2005-2006 Teaching Effectiveness Program 

The Gift of ADHD: A Conversation about Writing & Creativity
Prof. Suzanne Bailey, Department of English Literature; and 
Prof. Michele Lacombe, Canadian Studies Program
January 16, 2006; 1.5 hrs 

Profs. Michele Lacombe and Suzanne Bailey will lead a teaching conversation on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In this seminar, Michele Lacombe and Suzanne Bailey will cover recent research on ADHD and its relevance in academic contexts, as well as implications for thinking about writing and creativity. Michele's research focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to Canadian and Native literature. She is interested in ADHD, gender, and creativity. Suzanne has work forthcoming on Robert Browning and ADHD and is particularly interested in the impact of ADHD on language, writing, and modes of artistic expression. 

Strategies for Generating In-course Evaluation & Feedback
Prof. David Poole, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning)
February 8, 2006; 1 hr 

In most courses, teaching evaluations by students are done at the end of the course using a departmentally standardized instrument. Any constructive feedback about the instructor's teaching is therefore received too late to be of benefit to either the instructor or the students in that particular offering of the course. In this workshop, David will offer several suggestions for supplementary ways to obtain formative feedback from a class during a course. Via these vehicles, instructors can gauge the effectiveness of their teaching - and the consequent level of student engagement - on an ongoing basis. Feedback received may also prove to be useful to faculty wishing concrete ways of demonstrating teaching effectiveness for the purposes of applying for tenure, promotion, or merit awards. Participants in the workshop are encouraged to bring their own strategies as well. 

Using Visuals in the Classroom
Prof. Marit Munson, Department of Anthropology 
March 7, 2006; 1 hr 

In this workshop Marit will explore the benefits of using visuals and hands-on materials as a way to engage different learning styles in the classroom. Topics of conversation will include choosing the right visuals for the subject, positive uses of Powerpoint, and the practicality of using hands-on materials in non-lab classes. 

Integrating Information Literacy Intro Trent Programs
Jean Luyben, Information Services Librarian; Prof. Ralph Shiell, Department of Physics and Astronomy; and Prof. Dr. Rachel Wortis, Department of Physics and Astronomy 
May 9, 2006; 1hr

For our students to understand and appreciate the importance of information literacy in the context of their discipline, we need collaboration between librarians, teaching faculty, and the administration. This year, the Department of Physics developed such a program collaboratively with the library. As a result, all students in 3rd year Physics developed their research skills through online tutorials, group presentations, and a written paper. Rachel, Ralph and Jean will outline the program that was offered this year and discuss the process by which they developed it. 

Using Student Voting Clickers to Enhance In-class Participation
Prof. Al Slavin, Department of Physics and Astronomy and Prof. Andrew Vreugdenhil, Department of Chemistry 
June 8, 2006; 1 hr

Studies have shown that student learning is greatly enhanced if part of classroom time is spent in guided, small-group discussion. One way to encourage such participation in even large classes is for each student to have a handheld "clicker", similar to a TV remote control, that allows student responses to be recorded, with their ID number, in a computer. No wiring is required, and the receiver (typically 3 cm wide x 8 cm long) is plugged into the instructor's computer USB port. A class of up to 1000 students can use a single receiver. Typically, the instructor will ask the class a question with several multiple-choice answers, with the questions being either of the right/wrong variety, or designed to gauge student opinion on social issues, for example. Students can decide individually or in small-group discussion and then each vote for one answer electronically. The computer tallies the scores and displays a histogram of the responses which is projected via the data projector, so that the class and the instructor know at once the aggregate class opinions. The computer will grade responses and assign participation and/or correctness marks as desired. With a small component of the course grade based on this participation, both attendance and participation have been shown to improve dramatically. The clicker system can easily be interfaced with PowerPoint if desired.