2013 Teaching, Research, and Technology Workshops

Wednesday, August 14th

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Classroom 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: Integrating Community into the Classroom with the Community Service-Learning Program (CSLP) (MGC 200)

Meg Rego (Center for Community Engagement and Service), Amanda Choutka (CAS – Literature), and Adrienne Toumayan (Class of 2014)

Could your students’ education be strengthened through practical application of the theories and skills learned in your course? If so, come explore the Community Service-Learning Program (CSLP); an opportunity for students to earn an additional pass/fail credit associated with your course for completing 40 hours of complementary service-learning work and related reflective projects. Research has indicated that service-learning improves students’ ability to apply lessons to the real world, increases classroom engagement, and facilitates cross cultural, class and racial understandings. CSLP is currently available to faculty and students in CAS, SIS and Kogod. Learn how you can support students through this program.

102: Introduction to Citation Management Software Tools: EndNote, Mendeley, and Zotero (MGC 203/205)

Rachel Borchardt and Olivia Ivey (Library)

Learn about citation management, the pros and cons to using EndNote, Mendeley, and Zotero, and get started with any of them. It is recommended that you bring your own research laptop (if applicable) so you can download and start using the program of your choice.

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: Easy Data Visualization with GIS and Google Earth (Anderson B-14)

Jim Lee and Angel Bogushev (CTRL)

Would you like to introduce more data visualization into your student assignment? Having students create their own maps, rather than just lifting them from the web is a powerful teaching and learning tool. Forget your old transparencies and discover how to present your data using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Google Earth, or SPSS.

12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch with Presentation: (MGC 4 & 5)

Teaching with Technology Award

Donna Dietz (CAS-MATH) and Beverly Peters (SPExS) (by Skype)

The two winners of the 2013 Jack Child Teaching with Technology Award, Professors Donna Dietz (CAS-MATH) and Beverly Peters (SPExS), will discuss how they use technology to educate and inspire

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

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

Marilyn Goldhammer (CTRL) and Tiffany Speaks (Center for Diversity and Inclusion)

This session provides strategies for managing difficult and tense situations resulting from various perspectives and viewpoints in the classroom. Topics to be covered include avoiding common pitfalls, facilitating challenging discussions, creating an inclusive/safe environment for learning.

202: Introduction to Library Resources and Course Reserves
(MGC 203/205)

Mary Mintz and Donna Femenella (Library)

Learn about resources and services the library has to offer, how to put materials on reserve for your classes, and get all of your library-related questions answered.

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: Prezi: Presentations beyond PowerPoint (Anderson B-12)

Deni Koenhemsi (CTRL)

Prezi is a virtual whiteboard that turns your linear PowerPoint presentation into an interactive, collaborative, and multi-linear narrative. In Prezi, you are presented with a 3-dimensional canvas to convey your ideas with the ability to zoom in for details and pan wider for broader themes. The long list of PowerPoint slides appears static after you transform your ideas into a visually engaging presentation through Prezi.

The advantages of Prezi are plenty:

• Edit and save entirely online
• Import your PowerPoint presentations for an easier transformation process
• Presentations can be downloaded and edited on your personal computer
• Direct Multi-embedding capability (i.e. Pictures, YouTube Videos, and Voice Over)
• Save presentations as a PDF document for printing

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

301: Everything You Wanted to Know about Online & Hybrid Teaching at AU (MGC 200)

Jim Lee (CTRL) & Paul Prokop (CTRL)

This is an information session to converse with faculty about online and hybrid teaching opportunities on campus. We will cover: (1) an overview of online/hybrid teaching at AU; (2) using online tools for individual or campus-wide emergencies for class continuity; (3) training and certification to teach online/hybrid courses; (4) the Provost’s grant training program; (5) what’s new with hybrids; (6) the use of mobile technology in online (and other) courses; and (7) AU in a world of MOOCs.

302: Introduction to Recording with Panopto (MGC 203/205)

Library Staff

This session will prepare you to use Panopto to record your classes, mini-lectures, student presentations and more! We will go over what Panopto does, software and hardware requirements, and 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.

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

Jelena Kmezic, George Panterov, Ivanova Reyes, and Angel Bogushev (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, and we 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.

Thursday, August 15th

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Classroom 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: Creating and Effective Syllabus (MGC 200)

Marilyn Goldhammer (CTRL)

Learn to create a clear and engaging syllabus that outlines course content, student learning outcomes, expectations and ways in which competency will be evaluated.

402: Introduction to Recording with Panopto (MGC 203/205)

Library Staff

This session will prepare you to use Panopto to record your classes, mini-lectures, student presentations and more! We will go over what Panopto does, software and hardware requirements, and 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.

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: Introduction to Qualitative Research Tools and NVIVO (Hurst 202)

Jim Lee, Chris Hayes and Vanya Slavchevska (CTRL)

Are your students claiming that qualitative research is boring and too time-consuming? Come meet us and we’ll tell you how to get them excited with NVivo, our recently-acquired software for qualitative analysis! We’ll show you how it works and discuss ways you can incorporate Nvivo outputs into quantitative analysis for a mixed-methods approach to research.

12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch with Presentation (MGC 4 & 5)

Demographics of the Undergraduate Student Body at AU: Implications for Classroom Teaching and Learning

Fanta Aw (Assistant Vice President of Student Life)

This luncheon will provide an overview of the changing demographics of the undergraduate student body at AU and explore challenges related to creating an inclusive classroom to promote effective teaching and learning. The session will feature a brief video capturing students’ diverse experiences in the classroom.

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

501: Encouraging Discussion, Participation and Enthusiasm 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
502: Meet Zorro – High Performance Computing Cluster (Hurst 202)

Jelena Kmezic and George Panterov (CTRL)

Learn how to use 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.

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: Academic Technology: Enabling Your Success (LIB NMC)

Todd Chappell, Molly Hubbs, Phil Salvador, Jim McCabe, Katie Kassof,
Scott O’Beirne, Joey Fones and Kevin Cedeno (Library)

As the hub for academic technology, you can always count on the Library for expert support. In this session you will discover the variety of technology resources available from the Library: hardware, software, visual media production, new media production and consulting, campus audio/video services, computing laboratories/classrooms, distributed education, lecture capture, web conferencing, and classroom technology.

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

601: How to Measure your Research Impact (MGC 200)

Rachel Borchardt (Library)

Learn about the tools and metrics used to measure the impact of scholarly research, including Impact Factor, h-index, journal rankings, and more. New and emerging tools will also be discussed. This workshop is especially useful for any faculty preparing a personal research file, particularly pre-tenure faculty. Faculty are encouraged to bring their own laptop.
602: Discover the Virtual Computing Lab to Enhance Student Learning (Hurst 202)

Jelena Kmezic and 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 quantitative and statistics classes and for research, and provide an overview of its uses with hands-on practice.

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: Piazza: An Alternative to Blackboard’s Discussion Board
(Anderson B-12)

Courtney Greenley and Deni Koenhemsi (CTRL)

Encourage discussion and student collaboration through Piazza’s wiki-style Q&A forum. The layout of Piazza engages students during class through real time updates, anonymity options, and mobile app accessibility. Piazza eliminates redundant student emails by allowing for both students and instructors to edit answers to perfection.

• Course Page allows handouts and homework to be posted
• Monitors statistics and gives instructors the ability to track student participation
• LaTeX editor enables equations and formulas to be posted
• Multimedia embedding supports diagrams, images, and videos, letting them be viewed from within the forum, as opposed to linking participants to another site
• Instructors can enable/disable students to post anonymously

Tuesday, August 20th

12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch with Presentation: (MGC 4 & 5)

Technology in the Classroom Tasting

Kate Burns (CTRL), Courtney Greenley (CTRL), Deni Koenhemsi (CTRL), Cathryn Panganiban (CTRL)

Come learn about some of the topics CTRL will be providing in its Technology in the Classroom Workshop Series this fall (Prezi, Piazza, Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, and Google Drive). Pick up a schedule, ask questions, and sign up while having lunch with your colleagues.

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

701: “Classroom Flipping” in Graduate Education (MGC 247)

Jayesh Rathod (WCL)

Learn about using technology to pre-record short lectures, thereby freeing up class time for problem-solving and exercises that promote higher order thinking skills.

702: Excellence and Efficiency: Developing Better Student Writers while Streamlining Your Teaching (MGC 203/205)

Caron Martinez (CAS-LIT), and Lacey Wootton (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. (After we have an idea of the number of participants, we’ll email you to tell you how many copies to bring.)

703: 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.

704: Introduction to Blackboard (Anderson B-12)

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: Tackling Teamwork with Technology (MGC 247)

Patrick Thaddeus Jackson (SIS), Laura March (CTRL), and Scott Talan (SOC)

Explore digital collaboration tools from Google, Facebook, and Dropbox. Share methods of crafting intellectually challenging group projects. Discover different methods for framing and assessing teamwork as well as tips and tricks for determining an individual’s contribution to cloud-based files. You’re invited to bring your own digital device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop) and discuss your experience with great—and not-so-great—group projects.

802: Come On Baby Write Me a Letter: Managing Student Expectations with Respect to Letters of Recommendation (MGC 203/205)

Gihan Fernando and Paula Warrick (Career Center)

Letters of recommendation provide an important opportunity to support talented students; yet they can present challenges with respect to the management of your time–and your students’ expectations. This discussion-based panel provides an opportunity to explore solutions to the various issues that may arise in the process of recommending students for nationally competitive scholarships, graduate programs, and jobs. We will address how to respond to an ever-increasing demand for recommendations, how to coach students to make the letter-writing process easier for referees, and when and how to say no to requests for letters.
803: 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.

804: Survey research with Qualtrics (Hurst 202)

Eric Charles, Chris Hayes, and Vanya Slavchevska (CTRL)

Qualtrics is specialized software for collecting survey data and undertaking some initial analysis. We will demonstrate some of the basic features in Qualtrics for setting up an account, creating a survey, conducting secure surveys, and some of the tools available for analysis. We will also show how to export data for more in-depth analysis using other statistical software.

Wednesday, August 21st

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Classroom 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: Academic Support Resources for International Students (MGC 200)

Jawee Perla (International Student & Scholar Services), Sharyl Pattillo (Academic Support & Access Center) and Angela Dadak (College Writing Program)

American University provides a collaborative approach to academic and language support for international students through a Core Support Network that collaborates with professors and advisors to guide students through cultural adjustment, academic writing, classroom participation, reading strategies, time management, interactions with faculty and classmates, AIC issues, as well as referrals to other campus services. In addition to describing our support model and sharing resources, the goal of this session is to brainstorm ways in which the network can best support faculty in both internationalizing their classrooms and in developing their own strategies to meet the needs of international and multilingual students.

902: Everything you Wanted to Know about Online and Hybrid Teaching at AU (MGC 203/205)

Jim Lee and Paul Prokop (CTRL)

This is an information session to converse with faculty about online and hybrid teaching opportunities on campus. We will cover: (1) an overview of online/hybrid teaching at AU; (2) using online tools for individual or campus-wide emergencies for class continuity; (3) training and certification to teach online/hybrid courses; (4) the Provost’s grant training program; (5) what’s new with hybrids; (6) the use of mobile technology in online (and other) courses; and (7) AU in a world of MOOCs.

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: Introduction to Recording with Panopto (Anderson B-12)

Library Staff

This session will prepare you to use Panopto to record your classes, mini-lectures, student presentations and more! We will go over what Panopto does, software and hardware requirements, and 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 & 5)

Mobile Learning @ AU: Options for Everyone

Members of the Mobile Pedagogy Task Force

Come learn about progress on AU’s Mobile Learning Initiative. We will share with you some of the exciting and innovative things members of the AU community are doing with mobile devices.

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

1001: Ready, Set, Mobile! A Town Hall Meeting about Mobile Learning @ AU (MGC 4 & 5)

Amy Eisman (SOC) and Jill Klein (KSB)

Join this town hall meeting to share your ideas and to help shape the future of AU’s Mobile Learning environment.

1002: Community-Based Learning 101 (MGC 203/205)

Marcy Fink Campos (Director, Center for Community Engagement),
Eve Bratman (SIS), Mark Bergel (Director, A Wider Circle), and Lauren Neville (Class of 2015)

Millenial students want hands-on learning that has relevance and makes theory come alive. Community-based learning (aka “service-learning”) is a great way to bring this about and the DC area has a huge nonprofit sector to make it viable. What is this engaging teaching and learning methodology and how can you incorporate it into your course? This session is for those not so familiar with this practice but who want to explore it. Several “promising practices” will be highlighted, including how to identify the right community partner and develop a strong collaboration, as well as ways to set up grading systems that incorporate key elements of CBL.

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: Piazza: An Alternative to Blackboard’s Discussion Board
(Anderson B-12)

Courtney Greenley and Deni Koenhemsi (CTRL)

Encourage discussion and student collaboration through Piazza’s wiki-style Q&A forum. The layout of Piazza engages students during class through real time updates, anonymity options, and mobile app accessibility. Piazza eliminates redundant student emails by allowing for both students and instructors to edit answers to perfection.

• Course Page allows handouts and homework to be posted
• Monitors statistics and gives instructors the ability to track student participation
• LaTeX editor enables equations and formulas to be posted
• Multimedia embedding supports diagrams, images, and videos, letting them be viewed from within the forum, as opposed to linking participants to another site
• Instructors can enable/disable students to post anonymously

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

1101: Creating an Effective Syllabus (MGC 200)

Marilyn Goldhammer (CTRL)

Learn to create a clear and engaging syllabus that outlines course content, student learning outcomes, expectations and ways in which competency will be evaluated.
1102: How to Use Class Time Productively (MGC 203/205)

Betsy Cohn (SIS)

Do you use class time productively? While we might have thought about the right mix of lecture and discussion, there are other key issues for effective teaching and learning. We will discuss how to ask questions designed to elicit analysis rather than facts or opinions, and how you can ensure that discussion builds on assigned readings and is productive. We will provide practical and pedagogical ideas, discussing how to create incentives in the syllabus and set expectations for students.

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: Introduction to Qualitative Research Tools and NVIVO (Hurst 202)

Jim Lee, Chris Hayes and Vanya Slavchevska (CTRL)

Are your students claiming that qualitative research is boring and too time-consuming? Come meet us and we’ll tell you how to get them excited with NVivo, our recently-acquired software for qualitative analysis! We’ll show you how it works and discuss ways you can incorporate Nvivo outputs into quantitative analysis for a mixed-methods approach to research.