Each semester the Office of Teaching and Learning Advancement sponsors a variety of programs designed to help BSU faculty members explore and enhance their teaching.  Facilitated by your faculty colleagues, these events are interactive and discussion-rich, providing a valuable mix of thought-provoking theory and use-it-tomorrow practicality.  Please register for these events on the Workshop Registration page.  Questions?  Contact us at tla@bsu.edu or 285-1763.

Incorporating Peer Review Activities in Your Class
Monday, September 28, 2009, 3:00-4:30; TC 405
Facilitator: Mary Clark-Upchurch (English)
Peer review activities have long been a favorite way of getting students to collaborate and provide feedback to each other on class assignments.  This workshop will examine various approaches to peer review, as well as ways of avoiding typical pitfalls and frustrations common with this teaching method.

Teaching Graduate Students
Thursday, October 1, 3:30-5:00; TC 405
Panelists: Thalia Mulvihil (Educational Studies), Laura O'Hara (Communication Studies), Tom Weidner (Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science)
Teaching graduate students can be a very rewarding experience, but it also requires careful consideration of how to best address the challenges inherent in working with this particular population of students.  In this interactive workshop you will bring your most specific challenges to a panel of three experienced graduate instructors who will help you address these challenges effectively and appropriately.  At the end of the session you will have a concrete action plan for addressing these challenges.  Because of the interactive nature of the workshop, seating is limited, so register soon!    This event is also open to advanced doctoral students preparing to enter teaching positions.

Making Lectures More Engaging and Interactive
Monday, October 5, 2:00-3:30; TC 405
Facilitator: Melinda Messineo (Sociology)
It is easy to let lectures become a one-way delivery of information, but that isn't always the best way to engage students in active learning. In this workshop, participants will explore a variety of approaches for making lectures more interactive and engaging.

Assessing Higher Order Thinking Skills in Tier 1 UCC Classes
Tuesday, October 13, 12:30-2:00; TC 405
Facilitator: Mellisa Holtzman (Sociology)
Tier 1 Core Courses require us to guide students through the intellectual transformations of Experience to Information and Information to Knowledge.  As part of this process, we also need to be able to assess their development, and that means assessing higher order thinking skills.  This workshop will help participants identify and develop ways of assessing student growth, including that within large classes.  Participants should bring with them course materials, related UCC-21 proposals, and relevant information about departmental assessment plans.  Background information on these transformations can be found at: http://www.bsu.edu/academicaffairs/media/pdf/uccframework.pdf 

Facilitating Effective Classroom Discussions
Thursday, October 15^th, 3:30-5:00; TC 405
Facilitator: Dominic Caristi (Telecommunications)
This workshop will explore some of the reasons why classroom discussions flow smoothly or grind to a halt. Techniques will be examined for leading effective discussions in a variety of teaching situations, and participants will develop a plan for implementing some of the approaches in their own classes.

Teaching First-Year Students
Wednesdays, Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11, 18; 3:00-5:00; TC 405
Facilitators: Melinda Messineo (Sociology) and Dave Concepcion (Philosophy and Religious Studies)
First year college students present us with unique teaching challenges.  This four-week workshop will explore the goals of BSU's first-year experience as well as pedagogical approaches that are particularly effective with first-year students.
*This workshop is a partnership between Freshman Connections and OTLA.  A separate application is required for participation in this workshop and will be distributed via e-mail in late September.

Teaching Immersive Learning Classes
Thursday, November 5, 9:30-11:00; TC 405
Facilitators: Jennifer Blackmer (Theatre and Dance) and Martha Hunt (Landscape Architecture)
Immersive learning opportunities are at the core of Ball State's educational programs, but teaching these courses is still new to many of us.  This workshop will explore some "best practices" of teaching immersive learning courses, including topics like shifting responsibility and authority to students, dealing with logistical issues, and effectively incorporating your community partner in the educational process.