CTP holds workshops periodically throughout the semester. We will also conduct these offerings for your faculty, department, and college upon request.
Team-based Learning (TBL)
As class sizes continue to grow, college teachers are increasingly looking for ways to engage students in classes that run into the hundreds. In this workshop, you will experience Team-Based Learning (TBL), an instructional strategy through which both teachers and students have reported increasing levels of student attendance, preparation, participation, and critical thinking. This specific form of small-group learning has enjoyed increasing adoption across disciplines in the last decade.
Upon completing this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Explain the structural flaw in most "traditional" forms of group work
- Identify three important distinctions between TBL and other forms of group work
- Describe the four practical elements of TBL
- Design an effective and enjoyable group assignment
Reading List
Dinan, F.J. (2006). Opening day: Getting started in the cooperative classroom. Journal of College Science Teaching, 35(4), 12-14.
Koles, P. G., Stolfi, A., Borges, N. J., Nelson, S., & Parmelee, D. X. (2010). The impact of team-based learning on medical students’ academic performance. Academic Medicine, 85(11), 1739 – 1745.
Team-Based Learning: Small Group Learning’s Next Big Step. (2008). New Directions for Teaching and Learning, Eds. Larry K. Michaelsen, Michael Sweet & Dean X. Parmelee. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Peer Instruction (PI)
How can I help my students learn in ways that pique their interest and enrich their subject matter understanding? We will explore this perennial question by considering an innovative, research-based teaching method called Peer Instruction (PI). Originally developed by Eric Mazur to address major gaps in students' conceptual knowledge of physics at Harvard University, this interactive pedagogical method is now widely used in classrooms at hundreds of institutions across the world. PI leverages the power of social learning and the latest advances in instructional technology to confront students' misconceptions and activate their minds while providing instant feedback to faculty. We will discuss the research supporting PI and the Next Generation of PI--a new, highly-advanced social learning system currently being piloted by the Mazur Group.
Reading List
Crouch, C. H. & Mazur, E. (2001). Peer instruction: Ten years of experience and results. American Journal of Physics, 69, 970-977.
Fagan, A. P., Crouch, C. H., & Mazur, E. (2002). Peer instruction: Results from a range of classrooms. Physics Teacher, 40, 206-209.
Lasry, N., Mazur, E., & Watkins, J. (2008).Peer instruction: From Harvard to community colleges. American Journal of Physics, 76, 1066-1069.
Rosenberg, J. L., Lorenzo, M., & Mazur, E. (2006). Peer instruction: Making science engaging. In Handbook of College Science Teaching, Ed. Joel J. Mintzes and William H. Leonard, NSTA Press, Arlington, VA: 77-85.
Backward Design
In this workshop, we will outline the process of developing effective learning goals using the non-conventional approach of Backward Design (Wiggins and McTighe). After taking this workshop, new or experienced instructors will be able to identify best practices for preparing effective learning goals and revise a set of more traditional learning goals based on those best practices.
Reading List
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design expanded 2nd edition. Alexandria, VA: Merrill Education/ASCD College Textbook Series.
Using Evidence-Based Teaching Practices to Inform and Improve Instruction
Have you ever wondered how well your teaching approaches are working and whether or not your students are really learning what you intended? In this workshop, we will explore various approaches to giving and receiving feedback throughout the course (formative assessment) that you can use to make data-based changes while you are teaching the course. We will also identify ways you can collect evidence on what is working with your teaching approaches and how that impacts student learning.
Reading List
Angelo, T.A. & Cross, P.K. (1993).Classroom Assessment Techniques (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Petty, G. (2009). Evidence-based teaching: A practical approach, 2nd edition.Nelson Thornes.
Wiggins, Grant. (1998).Educative Assessment. San Francisco. CA: Jossey Bass.
Rethinking the Role of Technology in Higher Education
Higher education institutions are re-examining the role of technology on their campuses, especially as they begin to recognize that today’s students are comfortably immersed in the wired world, conversant with multiple streams of media, at ease communicating across the web in real time, and eager to remix content and connect online to share it across the globe. How can educators harness technology to support such students’ efforts to achieve their academic goals and be successful in their learning?
In this workshop we will consider the changing relationship of technology to pedagogy and assessment, explore ways to leverage key technologies that maximize learning, consider the effective use of learning technologies, and survey some of the technology tools that can bridge learning in the classroom with students’ time spent outside of class. We will also review examples of the best technology practices that can: support course activities that augment and enhance existing instructional approaches, create new learning activities, represent course content, facilitate student and faculty collaboration, and support the assessment of student learning outcomes.
Reading List
The Future of Higher Education: How Technology Will Shape Learning
Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology
Tamin, R. M., Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E. Abrami, P. C., & Schmid, R. F. (2011). What forty years of research says about the impact of technology on learning. Review of Educational Research, 81(1), 4 – 28.