January 25

Factors to Consider when Writing and Using Clicker Questions in Diverse Disciplines: An Interactive Discussion
Dr. Angel Hoekstra, Department of Sociology
Dr. Hoekstra will draw on her doctoral dissertation research to discuss different types of questions, pros and cons of each question type, and potential problems associated with using clicker questions. Discussion will lead participants to key aspects of good practice for writing clicker questions in higher education.

February 15

Using Service-Learning to Connect your Students to Community and Course Content
Lori Britt, PhD Candidate, Lead Graduate Teacher, Communication
Service-Learning is a pedagogical approach which integrates community service into a course to help broaden students learning and provide meaningful connections and experiences in the community. Find out why and how you might incorporate service-learning into your classes and some of the positive outcomes that can result.

Evaluating Creative Work: Using Guided Peer Feedback, Self-Evaluation, and Quantitative Assessment
Samantha Keehn, DMA Candidate, Lead Graduate Teacher, Music
Jennifer Popple, PhD Candidate, former Lead Graduate Teacher, Theater
Jennifer and Samantha will discuss multiple approaches to evaluating creative work, how these approaches are best utilized and the complications of each approach. In addition, they will also address how to protect yourself as an instructor in a subjective field, especially as a graduate student. This workshop may also prove beneficial to any field of study that uses creative assignments such as writing, creative reasoning or projects.

Designing and Using Effective Assessments
Colin Wallace, PhD Candidate, Lead Graduate Teacher, Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences
In this workshop, we will explore some salient ideas in the assessment community, including how to probe multiple levels of cognition and competency, techniques for utilizing students’ prior knowledge, the importance of formative assessments, and the role of authentic assessments. The workshop will include a demonstration and discussion of how to integrate various assessment practices as part of a working class.

March 15

Time Management in Student Laboratories
Rebecca Turk, PhD Candidate, Lead Graduate Teacher, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Running student science labs is a unique experience which can be particularly difficult due to time constraints. We will address some of the time management issues that lead to rushed labs, and come up with solutions that may guide us towards an efficient and productive laboratory teaching experience.