Big XII Teaching and Learning Conference: Session III Description

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6th Annual Big 12 Teaching and Learning Conference

June 13 - 14, 2019 | Austin, Texas

Individual Session Descriptions

The following schedule will be updated until the start of the conference.  Unless otherwise indicated, all events will take place in the Texas Union.


Thursday, June 13, 11:30am-12:30pm: Session 7 (Quadrangle Room)

"Patterns, Promise, and Pitfalls of a Graduate Teaching Certificate Program"

Paul Diehl and Karen Huxtable-Jester (University of Texas at Dallas)

"Patterns, Promise, and Pitfalls of a Graduate Teaching Certificate Program1" (.pdf) Reading Material for Session

Many graduate students who aspire to college professorships receive little or no training in teaching, even as they become expert researchers.  Indeed, pedagogical training might be limited to "hands-on" experience as teaching assistants, leading discussion sections or serving as graders.  In this paper, we examine the Graduate Teaching Certificate (GTC) and Advanced Graduate Teaching Certificate (AGTC) programs at the University of Texas-Dallas.  The first part of the paper details the logics underlying these programs and offers a description of the requirements for each.  Following this, the authors provide a series of patterns about the participation, completion timing, completion rates, and other elements based on data over a three year period.  Finally, the authors give a series of suggestions and limitations to such programs.

"Professional Learning Communities as a Model for Pedagogical Innovation"

Justin Dellinger, Mengqi Zhan, Andrew M. Clark, and Peggy Semingson (University of Texas at Arlington)

In 2012, the University of Texas at Arlington established a professional learning community (PLC) program aimed at innovating pedagogy to improve student success through the use of educational technology and building a network of alumni to support the efforts across the broader university. Each year, an interdisciplinary group of faculty and staff work together in themed communities under guidance of facilitators to explore key topics, implement strategies, and conduct teaching-as-research projects each spring to evaluate their progress and iterate in future courses. Example themes include learning analytics, blended learning, synchronous learning, open educational resources, and digital scholarship. Program fellows share their results at an annual spring colloquium and with colleagues in their departments. Applicants for each new cohort includes a mix of alumni and new members. At the end of accreditation review in 2017, the PLC focus shifted to align with the goals of the university's new Quality Enhancement Plan to enhance and assess teamwork and collaboration in on-campus and online courses. The program retained the original model and is in its second year focusing on the overarching theme of teamwork.

While the program has received positive feedback from PLC fellows and the campus at large, it is unclear what connections alumni have made, what they have shared, and if they are still applying what they learned. This paper will include results from research currently in progress on the PLC program. The investigators are using a mixed-methods design including interviews, surveys, and a social network analysis of the PLC fellows.

"Impact of an Interprofessional Education Experience: A Pilot Program"

Michele Hackney and Giuli Krug (University of Mary Hardin-Baylor)

Historically, formal education of health care professionals has occurred in silos. Given the complex and dynamic nature of health care environments in current contemporary practice, effective communication and teamwork are necessary skills of competent health care practitioners. The purpose of this mixed-method pilot study was to examine the influence of IPE curriculum in preparing health professions students for collaboration readiness. To prepare for student learning, an interprofessional faculty group used both structured and unstructured strategies to generate a new process of educating students in health professions programs at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB).  Grounded in Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle, students were given concrete experience with team building, faith and ethics, as well as collaborative communication through active learning sessions involving students from multiple health professions. Building on this, students reflected on their experience and formulated new strategies for collaborative review of patient cases followed by active experience in planning with an actual patient.

The preliminary results of this pilot indicate student's value learning in an interprofessional team.  Mid-pilot results suggest growth in teamwork, collaborative communication, and appreciation for other's professional roles.  Qualitative and quantitative analysis is ongoing through the pilot's conclusion. We expect the results of this study to inform future IPE practice at UMHB and plan to share our lessons learned. 

"Developing Science Communication Skills for Graduate Students through an Education Outreach Program"

Greg Clark (University of Texas at Austin)

Present your Ph.D. thesis to a 12-year-old is a novel science education program designed to promote interaction between science graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin and middle school students in the surrounding area. This program provides opportunities for professional development of graduate students aimed at improving their science communication skills. In this program, graduate students create a simplified version of their Ph.D. thesis to present to middle school students. This gives graduate students the opportunity to communicate their discoveries with young students and encourage the students' curiosity and enthusiasm for science. The first step for a graduate student joining the organization is to create a rough draft of a presentation and then give a "practice" presentation to the group to get feedback from the group. After each presentation the graduate student receives feedback from the middle school students. Participation in the program requires a small time commitment from graduate students but still results in measurable positive outcomes for improvement in their science communication skills as well as increased enthusiasm and interest in science for middle school students. The organization also provides a "Kids Science Workshop" in which middle school students learn about different research topics from a graduate student. After learning about the graduate student's research, the middle school students then prepare a poster to explain the research they had just learned to all of the workshop attendees. Details about this program including results of surveys used to assess the outcomes of the program will be presented.


Thursday, June 13, 11:30am-12:30pm: Session 8 (Eastwoods Room)

"Training Students to Facilitate Peer-to-Peer Teaching Opportunities in Learning Centers"

Rachel Jenkins, Nisha Abraham, Sarah Pylant, and Paige Schilt (University of Texas at Austin)

The Sanger Learning Center is UT Austin's premier resource for academic support, helping all students, regardless of college or major, to build study skills and master content. The Sanger Learning Center recruits, hires and trains hundreds of student educators each year to tutor, coach, present, and facilitate study sessions for multiple programs. In this session, panelists will share the mission and vision of the Sanger Learning Center and describe our plethora of programs, highlighting four programs that exemplify peer-to-peer teaching and learning: Supplemental Instruction, Outreach and Communication, Public Speaking Center, and Peer-Led Undergraduate Studies. Each panelist will provide one facilitation training technique used during their program’s orientation. Examples include modelling facilitation, imbedding facilitation within scripted presentations and workshops, utilizing step-by-step facilitative consultation approaches, and promoting self-directed learning. These approaches demonstrate to student educators the facilitation techniques they will employ in their impactful work in Sanger programs, helping the students they serve to become more confident and autonomous. The panel will share insights into teaching facilitation and welcome questions from the audience about training, ongoing development practices, evaluation, user feedback and impact.


Thursday, June 13, 11:30am-12:30pm: Session 9 (Santa Rita Room)

"Expanding Inclusive Teaching: Approaches and Collaborations that Extend Our Reach"

Julie Sievers (Southwestern University), Jennifer Jefferson (St. Edward's University), Joi Torres (St. Edward's Uniiversity), and Jennifer Leach (Southwestern University)

This session will explore how centers for teaching and learning (CTLs) can support inclusive teaching and learning environments both within the classroom and across the campus community. Our facilitators draw on their experiences at two liberal arts institutions in Texas-- one small and one mid-sized--but we consider issues facing many colleges, including imbalances between faculty and student diversity, campus and classroom climates that can feel unwelcoming, and marginalizing academic structures. In our work, we have found ways to combine faculty development focused on inclusive pedagogy with collaborations that deepen and broaden the reach of this work--connecting teaching, advising, student academic support, and community development. What strategies best move the needle for cultivating inclusive learning environments within the classroom?  And how can CTLs extend their reach beyond the classroom to help foster an inclusive campus community?  

In our framing of this discussion, we, as facilitators, will curate literature and resources on inclusive teaching development to provide participants with evidence-based guidance, and we will draw on data about our institutions‚Äô needs as well as outcomes from our own programs.  However, our aim will not be to dwell on the successes or failures of our own programs, but to use them as a springboard for a broader discussion about repertoires of approaches.  

Ultimately, we hope that participants will learn a variety of approaches for advancing inclusive teaching and learning goals; gain evidence-based literature and resources to support their work; identify strategies that can be adapted to their own contexts and goals; and develop a network of colleagues.

Registration

Registration for the conference opens in late January 2019.


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