Hello Loudoun campus colleagues,
The time is approaching for our spring 2015 Adjunct Professional Development Day, scheduled for Saturday, January 10, from 8:30 – 1:30. This day is dedicated to adjunct faculty, but is designed to help all faculty prepare for the upcoming semester in a variety of ways:
· Enjoy some personal meet and greet time with your colleagues
· Get a warm welcome from our provost, Dr. Julie Leidig, along with our academic division deans
· Participate in your choice of three professional development workshops designed to help you pick up some new “tips and tricks” you might like to make use of in your teaching.
· Have lunch with your discipline head and colleagues where you will be brought up to date on any discipline/program changes and get your discipline specific questions answered.
· Or if your discipline/program is not meeting, you have the opportunity to have lunch with the provost.
Also, a $50.00 gift card will be given to each participant.
Event Schedule:
8:30 – 8:50 Sign-In, meet and greet over breakfast munchies and coffee (Waddell lobby)
8:50 – 9:20 Provost’s welcome and opening remarks (Waddell Theatre)
9:30 – 10:20 Session 1 of concurrent workshops (various classrooms)
10:30 – 11:20 Session 2 of concurrent workshops (various classrooms)
11:30 – 12:20 Session 3 of concurrent workshops (various classrooms)
12:30 – 1:30 Lunch with discipline/program meetings (served in Waddell lobby)
Because we do anticipate a large turn-out, we ask that you please register online, indicating your workshop choices no later than Monday, January 5. Please take the time to review the description of each of the workshops on the following pages, decide which workshops you would like to register for, then to register, go online to:
https://www.toofast.ca/takesurvey.php?SurveyID=9470
And click on “Do Survey” to get to the registration.
While we will try to honor your first choices, in the event that a workshop becomes filled to capacity, admittance to workshops will be based on your registration date, so it is recommended to register early. Occasionally a workshop is cancelled because of low enrollment but you will have an opportunity to select an alternative workshop.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you on January 10!
Questions? Contact Sandi Nicholson or Susan Johnson
Workshops for Jan 2015 APDD
Session 1 from 9:30 – 10:20
A Beginning Blackboard – Laura Jacyna and Carolyn Davis: New to Blackboard? Hands on learning includes managing course settings, managing the course menu and course tools, adding content, using announcements and course calendar, enrolling, listing, and modifying users.
B Tips and Strategies to Keep Your Students Motivated and to Increase Retention - Mitra Jahangeri , Anita Mohan & Maryam Zamani: Classroom strategies and instructors’ behaviors that help students succeed. Explore several techniques that can be applied in the classroom to have students make an immediate connection with their peers. Resources available to students and methods that can be used in classroom throughout the semester to engage students will be considered
C A More Meaningful Curriculum for Western Civilization - Exploring a “Missing Link” - Sheda Vasseghi: Explore a “missing link” in how history of and influences on Western Civilization are currently presented. By incorporating the arts, philosophy, religion, etc., one may build a more meaningful curriculum.
D Creating the Perfect Learning Environment by NippingClassroom Management Issues in the Bud. Georgeana Stratton: For students to learn, they must have a comfortable environment free of disruptions, including disruptions created by the students themselves. Ideas for dealing with several classroom management issues will be presented. Then participants will also be asked to share both their own classroom management challenges and their ideas for resolving such issues.
E An Adjunct’s Guide to Student Services at Loudoun – Gert Heslin, Titus Lane and Renee McLaurin: This overview of the various aspects of Student Services will help adjuncts to effectively answer their student’s questions, sending thankful students in the right direction for help.
F Creating Media for a Dynamic Classroom JackieGage: A hands-on overview of some of the top iPad apps for the creation, editing and blending of different media. Explorehow to use iPads as a powerful media tool that can engage and energize your students in new ways.
G Why "Millenial" May Not Matter - Marty Herbert: Conflicting research leads to a label that may or may not be relevant to the learner. An overview of the labels assigned to different generations. Then a discussion of why the generations may be less relevant than the ages of survey participants when it comes to learning.
H “Teaching Naked”: The Basics of College Instruction
- Scott Matthews: Sound pedagogy need not involve the latest trends in higher education, and no amount of in class and out of class wizardry can mask a lack of passion for (or mastery of) a particular subject. In this presentation, I discuss some fundamental, time-tested strategies that may be of value in the engagement, retention, learning and assessment processes.
Session 2 from 10:30 – 11:20
I Intermediate Blackboard – Robert Dusek and Chola Chhetri: For experienced Blackboard users, this will be a chance to ask your specific questions addressing Blackboard management beyond the basics.
J Some Free Resources for the Math/Science Classroom - Joseph Herning: This workshop will demonstrate the free software GeoGebra, a useful tool for exploring functions, geometry, computer algebra, and statistics. I will also discuss my experience teaching precalculus using GeoGebra and a free electronic textbook, eliminating added cost for students.
K Critical Thinking for the Classroom - Stephanie Semler: Introduces participants to suggestions about how to integrate critical thinking elements into any course content or delivery, along with resources for teaching critical thinking.
L Getting involved in NOVA’s Loudoun campus - Diane Mucci: Overview of special events, clubs, activities, sports, cafe's, culture, ... that students (and perhaps Adjuncts) can take part in at the Loudoun campus. Be able to share suggestions for involvement with your students and perhaps get involved yourself.
M Digital Assignments: Using Web-Based Tools to go beyond just writing Papers - Charlie Evans: An overview of some online tools that make creating timelines, exhibitions, websites, projects, data tools very easy for students in your classes.
N Move from the Podium: How to Engage Your Students- LatoyaKosh: Strategies to develop active learning within the classroom. Research on brain development, attention span, and college student development will be presented. The strategies will include technology usage, cooperative learning, meta-cognition awareness, instructor’s presence, and incidental contact.
O Cookie Swap: Sharing Successful Essay Assignments --Bridget Pool and Meena Nayak: The holidays aren't over yet! Instead of cookies, come swap stories about your favorite essayassignments. No need to bring a printed copy! You can just tellthegroupabout the assignment during the session. Afterwards,we will invite you to send electronic versions and willpost them to share.
P Initial Impact – Margaret Benson-Mccarthy: First day. A class full of first time college students. How do you intrigue them on the subject matter? Introduce them to higher expectations? Calm nerves? Break the ice? Excite them? Come to this roundtable session prepared to share how you create initial impact. Let's learn from each other!
Q The Testing Center as a Time Saving Resource - Forrest Jones: Did you know that faculty can leave make-up tests in the testing center to be taken by your students? And did you know that the Scantron machine there can grade the multiple choice tests of an entire class in less than two minutes. Come learn about these time saving measures.
Session from 11:30 – 12:20
R Important NOVA Policies that Adjuncts Should Know - Joe Agnich: A review of the top 10 NOVA policies that every Adjunct should know about which affect student and faculty.
S Dual Enrollment English Roundtable - Debbie Naquin, Steve Bills, Jason White, and Christina Vazquez: Join us for a discussion of what’s working well in DE English and help us strategize to resolve the any problems you might be facing. Please be prepared to share your ideas with your dual enrollment colleagues.
T Enter the Matrix! – Josh Pachter: CST instructor Josh Pachter has developed an online tool for engaging students in a course’s subject matter from the very beginning of the semester. In this workshop, he’ll show you how the Matrix works and how to adapt it for use in your classes.
U Technology on the Move – Blackboard Mobile- Tom Gutnick: Your students may be the wired generation, but many of them aren’t really that tech-savvy. We’ll look at how they can use Blackboard Mobile Learn to keep up with your assignments even on the go, and how you can use BB Grader.
V Going Digital or Keeping it Traditional – Doug Campbell & John Kincheloe: Students are increasingly tied to digital devices, but do they help or hinder learning? To answer that question, we conducted an experiment. Doug banned digital devices, while John required students to use them during class. We will present our finds, and moderate a discussion about digital devices in the classroom.
W Connections In Literature...Small Essays from Great Works - Alan Hughes: How many NOVA majors can be found in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein? Would you be surprised you to see Engineering, Veterinary Technology, Nursing...? Now connect it to The English Patient. There are others of note in this seminar on connections in literature and writing.
X Rethinking Old Ideas about Teaching and Learning and Developing New Ones - Steve Clarke and Mike Brazie: As faculty deal with demands on their time, it can be easy and comfortable to teach the same things in the same manner semester after semester after semester. How can we avoid this trap and ensure our approach remains effective and fresh? In this presentation, we will discuss ways in which faculty can break out of old habits, continually rediscover what is important about their subject material, and improve communication and presentation strategies.
Y Preparing Students for Final Exams - Jim Boggs: NOVA faculty must give final exams or alternate final evaluations approved by division deans. Whether your division uses “common exams” or retains instructor-defined finals, questions arise regarding review sessions and study guides. We will: 1) look at approaches to reviews, 2) discuss guide content, and 3) gather ideas from participants.