Flipping the Classroom

This session will provide an informal discussion of the possibilities for "flipping the classroom." Under this approach, low-level tasks and assignments are completed by students outside of class while class time is devoted to individual and/or group work on higher-level cognitive tasks. This approach might use such tools as just-in-time teaching, team-based learning, or project-based learning.

Teaching and learning are not synonymous; we can teach, and teach well, without having the students learn.

Until recently, the accepted model for instruction was based on the hidden assumption that knowledge can be transferred intact from the mind of the teacher to the mind of the learner. Faculty members focused their attention finding more efficient methods of moving on getting knowledge from their professorial heads into the heads of their students, and educational researchers tried to find better ways to affect the transfer.

Hybrid / Blended Learning

Have you thought about making your current course hybrid?  There is some evidence that full face-to-face or full online classrooms create spaces for learning equally, depending on audiences, but hybrid classes may provide greater opportunities for learning.  What factors should be considered when creating a hybrid course, and how should one assess hybrid courses?

Learning from irrationality

Economists had long assumed that individuals behave as rational agents.  Behavioral economists and psychologists, however, have provided overwhelming evidence that individuals behave in ways that are consistently irrational in many circumstances. In this workshop, a variety of research findings by behavioral economists and psychologists concerning human rationality will be examined in terms of their implications for student motivation and learning.  Among the topics to be examined are the effects of:

What does research tell us about student learning?

  1. In this workshop, research findings concerning student learning will be examined. The workshop will focus on how we can design a learning environment that best encourages learning. The topics discussed will include:
  • low-stakes testing,
  • learning styles and other myths,
  • intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and
  • meaningful learning.

While this is listed as a new faculty workshop, all faculty are invited to participate.