Opportunity for Faculty to Develop Their Online Teaching Skills
“Essentials of Online Teaching” (OL 2000) is a recently redesigned professional development course for faculty members and explores theories and techniques for those teaching online in a post-pandemic landscape. The course is offered through Penn State World Campus Online Faculty Development. The course is four weeks long and participants can expect to spend 3-5 hours each week engaging with the curriculum.
Register for the course on the WC Online Faculty Development Courses page, the course starts Oct.7.
Resources for Instructors: PSU Pathways to Pedagogy
Planning for your fall courses this summer? Penn State’s Pathways to Pedagogy website provides a multitude of tools for instructors to support student learning in their classrooms through mini lessons and guides. Explore new ice breaker questions for the beginning of the semester. Encourage students to think critically about the lesson content by having them curate test questions and one sentence summaries. Improve your student's information retention through memory matrices and one-minute papers. Pathways to Pedagogy can help you elevate your students’ classroom experience and engagement through simple activities.
Learn more on the Pathways to Pedagogy website.
Upcoming Workshops for Assessment Planning in 2024-25
The Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research has announced the dates for the workshops in the 2024-25 Assessment Workshop Series, free for all Penn State Faculty. The series covers assessment best practices, General Education assessment, and using Nuventive for documentation for program learning assessment leaders, faculty and administrators across Penn State. Additionally, any faculty members in the Provost Endorsement Program, “Making the Most of Program Assessment,” can attend sessions for credit towards the endorsement.
Visit Penn State’s news post for the list of all workshop dates and view our resources for assessment framework on the Assessment of Teaching page.
Explore Creative Approaches to Teaching Through the Sparkshop Series
You are invited to join us in the Sparkshop --a series of short, lively professional development opportunities that draw upon classic and emerging theories of student motivation to inspire creative approaches to your teaching and learning practice.
9/13 Break the Ice! Penguins Can Swim! Samantha Beebe, Associate Teaching Professor, BBH, Penn State Lehigh Valley:
This Sparkshop will explore Vygotsky’s view of learning as a “team sport”. Icebreakers provide a safe and structured opportunity for students to share experiences and nurture this learning relationship. Join us for ideas on how to spark a sense of community in your classroom!
9/27 Bricks and Brains: LEGO® Learning for Active Classrooms Sydney Pons, PhD Candidate, Hospitality & Tourism, Penn State University Park:
This Sparkshop will introduce innovative ways to integrate LEGO® bricks into your classroom activities. By exploring various forms of LEGO®-based exercises, you'll discover how to integrate theories of play to meet diverse learning objectives. Join us to build a more interactive and dynamic learning environment with LEGO®!
10/4 “Your mission, should you choose to accept it…” Kristy Ganoe, Assistant Teaching Professor, English, Penn State University Park:
This Sparkshop explores ideas for re-imagining writing assignments as role-based cooperative learning scenarios (in this case, a spy scenario), drawing on social and cognitive learning theories. Join us for ideas on how to bring course activities to life.
Discover even more Sparkshop events on the horizon on our Events page.
Schreyer Institute Reasearch Professor Laura Cruz Presented at 2024 Lilly Conference
Congratulations to Schreyer Institute’s Laura Cruz, Penn State Shenango’s Jennifer Jewell, and Penn State Fayette’s Pamela Pologruto for presenting their work ““Human Interest: Pedagogical Strategies for Humanizing Higher Education” at the 2024 Lilly Conference in Austin, Texas. The Lilly Conference’s mission is to provide evidence-based teaching and learning techniques to promote professional development for faculty. Jewell and Pologruto looked at existing evidence-based practices concerning patient care to see what could translate well into a higher education classroom setting, and together the team presented humanizing strategies that focus on the development of students as whole individuals.
Read the full article at:https://tinyurl.com/2s3wcxyh
Meet the Schreyer Institute Consultants: Larkin Hood
Larkin Hood, an associate director and faculty consultant at Penn State's Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, collaborates with faculty to enhance teaching methods and create inclusive learning environments. Her background in archaeology and educational outreach informs her approach, particularly in working with STEM faculty. She values personal interactions, helping instructors refine their teaching strategies while fostering enthusiasm for educational innovation. Beyond her role, Hood leads research on mid-career faculty development, aiming to enrich teaching practices across higher education. Outside of work, she finds inspiration in riding horses, seeing parallels between effective communication with horses and teaching.
Read full quotes from Hood’s interview on Penn State’s Meet the Schreyer Institute Consultants: Larkin Hood news story.
Schedule a meeting with Larkin Hood through our directory.
Schreyer Grant Funds Abington Faculty Equity and Inclusion Workshop
The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence at Penn State funded a grant to enhance teaching for equity and inclusion at Penn State Abington. Melanie Boston received a $3,600 grant for her proposal "Intercultural Development on Campus: Shifting Perceptions," aiming to integrate these elements into pedagogy. Tara Harvey of True North Intercultural conducted workshops where faculty learned to recognize and adapt their cultural assumptions, without compromising academic standards. Participants, including faculty and Global Programs staff, completed the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to assess their cultural mindset and skillset. Feedback emphasized the personal journey towards equity and inclusion in teaching, guided by understanding interactions' impact on students' experiences. The grant was part of the Schreyer institute's initiative to foster systemic changes in teaching and learning.
Learn more about our grants on the Schreyer Institute grants page.
Read more on Penn State’s news article.
Schreyer Institute Targeted Teaching Transformation Summer Reads
Here's what faculty members in SITE's Targeted Teaching Transformation (T3) are reading this summer as they work to transform their courses:
Classroom Assessment Techniques: https://www.wiley.com
How Learning Works: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/How+Learning+Works
Small Teaching: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Small+Teaching
What Inclusive Instructors Do: https://www.routledge.com/What-Inclusive-Instructors-Do-Principles-and-Practices-for-Excellence-in-College-Teaching
Specifications Grading: https://www.routledge.com/Specifications-Grading-Restoring-Rigor-Motivating-Students-and-Saving-Faculty-Time
Grading for Equity: https://us.corwin.com/books/grading-for-equity-2nd-edition-281503
Grading for Growth: https://www.routledge.com/Grading-for-Growth
The Blended course Design Workbook: https://www.bcdworkbook.com/
Learning That Matters: A Field Guide to Course Design for transformative Education: https://styluspub.presswarehouse.com
Small Teaching Online: https://www.wiley.com/en-ie/Small+Teaching+Online
Schreyer Institute Bids Fond Farewell to Humphrey Fellow Odgerel Batsaikhan
Dr. Batsaikhan, Vice Director of Otgontenger University in Mongolia, worked with the Schreyer Institute and the PSU College of Education for the Hubert Humphrey scholarship program during the summer of 2023. She recently published a news report on her experience with the Schreyer Institue, informing her collogues in Mongolia on the work we do for PSU faculty.
“In addition to studying at an excellent school and program, I made new colleagues, friends, and colleagues with whom I spent the most time during the 10 months, the supportive, talented, and friendly staff at the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence. I am writing this short article with the sincere desire to share my thoughts about this institute with colleagues, employees in the field of education, and Mongolian readers who pay attention to the professional development of teachers.”
“Let's close this short article by wishing success and thanking this talented team, who are always ready to generously share their knowledge and experience to support and contribute to the development of Mongolian higher education teachers.”
- Dr. Batsaikhan
The Schreyer Institute thanks Dr. Batsaikhan for sharing her experience and taking the time to inform interested parties in Mongolia on what we do to promote excellence in teaching. We wish her best wishes as she continues her work to enhance professional development of teaching in higher education institutions in Mongolia!
Check out her full news article: https://tur.mn/t/s/16477
