- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Faculty share online teaching strategies that create meaningful connections in support of student learning

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 12:47:43 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence (ATLE) reviewed strategies for substantive contact in online teaching at its meeting Sept. 19.��

“Cori Schmidtbauer gave me great ideas for making my online pharmacology class interactive,” nursing instructor LaQuana Smith said. “She suggested online games, unfolding case studies, and using Blackboard Collaborate to record small groups. Thanks Cori!”

Dr. Liz Pierce, associate professor and chair of the Department of Information Science, Dr. Kristen McIntyre, associate professor for the Department of Applied Communication and director of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communication Skill Center, and Cori Schmidtbauer, instructional designer for Scholarly Technology and Resources (STaR), shared their techniques with other faculty in attendance, stressing the goal of creating connection. Pierce explained that the Information Science department built a student profile to understand the characteristics and needs of students in their program. They found that most of their students prefer courses offered in the late afternoon or evenings on Mondays through Thursdays.�� “Our students arrive to class time around 5 p.m.,” Pierce said. “Holding class toward the end of the day works great, even for international students participating online from places like Singapore. The difference in time zones turns out to be very compatible when we schedule classes this way.” Students also prefer lively, engaging interaction and the ability to ask questions, even in an online experience. Pierce encouraged everyone to design a space that enables them to interact with their students and to make use of experts in the STaR office. “Students want to feel connected to their peers and the teacher,” Pierce said. “We use tools like multiple webcams with pre-set angles and on-screen chats so that students have both audio and text options for asking questions during a lecture. We want to give them a window into the classroom as if they were sitting in the front row.” Many classes are being offered in a “mashup” style. As McIntyre explained, in some classes, about half of the students are in the live classroom, while the other half interact online with peers and the instructor through Blackboard discussions, peer reviews, and other opportunities for connection. “I use low-threat activities to encourage peer-to-peer interactions that build community,” McIntryre said.�� Some examples McIntyre shared include encouraging students to create a social media connection outside of class, assigning peer reviews, hosting small group workshops online after 9 p.m. or on-campus during evenings and weekends, and inviting online students to participate in her on-campus version of a class anytime they want. “Facilitating opportunities for students to connect with one another requires low effort on my part and pays big dividends for student success,” McIntryre said. “I also require that they meet with me in-person or online within the first two weeks of class, just so we can get to know each other and kick start our connection. They can meet with me alone or in a group.” Schmidtbauer encouraged everyone to create a robust instructor presence in online courses as a way to engage students and avoid student isolation. “Humanize yourself to help students not feel isolated at their computers,” Schmidtbauer said. “Share your hobbies and interests. Post your photo and use 3-to-5-minute audio or video lectures to create a positive tone for the class.” Schmidtbauer suggested instructors maintain a sense of presence by using the many collaborative tools in Blackboard, using “SMART” (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based) goals to achieve teaching objectives, providing timely feedback to students, and using both individual messages and announcements to engage the class. All faculty are encouraged to take advantage of the professional development opportunities offered each month through ATLE.�� “I love ATLE events,” said Cynthia Johnson, accounting instructor. “You never know what tidbits you’ll pick up. I’ve implemented ideas received at ATLE events that have improved my syllabus, class management, communication, and Blackboard site design. ATLE offers great help, atmosphere, and comradery.” RSVP for upcoming ATLE events at /atle/events/.

Chancellor Drale gifts $25,000 to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty professional development��

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 17:27:19 +0000

The new chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has started her term with an investment in the future of faculty members at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.�� Dr. Christina Drale, named the university’s eighth chancellor by University of Arkansas System President Donald Bobbitt on Sept. 12, will donate $25,000 over two years to create an endowed fund to support the university’s Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence (ATLE). Drale made the announcement at the University Assembly on Sept. 20. Drale, who has 34 years of higher education experience, noted that it was important to invest in faculty members who give so much to provide an education for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s students. “While we make our way through the budget planning process and adjust to the new normal, it is vitally important that we not lose sight of the need to invest in our strengths,” Drale said. “As your chancellor, I make this commitment to you that I will keep that goal front and center. I am pleased to announce that I’ve started an endowment fund for the Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence in the amount of $25,000 — a modest token of my commitment to the university.”�� The Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence promotes professional development for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s faculty members. Its mission is to foster excellence in teaching and learning through sharing ideas, collaboration, and building a strong community of engaged teachers and learners.�� “The gift from Chancellor Drale speaks volumes about her commitment to higher education and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” said Christian O’Neal, vice chancellor for university advancement. “Dr. Drale highly values the time, dedication, and hard work of the university’s faculty members. As the new chancellor, she wishes to encourage others by leading by example, and her generosity serves as an inspiration to us all.” Faculty Senate President Amanda Nolen commended the endowment as a way to underscore the importance of faculty development in student success. “Professional development for faculty is an often underfunded afterthought across the academy,” Nolen said. “In spite of a small budget, ATLE has grown to play a central role in the vitality of this institution’s instructional force. This infusion of resources will add to the sustainability of ATLE as its leadership continues to develop the quality programming available to faculty across campus.”�� Three faculty members serve as ATLE co-directors: Michael DeAngelis, associate professor of Earth Sciences, Amar Kanekar, associate professor of health education and promotion, and Laura Barrio Vilar, associate professor of English. “Chancellor Drale has always been a strong advocate and supporter of the Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence, and this generous gift is another clear example of her strong commitment to the professional development of faculty of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” DeAngelis said. “ATLE strives to provide ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty with unique and innovative teaching and learning opportunities. This gift and its legacy will help to ensure its continued growth and the development of innovative, diverse and content-driven programming opportunities. The ATLE co-directors and fellows want to express our most sincere gratitude to Chancellor Drale.” Every month, the academy hosts two lunch-and-Learn events for faculty members to network and learn about teaching techniques and student success programs, and a teaching moments event for members to have direct learning experiences in a variety of classroom settings. These events serve as a powerful way to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty members to learn best teaching practices that they share with their colleagues. ATLE also sponsors teacher mentorships, community engagement opportunities, workshops, and an awards program for faculty. “I have been attending ATLE events since starting as a new faculty member at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” said Bailey Oliver, assistant professor of applied communication. “These events are not only fun and offer networking opportunities across disciplines at the university, but they provide insightful and necessary discussions on best teaching practices for our students. I have loved growing in teaching by attending these events, and frequently bring my notes from these events back to my faculty and department to prompt additional discussions as well.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty members work to improve student success, graduate rates

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 19 Jun 2019 14:45:44 +0000

More than 30 faculty members from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock spent four days learning strategies to improve student success and increase graduation rates on campus.�� The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence, the STEM Education Center, and the Office of the Provost hosted the Mobile Summer Institute on Scientific Teaching May 20-23 at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown. This training workshop was driven by the reality that less than half of undergraduate students in the U.S. complete their degrees, which is particularly true for historically underrepresented groups. This workshop was an immersive experience where faculty members participated in an active learning environment while engaging with research-based evidence on learning and effective teaching practices. Dr. Mark Baillie, assistant professor of chemistry and STRIVE director with the STEM Education Center, led the workshop along with a team of education reform leaders from across the country. The trainers included Peggy Brickman, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Georgia; Kirsten Coe, assistant professor of biology at Middlebury College; Troy Nash and Breonna Martin, biology lecturers at Mercer University; Tarren Shaw, biology lecturer at the University of Oklahoma; and Suann Yang, assistant professor of biology at SUNY Geneseo. Chris Etheridge, assistant professor of multimedia storytelling, said the workshop providing him with many examples to measure active learning in his classes. “I have always thought of mass communication as a field that has excelled in active learning,” Etheridge said. “We like to get students out of the classroom and into the real world to learn by doing. The traditional styles of teaching – lectures, quizzes, exams, and research papers — is what I know because it’s how I learned. When I reflect on my time as a student, the times where I felt I learned the most, were the times where I was actively engaging with complex and challenging topics related to the course. Now, I have a lot more in-class techniques and ideas for assignments that will clearly measure learning.” Faculty members wrapped up the four-day workshop with a strategic planning session, where participants brainstormed what they can do to improve student success across the campus and what they need from university administrators to increase their impact. Chancellor Andrew Rogerson, Provost Christina Drale, and many college deans and department chairs attended the session to hear ideas from faculty members. “We had more than 20 administrators from the university attend and hear how the faculty members want to make the university better and increase student success,” Baillie said. “It was a nice venue to begin having these conversations and to open up the lines of communication between faculty and administration.” Groups of faculty members gave three-minute presentations on the top ideas that faculty members think can best help to increase student success and teaching practices. The ideas include establishing a childcare center on campus; establishing programs and activities that foster a sense of community on campus; increasing opportunities for professional development and mentoring for faculty members; optimizing more spaces on campus for student-centered learning; implementing new innovative practices in the classroom, and course relief for professors who are developing and implementing these innovative teaching methods. Dr. Kirk Leach, assistant professor of public administration, attended the workshop in search of new tools and ideas to restructure his nonprofit management course. “I wanted to get a firmer grounding on active teaching methods and a framework to evaluate my teaching effectiveness,” Leach said. “The workshop was phenomenal. The facilitators were very knowledgeable and generous with their time. They spent a lot of time on small group sessions guiding us through the process of backward design and how to implement it in course design. I’ve learned how to develop a more engaged classroom, where students are empowered and have ownership in their learning.”

ATLE hosts open house to Faculty Writing Group

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 13:35:04 +0000

The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence will host an open house event to share information about the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty Writing Group from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13, in Dickinson Hall Room 133.�� The Faculty Writing Group is a new group dedicated to helping ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty members complete research writing projects. The group meets 8-11 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Ottenheimer Library Room 535. Faculty members can drop in as their schedule allows. To join the Faculty Writing Group mailing list, email Edma Delgado at didelgadoso@ualr.edu.

A variety of hors d’oeuvres will be provided during the open house, so participants are encouraged to drop by anytime during the two-hour event. Those who are planning to attend can RSVP by filling out.

ATLE to host faculty writing workshop

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 03 May 2018 13:50:41 +0000

The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence will host a faculty writing workshop May 21-22.�� The event will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave. Dr. Michele Eodice, associate provost for academic engagement and director of the OU Writing Center at the University of Oklahoma, will lead the workshop and work individually with faculty members on any writing project at any stage of completion. Eodice has been a director of a writing center and a leader in the field of writing centers for more than 20 years. She worked as the founding director of the writing center at the University of Kansas from 1998 to 2006 and currently serves as an editor of “The Writing Center Journal,” the primary research journal of the International Writing Centers Association. Eodice works extensively with faculty and graduate student writers and facilitates writing groups, camps, and retreats across the country. With Anne Ellen Geller as co-editor, she published “Working with Faculty Writers” in 2013, a book that details the range of national best practices in programmatic support for faculty writers. Fill out this for the faculty writing workshop.

ATLE to present engaging teaching method during Lunch and Learn session April 19

Jenny Lambert — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 20:44:47 +0000

Join the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence for its upcoming lunch and learn session that teaches professionals how to engage their students in a new way on Thursday, April 19. The event will run from noon to 1 p.m. in Ottenheimer Library Room 535. During the gathering, ATLE Players will present an excerpt from the play “Justice,” created by William H. Bowen School of Law visiting professor Peter Alexander. He has used the play to teach his students about issues of justice in a criminal case, and ATLE Players will use it to show professionals an advanced way of keeping students on their toes while in the classroom. Following the presentation will be a question-and-answer. For more information, contact ATLE co-director Amar Kanekar at axkanekar@ualr.edu, or .

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock