Building a Community of Learners "Teaching is perhaps the most privatized of all the public professions. Though we teach in front of students, we almost always teach solo, out of collegial sight - behind closed doors." -Parker Palmer, The Courage to Teach The diversity in today’s student body is unprecedented and technology is rapidly changing ways of work and life. How can curricula, pedagogies, and programs change to better satisfy the needs of present and future generations? How do students interact with their teachers in meaningful ways? How is Ohio University positively influencing student engagement? How do we know when instructional technology effectively fosters student learning? This two-day event will explore the ongoing quest for effective ways to assess learning outcomes, academic quality and institutional effectiveness. The purpose of Spotlight on Learning is to provide a large-scale venue for faculty to "show and tell" about innovative learning-centered pedagogies that they have successfully implemented in the classroom. It will present a unique opportunity to explore transformations in instructional practices, which have the potential to advance learning productivity, knowledge retention and higher order thinking. Through poster sessions, panel discussions, demos and presentations, faculty will share how they cultivate learning experiences that are truly learner-centered and customized to the way individual students learn best. This is a way to promote and recognize the great work that faculty members have been doing to engage students in active thinking, inquiry and the discovery of different ways of knowing. Presenters come from all ranks of the faculty and from diverse disciplines, and their presentation topics are equally wide-ranging. We will have the opportunity to learn about classroom research projects in all stages of development from outstanding OU scholars. Involving all ranks and disciplines, Spotlight on Learning seeks to bridge the gap between disciplinary scholarship and instruction and foster collegiality across disciplines based on the common pursuit of teaching. Conference Guide Thursday, May 16 8 a.m. Track: Active/Collaborative Learning Industrial Hygiene Virtual Laboratory Tim Ryan, Health and Human Services Location: Grover W123 A CD-ROM constituting a Virtual Laboratory in Industrial Hygiene Sampling Analysis is demonstrated and described. The Virtual Laboratory program has been beta tested and evaluated in the college classroom. Pedagogical aspects pertaining to the effectiveness of the application are discussed. Student scores from lab sections taught in 1999 and 2000 by traditional classroom techniques were compared to scores following implementation of the CD in 2001. Results show the CD-based course is as effective as the traditional approach. Students reported deeper understanding when hands-on laboratory sessions were augmented with virtual laboratory modules, and were appreciative of the convenience and portability inherent in the approach. Track: Transforming Teaching through Technology Greek Before Christmas: Computerized Drill in Classical Greek Morphology Steve Hays, Classics Location: Scripps 114 The primary goal in teaching elementary Classical Greek is to acquaint the students with enough grammar knowledge and reading experience in the first year that they can begin reading serious literary texts (by such authors as Plato and Homer) in the first quarter of the second year. Typically, students face two difficulties: the exotic alphabet and the complex morphological structure. Many students, however, left to their own devices don't know how to structure their study so as to make progress from the first day, and many fine students are paralyzed by the amount and the complexity of the data and so fall irretrievably behind during the first few weeks. This is precisely the sort of problem that computer instruction is most suited to addressing: systematic drill via repetitions of patterned data. The presenter will share his anecdotal observations as he set out to develop exercises to provide structured drills to help students learn the alphabet and noun/adjective morphology. Track: Curriculum and Assessment The Electronic Portfolio Program - Assessment in the College of Business David Chappell, Business Location: Lab A, Basement, Computer Service Center The purpose of this Spotlight on Learning session is to introduce participants to an electronic portfolio program at the College of Business at Ohio University. Individuals will create their own portfolio during the session; all they need is a valid Oak account at Ohio University. The session will include examples of projects presently included in business portfolios, in addition to examples from other academic areas, including Theater and Flight Aviation. Examples of portfolios may be viewed at: http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~chappell/Page3.htm. Track: Poster Session Assessing Student Performance in General and Organic Chemistry and Involvement in the Peer-Led Team Learning Model Lauren McMills, Chemistry Laura Schaeffer, Academic Advancement Center Location: Baker Center Ballroom The Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Model has been introduced into both General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry at Ohio University. The PLTL model promotes a non-intimidating learning atmosphere, fosters student confidence and competence and stimulates enthusiasm. In addition it fosters a sense of community, cultivates and strengthens the communication between faculty and students. This leads to a deeper appreciation and better understanding of the course content, with the net result being an increase in student success and retention. The students self-select the PLTL option for each of the three-quarter courses and earn 1 credit hour (pass/fail) for the 2-hour PLTL course. Student grades earned in General and Organic Chemistry are used to assess the effectiveness of the PLTL method. By comparing results for students in six courses taught by eleven different faculty, we seek to correlate course performance with the participation in the PLTL program. Materials for the PLTL courses have been developed in several formats by four different faculty members to provide each participant experience in several formats. 9 a.m. Track: Active/Collaborative Learning Enhancing Engineering Education with Writing-to-learn and Cooperative Learning Lonnie Welch, Sherrie Gradin, and Karin Sandell Location: Scripps 114 Why would anyone want to switch from the lecture method of teaching engineering to methods that employ active learning? Doesn't lecturing produce the most informed engineers? It will be shown that teaching through writing-to- learn and cooperative learning can not only achieve these goals, but can also result in extraordinary transformation of both teacher and students. Student engagement and excitement are elevated at the same time as the depth of learning increases. Students become better engineers because they can think critically, solve problems individually or in teams, write better, and orally present information. Track: Transforming Teaching through Technology Engaging students in an Environmental Plant Biology Course Kim J. Brown, Environmental and Plant Biology Location: Clippinger 132A Teaching large undergraduate science courses presents a number of challenges: How can one assess student integration of material in a faster timestep than formal exams? How can the instructor increase class participation (with a class size of 80)? How can introductory plant science be taught in a manner that is engaging for non-science majors? To meet these (and additional) challenges, the Environmental and Plant Biology course "Plants and People" was restructured to include timely topics, minute papers, and updated technological approaches. Specifically, the instructor provided all course materials online in a web site that was updated, at a minimum, thrice weekly. Also, asynchronous online discussions on BlackBoard(tm) were utilized as a means of engaging the students in critical thinking and written expression regarding case studies that relate plant biology to their lives (examples: genetically modified plants, bioprospecting, global change and fossil fuel usage). Track: Poster Session The Electronic Portfolio: Assessment in Teacher Education Teresa Franklin, Educational Studies Location: Baker Center 329 It is expected that teachers entering educational practice will be technology literate and proficient in the integrate technology into P-12 teaching and learning strategies. The electronic portfolio is being used in the College of Education, Teacher Education Department to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and dispositions gained by preservice teachers in the use of technology. The National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS) are used to assess the level of competence of preservice teachers in their ability to integrate technology into teaching and learning strategies, master technology skills, trouble shoot technology equipment, determine ethical, socials and legal implications of technology use in the classroom and demonstrate mastery of software used in K-12 environments. Track: Poster Session Innovations at the Child Development Center Cathleen Waller and Kristin Mazzeo, Child Development Center Location: Baker Center 329 At the Child Development Center the focus is on the children: their abilities, interests, and developmental needs. The teachers (student and Master) observe the children and with them, embark on a journey of research and discovery.