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Strategies for Success > Monroe,
MI Workshop
Topics & Speakers for Saturday, November 8,
2003 Monroe County Community College
- A Multiple Intelligences Approach to Teaching
and Learning
Ruth Beattie, University of Kentucky, KY
- A New Approach to Teaching General Chemistry
Bruce Averill and Patricia Eldredge, University of Toledo, OH
- The Science Behind the Stories: Engaging Non-
science Students in Science Courses
Scott Brennan, Western Washington University, WA
- Problem-Based Learning in the Study of Mitosis
and Meiosis
Mimi Zolan, Indiana University, IN
- What do you Teach, How do you Teach it, and
Why?
Robert Tallitsch, Augustana College, IL
- The First Course in Preparatory/Introductory
Chemistry: Enthuse Them or Lose Them
Mike Silver, Hope College, MI
- Bioterrorism: A Microbiologist’s Perspective
Stuart Hill, Northern Illinois University, IL
- Using Classroom Assessment Tools (CATs) in
the A&P Classroom
Deborah S. Temperly, Delta College, MI
- Engaging Students in Introductory Biology to
Learn to Reason with Causal Models
Randy Phillis, University of Massachusetts, MA
- Leveraging Constructivism into Chemistry:
Translating Theory into Practice
William Hunter, Illinois State University, IL
- Online Course Management
Charissa M. Urbano, Delta College, MI
Christine Ngau-Tibbits, Benjamin Cumming
- Hands-On BiologyLabs Online
Howard Passmore, Rutgers University, NJCollege
- A Practical Introduction to Problem-Based
Learning
Robert Tallitsch, Augustana College, IL
A Multiple Intelligences Approach to Teaching
and Learning
Teaching and learning are often one-dimensional. Knowledge is transmitted
in one intellectual direction and a learner receives it in one intellectual
way. In an effort to further increase student learning, participation
and interaction in introductory biology classes, Dr. Beattie has
incorporated a variety of interactive activities, based on Howard
Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory, into her classroom
instruction. The purpose of this presentation is (a) to describe
a variety of classroom activities, based on Howard Gardner’s
multiple intelligence types, that have been successfully used to
promote student participation, interaction and learning in introductory
biology courses, and (b) to briefly discuss the results of student
evaluations of these activities.
• Dr. Ruth Beattie is an Associate
Professor at the University of Kentucky. In 1987 she graduated from
Queen’s University Belfast, N. Ireland, with a Ph.D. in biochemistry.
She completed two postdoctoral fellowships at the Hipple Cancer
Research Center and at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
Dr. Beattie then taught at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
for four years. In 1995, she joined the faculty of the University
of Kentucky as an instructional specialist, where her primary responsibility
is teaching large enrollment freshman level biology and microbiology
classes. In 2000, Dr. Beattie was the recipient of a University
of Kentucky’s Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Teaching
and has also been named a Top Ten Teacher in the College of Arts
and Sciences for 2000, 2002 and 2003.
A New Approach to Teaching General Chemistry
Current approaches to teaching general chemistry have a number of
problems, including overcompartmentalization that encourages memorization
rather than pattern recognition, a focus on simple ionic compounds
that results in a rather narrow scope of applications and a concomitant
loss of student interest (especially for students in health sciences
or biology). In addition, general chemistry seems to be becoming
a field unto itself, with its own terms and language that are unrelated
to those used by practicing chemists. The speakers will discuss
a new approach that addresses many of these issues. Theirs is an
integrated approach that uses applications from many fields, presents
material from the perspective of practicing chemists, and introduces
interesting and relevant topics in the first semester. It also gives
equivalent coverage to covalent (that is, organic) and ionic compounds,
introduces mathematical concepts on a “need-to-know”
basis, and emphasizes pattern recognition rather than memorization.
• Dr. Bruce Averill received his B.S.
in chemistry from Michigan State University in 1969 and his Ph.D.
in inorganic chemistry from MIT in 1973. After completing postdoctoral
fellowships at Brandeis and the University of Wisconsin, he served
on the faculty at Michigan State University (1976-1982), the University
of Virginia (1982-1994), and the University of Amsterdam in the
Netherlands (1994-2001). In 2001 he returned to the United States
as a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Toledo.
Over the past 25+ years, Dr. Averill has taught courses in general
chemistry, biochemistry, and inorganic chemistry at various levels.
• Dr. Patricia Eldredge obtained her
Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill. As the Science Policy Fellow for the American Chemical
Society for 1989-1900, she examined the impact of changes in federal
funding priorities on academic research funding. Dr. Eldredge worked
with the U.S. Department of Energy as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow,
and then was appointed a Research Scientist and member of the General
Faculty of the University of Virginia. After her move to Europe
in 1994, she studied advanced Maritime Engineering, Materials, and
Oceanography at the University of Southampton in England. She has
taught courses on chemistry for the life sciences,as well as introductory,
general, organic, and analytical chemistry.
The Science Behind the Stories: Engaging Non-science
Students in Science Courses
This session will give faculty an opportunity to explore the use
of multi-media tools, storytelling techniques, and innovative in-class
and on-line “talk shows” to engage non-science students
in introductory science courses. By emphasizing the importance of
real places and real people as well as the science behind today’s
news and world events, you can effectively engage non-science students
in serious science courses. The session will show you how and will
provide an opportunity to share tips with other faculty members.
• Scott Brennan teaches environmental
science, policy, and journalism at Western Washington University's
Huxley College of the Environment. He has also worked as a journalist,
policy analyst, and environmental consultant. The recipient of a
Duke University research fellowship in marine science, Professor
Brennan has been recognized for his accomplishments in environmental
journalism by Washington State University, Western Washington University,
and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Problem-Based Learning in the Study of Mitosis
and Meiosis
Even after a full semester of Genetics, students often do not understand
basic chromosome mechanics. Part of the problem is that they learn
the terms associated with mitosis and meiosis but never have a physical
understanding of chromosomes, chromatids, replication, and segregation.
Also, because they hear the terms early on, they think that they
have “had” the topics and often do not engage in thinking
about them critically. A demonstration of the hands-on activity
Dr. Zolan is using in a 250-student introductory biology course,
will be presented. The overall structure of the course, which is
designed to enhance retention in the sciences, and the ongoing efforts
to make the course as inquiry-based as possible, will be discussed.
• Dr. Mimi Zolan earned an A.B. degree
from Smith College and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. She taught
at the University of Michigan-Dearborn for three years before moving
to Indiana University in 1989. At Indiana, she has won seven awards
for outstanding teaching while maintaining an active research program
on the relationship between meiosis and DNA repair. Dr. Zolan is
the co-founder and co-director of an NSF-funded Research Experiences
for Undergraduates program in molecular biology and genetics, and
has always made undergraduate researchers an important part of her
laboratory.
What do you Teach, How do you Teach it, and Why?
This talk is an interactive session that helps participants examine
the assumptions that we have all been working under as we teach
our various classes. Specifically, participants will be asked to
examine, through group discussion and interaction the following:
the qualities of an excellent college professor, the course objectives
we put forth to our students on the first day of class and throughout
the term, our biggest disappointments in teaching - be they disappointments
in our performance as a teacher or disappointments in our students’
achievements, and what we, as professors, can do to eliminate as
many of those disappointments in future classes.
• Dr. Robert Tallitsch is a Professor
in the Biology Department at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL.
He has a B.A. in biology from North Central College and a Ph.D.
in physiology from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Tallitsch
has authored several articles and textbooks including the Benjamin
Cummings text Human Anatomy, 4th Edition which he co-authored with
Ric Martini and Mike Timmons. His current research interests center
around Tradtional Chinese Medicine in ancient and modern China,
with particular emphasis upon Qigong.
The First Course in Preparatory/Introductory Chemistry:
Enthuse Them or Lose Them
Imagine the first meeting of a classroom full of nervous pre-chem
students who fear both chemistry and math. You have 50 minutes during
the first lecture to make your case and turn their fear of chemistry
into excitement. In this session, I will demonstrate the techniques
I use to keep students enthused - not only in the first lecture
of preparatory chemistry but also throughout the course - while
insisting on an extremely high level of comprehension of the fundamental
concept not usually attempted in the pre-chem course.
• Dr. Mike Silver graduated from Cornell
University with a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry in 1982. He did postdoctoral
research at Northwestern University and then joined the faculty
at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where he is a full professor
teaching courses across the curriculum. His most enjoyable course
is an evening preparatory chemistry class he teaches at nearby Grand
Rapids Community College. Dr. Silver received a Camille and Henry
Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award for excellence in teaching and research
in 1988, and the Provost's Award for Teaching Excellence in 1997.
Bioterrorism: A Microbiologist’s Perspective
The general population of the United States has a heightened awareness
with respect to the bioterrorist threat. However, perspective is
often lacking when bioterrorism is addressed by the popular press.
In this session, a molecular microbiologist's perspective will be
presented that will integrate an understanding of basic infectious
disease parameters with a look at molecular potency of the bioterrorist
arsenal.
• Dr. Stuart Hill is currently an Assistant
Professor of Biological Sciences at Northern Illinois University.
He received his Ph.D in microbiology at the University of Montana.
Prior to teaching at NIU, he spent eight years studying infectious
disease at the National Institutes of Health with a further two
years of study at the Institute of Molecular Biology at the University
of Oregon. Dr. Hill is an internationally-recognized expert in the
variation of surface antigens in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the etiological
agent for the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea.
Using Classroom Assessment Tools (CATs) in the
A&P Classroom
This interactive workshop will focus on the use of CATs, Classroom
Assessment Tools, in the Anatomy and Physiology Classroom. Practical,
successful, easy to implement (and sometimes fun!) classroom assessment
tools will be shared in this session. Also, examples of assessment
tools which can be used in campus-wide assessment projects will
be shared. Participants will receive a handout with a number of
ideas for use in their classroom.
• Deborah S. Temperly is Associate
Professor of Biology at Delta College involved in the Delta College
Assessment project since its inception at the school. She has been
on the Delta College faculty since 1991 and was selected to receive
the Bergstein Award for Teaching Excellence in 1996. Along with
her teaching assignment in anatomy and physiology, she served as
the Director of the Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence from
1998-2002. In addition to teaching at the college level, she enjoyed
a position teaching high school biology for two years at Seoul Foreign
School in Seoul, Korea.
Engaging Students in Introductory Biology to Learn
to Reason with Causal Models
To learn the complex skills required for scientific reasoning, it
is critical that students practice by engaging in problem solving
in an environment where they can get feedback about their work and
ideas. However, many science classrooms, especially at the introductory
level are too large for meaningful interactions between students
and the instructor. We have adapted a classroom communication system
to facilitate interactions around problem solving in a large introductory
biology course for majors. Use of this approach has transformed
the classroom, and provides students with a “reason to learn
all that stuff”. Use of this approach has also changed our
assessment techniques and increased the quality and complexity of
quizzes and exams.
• Dr. Randy Phillis earned his B.A.
at Miami Univeristy, his Ph.D. in genetics at Indiana University
and was a post-doc at the University of Wisconsin. He is part of
team that redesigned Introductory Biology at UMass with funding
from the Pew Center for Academic Transformation. He has been awarded
the College Outstanding Teacher Award and has been invited to several
forums to discuss redesign of large lecture courses to engage students
in problem solving and improve reasoning skills.
Leveraging Constructivism into Chemisty: Translating
Theory into Practice
In this workshop, Dr. Hunter will demonstrate how he has made slight
changes in order and emphasis of classroom activities to provide
more opportunities for students to construct chemical concepts.
Activities and lessons will include gas laws, atomic theory, nomenclature,
and connections to student’s daily lives.
• Dr. William Hunter is an Assistant
Professor of Chemistry and Curriculum & Instruction at Illinois
State University where is is also Associate Director for the Center
for Mathematics, Science and Technology. He aslo serves as Secretary-Treasurer
for the Illinois Association of Chemistry Teachers. He was a secondary
teacher of mathematics, computer science and chemistry in Canada
and England and moved to the USA to earn his Ph.D. in chemistry
from Purdue.
Online Course Management with Course Compass;
My A&P
As advances in Internet technology are helping instructors teach
online science courses more effectively, the variety of options
for online course management can be overwhelming. The session will
demonstrate a variety of popular course management options and highlight
Benjamin Cummings customizable content, including lecture outlines,
chapter-specific test and quiz questions, interactive exercises,
case studies, web-based research activities, and more. Session attendance
limited to 24.
• Charissa M. Urbano is Ed.D. and Professor
of Biology at Delta College. She has been a student and practioner
of the art of teaching and its various trends and initiatives for
the past 20 years. She believes that Blackboard (Bb) is the best
teaching tool to come along in years and has integrated Bb into
each of the different levels of biology classes that she teaches.
Professor Urbano is the recipient of numerous teaching awards including
the Bergstein Award for Teaching Excellence in 1992, a 1994 NISOD
Excellence Award, the Don and Betty Carlyon Endowed Teaching Chair
in 1994, and the Barstow and Frevel Award for Scholarly Achievement
in 1995.
•Christine Ngau-Tibbits is a Technology
Specialist for Benjamin Cummings.
Hands-On BiologyLabs On-Line
This session will provide faculty an opportunity to use web-based
simulations that are designed to involve students in the scientific
process. Although the labs are designed for general biology students,
they are appropriate for many upper division courses. In addition
to actually running the labs, participants will be given sample
assignments for the use of the labs with their students. Session
attendance limited to 24.
• Dr. Howard Passmore is a Professor
of Genetics and the Director of Under-graduate Instruction for the
Department of Genetics at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Dr.
Passmore’s research experience has been in mouse genetics,
and his current educational interest has been the development of
a computer-based genetics laboratory.
A Practical Introduction to Problem-Based Learning
This talk will help participants examine what they hope their students
will get out of their classes, and how they currently work to accomplish
that. Participants will be introduced to the concept of Problem-Based
Learning (PBL) and how it can be used in small, large, major, and
non-major courses. Good utilization of PBL is a long and time-intensive
undertaking. However, the advantages of active learning more than
outweigh the disadvantages, and Dr. Tallitsch will discuss the results
he has seen in his Human Anatomy, Neuroanatomy and Kinesiology courses.
Participants will receive a series of handouts that define PBL,
include sample problems and provide additional resources.
• Dr. Robert Tallitsch is a Professor
in the Biology Department at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL.
He has a B.A. in biology from North Central College and a Ph.D.
in physiology from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Tallitsch
has authored several articles and textbooks including the Benjamin
Cummings text Human Anatomy, 4th Edition which he co-authored with
Ric Martini and Mike Timmons. His current research interests center
around Tradtional Chinese Medicine in ancient and modern China,
with particular emphasis upon Qigong.
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