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KEYNOTE: Ten Ways to Turn Teaching Frustrations into Learning Opportunities
How can you take a boring or dry topic and turn it into something that is more enjoyable for you and your students? How do you ensure that your students “know” a topic, without designing an onerous exam or having them write an essay? How can you break a long paper into shorter parts, so that you can spread out the grading and give students feedback that will improve their writing? How is it possible to avoid reading answers to the same question over and over? Participants will be engaged in short activities that will show them simple ways to convert their assignments or lecture materials into interactive or creative exercises. Students’ retention of the material and their ability to apply their knowledge to new situations are the rewards of these efforts.
Amy Cheng Vollmer completed her B.A. in biochemistry in 1977 at Rice University and her Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1983 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her post-doctoral research in T-cell immunology took place at Stanford University. After four years at Mills, she joined Swarthmore College where she is a Professor of Biology. She teaches introductory cellular and molecular biology, microbiology, and biotechnology courses. She has also a great interest in promoting adult science literacy. As a previous Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, Dr. Vollmer conducts research in bacterial stress response, engaging undergraduate students in her lab. She also hosts non-science faculty in her laboratory for one month during the summer. In 2006, she was awarded the Carski Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award by the American Society for Microbiology. Amy speaks on issues concerning mentoring, career advising, and networking, while also being part of advisory committees on undergraduate teaching and research. She assumes the role of President of the Waksman Foundation for Microbiology.
Using Mastering Astronomy for Effective Homework Assignments and Personalized Tutoring
This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to Mastering Astronomy, the most advanced astronomy tutorial and homework system available. It is the first online system to tutor students by responding with feedback specific to their errors and simpler questions when they get stuck. The system automatically documents the step-by-step work of every student in order to provide instructor diagnostics which pinpoint areas of difficulty for individuals or for the whole class. The session will begin with an overview of the presenter's experience teaching with the program, followed by demonstrations of how to create homework assignments of ideal difficulty and duration, check the work of an individual student, and compare results against the “national average.”
Dr. Thomas A. Fleming is an Associate Astronomer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. He coordinates the general education program in astronomy and public outreach for Steward Observatory. Tom received the UA Provost’s General Education Teaching Award in 2000 and authored a 28-chapter set of PowerPoint lecture slides for Addison-Wesley’s Cosmic Lecture Launcher CD-ROM in 2003. In 2005, he was also featured in the PBS documentary “Declining by Degrees: Higher Education at Risk” and the Naked Science episode “The Birth of the Earth” on the National Geographic Channel.
Making the Most of Multimedia: Using Media Worksheets in the Astronomy Classroom
Workshop would include a discussion of how the Henry Ford Community College Astronomy Laboratory curriculum was involved in the development of the Astronomy Media Workbook and how the Media Workbook has affected the curriculum since. Instructors will be provided hands on experience with using both the Voyeger SkyGazer and MasteringAstronomy portions of the workbook along with instruction and advice on how the workbook can be used both as the center of an astronomy laboratory curriculum and as a supplement to a traditional astronomy lecture course.
Michael LoPresto teaches astonomy at Henry Ford Community College and is author of the Astronomy Media Workbook, 5/e (Pearson Addison Wesley (c) 2007).
In-class Astronomy Exercises Without Technology
Studies have demonstrated the importance of having students be active participants during class rather than passive recipients of information. Many classrooms and lecture halls are built, however, around a lecturer-centered class. In this interactive session we will explore, and share, techniques for engaging students that will work in traditional, low-tech environments. Such activities include participatory demonstrations, small-group exercises, in-class writing assignments, and think-pair-share activities.
Edward Brown is Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University. He is currently developing a new graduate-level course, “Numerical techniques in astronomy,” and also teaches the astronomy for non-science majors. In 2001 at the University of Chicago he developed and presented a 10-part public lecture series, “Brown Dwarfs and Extrasolar Planets.”
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