Spring 2009 Roundtables

Teaching Roundtables are meant to provide faculty informal opportunities to discuss various teaching topics with their colleagues.

These one-hour roundtables are typically led by faculty who are interested in engaging in interdisciplinary dialogue about pedagogical strategies and theories.

Spring 2009 Teaching Roundtable Series

Teaching Privilege

Margaret Boyd & Matthew Dunne
Tuesday, February 17, 4:00 - 5:00
Duffy 135

With a variety of disciplines engaging more and more with the study of whiteness and masculinity, conversations in many of our classes are increasingly turning to questions of privilege. And this spring's lectures by Tim Wise, Peggy McIntosh, and Katrina Brown provide even more opportunities to engage our students in conversations about white privilege, male privilege, heterosexual privilege, etc.

In this first roundtable of the Spring 2009 Teaching Roundtable Series, Margaret Boyd and Matthew Dunne will lead us in a discussion of their own experiences of incorporating discussions of privilege into their courses. They'll share the successes and challenges they've faced, as well as the strategies they've found most useful in engaging students to think about the way privilege impacts their lives and the subjects they study.

Getting Real with Classroom Simulations

Angela Paradise & John Schatzel
Wednesday, March 4, 11:00 - 12:00
Duffy 135

We all know that giving students opportunities for hands-on learning can increase their interest in and their understanding of course content. However, we don't always have the time or the resources to create those kinds of experiential opportunities for our students out in the "real world." Luckily, educational simulations and games allow students to apply what they're learning within virtual environments -- simulated learning spaces which are becoming increasingly sophisticated and "true-to-life."

For this roundtable, Angela Paradise and John Schatzel will share their experiences using games and simulations in the classroom. Professor Paradise will give a brief introduction to some of the research and theory behind simulation pedagogy and Professor Schatzel will talk about the simulation he's developed for his accounting students. There will also be plenty of time for questions and brainstorming ways to use simulations in other disciplines.

Problem-Based Learning

Bob Dugan & John Lanci
Wednesday, March 18, 11:00 - 12:00
Duffy 114 Conference Room

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an emerging pedagogy that builds on research that shows that students learn best when they learn for themselves. It challenges students to "learn how to learn" as they work cooperatively in groups to seek solutions to real world problems. PBL projects can last from a few days to an entire semester. Originally most popular in medical and professional schools, PBL has recently been gaining popularity in the sciences, social sciences, and even the humanities.

For this roundtable, Bob Dugan and John Lanci will share their experiences using problem-based learning at Stonehill. We will talk about what they've learned about making PBL work, as well as share resources for those curious to learn more about incorporating PBL in their own classes.

Assessment Tools We All Can Use

Maria Curtin
Monday, March 30, 2:00 - 3:00
Duffy 114 Conference Room

This past semester, Maria Curtin coordinated an assessment project in her department, seeking to evaluate whether recent changes to the General Chemistry course have positively impacted student learning as well as students' perceptions of the discipline.

To do so, she used a free online tool called the Student Assessment of their Learning Gains (SALG), which allows instructors to gather learning-focused feedback from students. The SALG survey can be customized to fit any course, and a baseline instrument allows faculty to compare gains relative to incoming student characteristics.

For this roundtable, Professor Curtin will talk about how she used SALG for this project and share her ideas for how it can be adapted for use in other disciplines. This will serve as a jumping off point for a broader conversation about other kinds of assessment faculty are doing in their courses at Stonehill and what tools they've found most helpful.

Engaging Students Through Technology

Brian Glibkowski & Laura Scales
Thursday, April 16, 1:00 - 2:00
Duffy 114 Conference Room

Although instructional technologies have become so pervasive as to seem commonplace, it can still be difficult to imagine what role technology can play in a student-centered classroom. And as Stonehill prepares to introduce a new Learning Management System next year, the question of what faculty are actually doing with technology to engage their students becomes even more pressing.

For this roundtable, two Stonehill faculty will talk about ways they've engaged their students through technology. Laura Scales will talk about her use of class blogs to allow for written student "conversations" outside of class. And Brian Glibkowski will share how he's used "concept mapping" to encourage students to engage course content in new ways. Both will discuss what they've learned about aligning instructional technology with instructional goals and how that can be applied in other disciplines.

Making Room for Our Own Writing

John Rodrigue & Greg Maniero
Monday, May 4, 11:30 - 12:45
Duffy 114 Conference Room

Come jump start your summer writing and researching plans with this roundtable conversation on the challenges of "making room for our own writing" in the midst of teaching and other institutional demands. Greg Maniero and John Rodrigue will share the ups and downs of their writing lives and what they've learned in the process. We will also review what some of the current research says about the habits of productive academic writers. Please join us for this last Teaching Roundtable of the semester!