Innovative teaching Recipients and abstracts
|
|
|
INNOVATIVE TEACHING RECIPIENTS FOR 2007-2008
Virtual Visiting Artist: Creating a Global Learning Environment using Online Meeting Technologies - Stacy Koffman - This project involves the continuing research of online meeting technologies needed to create a learning environment for students to engage and interact with artists across the globe. The "virtual" visiting artist will present their artwork to the students through live video, two-way audio, PowerPoint presentation and live chat via web-based software such as Adobe Connect. Students in Art Appreciation will learn the basic steps needed to interact with the artist prior to the presentation. The presentations will be archived for future classroom use via streaming media or pod casting. Assessment will also be incorporated in the project using the software's Q&A and Polling features. Courses involved with this project include: Implementation with Art Appreciation (Spring 09). Future courses include: Art History, 2D Design, 3D Design, Introduction to Drawing, Introduction to Painting, Computer Graphics, Ceramics, Sculpture, Color Theory, Digital Photography and has the potential to be used in virtually all GSC courses.
Learning Support Community for Fall 2008 - Peggy Strickland, Anita Turlington, Patricia Worrall - During Fall 2008 a particular section of ENGL 0099, READ 0099, and GSCE 1101 will be designated as a Learning Support Community restricted to a common group of students to enhance student progress through intense focus on vital critical thinking skills and study habits necessary to exit learning support classes and become successful in college level classes. Anita Turlington, Peggy Strickland, and Patricia Worrall (the instructors) will collaborate on planning instruction to maximize the effectiveness of assignments and class participation as well as economize on the amount of material students need to cover to master skills. Students and faculty will benefit from intense collaborative interaction and learning.
Interactive Problem Sets and Feedback System to Improve Student Success in Principles of Microeconomics - Mike Ryan - This project will develop interactive problem sets for students in all sections of Principles of Microeconomics in an effort to improve learning and comprehension. These problem sets will cover all of the major topics in microeconomics and each of the problems will provide each student with feedback on his/her results. Furthermore, these problem sets can be used by instructors to determine which areas are most problematic for specific students. Each of the problems will be created using Respondus testing software with Microsoft Publisher used as needed for graphical problems. All GSC Economics faculty will be asked for their input as to the specific topics to be covered and these faculty members will be able to access these questions for their classes as well. The problems will then be loaded or ‘published’ through eLearning with each of the problem sets covering one major topic area. Students in any traditional, hybrid, or on-line section of Principles of Microeconomics as well as those in our Survey of Economics classes will have access to these questions through eLearning. The primary goal of this project is to improve students’ understanding and performance in microeconomics by providing more chances to apply economic theory and by providing feedback to students on how well they do. This project would also significantly benefit students by eliminating the cost associated with their purchase of supplements from publishers and by using other assets we could potentially offer economics classes without requiring textbooks further reducing costs for our students.
The Best of Both Worlds - the History of Mathematics is Relevant - Pamela Sezgin and Serkan Hekimoglu - In this interdisciplinary learning project, History 1111 will be offered as an interdisciplinary course on the Oconee campus of Gainesville State College during Fall 2008. Mr. Hekimoglu and Dr. Sezgin will enrich the content of History 1111 class with mathematical and scientific presentations. Mr. Hekimoglu and Dr. Sezgin will create lesson plans that have a central historical theme or time period with carefully developed and integrated mathematical and scientific contributions, allowing students to deepen their knowledge and understanding across disciplines. Students will create their own interdisciplinary projects. Each project will focus on a particular ancient civilization (or time period) and emphasize several of that culture's mathematical and scientific accomplishments. Mr Hekimoglu and Dr. Sezgin will serve both as advisors and judges for the interdisciplinary projects.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING ABSTRACTS FOR 2007-2008
Privilege, Power and Prestige: A First-Year Seminar - Anita Turlington and Michallene McDaniel - This project will continue an extremely successful interdisciplinary seminar begun in Fall 2007. The seminar is a thematic integration of English 1101 and Sociology 1101; we use the term "seminar" instead of "learning community" because, unlike the learning communities that have been done at GSC in the past, we actually have the same group of students enrolled in two courses that we teach together 6 hours a week. This is a fully integrated, thematic approach, as can be seen on the attached syllabus. We currently have 27 students enrolled in both English 1101, and Sociology 1101. Our current theme is "You, Me and Everyone Else" focusing on identity formation. This cohort of students has indicated that they would like to stay together for another semester. We have noticed that the students in this learning community have bonded with each other and with the two professors in ways that we believe will be beneficial to first-year students. At the request of the students, we have created another course pairing that will integrate the introduction to literary analysis/composition with the study of social problems and deviance. As we are doing this semester, we will integrate discussions on sociological concepts with appropriate readings and writing assignments.
Virtual Visiting Artist: Creating a Global Learning Environment using Online Meeting Technologies - Stacy Koffman - This project involves researching online meeting technologies needed to create a learning environment for students to engage and interact with artists across the globe. The "virtual" visiting artist will present their artwork to the students through two-way audio, PowerPoint presentation and live chat via web-based software such as Horizon Wimba. Students will learn the basic steps needed to interact with the artist prior to the presentation. The presentations will be archived for future classroom use via streaming media or pod casting. Assessment will also be incorporated in the project using the software's Q&A and Polling features.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING ABSTRACTS FOR 2006-2007
Development of a Histology Learning Module to Improve Student Understanding of Structure/Function Relationships in Anatomy and Physiology - Cathy Whiting - Histology (the study of tissues) is a very important component of the study of the human body. Oftentimes, students encounter great difficulty when they are first introduced to the four basic tissue types (epithelial, connective, muscle, and nervous). Too often, their initial “learning” consists only of memorizing lists of cellular/histological characteristics. The understanding of organ system physiology is dependent upon the knowledge of anatomical structure at both the gross and microscopic levels. Therefore, I spend a great deal of class time during the first part of Anatomy and Physiology I (Biology 2120/2120L) laying down a conceptual framework for the importance of the intimate relationship between structure and function. Students are often overwhelmed by the amount of material that they must master. Because this introduction to histology is such an important part of the learning process in anatomy and physiology, I want to develop a Histology Learning Module that will enable them to build a solid foundation in terms of understanding the basics of microscopic anatomy. In addition to an introductory unit on the four basic tissue types, the learning module will also contain a unit on the cell, units on each of the eleven organ systems, and a histopathology unit that will compare healthy tissues with diseased tissues. This project will enable me to more effectively teach critical-thinking skills as a part of an inquiry-based educational paradigm in my anatomy and physiology courses (Biology 2120/2120L and Biology 2130/2130L).
Color My World of Writing - Bob Croft and Glenda McLeod - This project will seek to improve student awareness of and expertise in two important writing skills: content and style. Beginning composition students, especially Learning Support students, often struggle with their writing because they cannot differentiate between abstract and concrete language and, as a result, find it difficult or impossible to incorporate specific, concrete language and sensory details into their writing. Through the use of visual clues created with the use of colored markers, students will learn to label different kinds of specific details in their paragraphs and essays. This process will first make them aware of the level of specific language (or lack thereof) in their writing, and then educate them on how to add more “color” to their writing. Additionally, in another aspect of the project, students will address their writing style by analyzing the variety (or lack thereof at first) in sentence lengths. The measurement will be starkly visual, involving tracing sentence lengths on paper. This added awareness of the need for specificity in detail and variety in style will lead to improvements in both areas of student writing.
Creation of Computer Practice Tests for COMPASS Exit Reading Test - Peggy Strickland, April Fallaw and Joy Campbell -The use of comparative studies is encouraged where appropriate, but demonstrations, projects, focus groups and other forms of assessment are also welcome. Please provide a description of the method or attach a draft copy of the instrument that will be used to evaluate the effects of this change in your pedagogy. As previously mentioned, we will develop a survey instrument to obtain students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the passages as well as obtain COMPASS success rates (possibly comparing them to several previous semesters before the introduction of our practice).
GIS Technological Applications for Environmental Studies - Kerry Stewart, Clay Ouzts, Trey Wilson, Allison Ainsworth, and Clayton Teem - Five environmental studies faculty learned the methodology involved in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), as applied to selected social sciences and humanities fields of study. Faculty met in the Gainesville State College GIS lab over the summer to train in the technologies and conceptual frameworks of GIS. Each faculty member designed a GIS-based project from data related to their own area of expertise during the summer course of study. Additional GIS-components were fashioned for inclusion into environmental studies courses scheduled as part of the 4-year B.S. degree in Applied Spatial Environmental Analysis or the Certificate in Environmental Studies. Projects, course impact, and future directions for GIS were presented to the Gainesville State College community.
Personalization of Instructional Information and Location for PHED 1020 Online - James Howard - During 2005-06 I developed a database driven web application as the core of my PHED 1020 Online class. As of Spring ’07, my students log into a web application from computers in our GSC Fitness Center before their workouts. This application retrieves their last workout from the database and personalizes the current workout based upon the previous workout information. The new workout is printed for the student. At the end of the workout the student inputs their latest information and logs out. With upward of 180 students in my classes, and Dr. Burrage beginning Online 1020 courses as well, the Fitness Center is beyond its capacity at peak times. Personalization of Instruction is at the heart of my project. First, I will overcome database storage limitations to enable the permanent recording of all workouts for each student. (At this time only a few workouts are able to be kept on record.) Personalizing this information will allow students to review previous workouts, graph trends, and receive encouragement from real data showing their progress through the semester. Secondly, I propose integrating the web application into area gyms and workout facilities to allow students more flexibility for locations and times to complete PHED 1020 workout component. Many of my students live outside the Gainesville area, have gym memberships, or have travel constraints. This project would allow greater flexibility of place and time for students. Through this project I hope to: increase the total number of student workouts, increase student fitness levels, decrease student withdrawals, and decrease pressure on GSC Fitness Center.
Internet-Based Surveys for Learning Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Introductory Psychology - Clayton Teem - Classes were divided into teams of 5-7 students. Teams selected a topic in psychology to explore via a survey. Each student was assigned a role and/or section in their team. Each class was taught about the elements of a research presentation/paper, including: informed consent, generating hypotheses, literature review, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and abstract. Teams designed a questionnaire, which was then run over the internet through a web-based survey site for a month. Students were required to participate in a minimum number of surveys for other groups outside their own classes, though individuals outside the campus-community could also take part in the surveys. Results were tabulated, analyzed, and presented.
Increasing Student Success in Hybrid Courses through Improved Virtual Communication about Technology and Course Requirements - Allison Ainsworth and Brian Kline - Being a successful speaker involves having an effective message and an effective delivery method. Today's speakers have to engage the audience not only with their poise and charisma, but also with the visuals they incorporate into their presentations. Most GSC students understand the basics of developing power point presentations for their speeches, they falter in the execution of the visuals on presentation day by not understanding how to use the equipment necessary to show their visuals. An eLearning component will be designed to increase student understanding of technology skills needed to be successful in the Communication classroom. These skills will also be useful for other classroom presentations and in the workplace. The component will include streamed video content of a classroom tutorial of using the equipment in the Smart classroom; photos with labeled diagrams of the equipment available for student use in the classroom, and instructions for student use of course-specific technology and campus resources. Since the hybrid class provides less opportunity for classroom discussion and observation of available visual devices, this eLearning component will increase student knowledge about the equipment. Effectiveness of this project will be determined by comparing student retention and presentation success in the hybrid classes of Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semesters. If proven successful through the pilot program, this component could serve as a refresher for the traditional COMM 1100 classes as well as training for the hybrid sections. Other departments may also find this component helpful in preparing their students for classroom presentation.
Discovering and Developing Character Through the Mack Characterization Technique - Brent Maddox - The Mask Characterization Technique (MCT) is a key component to the growth and development of the student actor's skills in the process of acting. Masks are typically used in actor training for further character development because of the tremendous amount of freedom found behind the mask. This project will provide an examination on the development and practice or movement for the actor through MCT aimed at providing a means for the student to develop a sustained physical process for clearer character development and meeting the demands of performing on the stage. The results of the mask work is a' complete, fully dimensional character which could be re-created after the mask has been removed - a character which has little or no relationship to the actor's social person.
Effective Strategies for Overcoming Test and Math Anxiety in the Intermediate Algebra Course in Preparation for the COMPASS Exam - Helene C. Hendon and Melinda D. Hawley -
A collaboration of the Mathematics Division and the Personal Counseling Office at Gainesville State College-Oconee Campus, this Freeze focuses on teaching students toos that help them balance their mental and emotional systems which is critical for successful learning and test taking. It will address the pedagogical needs of students in the area of mathematics in the spring of 2007. The Freeze will integrate Freeze-Frame, an emotional management training technique developed by the Institute of HeartMath (IHM) into mathematics instruction in two sections of MATH 0099. Freeze-Frame involves psycho-physiological stress reduction strategies.
We will present the HeartMath anxiety-reduction technique and the Freeze-Frame training technique to students in these classes and demonstrate the Freeze-Framer computer software, which enables students to learn how to reduce stress and enhance performance through biofeedback. Students will be required to read and apply the techniques explicated in Transforming Stress: The HeartMath Solution for Relieving Worry, Fatigue, and Tension and/or TestEdge: Getting in Sync for Test Success, log their practice sessions in TestEdge and FreeFrame in the testing lab or library station, and be assessed on their mastery of these techniques. Students will be required to meet with the personal counselor for a minimum of one session during the semester and will be encouraged to meet regularly with a math tutor.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING ABSTRACTS FOR 2005-2006
Interactive Problem Sets to Improve Student Comprehension in Principles of Macroeconomics - Mike Ryan - This project will develop interactive problem sets for students in all sections of Principles of Macroeconomics in an effort to improve learning and comprehension. These problem sets will cover all of the major topics in macroeconomics and each of the problems sets will provide each student with feedback on his/her results. Furthermore, these problem sets can be used by instructors to determine which areas are problematic for a group of students in a given semester.
Each of the problems will be created using Respondus testing software with Microsoft Publisher used as needed for graphical problems. All GSC economics faculty will be asked for their input as to the specific topics to be covered and these faculty members will be able to access these questions for their classes as well. The problems will then be loaded or ‘published’ through WebCT Vista with each of the problem sets covering one major topic area. Students in any section of macroeconomics on either GSC campus will have access to these problems through Vista.
The primary goal of this project is to improve students’ understanding and performance in macroeconomics by providing more chances to apply economic theory and by providing feedback to students on how well they do. This project would also significantly benefit students by eliminating the cost associated with their purchase of supplements from publishers and by using other assets we could ultimately be able to offer economics classes without requiring a textbook providing even greater savings for our students.
Online Instructional Tool for Learning Support English - Anita Turlington and Matthew Horton - In Summer semester 2005, Carol Howard, Director of Learning Support Division, approved a pilot section of English 0099 that would integrate a regular weekly computer lab component. The rationale behind the pilot section was to modify classroom teaching strategies in order to engage students via a more kinesthetic learning environment, which is generally a learning preference for learning support students. In addition, students would gain experience composing on a word processor and using a variety of websites, which would prepare them more effectively to succeed in English 1101. They would also be prepared to re-take the COMPASS exit exam with more confidence. Because of the positive comments of students in this section, as well as their success in passing the course (all students but one qualified for the re-take of the COMPASS; all who took the COMPASS passed), all sections of English 0099 now use a regular lab component.
In addition, the text for the course, which has been developed and regularly updated by GSC faculty for over 20 years, is now being updated to reflect current pedagogy. It will now place more emphasis on requiring students to write earlier in the course and will merge grammar and mechanics exercises with composition tasks.
The online learning tool developed through this project will enhance this new course design by providing instructors in English 0099 with a resource that makes computer usage an integral part of the classroom experience. Students will more quickly be able to develop the computer literacy they need to perform comfortably in English 1101 while, at the same time, practice the test-taking skills required to pass the COMPASS exam itself.
Lyman Hall Spanish Literacy Project - Belinda Sauret - This service learning project sends Gainesville State College students to Lyman Hall Elementary School where the older students work with the younger to develop their literacy skills in Spanish. The GSC students benefit from the opportunity to practice their budding Spanish skills with a receptive audience, and the primary school children work with materials that were designed for them. The importance of native language literacy in academic preparation may be expressed as "academic progress is impeded by first language (L1) illiteracy since critical and abstract thinking skills are developed largely through reading. Current research shows that where CALP is "Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency" and BICS is "Basic Communicative Interpersonal Skills" that L2 CALP is more dependent on L1 CALP than on L2 Bics."
Learning Science through Service: Water Quality Analysis for Northeast Georgia Clients - Jon Hoekstra - The proposed project will add a service-learning component to Introduction to Ecology (BIOL 1102) a non-majors' natural science course. Student teams will work with clients who are concerned about the environmental health of local water bodies. In an initial onsite meeting, clients will explain their concerns and questions to students. Student teams will college field data and will obtain a water sample. Upon returning to campus, students will quantify the sample's fecal coliform bacteria concentration in a GC laboratory using state-of-the-art, user-friendly technology. Student teams will then summarize their findings in data report forms and brief PowerPoint presentations. The oral presentations will be made to an audience of fellow students, faculty and staff, client representatives, and interested citizens. The primary goals of this project are: 1) to improve students' attitude toward science as a relevant tool with positive social applications; 2) to get students involved with community organizations, thus improving their civic engagement; and 3) to help community organizations learn more about water quality challenges in the region. Qualitative methods will be used to assess the project's effectiveness over two semesters of implementation (1 course section per semester). Observations made and lessons learned will then be shared with the college community in workshops and/or presentations. In summary, the proposed project will add an experiential, service-learning component to a non-majors' biology course. It will use existing research equipment and expertise to support the teaching and outreach missions of Gainesville State College.
Creating the Interactive Wireless Classroom - Jim Konzelman; Dan Cabaniss; Helene Hendon; Penny Lyman; and Clay Ouzts - Five instructors representing all academic divisions at Gainesville College will incorporate a wireless personal response system (PRS) into a wide range of classroom activities, including taking attendance, administering tests, and conducting class discussion. The system, which consists of a keypad for each student in a given class, a receiver for the instructor station, and the required software, will allow instructors to address questions to students in a number of different formats, either as written tests, surveys, quizzes, or questions inserted throughout PowerPoint presentations, and students will be able to respond either anonymously or by name. Test results can be imported into a gradebook such as Excel or WebCT Vista. The ability to ask questions in such a flexible way and to compile answers instantaneously should give instructors an exciting new tool both for assessing student understanding of course material and conducting class discussion. The system’s capability of eliciting answers from students anonymously should be particularly useful in facilitating classroom discussion, since it will help overcome students’ reticence in answering questions due to fear of being embarrassed either because they might get the answer wrong, or because they might express an unpopular opinion. At the conclusion of Spring semester, an assessment of the PRS system will be completed, and the results will be made available to College faculty in Fall 2006.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING RECIPIENTS FOR 2004-2005
World Literature and Ancient History: an Interdisciplinary Learning Community on the Oconee Campus - Pamela Sezgin and Glenda McLeod - English 2111 and History 1111 are being offered as an interdisciplinary learning community on the Oconee campus of Gainesville State College during Fall 2005. Students will meet separately in the two courses with Drs. Glenda McLeod and Pamela Sezgin on a twice per week basis, but will combine in a special WebCT Vista online component where they will have joint discussions and share resources. The WebCT Vista component will augment normal class lectures, tests, and texts by providing video clips, images of art and archaeology from the ancient world, and sound bites that bring the ancient world into the living present. Students in the two classes will also combine into teams for three hands-on projects where they will transform the Iliad into a movie script, develop a museum exhibit on the ancient Hindu Mahabaratam, and put Gawan of Gawan and the Green Knight, on trial in a medieval People's Court for his violation of the Code of Chivalry. Results of these team projects will be shared in joint meetings of both classes and posted on WebCT Vista.
Statistics in Action - Gina Reed - Many statisticians agree there is a gap between statistics teaching and statistical practice. The American Statistical Association/Mathematical Association of America Joint Curriculum Committee have made three recommendations to improve the teaching of statistics: emphasize the elements of statistical thinking, incorporate more data concepts, and foster active learning. The project will incorporate these recommendations. Additional goals are to show the relevance and usefulness of statistics outside the classroom and to have students develop proficiency in using the appropriate technology to assist in the problem solving process.
The project includes developing SmartBoard notebook files that utilize hyperlinks to real data sets and interactive statistical applets on the web as well as incorporating mymathlab (a math course management tool) to complement the newly selected statistics book. The choice of appropriate data sets will be based on their connection to other disciplines and student interest. Use of the virtual calculator and MiniTab (a statistical software package) will be integrated into the SmartBoard files. All of the class information can be saved in shared files for students to access.
Qualitative and quantitative assessment will be implemented. Qualitative assessment will be a student satisfaction survey and it is attached. The quantitative assessment will be a comparative analysis of pass and retention rates for the piloted courses versus the non-piloted courses at the end of Fall Semester 2005.
A Step-by-Step, Modular Approach to Teaching and Learning Principles of Accounting in a Fully Online Course - Chris Jonick - This project will involve developing materials and strategies for delivering a comprehensive, highly interactive, fully online Principles of Accounting I course. The project involves three key aspects: (1) adding to an existing collection of modular, online activities in order to provide a full complement for the course; (2) developing new activities and/or converting existing activities so that they are algorithmically generated whenever it is appropriate; and (3) researching and procuring effective web-based communication tools.
Art, Writing, and Research: Creating Connections - Stacy Koffman, Angela Megaw and Patsy Worrall - The project titled "Art, Writing, and Research: Creating Connections" creates a learning community among art, technical writing, and research students aimed at promoting technical, rhetorical, and information management literacy skills. Students from each course will be grouped into teams whose objective is to create a poster and website for various Gainesville State College academic programs and services. From a pedagogical perspective, the project artifacts (posters and websites) will demonstrate the inter-connectedness between visual and written texts. The culmination of the projects will be a showing of the posters and the websites for the college community. Through this project, students will experience an authentic learning situation for applying proficiencies achieved in the respective courses, an understanding of the connections between visual and verbal elements of texts and media, as well as developing visual, technical, and rhetorical literacies. The impact of the project on students involves collaborative experience, awareness of other disciples and the relationship between those disciplines, direct interaction with academic programs and services to include faculty and staff involved in the programs and services. The benefits for faculty participating in the project are varied. The project creates an interdisciplinary environment and a collaborative challenge. Along with the opportunity to share skill and knowledge sets, and to gain exposure to other teaching methodologies and class structures.
Internet Introduction to Human Communication - Brian Kline - This project will take the traditional classroom Introduction to Human Communication course and transform it in an Internet based course. Students would to all course unit material and assignments online except for tests and oral presentations. The course will be taught via WebCT. The instructor will develop course material for all chapters currently being handled in the classroom. Powerpoint presentations will be available as well as audio of course content and video samples. Students will submit all classroom work through WebCT email and discussion will take place on the bulletin board. Tests will be conducted in a classroom and all oral presentations will be delivered in a classroom. Students will need to be in class 5-6 days out of the semester. The course would be evaluated by comparing test and oral presentation results of the Internet students with those taking the course in the traditional classroom setting. A survey of students taking the Internet course would also provide feedback. If successful, this course could provide an alternative teaching method for students, aid students in the traditional class and maybe help with the limited classroom space on campus.
Creation of a Library of Children's Books for READ 0099 - April Fallaw and Dr. Peggy Strickland. Having been inspired by the success of using Polar Express in READ 0099 and attending session at the 23rd Southeast Regional Conference of the International Reading Association dealing with the successful use of children's literature with older students, we would like to create a library of children's literature that could reinforce skill introduction, encourage fluency, and serve as a bridge to cross-curricular assignments as well as a service learning component in READ 0099.
Use of Classroom Response System (CPS) in Teaching Psychology - Clayton Teem. One section of introductory psychology students (28 maximum) will use classroom response system (CPS). System consists of a keypad, "clicker", which students use to respond to quizzes, in-class questions, anonymous opinion surveys, and other relevant material. Their answers are recorded by an infrared device which transfers the data to a computer. Data is available for analysis by instructor and student. System also allows for taking attendance and performing grading functions. Comparisons will be made between CPS class and those introductory classes not utilizing the CPS system. Attendance, quizzes, class preparation, and class grading will also be examined.