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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Innovative Educators: Designing a Successful Service-Learning Course: A Practical Approach

Wednesday, March 10th ~ 1:00-2:30pm EST



Webinar Description

This presentation will provide webinar participants with an understanding of the historical context and positive effects of service-learning on students, the campus and the community. Participants will learn a proven, seven-step course development model that will take them through each critical phase of designing a successful service-learning course. While primarily designed for novices, this presentation will also benefit faculty and staff currently involved in service-learning, as the presenter will reinforce guiding service-learning principles and provide new ideas for accomplishing them.

Objectives

Participants will learn how to develop a service-learning course including:
defining student learning outcomes
defining scholarship and/or creative activity outcomes
planning community collaboration
designing the course
handling logistics, contracts and risk management
incorporating pedagogical tools (reflection, analysis, delivery and display)
performing meaningful assessment.

Who Should Attend?

Vice Presidents
Instructional and Student Services Deans
Faculty
Student Success/Retention Specialists
Instructional Coordinators
Anyone interested in service-learning programs

Who is the Instructor?

Maureen Shubow Rubin was appointed Director of Undergraduate Studies at California State University, Northridge in 2006. Prior to this position, since 1998 she served as founding director of the Center for Community-Service Learning where she helped to develop and secure funding for over 300 new service-learning classes. She has written and implemented successful grant proposals to help students on her campus participate in projects centered on gang prevention, school readiness, computer literacy, self-help legal assistance, and bringing English and citizenship skills to immigrant elders, among others. An experienced faculty trainer and peer mentor, she has published widely about service-learning pedagogy, civic engagement, community collaboration and effective outreach. In 2001, she was awarded the Richard E. Cone Award from California Campus Compact for excellence and leadership in cultivating community partnerships in higher education.

Rubin joined the University in 1984 as a professor of journalism where she specialized in teaching law, public relations and media ethics, all of which have been subjects of numerous articles she wrote for both scholarly journals and mainstream media. In 1993, she was voted Outstanding Journalism Educator in the State of California by the California Newspaper Publishers Association. Prior to joining the university, Rubin was Director of Public Information for President Carter's Special Assistant for Consumer Affairs in the White House, and held similar positions for a U.S. Congresswoman and Consumer Federation of America. Rubin is a graduate of the Catholic University School of Law In Washington, D.C., holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Relations from University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Boston University.
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The Teaching Professor: Strategies for Teaching What You Just Learned

Confidence and credibility! (Even outside your comfort zone)
Featured Higher Education Presenter: Dr. Therese Huston

Date: Wednesday, 04/28/10
Time: 12:00 - 1:15 PM CDT
Cost: $249 ($274 after 04/21/10)
Three easy ways to register!
Phone: 800-433-0499 / 608-227-8182

Instructors are increasingly being asked to teach topics outside their areas of expertise, sometimes digesting subject matter one day and teaching it the next. Have you ever felt the pressure to be the "Jack (or Jill) of all trades"?
Demands on faculty continue to grow as general education programs are being re-designed and expanded on many campuses. Faculty are being asked to adapt their courses to meet new university objectives:
Campuses are adding first-year experience seminars where everyone teaches around a common theme, but that theme may have nothing to do with one's field.
For example, instructors who've never needed to read the literature on leadership are suddenly being asked to teach students about leadership.

A new focus on inter-disciplinary courses requires instructors to approach a familiar topic from a new way of thinking. Budget cuts are another reason faculty are being called on to teach new and less-than-familiar material:
Department chairs need instructors to help fill gaps in the curriculum.
Senior faculty are putting research on hold in favor of survey courses they haven't taught in years while tenure-track faculty are being asked to teach courses they haven't taken since they were sophomores.
Adjunct faculty are finding ways to be versatile in their department so that they survive budget cuts.


In this informative seminar, you'll learn how to survive teaching under these challenging circumstances. You'll gain simple but effective strategies to help you manage stress and anxiety; maintain poise; and demonstrate credibility, even in unfamiliar subject areas.

Register today and learn:
Three factors that can protect you from becoming overly strained and anxious.
How important it is to talk with someone about the fact that you're teaching outside your expertise. (And you'll address the big question, of course, of whether to tell your students.)
Seven faculty behaviors that reduce student perceptions of your credibility.
New ways to respond to questions when you don't know the correct answer.
How to prioritize what to teach about unfamiliar topics.
Why you must learn to view your role in class as something other than "the knowledge dispenser."

Who Should Attend?
You'll find the common theme and core elements of this seminar apply to a broad field of instruction. In investigating this subject, our presenter worked with faculty from a wide range of disciplines at institutions large and small, public and private.

Highly recommended for:
Lecturers
Instructors
Visiting professors
Assistant/associate professors
Professors
Adjunct instructors
Directors
Assistant/associate directors
Teaching fellows
Program directors
Associate provosts

Edited by respected scholar and expert Dr. Maryellen Weimer of Penn State Berks, The Teaching Professor is a forum for discussion of the best strategies supported by the latest research for effective teaching in the college classroom.


Magna Publications
2718 Dryden Drive • Madison, WI 53704-3086 • 800-433-0499
© Copyright 2010 Magna Publications

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Collaboration Newsbytes for February 2010

C O L L A B O R A T I O N  N E W S B Y T E S
Volume 8, Number 7
February 15, 2010

We’re pleased to present your new issue of Collaboration Newsbytes, the e-bulletin published monthly by The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching & Learning. Each issue contains important news and updates about upcoming programs and professional development opportunities.
The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching & Learning is an alliance of colleges and universities that supports and promotes outstanding college teaching and learning. We can be reached at: 2356 University Ave. West, Suite 230, St. Paul, MN 55114, Phone: (651) 646-6166, Fax: (651) 646-3162, Email: collab@collab.org  Web: www.collab.org

IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Headlines & Deadlines
THERE’S STILL TIME TO REGISTER FOR THE COLLABORATION’S FEBRUARY CONFERENCE ON ASSESSMENT
Today, as institutions closely scrutinize the return from ever more limited resources, assessing student learning and educational programs is more critical than ever. The Collaboration’s winter conference, “Assessment for the Changing Learning Environment,” which will take place this week on February 19–20 in Bloomington, Minnesota, will explore what individual faculty and staff can do to foster their own continuous learning and development as teaching professionals. And it will examine how colleges, universities, and other groups are striving to create learning environments and how teaching and student learning have improved from these practices. Participating in this conference are such notable experts as:

L. Dee Fink, a nationally-recognized expert on college teaching and faculty development. Fink has a doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1976. In 1979, he founded the Instructional Development Program at the University of Oklahoma and served as its director until his retirement from Oklahoma in May 2005. He was president of the POD Network (Professional and Organizational Development) in Higher Education (2004–2005), the primary professional organization for faculty developers. At the present time he works as a national consultant in higher education and is the author of Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses (Jossey-Bass, 2003) and co-editor of Team-Based Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups in College Teaching (Stylus, 2004).


Peggy Maki, a consultant with Peggy Maki Consulting. Maki will offer a preconference session on “Planning Assessment Backwards to Dive Deeper into Pedagogy” and a closing session on “Options for Technology-Based Assessment: Current and Emerging Possibilities.”


A rich assortment of presenters of nearly 30 preconference and concurrent sessions on creating a culture of assessment, technology, rubrics and other assessment tools, collaboration, and other topics.
Conference registration information and materials are available on our website at www.collab.org

FEBRUARY FACULTY DEVELOPERS’ BREAKFAST SESSION FOCUSES ON HIGH-QUALITY SERVICE-LEARNING
Join your colleagues at the Faculty Developers’ Breakfast Session on Saturday, February 20, 2010, for an informal discussion on “Strategies for Supporting the Development of High-Quality Service-Learning.” Service-learning pedagogy is growing on many campuses, thanks in part to student enthusiasm, advocacy by committed staff and faculty, and research identifying service-learning as a “high-impact educational practice.” At this session we will ask: What are the challenges and benefits of this kind of engaged teaching and learning? How can faculty developers support the effective integration of community-based work into academic courses? What potential collaborators exist on campus and at partner organizations? Join your colleagues for a rich exchange of ideas and resources. The session will be facilitated by Julie Plaut, executive director of Minnesota Campus Compact, and Mary Savina, professor of geology and faculty assessment coordinator at Carleton College.

THERE’S STILL TIME TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ON YOUR CAMPUS—RESERVE A SPRING TRAVELING WORKSHOP NOW!
Supporting the continued professional development and morale of faculty and staff is critical on your campus, and The Collaboration’s Traveling Workshop Program is here to help. The Collaboration’s Traveling Workshops are exceptionally cost-effective, bringing the expertise, talents, and training of our facilitators to you—on your schedule and within your budget. Pedagogy, curriculum development, assessment, diversity, technology, faculty/staff issues—there’s no teaching, learning, or faculty/staff development topic beyond our reach. Workshops can be arranged for one day, two days, or a week, depending on your needs. For as little as $1,395, plus the facilitator’s travel expense, you can bring an in-depth, interactive experience for groups of faculty and staff tailored to your needs to your site. We’ll ensure a top-quality event and even handle the workshop evaluation for you! For more information, visit The Collaboration’s website at www.collab.org or call us at (651) 646-6166. We look forward to helping you!

FACULTY AND EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPERS CAN HONE THEIR SKILLS THIS SUMMER AT A NEW WORKSHOP: “FOSTERING STRATEGIC FACULTY DEVELOPMENT”
Workshop will take place June 13-18, 2010, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Presented by The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching & Learning, “Fostering Strategic Faculty Development” is a week-long, hands-on workshop that provides the most cutting-edge methods and practices for faculty and educational developers. During the week, our expert presenters will create an informal, integrated learning community in which participants grapple with advanced topics in the field. The program is designed to model the best practices in teaching and learning, and will integrate week-long collaborative group sessions, individual and group reflection, and interactive presentations. Fostering Strategic Faculty Development is designed for staff, faculty, and directors of centers for teaching and learning and anyone responsible for organizing, directing, or chairing a campus faculty development program. Administrators who would like a better understanding of educational development programs and how to develop and support them are also encouraged to attend. More information about this event—including details about the program, the presenters, and places to see or stay in Saint Paul—will be available by the end of February at www.collab.org  You can also contact The Collaboration at collab@collab.org  or (651) 646-6166.

2. Save the Date! Upcoming Events
THE 2010–11 MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN KICK-OFF PROMISES NEW PROGRAMS AND NEW DIRECTIONS
The Collaboration will kick off its 2010–11 Membership Campaign in late February. If your institution is a current member, look for your renewal letters to arrive at that time. And if your institution is not currently a member, you will receive an invitation to join The Collaboration. The new year for membership begins July 1, 2010. This year, The Collaboration’s new leadership and newly committed board of directors will be focusing on planning for the future. In order to continue providing your faculty and staff with the knowledge and skills needed to advance scholarship and higher education, The Collaboration is strategically developing new programs and initiatives, working to improve its services, and creating new opportunities to connect you with colleagues and like-minded institutions. Through this period of change, The Collaboration’s programs will remain as convenient and cost-effective as ever, providing crucial faculty and staff training, leadership development, and professional engagement that foster innovation on your campus. For more information, visit our website at www.collab.org  or contact us at collab@collab.org  or (651) 646-6166.

WATCH FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT “OFF TO A GOOD START,” A NEW COLLABORATION PROGRAM TO SUPPORT NEW FACULTY
Workshop to take place late summer, 2010
The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching & Learning is currently developing a new program for new faculty to take place this summer in Saint Paul. “Off to a Good Start: A Workshop for New Faculty” will be aimed at providing new and incoming faculty with support and orientation to their new jobs. Attendees of “Off to a Good Start” will gain skills to become knowledgeable and effective facilitators of learning. Specific areas of emphasis include:
· Lesson planning and syllabus development
· Active learning methodology
· Assessment and grading
· Effective use of textbooks
· Classroom management
· Inclusive teaching
· Introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Faculty will leave the workshop with:
· A syllabus completed for at least one course they plan to teach in the fall
· A lesson plan for at least one course they plan to teach in the fall
· A handbook of resources on effective teaching and learning practices
Watch your mail for more information about this workshop, or visit our website at www.collab.org  beginning in mid-March. You can contact The Collaboration for more information at collab@collab.org   (651) 646-6166.

3. Member News & Information
TEACHING LEARNING CENTER DIRECTOR POSITION OPEN AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY
South Dakota State University invites applications and nominations for the position of Director of the Teaching Learning Center (TLC). Established in 2001, the TLC mission is to further develop, support and promote a culture of excellence in teaching and learning at SDSU. The TLC pursues this mission by providing the SDSU community with professional development opportunities which foster learning, along with teaching and learning resources. The TLC also promotes interdisciplinary and collaborative conversations, activities and relationships. The TLC director will also have responsibility for faculty development surrounding the Active Learning Cloud—An ambitious initiative to enrich course content and delivery and to enhance students’ educational and learning experiences through integration of technology and media. The TLC Director position is a full-time, 12-month administrative position and reports to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs (AVPAA). The Director will provide leadership for all TLC activities working collaboratively with faculty, deans and department heads, academic and support units, including Instructional Design Services and the Briggs Library. The Director must bring excellent organizational and communication skills, along with direct teaching experience. SDSU accepts applications through an on-line employment site. To apply, visit: https://yourfuture.sdbor.edu , search by the position title, view the job announcement, and click on “apply for this posting.” The system will guide you through the electronic application form. The employment site will also require the attachment of a cover letter, resume, and reference page. Please contact SDSU Human Resources at (605) 688-4128 if you require assistance with this process.

THE COLLABORATION CONGRATULATES VELMA LASHBROOK ON HER APPOINTMENT TO HEAD AUGSBURG COLLEGE’S CENTER FOR TEACHING & LEARNING
Velma Lashbrook, a Collaboration Traveling Workshop facilitator and Program Consultant, and a frequent presenter at the Collaboration’s annual conferences, has been named Director of the Augsburg College Center for Teaching and Learning. The Center for Teaching and Learning at Augsburg College engages and sustains faculty and staff, departments and programs, in supporting student learning success. Our activities and services encourage professional, scholarly and teaching development at every stage of an Augsburg career. Collaboration, recognition of excellence, and the importance of autonomy and efficacy are the guiding principles for achieving this mission. For more information about the Center for Teaching and Learning at Augsburg, visit: http://www.augsburg.edu/ctl/  

AUGSBURG COLLEGE OFFERS TWO SUMMER SEMINARS DESIGNED FOR EDUCATORS’ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The Center for Global Education at Augsburg College is offering travel and professional development seminars geared toward those working in higher education: “Education for Decolonization” (Guatemala, July 10-18, 2010), and “International Service Learning: Who is Serving Whom?” (Mexico, June 27-July, 2010). For more information about these opportunities, and other travel and educational programs that are open to the public, please visit the Center for Global Education’s website at: http://www.augsburg.edu/global/shorttermseminars/opportunities.html

4. Funding & Other Opportunities
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF FUNDING TO SUPPORT SERVICE-LEARNING
Deadline: March 9, 2010
The Corporation for National and Community Service ( http://www.nationalservice.gov/ ) has announced the availability of a total of $650,070 for new grants to Indian tribes and U.S. territories. The “Learn and Serve America” program gives school-based grants to involve school-age youth in service-learning projects that simultaneously support student development and meet community needs. The corporation anticipates that grants will be awarded to an estimated three to five Indian tribes and U.S. territories, with awards ranging from approximately $45,000 to $120,000 each, annually, for a project period of up to three years. The grants will specifically fund programs that focus on the following priorities: Supporting high-quality service-learning sponsored by Indian tribes and U.S. territories and enhancing the infrastructure in schools and communities to support on-going service-learning programming; supporting Indian tribes and U.S. territories working with schools to expand service-learning into more tribal communities that will involve students in service-learning projects; increasing student civic, academic, and leadership skills and providing youth with service-learning experiences that motivate them to become more civically engaged and committed to lifelong service; and promoting healthy communities and healthy youth by having students engage in service-learning projects that address one or more of the following issue areas: health and wellness; environment; retention of tribal language, history, and culture, community development/economic development; and crime prevention/violence prevention. Visit the Corporation for National and Community Service Web site for complete program information.

INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES CALLS FOR 21st CENTURY MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS GRANT APPLICATIONS
Deadline: March 16, 2010
The Institute of Museum and Library Services ( http://www.imls.gov/ ) is calling for proposals from museums, museum service organizations, and universities for projects designed to enhance the professional development of museum staff. The 21st Century Museum Professionals grants are intended to have an impact on multiple institutions by reaching broad groups of museum professionals throughout the nation's cities, counties, states, and regions. Funding will support projects involving core management skills such as planning, leadership, finance, program design, partnership, and evaluation. Projects may also focus on collections care and management, interpretation, marketing and audience development, staff retention, visitor services, governance, and other areas of museum operations. Applicants may request from $15,000 to $500,000 each for a grant extending up to three years. Program guidelines are available on the IMLS website.

JENZABAR FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Deadline: March 31, 2010
The Jenzabar Foundation ( http://www.jenzabar.net/ ), the philanthropic arm of Jenzabar, Inc., has opened the nomination process for its second annual Student Leadership Awards. The awards will recognize seven student groups—and their respective leaders—that have demonstrated a commitment to making a difference through community service and/or humanitarian endeavors either in the United States or globally. This year the foundation is expanding the awards criteria to include submissions from non-profit organizations as well as self-nominations from students at educational institutions around the world. The 2010 Student Leadership Awards will provide grants in recognition of achievements in the following categories: local community support to individuals or groups that are underserved by existing community resources; international humanitarian efforts; campus ministry programs that reach beyond campus boundaries; education outreach to groups or individuals not enrolled in the institution; environmental protection, natural resource management, alternative energy promotion or climate/habitat awareness; health care provision or awareness; and issue advocacy targeted to local, state, or federal governments. Nominations are open for students enrolled in any accredited institution of higher education and can be submitted by individuals, educational institutions, or nonprofit organizations that have produced work consistent with the foundation's mission to recognize and support the good works and humanitarian efforts of student leaders serving others across the globe. Criteria and nomination process information are available at the Jenzabar Foundation website.

INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2010 NATIVE AMERICAN LIBRARY SERVICES ENHANCEMENT GRANTS PROGRAM
Deadline: May 9, 2010
The Institute of Museum and Library Services ( http://www.imls.gov/ ) is accepting applications for the 2010 Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants program. Federally-recognized tribes and Alaska Native villages and corporations may apply for grants to improve existing library services or implement new services, particularly as they relate to the goals of the Library Services and Technology Act. In 2009, IMLS supported over two hundred tribes with the non-competitive Native American Library Services Basic Grants and an additional seventeen tribes with Enhancement Grants. The tribes used their grants to develop a wide array of library-related projects, from providing new services to outlying reservation communities and promoting healthy lifestyles through new programs and materials, to creating pre-literacy programs for preschool children, their parents, and caregivers. Grants will range in amounts of up to $150,000 each for a grant period of up to two years. Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages are eligible to apply for the Enhancement Grant only if they have applied for a Native American Library Services Basic Grant in the same fiscal year. See the IMLS website for program guidelines and specific eligibility criteria.


Funding opportunities listed in Newsbytes are Copyright (c) 2000-2008, the Foundation Center. All rights reserved. Permission to use, copy, and/or distribute the preceding information in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes without fee is hereby granted provided that this notice and appropriate credit to the Foundation Center is included in all copies.


Do you have news to share with your Collaboration colleagues? If so, please send a short announcement to mfallon@collab.org  for inclusion in the next “Newsbytes"
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Diverse Issues in Higher Education: Black Professor Denied Tenure at Emerson Vindicated by Report

by Arelis Hernandez , February 16, 2010
Categories: Faculty / Discrimination / African Americans/Black / Professional Development /



After six years of living and working in the greater Boston area, Pierre Desir’s transient life began to settle down just a few years ago. He moved into a sun-lit loft spacious enough for the artist to practice his hand at sculpting and woodwork, while developing the film curriculum at Emerson College. Filled with optimism, Desir relished laying permanent roots at the communication arts school when he applied for tenure in the 2008 spring semester. Sure of his work, the 62-year-old Black man’s sanguine disposition soured after his application for tenure was rejected on the basis of what he determined to be racial discrimination.

The news began to spread of the tenure dismissal of Desir and a colleague, Roger House — both Black males — reaching the local NAACP chapter and resulting in an Emerson faculty committee calling for an independent review of Emerson’s tenure practices and policies. Earlier this month, the college released a report produced by an independent panel that found fault with Emerson’s tenure process. “It is not intended, but it’s the result of patterns that perpetuate forms of discrimination,” Ted Landsmark, a civil rights activist and president of Boston Architectural College, who headed the panel, told The Boston Globe. The review panel, which, besides Landsmark, included Dr. Evelynn Hammonds, dean of Harvard College, and JoAnn Moody, a national consultant on by Arelis Hernandez , February 16, 2010 faculty diversity and development, found that Emerson’s pre-tenure faculty receive little mentoring and professional development and unclear tenure requirements, and suffer from a lack of multicultural competency from administrators and other faculty.

In its 129-year history, Emerson has awarded tenure to only three Black professors, but two of them — professors Mike Brown and Claire Andrade-Watkins — had to sue the college, alleging racial discrimination.
African-Americans are the most vulnerable tenure track faculty because “their energy and sense of belonging are being taxed,” the report said. Tenure rejections are the result of “unintended bias” that undervalues the intellectual worth of African-American scholarship, Moody said. Brooke Knight, an interactive media professor and chair of the Faculty Assembly, told The Boston Globe: “That brought to our attention the history that had not previously been brought to light. Emerson is not alone in that, but that’s no excuse.”

Panelists conducted campus interviews, finding that underrepresented minority professors are not nurtured into advancement and that negative biases held by Emerson administrators have created a culture of distrust. Emerson’s leaders demonstrated a “lack of understanding” of the political and historical discrimination that African-Americans have endured, and they have perpetuated discriminatory patterns of behavior, the report said. “It’s not a matter of George Wallace standing at the door saying no entry,” Desir said. “But it’s the same result.” Both House, an associate professor in journalism, and Desir, a film professor, filed complaints with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD). But House dropped his case in a deal to keep his job at Emerson and to reapply for tenure in 2011. Desir fought back, refused a deal, and left the college when his contract terminated in August 2009. His case is still pending before the MCAD.

In response to the report, House wrote in a statement: “The tenure review committee provided an insightful, comprehensive, and forward looking assessment of the race and tenure problem at Emerson. Hopefully the report will result in a meaningful teachable moment on campus.” House added that he is pleased at the results and will continue his pursuit of tenure at Emerson. “The report vindicates what I was saying about Emerson’s policies being unfair,” said Desir, who recently took a job teaching at Dillard University in New Orleans. “The way they make their judgments are unfair, and the effect is obvious for everyone to see.”

Without a job, Desir moved to a smaller apartment and put most of his property in storage. Seven years earlier, the filmmaker arrived at the downtown Boston school to develop a film program. The program became popular enough that adjuncts were hired to meet a surge in demand for classes. Having filmed three features and several shorts revolving around the Black experience, Desir felt secure in his teaching experience and rapport with students.
Despite receiving endorsements from outside reviewers, fellow faculty members, and his department chair, Desir was told he had not produced enough creative work. He said he was judged on narrow parameters that excluded Desir’s pure cinematography work.  “That’s changing the rules in the middle of the game and finding an excuse to deny tenure,” Desir said. “The [report] pointed out that the standards for tenure are not clear, so people going up for tenure are not sure of how they will be judged. I was doing work in two disciplines but was evaluated in one. I’m both a filmmaker and cinematographer.”

The review panel criticized Emerson for its confusing tenure process and recommended disclosing all requirements and clarifying the guidelines so “there [are] no surprises for faculty being evaluated.” Desir said he has spoken with a national law firm that is interested in taking his case pro bono against Emerson to seek legal damages for emotional distress. “It took me months to recover, and my life was turned upside down. There is emotional wear and tear; it’s not easy being rejected,” Desir said, adding that, as a visiting professor at Dillard, he is not eligible for health benefits.

Emerson’s president, Jacqueline Liebergott, said the school is planning to meet with faculty, students and staff to implement the report’s recommendations but noted there is no word on whether the school would consider restoring Desir. For now, Desir is rambling about city streets on a motorcycle, this time in New Orleans.
“I should’ve had tenure two years ago, and I’ve got to get paid for what I’ve done there otherwise they don’t suffer anything,” he said. “I’m happy to be here, but I still feel cheated because it was a very important seven years of my life where I thought I had developed something of great value.”
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Diverse Issues in Higher Education: WVU Reprinting Long-lost African American Works

by Associated Press, February 12, 2010 - http://diverseeducation.com/



MORGANTOWN, W.Va. _ West Virginia University Press is reprinting important African American texts that have either gone unnoticed for generations or fallen out of print. The initiative, ``Regenerations: African American Literature and Culture,'' is aimed at encouraging regional research into Black history.

 
To start, WVU Press has reprinted the 1896 novel ``Hearts of Gold'' by J. McHenry Jones, an activist from Ohio who became principal of the Lincoln School in Wheeling. Jones spent more than a decade as president of the West Virginia Colored Institute, now West Virginia State University.

 

The novel challenges the conventional wisdom of the time on a variety of subjects that other writers were unwilling to address, from interracial relationships to forced labor in coal mines.

 

SANDRA M. PHOENIX

Program Director

HBCU Library Alliance



404.592.4820

1438 West Peachtree Street NW

Suite 200

Atlanta, GA 30309

Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis)

Fax: 404.892.7879


Honor the ancestors, honor the children.

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Faculty Focus: "Learning Spaces that Facilitate Student Learning" By Mary Bart


As a college student, I always liked it when I had a course that met in Edwards Hall – if for no other reason than a lot of the classrooms in that building had theater-style seating with chairs that swiveled. The fact that I would remember that after all of these years is an indication of the effect a more welcoming learning space can have on students.

Of course campuses today have a lot more options than chairs that move, and many schools have embraced new designs, configurations, and technologies that have transformed the teaching and learning experience. In fact the definition of learning spaces has greatly expanded to include a wide range of mediums that extend beyond the classroom.

In addition to rethinking their formal learning spaces (classrooms, computer labs, etc.) today’s progressive campuses are finding ways to add value to informal learning spaces (courtyards, coffee shops, etc) and incorporate virtual learning spaces (online classrooms, podcasts, etc) to provide their students with a rich, integrated learning environment that supports different types of learning.

For better or worse, the physical spaces on your campus influence your teaching and your students’ learning. Institutions of all sizes are updating their classrooms to support better teaching and learning. The goal is to increase student engagement and contribute to higher success and retention rates.


Will your campus join the innovators designing the college classrooms of tomorrow? http://www.facultyfocus.com/online-seminars/redesigning-learning-spaces-to-improve-teaching-and-learning/?aa=10274?c=FF&t=F100215a-FF

“When we are talking about changing the learning spaces, we are really talking about changing the methods of teaching and learning as well,” says Dr. Peter M. Saunders, director of Oregon State University’s Center for Teaching and Learning. “You can’t throw the traditional model of teaching into one of these new renovated rooms and expect things will change. The room by itself is not going to do it – it has to be the instructor and the students working together.”


In the recent online seminar Redesigning Learning Spaces to Improve Teaching and Learning (http://www.facultyfocus.com/online-seminars/redesigning-learning-spaces-to-improve-teaching-and-learning/?aa=10274?c=FF&t=F100215a-FF), Saunders discussed the seven factors to consider in teaching and learning space design:
 
.Institutional climate for teaching and learning change
.Learning outcomes
.Course design
.Student profiles and class size
.Instructional pedagogical skill/training
.Environmental/financial factors
.Technology/furniture


Saunders also showed video clips that demonstrated the “before and after“ experiences of three different learning spaces on his campus, and the learning outcomes supported by the new designs.

From smart boards to clickers to Wi-Fi, clearly technology plays a big role in any room redesign today. Colin Saunders, multimedia instructional designer at Drexel University’s iSchool, explained the process for determining which technologies are needed for each learning space. It can be a complicated process that involves aligning the goals of administration, faculty and the IT department in identifying desired outcomes, short- and long-term goals, infrastructure, budget, and faculty training.


Now it's even easier to share Faculty Focus content with your social network. Simply click on the icon of your favorite networking site shown below. If you’re already logged in, it will take you directly to your page where you can customize a message before sharing the link with friends and followers. If you’re not signed into your preferred social networking site, the log-in screen will appear first.

Give Old Learning Spaces a New Look

Do some of your classrooms resemble the one-room schoolhouse of Little House on the Prairie with students sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in neat little rows of uncomfortable chairs? You’re not Miss Beadle so you shouldn’t have to teach like her. In Redesigning Learning Spaces to Improve Teaching and Learning you will learn how to change the learning landscape.


Using brief video clips, the presenter shows pedagogical implications of classroom redesigns for large, tiered lecture halls, traditional flat-floor classrooms and a small discussion room. He also demonstrates how, with very little technology, instructors can turn a passive, small learning space into an interactive learning environment that taps into engaging learning experiences outside the classroom.

http://www.facultyfocus.com/online-seminars/choose-format/?product_id=10274?c=FF&t=F100215e-FF
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