Recent Events

Belmont Faculty Present Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at Lilly Conference

 

Back row left to right: Julie Hunt, Jason Lovvorn, Nathan Webb Front row left to right: Pete Giordano, Christie Kleinmann, Sue Trout, Andrea Stover, Mike Pinter

Nine Belmont faculty participated in the Lilly Conference on College Teaching November 21-23 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Based on ongoing scholarship and/or longstanding collaborations with campus colleagues, four faculty members contributed four presentations as part of the Evidence-Based Learning and Teaching conference theme.

Nathan Webb (Communication Studies), Julie Hunt (Social Work) and Andrea Stover (English) shared their experiences as an active scholarly group in a poster entitled “The Quest to Develop Authentic Learning Objectives Through an Interdisciplinary Faculty Group.” Hyangsook Lee (Media Studies) discussed her scholarship in a poster entitled “Augmented Learning: Understanding Augmented Reality (AR)’s Progress and Potential in Higher Education and Professional Training.” In their presentation entitled “Radical Redesign: What To Do When Teaching Just Isn’t Working,” Jason Lovvorn (English), Andrea Stover (English) and Sue Trout (English) offered examples of transforming courses during the middle of a semester.  Pete Giordano (Psychological Science) and Mike Pinter (Teaching Center and Mathematics) delivered an invited presentation entitled “The Role of (Organized) Unpredictability in Teaching and Learning” in which they explored opportunities for faculty to fruitfully and effectively use elements of unpredictability in their courses. Christie Kleinmann (Teaching Center and Public Relations) also participated in conference sessions and contributed to the Belmont group’s conversations about teaching and learning that occurred throughout the conference.

The Lilly Conference brings together scholar teachers from across academic disciplines and is one of the nation’s most renowned conferences presenting the scholarship of teaching and learning. The conference engages scholar teachers in the sharing of innovative pedagogy and the discussion of challenges and insights about teaching and learning. Additional information about Belmont faculty’s presentations and the conference is available at http://celt.miamioh.edu/lillycon/presenters.php.

Resource of the Month

For students and professors alike, the end of a semester can feel heavy. Students are struggling to retain all they have learned throughout the semester; professors are deciding if they can squeeze in one last crucial lesson before finals. For educators, it is the age-old balance of quality over quantity, but finding that balance can be difficult.

November’s resource of the month offers guidance in achieving this end-of-semester balance. Author Dr. Todd Zakrajsek explains the concept of cognitive load and its impact on student learning. In this brief article, Zakrajsek describes when students are able to process new information and when they are not, and how using schemas support the student learning process. The article, Cognitive Load: A Fundamental Key to Student Learning, is found in The Scholarly Teacher.

Dr. Todd Zakrajsek is an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine and the associate director of the Faculty Development Fellowship Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel. Hill. The Scholarly Teacher, hosted by the International Teaching Learning Cooperative, presents a balanced approach of scholarly evidence and practical application for enhanced student learning by systematic improvement of effective teaching.

The purpose of the Resource of the Month is twofold:

1) To encourage the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) by providing examples of high-quality research.

2) To provide faculty with innovative ideas that promote effective pedagogy.

Recently at the Teaching Center

HOPE Council President Khyesha Everett shares with faculty and staff.

 

HOPE Council Seeks Faculty Involvement

 

Each spring HOPE Council offers World Culture Week and World Culture Festival as a celebration of cultures and experiences. Yet, in a recent Teaching Center workshop, faculty learned that HOPE Council offers additional ways for faculty to get involved.

HOPE Council is a student-led organization dedicated to creating a more diverse and inclusive Belmont community. Senior Belmont student and HOPE Council president Khyesha Everett said that the cornerstone of the Council is open conversations.

“HOPE Council exists to create an environment where diversity is appreciated, understood and celebrated,” Everett said. “We seek to create a space where everyone has a seat at the table and is comfortable to celebrate their culture.”

To do so, HOPE Council offers a variety of events in addition to World Culture Week and World Culture Festival.

  • HOPE Talk: HOPE Talk are monthly conversations on issues of diversity and offer an opportunity for students to learn about key issues from educators and professionals. In October, Dr. Heather Finch discussed criminal justice, forgiveness and faith through the lens of New York Times bestseller Just Mercy.
  • HOPE World Politics: HOPE World Politics is hosted by a panel of educators and professionals who lead student small group discussions on politics and the impact on diversity.
  • HOPE Gatherings: HOPE Gatherings offer safe conversational spaces to discuss emerging issues near home and around the world. These gatherings are often in response to a current event and offer students a venue to reflect and converse with others.

In addition to these events, HOPE Council serves as the umbrella organization that supports several multicultural and identity groups at Belmont, including the Black Student Association, the Hispanic Student Association, Bridge Builders, the Gender Equality movement, the South Asian Middle Eastern Association, Bruin Vets, the Japanese Culture Club, and the Chinese Cultural Club. “We support these organizations with their campus efforts through partnerships such as movie nights as well as provide these groups opportunities to share with one another,” Everett said.

Everett encourages faculty to become involved in HOPE Talk and HOPE World Politics as guest speakers, explaining that diversity is not limited to discussions on race, but about anyone and anything not in the majority. She noted that topics such as women in science or financial literacy would be important diversity conversations.

In addition to speaking, Everett encourages faculty to simply join the conversation. “Our events are not just for students. All faculty are welcome,” Everett said. “We have a space for community.”

If you are interested in learning more about HOPE Council, please contact Khyesha Everett at hopecouncilbu@gmail.com.

Resource of the Month

This month’s resource highlights the Blackboard Support site created by Geoff Price, Director of Instructional Technology, and Chris Rains, Instructional Technology Specialist at Belmont. Blackboard Support offers Belmont faculty a comprehensive resource on “all things Blackboard,” from short instructional videos to self-paced courses. Faculty can access this resource in Blackboard by choosing “Organizations” from the left-side menu. Instructional Technology staff have created a video overview of this resource and how to access it in Blackboard.

 

The purpose of the Resource of the Month is twofold:
1) To encourage the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) by providing examples of high-quality research.
2) To provide faculty with innovative ideas that promote effective pedagogy.

First-Year Faculty Spotlight

Sara Wigal, M.A.

Assistant Professor and Director of Publishing

 

What is your position here at Belmont?

I am an Assistant Professor in the newly formed Cinema, Television, and Media department (formerly MDS and MOT) at Curb College, and the Director of Publishing. Our BA/BS in literary Publishing here at Belmont make up a really special program, one of only two undergraduate programs of study in the country within this field. A big part of what I am doing now is taking this fairly young program and revising it to adhere to new college standards. For many that might seem like a hindrance, but I love big picture thinking, so it’s been a fun opportunity for me to strategize how to support learning for my students for the long term.

 

What brought you to Belmont?

I was asked to guest lecture to a Publishing class in Spring ’18 by Richard Sowienski, my mentor and predecessor. We’d been connected through some coworkers who had studied with him as undergraduates. I was then hired as an adjunct instructor and followed that path toward becoming a full-time faculty member.

 

What do you enjoy most about Belmont and your work?

It’s hard to pick just one thing. I think everyone at Belmont really loves each other—the faculty, staff, and students all have such a great rapport, and joining this community has felt wonderful. I feel free here to creatively problem solve some of the challenges facing the Publishing program and tackle that with a lot of support. It’s fun for me to design new courses, think about sequencing, and just generally work to grow knowledge of this program in the Publishing community at large, with families across the country, and even here on campus. I’m passionate about growing leaders for the industry and helping students pivot their love of reading and writing into a practical skill set for developing creative talent related to books and magazines, all in a critical and ethical manner.

 

When you’re not busy grading, prepping classes, researching etc., how do you enjoy spending your time?

In my off-hours I am definitely reading… and spending time with my two dogs, friends, and family. I’m passionate about Latin dancing and try to dance a few times a week socially!

 

Is there anything else that you would like the Belmont community to know about you and/or your role at Belmont? 

The Publishing major is a great double major or minor to pair with English, Public Relations, Marketing, Design Communications, and many other majors, of course including quite a few in my own department. If you have students that love reading and/or writing and want to pair that with practical business skills, this is a good program for them to consider. We equip students with the literary knowledge, writing foundation, and business acumen necessary to become experts in managing authors and their careers. Many creatives themselves work in Publishing as a day job, so I see many savvy students learning the trade from this side of the desk, hoping to one day be the author themselves (a wise and financially-solvent approach to becoming published).

Resource of the Month

This month’s resource Can We Motivate Students to Learn? is found in The Scholarly Teacher. The article, written by Spencer Benson, considers the impact of course content and class environment on student motivation. Dr. Benson has worked in international faculty development for more than 10 years and is the founder and director of Education Innovations International Consulting. The Scholarly Teacher, hosted by the International Teaching Learning Cooperative, presents a balanced approach of scholarly evidence and practical application for enhanced student learning by systematic improvement of effective teaching.

 

The purpose of the Resource of the Month is twofold:

1) To encourage the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) by providing examples of high-quality research.

2) To provide faculty with innovative ideas that promote effective pedagogy.

Fall 2019 Events and Deadlines

The Teaching Center has a number of events and opportunities this semester. Details are provided below. The Teaching Center will email invitations and reminders for individual events and opportunities.

 

Lunch Discussions

Friday, September 27

Diversity and Inclusion From Our Students’ Perspectives

Noon – 1:30 p.m.

Massey Boardroom

*in conjunction with Diversity Week

 

Tuesday, October 8

Pedagogy-Driven Technology Integration: Letting Your Teaching Methods Determine Digital Decisions

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Massey Boardroom

 

Monday, November 4

The Purposeful Graduate

Noon – 1:30 p.m.

Beaman A & B

Guest Presenter: Tim Clydesdale

*Cosponsored with GPS, the Office of Spiritual Development and OC&PD

 

Mini-Workshop Series

Measuring Student Learning

Noon – 1 p.m.

Wednesday, September 18

Inman 211

Friday, November 15

Inman 340

 

Reading Groups 

Dates, Times, and Locations TBD

Belmont Applied Teaching and Learning (BeATLe) Groups

Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People

Dynamic Lecturing: Research-Based Strategies to Enhance Lecture Effectiveness

 

Additional Deadlines and Opportunities

Tuesday, September 10 – 4 p.m.

Deadline to submit Teaching Center Travel Grant application

 

September 17 – October 4

Teaching Center Formative Reviews

Upcoming Teaching Center Events and Opportunities

I’m writing today with the final blog post of the 2018-2019 academic year. The blog will be taking a break until August, but don’t hesitate to contact us in the meantime with any questions, comments, or suggestions. Below are some reminders of upcoming Teaching Center events and opportunities.

  1. If you want to arrange for a consultation regarding your spring semester student course evaluations, please see the email invitation sent from teachingcenter@belmont.edu.
  2. Also, check your email for a message from Mike with a list of conferences with a SoTL element or emphasis. Where possible, he included deadlines for proposals in case you are interested in developing a presentation proposal for such a conference. The deadline for the next round of Teaching Center Travel Grants is Tuesday, September 10.
  3. Please mark your calendar for our August 12 and 13 Teaching Center Workshops to be led by Dr. Randy Bass, Vice Provost for Education, Professor of English, and Director of Georgetown’s Designing the Future(s) Initiative. Dr. Bass will provide an interactive keynote presentation entitled Higher Education and the Future of Human Learning as part of the August 12 morning Fall Faculty Workshop.  He will also facilitate a workshop on Designing for High-Impact Integrative Experiential Learning the afternoon of August 12, with that workshop repeated the morning of August 13. We will send out an email in July inviting you to register for the workshop.
  4. Between now and August, there are several reading groups meeting and discussing books offered by the Teaching Center. Our Teaching Center July 9 lunch discussion will be an opportunity for general conversation about the reading group books. We will send out an email invitation for the lunch discussion one week in advance.
  5. We will welcome our incoming new faculty members to Belmont during New Faculty Orientation scheduled for August 7-9. The Teaching Center works with the Provost’s Office and Human Resources to plan and provide a variety of interactive sessions for NFO.
  6. The Teaching Center will offer two different kinds of reading groups during Fall 2019:
    • a September group, in partnership with the Office of General Education, for a title (to be determined) in anticipation of the September FYS Featured Speaker
    • Belmont Applied Teaching and Learning groups (BeATLes), titles to be determined, are for groups that will meet throughout the semester exploring teaching ideas from the reading

As Mike stated in an email he sent out last week, we hope that summer includes time for reflection, rest, and rejuvenation. If you are around this summer and want to drop by the Teaching Center (JAAC 2049/2050), we would be happy to see you!

Teaching Center Endowment for Faculty Support

In commemoration of the Teaching Center’s 25th Anniversary, a new Teaching Center endowment fund has been established.  During Bruins4Bruins, an annual promotion to encourage members of the Belmont community (alumni, parents, faculty and staff) to support the University and future students, Belmont is highlighting this new fund. Belmont will match, dollar for dollar, gifts of any size from current employees to four special funds, including the new Teaching Center Endowment for Faculty Support. Gifts will be matched through December 31, 2020.

Our goal is to secure $12,500 in the Teaching Center Endowment by June 30, 2019.  We invite you to join us in making a gift to the Teaching Center Endowment and helping us reach this goal during our anniversary year.  You can establish a new or update an existing payroll deduction pledge here, or you can make a one-time gift here. For more information, please feel free to call or contact us in the Teaching Center. You can also contact Debbie Sprang in the Office of Development at debbie.sprang@belmont.edu or x5460.

Teaching Center May 2019 Workshops

This is a reminder for Belmont faculty to RSVP via email for the upcoming Teaching Center May workshops by Friday, May 3 so we can finalize catering plans. Both workshops will take place on Tuesday, May 7th in the Massey Boardroom. Below, you can see a schedule for the day and brief workshop descriptions.

Schedule

Gathering time with coffee and pastries – 9:30 – 10:00am

Cultural Humility in the Classroom – 10:00am – 12:00pm

Buffet lunch provided – 12:00 – 1:00pm

“Yes, And” Communication: Improv Exercises for the Classroom – 1:00 – 3:00pm

Descriptions

Cultural Humility in the Classroom
Presented by Dr. Timothy Forde, Vice Provost for Diversity and Chief Diversity Officer at Eastern Kentucky University. This workshop is cosponsored by the Office of Multicultural Learning and Experience.

Research on cultural competence has continued to evolve within institutions of higher education, with an increased emphasis on cultural humility, which may be an important construct toward building relationships that honor the diversity of our students who represent marginalized backgrounds due to culture, ethnicity, religion, etc. This workshop will help you answer both the “why” and “how” questions about creating culturally responsive classrooms, regardless of the subject matter you teach.

“Yes, And” Communication: Improv Exercises for the Classroom
Over the last 12 months, many of us have participated in reading groups for If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on my Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating by Alan Alda.  For this workshop, Jim Al-Shamma (Theatre), Shawn Knight (Theatre) and Jimmy Davis (Communication Studies) will lead us in some improv theatre techniques similar to those described in the book.  The techniques, designed to facilitate more fruitful and effective communication from us to our students and to increase empathy, could also potentially be used for developing student communication skills.  The workshop will focus on actively engaging with each other to experience the improv exercises first-hand.