JCCT Past Events

  

2006-2007 Events

"In the Classroom" Series

A monthly roundtable designed to give you opportunity to discuss the
nuts and bolts of teaching issues with colleagues. 

September 22 - High Moments, Low Moments: Encountering Challenges in the Classroom

 New and seasoned faculty members alike know that teaching has its highs and lows.  Charlotte Armster (Department of German), Jean Potuchek (Department of Sociology and Anthropology), and Steve James (Department of Biology) - faculty member who have won awards for their teaching - will reflect on challenges they face in the classroom and facilitate a discussion about creative ways to address teaching challenges.

 

 October 27 - Using Angel in the classroom

Please join us for a conversation with faculty who are using the Angel course management system in their classes.  Lidia Anchisi (French & Italian), Pam Arnold (Chemistry), Lynnell Matthews (Mathematics), Brian Meier (Psychology), and Istvan Urcuyo (Biology) will share how they are using angel and reflect on the way a course management system can shape the way class operates, change how teaching time is spent, and meet different teaching needs.  This will open the door to a larger discussion in which people can share tips about using angel and talk about the use of course management systems in general - How do they change the way we interact with our students?  Are the benefits worth the effort?  Everyone should expect to leave with a better idea of how some of our colleagues are making Angel a useful part of their teaching process.

 

November 17 - Rubrics Cubed: Rubrics as a Strategy for Grading

This is the time of year when faculty members everywhere face the painful task of grading.  come hear Steve Gimbel (Philosophy), Jen Leigh (Management), and Jack Ryan (English) describe how using rubrics can enhance grading objectivity and transparency while saving time.  Discussion will focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the approach as well as the larger challenges of the grading enterprise.  And yes, Steve Gimbel is responsible for the pun. 

February 23 - Challenging Professorial Authority

Almost all faculty member have had experiences of students challenging their authority through behaviors ranging from classroom disruption to grad disputes.  Research suggests that faculty member who are young and/or female from minority groups are most likely to find their authority challenges, although there are exceptions to these patterns, too.  In a discussion with colleagues, we'll identify issues at Gettysburg College and brainstorm possible solutions. 

March 23 - Advising for Gettysburg Curriculum

How do you articulate the Gettysburg Curriculum for students?  Kathi Crow (Mathematics), Dan Gilbert (Management), Nathalie Lebon (Women's Studies), and Stephen Stern (Religion) will lead a discussion about advising student for the "new" curriculum.  How do you explain what a cluster is?  What do you do when the students just want to check off requirements?  What are the best ways to encourage them to think about learning goals?  Please join us as we examine these mysteries and other enigmatic aspects of our advising responsibilities. 

April 20 - Diversity int he Classroom: Students' Perspectives.

How do we handle diversity issues in our classes?  Wat are we doing well, and what could we do better?  How can faculty and student create a more inclusive environment in the classrooms?  Join Pete Curry, Dean of Intercultural Advancement, and students active int he IRC for a discussion of diversity issues.  The students will share their perspectives to start the discussion and conversation among faculty and students will follow.

 

Learning Lunches

Professional nourishment as faculty members present their innovative teaching projects.

October 3, 2006-Models of Service Learning

Over the past 15 years, the number of service-learning courses at Gettysburg College has been steadily increasing.  Find out how your colleagues are partnering with the community to provide powerful learning experiences for students as they engage in community-identified projects.  Co-presenters include Paula Olinger (Spanish), Christopher Fee (English), Jennifer Hansen (Philosophy), and Jennifer Leigh (Management).  Models include direct service projects (such as tutoring or working in the homeless shelter), community-based research and examining issues in both local and national contexts.  Resources for implementing service-learning will also be shared.

                          

November 2, 2006-International Teaching & Research

Faculty members across campus are participating in internation teaching and research opportunities.  Find out what some of your colleagues are doing and how adding an international component to your teaching and/or research can enhance your Gettysburg experience!

Co-presenters include:  Pam Arnold (Chemistry), Rebecca Bergren (Off-Campus Studies), VoonChin Phua (Sociology), and Tim Shannon (History)   
                   

February 6, 2007- Artful Learning

Judy Brough will present a session that describes how Artful Learning, the planning approach advocated by the Leonard Bernstein Center, can be used in a college classroom.  Brough received a Creative Teaching Fellowship to learn about this approach, and students in her secondary education class use the approach to plan lessons in various subject matters.  She will share the essential components of Artful Learning and give several examples of its use and effect on student' learning. 

                             

March 8 - How Can a Course Satisfy STS? 

Science and technology touch every corner of contemporary life.  As such, courses from any discipline can be shaped with an eye towards satisfying the Science, Technology, and Society requirement.  And just as there are no disciplinary boundaries, so too, there are varied approaches one might take in setting up and STS course.  Please join Steve Gimbel, Pete Pella, Dina Lowy, Michael Wedlock, and Koren Holland Deckman for a conversation about different models of STS and suggestions for setting up new STS courses.

April 4, 2007- Globalizing your Courses

We're all familiar with the refrains of globalization: the wold is "flat", is getting smaller and we are increasingly interdependent, but how does one incorporate these developments into classes?  During this luncheon Caroline Hartzell and Rob Bohrer will discuss opportunities and developments related to a US Department of Education Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (USIFL) grant awarded to the College last year as well as the development of the major in Globalization Studies.  Based on their experiences making globalization a more central focus on campus and within individual classes in addition to the experiences of other connected with these programs we hope to open avenues and spur ideas for bringing global connection to the campus community.

                        

 

2005 - 2006  

  

JCCT Luncheon:  "Creative Teaching Showcase"

Tuesday, October 4

What do Steve James (Department of Biology), Carl Leinbach (Department of Computer Science), Nancy Cushing-Daniels (Department of Spanish), Barbara Sommer (Department of History), and Brendan Cushing-Daniels (Department of Economics) have in common?  Answer:  They are all recipients of teaching fellowships from the Center for Creative Teaching.  These fellowships provide a course release to support creative teaching endeavors that require large time commitments.  Your colleagues' projects involved activities ranging from service-learning to team-teaching to digitizing maps.  On Tuesday, October 4, they will present their teaching projects and take questions about the activities and materials they developed.  Come learn about their work and about the teaching fellowship program.  A buffet lunch will be provided.

 

Workshop with Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein-Graff

Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein-Graff, Department of English, University of Illinois at Chicago, will give a teaching workshop entitled "From Avoidance to Tolerance to Debate:  Productively Engaging Conflict in the Classroom" as part of the CPC Academic Freedom Conference.  Graff and Birkenstein-Graff are the authors of They Say/I Say:  A Brief Guide to Argumentative Writing (2005).  Graff is the author of numerous books including Beyond the Culture Wars:  How Teaching the Conflicts Can Revitalize American Education (1993) and Clueless in Academe:  How Schooling Obscures the Mind (2004). 

The workshop is sponsored by the Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and takes place on Friday, March 24, from 2:30-4:45 p.m.. in the CUB (room TBA).  Participants will need to register for the conference, which is free of charge for faculty at CPC colleges.  You can register for the conference by clicking on the advertisement for the conference that appears on the College's homepage.  If you want to attend the entire conference, the registration deadline is Wednesday, March 15^th.  If you just want to attend the teaching workshop, you may register for the conference up to Thursday, March 23^rd.  Please do not sign up for any meals if you register after March 15^th. 

 

"UnRAVEL: Undergraduate Research Adds Value to Educators and Learners"

Gettysburg College faculty members John Commit to (Environmental Studies), Jenny Hansen (Philosophy), Caroline Hartzell (Political Science), and Mark Warwick (Visual Arts) will give a luncheon presentation entitled "UnRAVEL:  Undergraduate Research Adds Value to Educators and Learners" on Tuesday, March 28, from 11:30-1:00 p.m.. in CUB 260.  Their panel presentation will focus on models for engaging students in scholarly and creative projects.  A buffet lunch will be provided.  Please join us!

"The Paradox of Praise: Writing Letters of Recommendation." 

Maureen Forrestal, Assistant Dean of Academic Advising, will give a workshop entitled "The Paradox of Praise:  Writing Letters of Recommendation."  Maureen has designed a hands-on workshop that provides strategies for addressing the many challenges of writing good letters of recommendation.  Participants will discuss sample letters and also compose letters based on scenarios representing students with a range of strengths and weaknesses.  Maureen will also briefly review fellowship opportunities.

Copies of Joe Schall's book, Writing Letters of Recommendation:  A Faculty Handbook, will be given to workshop participants.

2004 - 2005 

Fall 2004: New Faculty Orientation Week

Extended to new faculty, orientation included the two day workshop on the new curriculum (see below) plus a third full day on getting prepared electronically, creative use of library resources, and learning outside the classroom (experiential education and service-learning).

Spring and Fall 2004: Getting Ready for the Gettysburg College Curriculum - May 20 & 21 and August 23 & 25

The Center for Creative Teaching in collaboration with Academic Advising hosted a workshop focusing on the Gettysburg Curriculum (the name for the "new curriculum") and its implications for how we teach and how we advise students. At this workshop, faculty become familiar with the Gettysburg Curriculum and explored its impact at the course, departmental, and college level. In addition, faculty learned how to use some new advising tools, including the electronic portfolio. All continuing full time faculty were required to attend, and they received a $200 stipend, supported from a grant from the Hewlitt Foundation.

Spring 2004: "Kill Your PowerPoint" - April 6

A lively discussion on the effective and ineffective uses of PowerPoint facilitated by John Commito.

Spring 2004: Science, Technology, and Society - February 6

To help us prepare for the Science, Technology, and Society (STS) requirement, Karen Kasmanian Oates, representing SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibilities) shared with us the importance of teaching science in context.

2003-2004 

 

Fall 2003: Center for Creative Teaching Showcase - November 18

This session highlighted the creative teaching activities of recent fellowship recipients -- Dorothy Moore (Spanish), Tim Shannon (History), Brooks Kaiser (Economics), Steve Gimbel (Philosophy) and Eric Egge (Mathematics). In addition, faculty learned about the application process for the fellowship and other curriculum development opportunities.

Fall 2003: New Faculty Orientation Week

Extended New Faculty Orientation included four 1/2 day workshops on the liberal arts, getting prepared electronically, what we do well (including instructional technology and creative use of library resources), and learning outside the classroom (experiential education and service-learning).

Spring 2003: Writing to Learn Workshop -- May 13-14

Fifteen faculty members participated in a two-day workshop faciliated by Nicole Wallach of Bard College. The workshop focused on the use of writing as a pedogogy for learning, not merely assessment.

Spring 2003:  Experiential Education -- January 28 and 29

The staff of the Office of Experiential Education gave a lunch presentation (repeated two days) on the wealth of creative ideas and activities to help faculty connect with students both in and out of the classroom.  Faculty learned how their colleagues at Gettysburg have enhanced their courses and increased student discussion in the classroom through cooperative learning activities at the Challenge Course. 

2002-2003

Fall-Spring 2002:  Workshops for Part-time Faculty

An ongoing series of workshops and events for part-time faculty.  These events are intended to support faculty members in their work on the campus and help them become more deeply integrated into the campus community.   The first meeting allowed faculty to raise any issues that have emerged in the beginning of the semester, and the Assistant Provost reviewed some of the resources that are available to part-time faculty.  Subsequent lunches have been planned to address the issues raised at the first meeting.

Fall 2002:  Free Choice Learning

Dr. John Falk and Dr. Lynn Dierking of the Center for Learning Innovation, led a workshop on "Free-Choice Learning," learning that is self-directed, voluntary, and guided by an individual's needs and interests.  An overview of free choice learning was presented at a Friday Faculty Luncheon, and a more in-depth workshop was offered Friday afternoon.

Spring 2002:  Active Learning

Prof. Kim Eby and Prof. Elizabeth Gunn of New Century College at George Mason University led a workshop on strategies for helping students to become more active and engaged participants in class.  Two sections of the same workshop were offered.

2001 - 2002

Orientation Sessions for New Faculty

Three orientation sessions were scheduled for new faculty.  The first one focused on Teaching.  Topics covered were the philosophy behind a liberal arts education, the profile of Gettysburg students, advice from relatively new faculty, course and student expectations, and sharing of techniques faculty have used to engage students.  The second workshop focused on maintaining a scholarly trajectory at Gettysburg College.  Six more senior members of the faculty spoke for five minutes or so each about various aspects of conducting research at Gettysburg College.  Following the presentations there was discussion, with the panelists responding to, and expanding upon, the questions from the audience.  The third workshop was on governance and the Faculty Personnel Committee.  The panelists, most former members of the FPC and/or department chairs, spoke about governance and evaluation, and there was plenty of time for free discussion and questions from the audience.