Monday, June 21, 2010
Magna 20 Minute Mentor Learn Practical, Positive Ways to Increase Student Learning
How Do I Get Students to Read Their Assignments Before Class?
In this 20 Minute Mentor, Dr. Maryellen Weimer offers insightful, positive solutions for motivating students to do assigned readings on time.
During this 20 minute program, you’ll learn how to:
• Constructively motivate students to come to class prepared.
• Set consequences for students who come to class unprepared.
• Motivate students to read by having them discover how much more they learn and how much easier course material is to master once they’ve done the reading.
• Implement in-class discussions that call for reading of texts to emphasize the importance of doing required reading.
• Make students responsible for reading material that you don’t have time to cover in class.
The program also includes supplemental materials that feature sample assignments that encourage students to read before class.
Meet Your Mentor
Dr. Maryellen Weimer is the editor of The Teaching Professor newsletter and author/editor of eight books. She is a Penn State Professor Emeritus of Teaching and Learning, and the 2005 recipient of Penn State’s Milton S. Eisenhower award for distinguished teaching. Dr. Weimer has also consulted with over 400 colleges and universities on instructional issues.
Faculty Focus: The Faculty Hiring Process: Steps to Finding the Right Candidate
By Mary Bart
Finding the right candidate for a faculty position is a critical decision, and selecting the right person can involve a complex search for the perfect combination of qualifications and experiences. Adding to the complexity of the process are the legal and policy issues that institutions must address to ensure a fair screening process. It also comes down to something else, which often is harder to define but just as important: Does the person fit with the culture and mission of the institution?
“If you hire someone and you do everything exactly the way you’re supposed to and legally are in a good position, but the person is not a fit for the institution I think you’ve sort of lost the battle,” says Brian Van Brunt, director of counseling at Western Kentucky University. In a recent online video seminar, Hiring Faculty: How to Make Your Most Critical Decision,Van Brunt and Jason Ebbeling, director of residential life at Southern Oregon University, discussed several core concepts of the faculty hiring process, and how to properly navigate the legal risks while searching for the best candidate for your institution.
Consider the following scenario. After a long interview process, the hiring committee learns through criminal background check that its top candidate was arrested for DUI seven years ago. This disclosure was not required on the employment form, and when confronted with the information the candidate admits that he was going through a difficult divorce at the time. He stresses that he completed the required counseling, paid his fines, and has been in AA ever since. As a member of the hiring committee, what would you do with this newfound information? Learn More »
The steps involved in the hiring process include:
Brainstorm the position – Members of the search committee should think about the traits they want to see in candidates and what the key functions of the position are.
Match position with HR – Align the duties and traits identified during brainstorming with HR requirements. Are there some job duties that can’t be required? Do some traits (e.g. young, energetic) conflict with what can be asked?
Post position – Determine where you will advertise the position, and what your hiring timeline is. What kind of information do you want from candidates?
Paper review of applicants – Decide in advance who will review the files and how you will handle incomplete files. Be prepared. Given the tough job market, you’re likely to receive a large number of applications, including those from under-qualified and over-qualified candidates.
Phone interview – Determine who will be on the phone interview team, create a set of approved questions and decide whether questions will be asked randomly or in a set order. Keep an objective tally of each candidate’s answers.
Campus interview – It’s important that each candidate receives the same type of on-campus experience. If there’s a teaching component to the campus visit, make sure each candidate is teaching the same type of students. Consider how to handle travel reimbursement, and whether benefits will be discussed.
Hiring decision – The final hiring recommendation should be based on a clear process of qualitative and quantitative written documentation. It’s a good idea to have one person take notes of the group discussions involving the candidates. Laws on mandatory release of this information vary from state to state so it’s critical this person is trained in what to document and what not to document. “There’s often this sense that we can quantitatively analyze every single faculty candidate on a 1 to 100 scale,” says Ebbeling. “But hiring isn’t just a science. There’s an art to hiring as well so I think as much as we want to have that quantitative analysis, I would say that we also want to make sure that there is some room for some qualitative factors to come in as well.”
Reminder: Dillard University Summer II Advising and Registration (June 24 - 25, 2010)
This email serves as a reminder that SOAR II is scheduled for Thursday and Friday of this week. All Divisions have been asked to ensure all-day coverage (9:00am - 5:00pm) to ensure that someone is available to assist new and continuing students. Thank you for your assistance and please contact me with any questions.
Carla Morelon-Quainoo, PhD
Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment/Advising
National Director, Global Issues Honors Consortium
LOCATION: Dent Hall, Room 109
PHONE: 504-816-4788
cmorelon@dillard.edu
LexisNexis Academic Free Online Seminar!
LexisNexis Academic
Learn about this premier general reference tool that provides access to news, business, and legal information from one interface. Redesigned specifically with students in mind, this research tool provides students as well as other researchers across all disciplines will comprehensive results on the past and the present. Whether the search is on a current hot topic in the news, financial information of a specific company, or a following of a judgment on a case, LexisNexis Academic has it all.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Dillard University Summer II 2010 Advising and Registration Instructions
This email serves as a reminder that Summer II Advising and Registration is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, June 24th and 25th between 9:00am and 5:00pm. Continuing students will visit their academic divisions to complete the advising and registration process. Registration for new students will occur in the lower level foyer of Rosenwald Hall.
Please make sure that your division has full coverage for both days. Your internal coverage list should be mailed to me (as well as Drs. Dawkins and Ballard-Huete) by Monday of next week. In preparation for this event, I am writing to share the following policies and procedures:
1. When the student arrives, faculty members should follow these steps to give a student registration access:
a. Login to MyDU @: https://mydu.dillard.edu/ics/
b. Click on the “Faculty” tab.
c. Click on the “Advisor” link (left-side of screen).
d. You’ll see the “Advisee Status,” “ID” and “Division” columns.
e. The “Term” is defaulted to the current term and “Division” is defaulted to “All.”
f. Click on the down arrow next to “Advisee Status.”
g. Next, click on “Need Registration Clearance.”
h. In the “ID” field, enter any ID or click on Search (to list all advisees) and press enter.
i. The advisee’s name will appear, along with four columns. Under the “Registration Clearance” column, click “Grant.” Make sure that you give access for Summer II (and Fall, if applicable).
j. The student can now register. This process should be done during the student’s advising visit.
k. Exit your MyDU.
2. Ask the student to sign-in to their MyDU to access the Course History.
3. Both the student as well as the faculty advisor must observe the following policies and procedures:
a. Students must complete the General Education requirements before moving into major courses.
b. All core courses and course repeats must have been successfully completed before assigning any upper-class or major-specific courses.
c. Students with less than a 2.0 GPA should register for no more than 12 – 14 hours.
d. Suspension and Probation students must complete failed/non-satisfactory courses before registering for other courses.
5. Ensure that a student has earned a minimum “C” grade in Foreign Language Courses before assigning them to the next level. Students should register as follows:
a. all seniors should register for the courses with the “0” (i.e., 101, 102, 201 or 202);
b. most juniors should register for the courses with the “0” (see your catalog); and
c. all freshmen and sophomore should register for the courses with the number “2” (i.e., 121, 122, 221 or 222)
5. After the student and faculty advisor agree on and enter the courses in the Course Request Form, allow the student to enter and confirm the schedule in MyDU.
6. The student should print a copy for their own file as well as one for the advisor. The Course Request Form should be signed by both student and faculty advisor, indicating that it is the mutually agreed upon schedule for the summer and/or fall.
7. The student and faculty advisor should sign and date the Course Request Form and the advisor should keep a copy of the Form as well as a copy of the schedule.
8. Ensure that the student logs out of MyDU.
This concludes the advising process. Remind students that the process is not complete until all fees are paid before the stipulated deadline.
Carla Morelon-Quainoo, PhD
Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment/Advising
National Director, Global Issues Honors Consortium
LOCATION: Dent Hall, Room 109
PHONE: 504-816-4788
cmorelon@dillard.edu
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The Future of Cloud Computing
The Pew Internet & American Life Project has issued a new report concerning
The Future of Cloud Computing
TLT Group Online Events June 16 - 25, 2010
-- Thursday, June 17 and 24: Flashlight Online 2.0 Training
-- Friday, June 18: FridayLive! IrReguLArs: Airing Faculty Attitudes about Assessment ...Safely and Usefully
-- Friday, June 25: FridayLive! Professional Development 2.0: Social Media and Personal Learning Networks
-- Upcoming Events: Clickers, Google Wave, Frugal Innovations for Student Engagement
Thursday, June 17 and 24: Flashlight Online 2.0 Training
FLASHLIGHT
Thursdays, June 17 and 24 at 3:00pm ET. Two-part monthly series about how to use Flashlight Online 2.0. Free to TLT Group subscribers. REGISTER
Friday, June 18: FridayLive! IrReguLArs: Airing Faculty Attitudes about Assessment ...Safely and Usefully
FRIDAYLIVE!
Friday, June 18 at 2:00pm ET
In this meeting of the IrReguLArs, Steve Gilbert will be joined by Mark Schlesinger, former director of U MASS Online, in an open discussion about assessment. The goal is to get a better understanding of the different faculty attitudes about assessment. The discussion promises to be safe, respectful, and include representation of the attitudes of faculty who cringe whenever they hear the word "assessment" as well as faculty who have found some kinds of assessment quite helpful, especially kinds that accrediting organizations would recognize as at least partially fulfillling their recommendations or requirements for institutional assessment. REGISTER
Friday, June 25: FridayLive! Professional Development 2.0: Social Media and Personal Learning Networks
FRIDAYLIVE!
Friday, June 25 at 2:00pm ET
Presenters: Derek Bruff, Vanderbilt University Thanks to the recent explosion of online social media and networking tools, options for college and university faculty and staff interested in expanding their personal learning networks (PLNs) have greatly increased. In the past, ongoing professional development for those in academe happened largely through conferences and print resources such as books and journals. As the Web took off in the 90s, Web sites and email lists became useful tools, too. Now options for our own professional development include blogs, podcasts, Twitter, and social networking sites, among others! Why and how might you use these Web 2.0 tools as part of your PLN to learn from others in your field? In this session, we'll explore that question through case studies, discussion, and some hands-on experimentation. And if you already use one or more of these tools, plan to share your experiences! REGISTER
Upcoming Events: Clickers, Google Wave, Frugal Innovations for Student Engagement
NEW WORKSHOP FORMAT! : "Using Clickers in the Classroom" Hybrid Workshop: Archives and Activities
June 29 - July 13
Presenters: Derek Bruff, Vanderbilt University and Steve Gilbert, TLT Group. In this new format, participants will view archives of a previous 3-session online presentation from 2009 and then participate in live sessions with presenters. Archives will be available from June 29 - July 13. First live session on June 29 at 2:00pm ET will be led by Steve Gilbert and will help orient participants to viewing the archives effectively. Second and final live session on July 13 will be a Q&A with the original presenter, Derek Bruff of Vanderbilt University.
FRIDAYLIVE!: "Catching the Wave: An Introductory Exploration of GoogleWave"
Friday, July 9 at 2:00pm ET.
Presenters: Charles Ansorge, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Bonnie Mullinix, TLT Group, Rich Thailer, Irene Knokh & Guests. During a December 2009 Friday Live!, participants expressed interest in exploring Google Wave! With Chuck Ansorge and Bonnie Mullinix leading the way, 32 individuals joined a group intent on exploring the educational potential embedded in Google Wave. Five months later, with exploration, survey and planning behind them, this group will provide an overview of Google Wave and share impressions of its potential to support teaching, learning, collaboration, planning and other academic interactions. Join us as we consider gadgets, bots, and the ups and downs of catching this new technological wave. REGISTER
WORKSHOP: "Annual Faculty Development Symposium: Frugal Innovations for Student Engagement"
Mondays, August 2, 9, and 16 at 2:00 - 3:00pm ET.
Facilitator: Steve Gilbert, President of the TLT Group, and invited guests. Symposium will offer forum for discussion among faculty about how to increase student engagement in courses soon using small steps. Focus areas include: shareworthy course improvements, facilitators and impediments to sharing, small steps for faculty, and programmatic support for small steps. REGISTER
MORE EVENTS! Remember, you can go to the TLT Group Registration page to view details and register for all upcoming events; plus links to additional information about FridayLive! FASTPASS and TLT Group Individual Membership.
Contact Information
email: sallygilbert@tltgroup.org
web: http://www.tltgroup.org
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