Teaching and Learning Center, Temple University

This year's regional conference, featuring Todd Zakrajsek, focuses on critical challenges in teaching and learning and how to address them. There is a proliferation of misinformation pertaining to how students learn and how best to teach. Students themselves often do not fully understand their own cognitive processes, typically relying on implicit assumptions and trial-and-error to learn new material. Research provides clear evidence pertaining to what works best in the classroom and important considerations regarding human learning. In this session we will review a few recent areas of research that have demonstrated positive effects with respect to student learning and where to find emerging information that is relatively easy to understand and apply to any course.

The keynote presentation will be followed by a luncheon and breakout sessions on related topics, facilitated by Temple University Provost's Teaching Academy faculty. Click on "Agenda" above for more details.

Registration for 2013 is closed. Thank you to participants!

9.00am - 9.30am	Registration and Continental Breakfast Please check-in with us upon arrival. Registration tables will be located in the lobby area before you enter the conference room.
9.30am - 11.00am	"Critical Challenges in Teaching and Learning" with Q&A Keynote Speaker Todd Zakrajsek, Director of the International Teaching Learning Cooperative (click to open panel and view session details) There is a proliferation of misinformation pertaining to how students learn and how best to teach. Students themselves often do not fully understand their own cognitive processes, typically relying on implicit assumptions and trial-and-error to learn new material. Research provides clear evidence pertaining to what works best in the classroom and important considerations regarding human learning. In this session we will review a few recent areas of research that have demonstrated positive effects with respect to student learning and where to find emerging information that is relatively easy to understand and apply to any course. Biographical Sketch Todd Zakrajsek is the Director of the International Teaching Learning Cooperative and the immediate past Executive Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to his work at UNC, he was the Inaugural Director of the Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching at Central Michigan University and the founding Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Southern Oregon University, where he also taught in the psychology department as a tenured associate professor. Todd currently directs two Lilly Conferences on College and University Teaching and Learning, one annually in Traverse City, Michigan, and the other in Bethesda, Maryland. He co-directs the International Conference on Improving University Teaching, to be held this year in Innsbruck, Austria. Todd also sits on two educationally related boards: ERI for Lenovo Computer and TEI for Microsoft. Dr. Zakrajsek received his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Ohio University. He has published and presented widely on the topic of student learning, including workshops and conference keynote addresses in 38 states and 6 countries.
11.00am - 11.15am	Break
11.15am - 12.30pm	Breakout Sessions Sessions led by members of Temple's Provost's Teaching Academy will focus on critical challenges in teaching and learning. Sessions repeat at 2pm, so you will be able to attend two different sessions. (click to open panel and view sessions) Teaching Challenge 1: Students Need a Leg Up in How to Study Room: 217A Facilitator: Shriram Pillapakkum Do you find yourself scratching your head, wondering why bright students do poorly on your assignments? Perhaps they need to study smarter, not longer. This session will provide strategies for teaching our students how to read actively and solve problems more systematically. Teaching Challenge 2: Students Struggle to Chin Up To My Expectations Room: 217B Facilitator: Jane Pontious You design exciting assessments that stretch students' capabilities and really help them learn. But do they have trouble meeting your expectations? This session will help you think about designing activities that will allow students to get practice and feedback that will prepare them for accomplishing more complex goals. Teaching Challenge 3: Some Students Never Participate and Some Never Shut Up Room: 217C Facilitator: David Ingram Do you want to better balance the voices in your classroom? Do you even hear any voices in your classroom? In this session, you will experience tried and true methods to help all students become engaged in your classroom discussion. Teaching Challenge 4: Grading: a royal pain in the #/#% Room: 217D Facilitator: Alisa Peet You love teaching, but grading? Not so much. It eats up your time, is difficult to do fairly, and students sometimes push back. Learn tools for streamlining grading, reducing the subjectivity, and communicating your grading criteria clearly. Teaching Challenge 5: Why Aren't My students As Interested In This Stuff As I Am? Room: 220 Facilitator: Ann Valentine You've devoted your life to your discipline and find it fascinating, but your students are less than enthusiastic about it. Learn principles and strategies for inspiring motivation and instilling the will to work in your students. Teaching Challenge 6: "Blogs, Wikis, Clickers, oh my!": What Are those And How Do I Use Them? Room: 223 Facilitator: Patricia Martinez-Moore Are you teaching in the 21st century but relying on 19th century methods? There are a variety of technological tools that can help you engage students, foster collaboration and help you work more efficiently. Come to this session to imagine new possibilities.
12.30pm - 1.00pm	Poster Session on Teaching Excellence
1.00pm - 1.45pm	"Dine and Discuss" Lunch and small group discussion at roundtables
1.45pm - 2.00pm	Poster Winner Announcement and Break
2.00pm - 3.15pm	Breakout Sessions Second round of sessions led by members of Temple's Provost's Teaching Academy will focus on critical challenges in teaching and learning. (click to open panel and view sessions) Teaching Challenge 1: Students Need a Leg Up in How to Study Room: 217A Facilitator: Shriram Pillapakkum Do you find yourself scratching your head, wondering why bright students do poorly on your assignments? Perhaps they need to study smarter, not longer. This session will provide strategies for teaching our students how to read actively and solve problems more systematically. Teaching Challenge 2: Students Struggle to Chin Up To My Expectations Room: 217B Facilitator: Jane Pontious You design exciting assessments that stretch students' capabilities and really help them learn. But do they have trouble meeting your expectations? This session will help you think about designing activities that will allow students to get practice and feedback that will prepare them for accomplishing more complex goals. Teaching Challenge 3: Some Students Never Participate and Some Never Shut Up Room: 217C Facilitator: David Ingram Do you want to better balance the voices in your classroom? Do you even hear any voices in your classroom? In this session, you will experience tried and true methods to help all students become engaged in your classroom discussion. Teaching Challenge 4: Grading: a royal pain in the #/#% Room: 217D Facilitator: Alisa Peet You love teaching, but grading? Not so much. It eats up your time, is difficult to do fairly, and students sometimes push back. Learn tools for streamlining grading, reducing the subjectivity, and communicating your grading criteria clearly. Teaching Challenge 5: Why Aren't My students As Interested In This Stuff As I Am? Room: 220 Facilitator: Ann Valentine You've devoted your life to your discipline and find it fascinating, but your students are less than enthusiastic about it. Learn principles and strategies for inspiring motivation and instilling the will to work in your students. Teaching Challenge 6: "Blogs, Wikis, Clickers, oh my!": What Are those And How Do I Use Them? Room: 223 Facilitator: Patricia Martinez-Moore Are you teaching in the 21st century but relying on 19th century methods? There are a variety of technological tools that can help you engage students, foster collaboration and help you work more efficiently. Come to this session to imagine new possibilities.
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Call for Proposals: Poster Session on Teaching Excellence

Due Date: October 15, 2012

This regional conference focuses on critical challenges in teaching and learning and how to address them. The Temple University Teaching and Learning Center invites faculty from across the tri-state area to submit proposals for poster¹ sessions that present innovative or creative teaching practices or projects in any discipline. Especially welcome are posters that embrace the conference theme.

Your proposal must include:

Title
Description of poster topic (300 words maximum)
References to the research on teaching and learning (This may be a helpful resource: http://www.theideacenter.org/research-and-papers/idea-papers)

To submit your proposal, please click on the link below, fill in your information, and upload your proposal as a Word Document.

Click Here to Submit Proposal (due October 15, 2012)

For further information please contact Chinara Bilaal at chinara.bilaal@temple.edu or 215.204.1960.

1. Posters are visual presentations focused on a particular theme. Posters are displayed on tables and bulletin boards; presenters stand next to their displays to explain content and answer questions.

Getting to Temple's Campus and Howard Gittis Student Center

Howard Gittis Student Center (South) is located on Temple's main campus,
13th Street between Montgomery Avenue and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.
View Campus Map

Arrive at Temple by car or public transportation

By car: Enter 1801 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 into your GPS or Google Maps destination. This will take you to the Liacouras garage, Temple's primary visitor lot. From Liacouras garage, walk east on Montgomery Avenue to 13th street and turn right. Other parking lot options are listed below.

The parking lots that take CASH payments include Areas 1, 2, 7, 10 and Liacouras Garage ($14.00/day); and Area #8, which is a discounted lot ($8.00/day). Area 8 is located on Cecil B. Moore Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets.

Please download the Campus Map with parking locations. For more information about parking at Temple, including operating hours for each lot, handicap parking areas, and street parking areas to avoid, visit the TU Parking Services website.

Regional Rail: Temple University has its own stop on Septa regional rail. Find out which line is best for you at Septa.org. From the train station at Temple (10th street), walk west along Polette Walk (Berks Mall), pass the bell tower and Paley library, and turn left onto 13th Street. Walk south toward Montgomery Avenue. Cross Montgomery and enter the HGSC through the south entrance (not the entrance on the corner, but the second entrance, located between Montgomery and Cecil B. Moore).

Subway: Take the Broad Street Line to Cecil B. Moore. Walk east on Cecil B. Moore and turn left on 13th street. The south entrance to Howard Gittis Student Center will be on your right.

Septa busses also stop on Temple's campus. Find the best route for you at Septa.org. As stops vary, please refer to the campus map for directions to HGSC.

An interactive map of Temple main campus is located here.

Please find resources from this year's conference below:

Keynote Presentation

Todd Zakrajsek's Keynote Presentation and Handout

Winning Poster: Liesl Wuest, Department of Culture and Communication, Drexel University, "Designing a Course Site for a Face-to-Face Class"

TLC Honors Temple's 2011-2012 Teaching Award Winners

Great Teacher Award

Shohreh Amini, Biology
Sarah Bauerle Bass, Public Health

Lindback Award

Barrie Ashby, Medicine
Elizabeth S. Bolman, Tyler
Richard C. Brodhead, Music & Dance
Christopher Harper, SCT
Peter Marshall, CLA
Dennis A. Silage, Engineering

Provost’s Award for Innovative Teaching in General Education

Peshe Kuriloff, College of Educationr

For complete list of past award winners, or to apply for a teaching award, visit the website of the Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Faculty Affairs.