workshops):

401: Lights, Camera, Capture! Using Panopto Lecture Capture System in Your Classroom (MGC 247)

Katie Kassof (Library) & Meghan Foster (CTRL)

This session will prepare you to use the newly purchased Panopto lecture capture system in your class. We will go over what lecture capture is, the software and hardware requirements it has, and the pedagogical enhancements it can provide to your class. Not only will you learn the technical aspects of the software, but also how to integrate this technology into your class effectively, which situations will work best for capture and how to use it as a teaching tool rather than a record keeper. Please bring your own laptop for this session.

402: Encouraging Enthusiastic Discussions in Class (MGC 200)

Chris Palmer (SOC)

This workshop will provide opportunities to learn various ideas for inspiring students to become enthusiastic and eager to learn and participate in class. You can expect to learn several techniques for improving your teaching ability, and for encouraging students in your classes to be more motivated to learn and to contribute to discussions.

403: Advanced Blackboard (Ward ST-01)

Library Staff

This workshop will show you how to set up assignments that are linked to the Blackboard Grade Center, and how to set up assignments either as individual items or in a category in the Grade Center. You will also practice weighting assignments, downloading assignments, and providing feedback to students through the Grade Center. We may also practice the use of blogs and discussion boards and the pedagogical uses of these features.

404: GIS – What You Can Do with It in Teaching and Research (Anderson B-14)

Assen Assenov, Jim Lee & Sophie Grumelard (CTRL)

Forget your old transparencies and discover how to present your data using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)! Through the wonderful art of map-making, GIS allows you to analyze and present your data in an innovative way. Come find out how you can use these powerful GIS tools (ArcGIS, SPSS, Google tools, etc.) to add a new twist to your research, and learn how to get your students involved. You will hear how professors across campus already use GIS in their research and teaching, and you will learn ways in which you can incorporate GIS into yours. You will also have a chance to try-out some of the many GIS tools that are supported by CTRL’s Research Support Group.

12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch with Presentation (MGC 4)

Lauren Feldman (SOC)

Join Lauren Feldman, Assistant Professor in Public Communication, for a conversation about her research path, including how she became interested in her research topic, her experience with grants and publishing, and other research-related opportunities and challenges. Lauren’s research focuses on how less traditional forms of political media, including opinionated news and political satire, affect public opinion and engagement around important policy issues. She was recently awarded a three-year National Science Foundation grant (along with SOC colleague Sol Hart) to study ways to improve communication and engagement around the issue of climate change. There will be time for discussion and Q&A.

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Session Five Workshops):

501: What’s New at AU? New Technology Roll-Outs (MGC 247)

Teresa Flannery (UCM) & Seydou Ly (OIT)

Part 1: Come learn about AU’s new Mobile Web Initiative and brainstorm ideas for building pedagogical tools on the AU Mobile Web.

Part 2: Managing your files and collaborating with your peers is easy, if you have the basic SharePoint knowledge you need. Learn about the fundamentals of SharePoint, the technology on which the portal is built. Participants will learn why we are using SharePoint and the recommended usage scenarios within the University. The session will also cover the seamless integration of SharePoint with Office Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint…).
502: Excellence and Efficiency: Developing Better Student Writers while Streamlining Your Teaching (MGC 200)

Lacey Wootton (CAS-LIT), Bonnie Auslander (KSB) & Caron Martinez (CAS-LIT)

How can we promote effective student writing while keeping our workloads manageable? We’ll explore strategies for incorporating more—and better—student writing even in “non-writing” courses: ways to design assignments that provide clear expectations and produce the writing you’re looking for, approaches to evaluating writing that allow you to target particular skill areas and respond to writing efficiently, and ideas for encouraging students to revise their own writing. Participants should bring an assignment-in-progress for the upcoming semester; we’ll break into small groups so you can get valuable feedback from your colleagues and from workshop leaders.

503: Introduction to Collaborate (Ward ST-01)

Library Staff

Using Collaborate, the newest web-conferencing product on the market, professors can talk with students in real-time, share applications, files and images and record these sessions for future use. Please join us to learn how Collaborate can help you offer a review session or office hour, or face a weather emergency, or teach a hybrid class. And with Collaborate, you can also set up groups so that your students can use all the features of Collaborate for their group projects without you in attendance.

504: Discover the Virtual Computing Lab to Enhance Student Learning (Hurst 202)

Assen Assenov, Jelena Kmezic & Angel Bogushev (CTRL)

The Virtual Computing Lab provides remote anywhere, anytime access to high-end lab computers and software. You and your students can use all your favorite applications, such as SPSS, Stata, MS Office, and many others from any classroom, bedroom, hotel room. This workshop will explore use of the virtual Social Sciences Research Lab (VCL) applications in the quantitative and statistics classes and for research, and provide an overview of its uses with hands-on practice.

3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. (Session Six Workshops):

601: Integrating Library Research Skills Into the Classroom (MGC 247)

Michael Matos (Library)

Worried that students aren’t finding the best sources for their paper? Learn how the library can help add a library research component to your class. We’ll discuss the concept of information literacy, and different ways in which your students can become more adept researchers, from searching to selecting and evaluating information. Walk out with specific ideas to implement in your classroom!
602: Bringing Community-Based Learning into Your Syllabus
(MGC 200)

Marcy Fink Campos (Center for Community Engagement and Service), Bryan McNeil (CAS-ANTH) & Lylie Fisher (Iona Senior Services, DC)

Across the country, community-based learning (aka “service-learning”) and research are increasingly widespread on college campuses. What is this engaging teaching and learning methodology and how can you incorporate it into your course syllabus? Participants will discuss various ways to extend learning from their classroom into the city’s nonprofit sector and schools to address social issues, and get feedback from the panelists. Best practices will be highlighted, including how to identify the right community partner and develop a strong collaboration. The benefits and impact on both students and the community will be shared.

603: Introduction to Blackboard (Ward ST-01)

Library Staff

In this Introduction to Blackboard workshop, faculty will practice with the document management, the communication, and the online discussion features of Blackboard

• Learn how to upload content such as Word documents, images, and PDF files
• Link to multimedia such as YouTube clips
• Add an audio clip to your course
• Create announcements
• Send email to students
• Locate a roster of students
• Use a group blog or Discussion Board questions to provoke discussions about the readings before class
• Submit requests for e-reserves

604: Go Digital: Multimedia Resources at AU (Library 04, New Media Center)

Scott O’Beirne (Academic Multimedia Services) & Todd Chappell (New Media Center)

This presentation is for faculty and staff who wish to incorporate multimedia in their teaching and research. Scott will discuss how iTunesU and Academic Multimedia Services (AMS) can be used to develop departmental programs and curricula. He will also highlight AMS’s services and how the AU community is using those services. Todd will discuss how you can integrate multimedia projects into your teaching and how the New Media Center can support student multimedia projects. He will also provide an overview of the New Media Center’s services including its extensive software training program.

Tuesday, August 21st

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Session Seven Workshops):

701: Discover the Virtual Computing Lab to Enhance Student Learning (Hurst 202)

Assen Assenov, Jelena Kmezic & Angel Bogushev (CTRL)

The Virtual Computing Lab provides remote anywhere, anytime access to high-end lab computers and software. You and your students can use all your favorite applications, such as SPSS, Stata, MS Office, and many others from any classroom, bedroom, hotel room. This workshop will explore use of the virtual Social Sciences Research Lab (VCL) applications in the quantitative and statistics classes and for research, and provide an overview of its uses with hands-on practice.

702: Encouraging Enthusiastic Discussions in Class (MGC 200)

Chris Palmer (SOC)

This workshop will provide opportunities to learn various ideas for inspiring students to become enthusiastic and eager to learn and participate in class. You can expect to learn several techniques for improving your teaching ability, and for encouraging students in your classes to be more motivated to learn and to contribute to discussions.

703: Introduction to Collaborate (MGC 331)

Library Staff

Using Collaborate, the newest web-conferencing product on the market, professors can talk with students in real-time, share applications, files and images and record these sessions for future use. Please join us to learn how Collaborate can help you offer a review session or office hour, or face a weather emergency, or teach a hybrid class. And with Collaborate, you can also set up groups so that your students can use all the features of Collaborate for their group projects without you in attendance.

704: Introduction to Blackboard (MGC 332)

Library Staff

In this Introduction to Blackboard workshop, faculty will practice with the document management, the communication, and the online discussion features of Blackboard

• Learn how to upload content such as Word documents, images, and PDF files
• Link to multimedia such as YouTube clips
• Add an audio clip to your course
• Create announcements
• Send email to students
• Locate a roster of students
• Use a group blog or Discussion Board questions to provoke discussions about the readings before class
• Submit requests for e-reserves

3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. (Session Eight Workshops):

801: Introduction to Library Resources (MGC 247)

Rachel Borchardt (Library)

Unsure where to go to get all the best library resources? Want to hear more about the library’s subject guides and other services available at your fingertips? This workshop will walk you through using and getting the most out of library resources, including ALADIN (the consortium catalog), SearchBox, MyALADIN and more. Come with questions! Plenty of time will be given for any and all library-related questions you may have.

802: Getting Students to Do the Reading (MGC 200)

Betsy Cohn (SIS)

Join us as we share strategies that encourage students to complete assigned readings before class. The workshop will help you develop a syllabus, set expectations, and create incentives, guidelines, and writing assignments that motivate students to read.
803: Advanced Blackboard (MGC 331)

Library Staff

This workshop will show you how to set up assignments that are linked to the Blackboard Grade Center, and how to set up assignments either as individual items or in a category in the Grade Center. You will also practice weighting assignments, downloading assignments, and providing feedback to students through the Grade Center. We may also practice the use of blogs and discussion boards and the pedagogical uses of these features.

804: Planning Your Course Schedule with Google Calendar (MGC 332)

Meghan Foster (CTRL)

Easy access to a shared calendar of due dates, office hours, and important classroom events goes a long way in keeping your students on track in this fast-paced world. This hands-on session will kick-start your semester by helping you to create a customized Google Calendar for your course. After completing this workshop you will have a Google Account, a calendar for your course, several important events, shared your calendar with students, set automatic reminder notifications, and embedded your calendar in your Blackboard site.

Thursday, August 16th

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Audio/Visual Demonstration (Library 115)

Library AV Staff

Learn how to hook up your laptop to the projector and how to play audio and DVDs in a standard AU classroom.

10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. (Session Nine Workshops):

901: Instructional Technologies Enable the “Flip” for the Professional MBA (MGC 247)

Jill Klein (KSB)

The Professional MBA “flips the classroom” and relies upon a cohort driven, fast-paced course delivery designed with a consistent and reliable instructional tool platform. From iPads used for all course materials, to Blackboard as a portal to faculty preparing quick talks, FAQs, and even feedback online, PMBA students can learn from anywhere- excepting the one night a week they attend class on campus. The instructional tools are evolving with the first cohort arriving on campus this fall but see a sneak peak of what has everyone in Kogod buzzing.

902: Setting Up a Grading System (MGC 200)

Kylos Brannon (SOC), Pallavi Kumar (SOC) & Chris Lawrence (SOC)

Do you struggle with how to provide consistent and fair grades? Do you wonder if you grade too easily or too harshly? Do you worry about grading creative work that may involve more subjective analysis? This session will discuss various grading techniques and how to provide guidelines for useful feedback. We will also consider how to use grades to meet the learning objectives of your course. Specific grading rubrics will be considered that can help provide a foundation for student success with an assignment and the course.

903: Introduction to Collaborate (Ward ST-01)

Library Staff

Using Collaborate, the newest web-conferencing product on the market, professors can talk with students in real-time, share applications, files and images and record these sessions for future use. Please join us to learn how Collaborate can help you offer a review session or office hour, or face a weather emergency, or teach a hybrid class. And with Collaborate, you can also set up groups so that your students can use all the features of Collaborate for their group projects without you in attendance.

904: Lights, Camera, Capture! Using Panopto Lecture Capture System in Your Classroom (Anderson B-14)

Katie Kassof (Library) & Meghan Foster (CTRL)

This session will prepare you to use the newly purchased Panopto lecture capture system in your class. We will go over what lecture capture is, the software and hardware requirements it has, and the pedagogical enhancements it can provide to your class. Not only will you learn the technical aspects of the software, but also how to integrate this technology into your class effectively, which situations will work best for capture and how to use it as a teaching tool rather than a record keeper. Please bring your own laptop for this session.

12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch with Presentation (MGC 4)

Fanta Aw (Assistant Vice President of Campus Life)

A “New AU”: The Changing Demographic of the Undergraduate Student Body and Implications for Teaching and Learning

Hear Fanta Aw (Campus Life) talk about the changing demographic at AU (socio-economic, racial/ethnic, geographic, nontraditional, etc) and potential implications for the faculty and classroom.

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Session Ten Workshops):

1001: Quantitative Research Tools: Everything You Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask (Hurst 202)

Assen Assenov, Angel Bogushev, Wendy Karamba, Ivanova Reyes & George Panterov (CTRL)

Do your students fear doing analysis with numbers? Are they asking you where they can go to get help on research design and quantitative analytical tools? Let them fear no more! Come meet the Research Support Group staff, and hear about all of the different research support tools, services and software such as SAS, SPSS, STATA, MathLab, Eviews, R, etc. we offer, both to you and your students! We will showcase some of our most commonly-used software for quantitative analysis, will tell you how your students can now access SPSS and STATA from anywhere thanks to the new Virtual Computing Lab. We will introduce you to our new hero Zorro, a high performance computing cluster.

1002: Navigating Different Perspectives in the Classroom (MGC 200)

Fanta Aw (Assistant Vice President of Campus Life) & Marilyn Goldhammer (SETH)

This session provides tips and tools for managing difficult and tense situations resulting from various perspectives and viewpoints in the classroom.

1003: Introduction to Blackboard (Ward ST-01)

Library Staff

In this Introduction to Blackboard workshop, faculty will practice with the document management, the communication, and the online discussion features of Blackboard

• Learn how to upload content such as Word documents, images, and PDF files
• Link to multimedia such as YouTube clips
• Add an audio clip to your course
• Create announcements
• Send email to students
• Locate a roster of students
• Use a group blog or Discussion Board questions to provoke discussions about the readings before class
• Submit requests for e-reserves

1004: Bibliometrics and Impact Factor (Anderson B-14)

Rachel Borchardt (Library) & Robin Chin Roemer (Library)

Want to learn how to find, measure and track your own research output? This workshop will introduce the topic of bibliometrics, or the analysis of scholarly literature and impact. An overview of major bibliometric research tools will be provided (e.g. Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar), along with a demonstration of some alternative tools for use by individuals. Time will be given for a hands-on exploration of these tools.

3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. (Session Eleven Workshops):

1101: Use an iPad for Everything: Teach, Research & Create, Serve (MGC 247)

Brian Yates (CAS-PSYC)

Use the lightweight and energy-efficient iPad to express yourself in teaching, scholarship, and service. Create PowerPoint-style slide shows. Develop attractive syllabi. Record speech as well as drawing in whiteboard sessions on your iPad. Use an iPad and projector to present music, movies, slides, internet content, books. Use an iPhone as a remote for your iPad. Use just an iPad to upload and post announcements, pictures, files, and videos directly to your Blackboard course. Use an iPad to read papers uploaded by students to Blackboard. Create and score exams right on Blackboard. Run any statistics program from your iPad.

1102: Creating an Effective Syllabus (MGC 200)

Marilyn Goldhammer (SETH)

A well-crafted syllabus provides students with a blueprint for your course: what they will learn and how you will measure their competency. Explore ways to further engage students by connecting your assignments, class activities and grading policy to overall course goals and student learning outcomes.

1103: Advanced Blackboard (Ward ST-01)

Library Staff

This workshop will show you how to set up assignments that are linked to the Blackboard Grade Center, and how to set up assignments either as individual items or in a category in the Grade Center. You will also practice weighting assignments, downloading assignments, and providing feedback to students through the Grade Center. We may also practice the use of blogs and discussion boards and the pedagogical uses of these features.

1104: Teaching Online When You Need to Be Off Campus (Anderson B-14)

Jim Lee (CTRL) & Paul Prokop (CTRL)

Online learning is a way to provide class continuity while you are at a conference or during area-wide emergencies such as snow days; or to provide an online supplement to your face-to-face class. We will review the different scenarios and together come up with various pedagogical approaches so that you can have a plan in place. We will also review the different technologies and social media tools that faculty have used in the past with successful results. In addition, we will discuss grant opportunities for Online Learning (Spring and Summer 2013) and provide details for a CTRL Hybrid Teaching Initiative.