2020 Fall - The Science of Learning

Dr. Christine Sobek, President of Waubonsee Community College

Welcome, Opening Remarks, and Educational Affairs Announcements 

• Dr. Diane Nyhammer, Vice President of Educational Affairs

Recognition of Outstanding Faculty Member

• Dr. Diane Nyhammer, Vice President of Educational Affairs
• Dr. Christine J. Sobek, President

Outstanding Faculty Recipient Remarks

• Dr. Aaron Lawler, Assistant Professor of Humanities

Educational Affairs Announcements Presentation

Keynote Introduction

• David Voorhees, Professor of Earth Science and Geology

Keynote Workshop

Talk Matters: Investigating the Nature of Non-Content Classroom Language– Instructor Talk– that May Mediate Student Inclusion, Engagement, and Learning 

Keynote Speaker

• Jeff Schinske​, Biology Department Chair, Foothill College, Principal Investigator and Co-Director, NIH Scientist Spotlights Initiative, Co-Principal Investigator &Co-Director NSF CC Bio INSITES

Session Description: ​Through the language they use, instructors create classroom environments that have the potential to impact learning by affecting student motivation, resistance, belonging, and self-efficacy. However,despite the critical importance of instructor language to the student experience, little research has investigated what instructors are saying in undergraduate classrooms. We systematically investigated instructor language that was not directly related to content ("Instructor Talk") and identified five robust categories of Instructor Talk that can characterize ~90% of non-content language found in courses. The remaining ~10% of instances of Instructor Talk in these settings were categorized as negatively-phrased or potentially discouraging in nature. In this interactive presentation, participants will reflect on their past use of Instructor Talk, explore the Instructor Talk framework derived from our research, and identify ways of applying Instructor Talk in their future classes.Attention to Instructor Talk in undergraduate classrooms may be key for instructors to create inclusive learning environments and promote student learning.

Workshop Materials:

• Presentation Slides (Canvas)
• Instructor Talk Framework (Canvas)
• Research Article 1 (analysis of initial course) (Links to an external site.)
• Research Article 2 (analysis of 61 courses) (Links to an external site.)
• Flippity (Links to an external site.) (free tool used to create sorting activity - called "manipulatives" on the site)

Sonic_Singularity_Presentation (Canvas)

Facilitators

• Dr. Hoitung Leung, Instructional Designer/Technologist
• Sara Gregory, Adjunct Faculty - Communications, Humanities, and Arts

Session Description: Creating audio/video content is more than presenting information or clicking buttons. It is about communication-- our voices drastically impact the student experience and play a much larger role in student learning and engagement now than ever before. Knowing how to wield our voices and the sounds surrounding them will have a lasting effect on our students while humanizing the digital realm our students have come to know. To remain relevant in this post-pandemic digital soundscape, we must transcend technology using the singularity of voice. This session will introduce sonic theory and provide three vocal methods for effective online instruction, as we learn about the video tools on Canvas.

Facilitator

• Dr. Hoitung Leung, Instructional Designer/Technologist

Session Description: Assessments are typically classified into two groups, formative assessments and summative assessments. The former is assessment for learning, and the latter is assessment of learning. 

The distinction is on the use of collected data. Some question types apply to both; some are more suitable for allowing instructors the ability to make real-time adjustments in their teaching plan. In this session, we will explore the different Canvas tools available to help with assessment, such as Quizzes and Surveys.

Facilitator

• Jeff Schinske, Biology Department Chair, Foothill College, Principal Investigator and Co-Director, NIH Scientist Spotlights Initiative, Co-Principal Investigator & Co-Director NSF CC Bio INSITES

Session Description: From watching television shows and movies to their experiences in college classes themselves, students recurrently encounter stereotypes that, more often than not, convey a relatively narrow view of who participates in our fields of study. We might wonder, then; what are the impacts of these messages on students and what, if anything, might faculty do in response to this messaging? In this interactive workshop, attendees will reflect on the impacts of stereotypes in their fields, examine Scientist Spotlight homework assignments as an intervention to shift students' stereotypes, and consider implementation strategies for spotlight-type assignments in a wide array of course types and subject areas.

Workshop Materials/Resources

• Workshop Presentation Slides (Canvas)
• Sample Spotlight Assignments Canvas)
• Jeff's Research Article on Spotlights (Links to an external site.)
• Scientist Spotlights Website (Links to an external site.) (ready to use assignments)

David Voorhees has been offering students to make their own videos on counter-stereotypical scientists for extra credit.  He has accumulated over a dozen of these student-made videos on his YouTube Channel. (Links to an external site.)  

Facilitator

• Dr. Cia Verschelden, Vice President, Academic and Student Affairs, Malcolm X College

Session Description: The cognitive resources for learning of many of our students have been and are being diminished by the negative effects of persistent economic insecurity and discrimination and hostility against non-majority groups based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity, and other aspects of difference. One of the most powerful bandwidth stealers is uncertainty. In the recent public health crisis of COVID-19, our students– and our instructors– existed in a situation where uncertainty was the only constant. Uncertainty depleted bandwidth, distracting all of us and threatening our ability to concentrate our cognitive resources on school and work. We have learned a great deal from the crisis, and we can continue to implement strategies and interventions– in and outside the classroom-- to decrease uncertainty and regain the cognitive capacity to be successful in college.

Session Handouts:

Powerpoint from the workshop (Canvas)

1. handout 1 - additional resources (Canvas)
2. handout 2 - microaggressions examples (Canvas)
3. handout 3 - Adverse Childhood Experiences(Canvas)
4. handout 4 - Funds of Knowledge (Canvas)
5. handout 5 - personal values (Canvas)
6. handout 6 - connecting the known to the unknown (Canvas)
7. handout 7 - mindset (Canvas)
8. handout 8 - high-hope syllabus (Canvas)

Facilitators

• Sara Gregory, Adjunct Faculty - Communications, Humanities and Arts
• Bernard Little, Dean for Students
• Amy Powers, Professor of History
• David Voorhees, Professor of Earth Science and Geology

Session Description: Based on current numbers, approximately 38% of our fall section will be delivered Face-to-face, Flex, or Hybrid. These three delivery modes all have face-to-face, on-campus components. In this session, we will share a sample communication plan for faculty to use on the first day of class that addresses classroom and building (hallways, bathrooms, etc.) logistics, cooperative cleaning, reporting expectations, potential modality change, etc. Bernard Little, Dean for Students, will share the student conduct procedures related to face mask compliance and students presenting symptoms of illness in class. We will review two COVID-19 positive scenarios and talk through the steps and responsibilities of faculty and students. Finally, we will discuss how we can support one another. While not all faculty will be on-campus this fall, we think it is important for all to be aware of the protocols in place so that all faculty members can best support each other and their students.

General Session Faculty and Student Health and Safety on Campus Slide Show (Canvas)