New Faculty Orientation Program Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) January 23, 2015

Center for Teaching and Learning LOCATION Second Floor, Ada Dodge Hall STAFF  Director: Dr. Saouma BouJaoude, ext 3090, 3094  Associate Director: Dr. Amal BouZeineddine, ext  Administrative officer: Ms. Lamia Husseiny, ext. 3045/6 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23, 20152

CTL Mission Statement Promote and support high quality teaching and learning at the American University of Beirut in keeping with the mission of the University, particularly the university's commitment to excellence in teaching and the enablement of students to think independently and become life-long learners. 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23, CTL Mission

 Supporting individual faculty members (upon their request).  Acting as a resource center for teaching and learning resources.  Promoting and sharing scholarship on teaching and learning in higher education  Planning activities that enhance students’ learning excellence 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23, Realization of the CTL Mission

 Faculty Seminar on Learning and Teaching Excellence  Program and course learning outcomes: development and assessment  Inquiry-based Learning  Team-based learning  Faculty Learning Communities  AUB Award for Excellence in Teaching  Scholarship of Teaching Grants  Annual International Conference on Effective Teaching and Learning in Higher Education  Seminar on course syllabus design  Seminar on Developing a Teaching Portfolio 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23, Sample Activities

 What is the purpose of a course syllabus, contract / information /course outline etc.?  What are the components of a course syllabus?  What challenges do you face when developing a course syllabus? 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23, Course Syllabus Design

Syllabus Components 1.Course Basic Facts 2.Course Description 3.Student (Specific) Learning Outcomes 4.Course Resources/Textbook/Readings 5.Student Assessment 6.Course Policies 7.Course Outline/ Schedule Suggestion: You may want to include, a relevant saying or personal motto, Faculty logo, a funny request, a picture etc. BE CREATIVE. 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23, 20157

What are student learning outcomes (SLO’S)? 8 Learning outcomes outcomes describe what a student should be able to do at the end of a period of learning. Learning outcomes outcomes describe what a student should be able to do at the end of a period of learning. outcome statement should be an action verb which results in overt behavior that can be observed and measured. outcome statement should be an action verb which results in overt behavior that can be observed and measured. 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23, 2015

Avoid unclear verbs Certain verbs are unclear and subject to different interpretations in terms of what action they are specifying. Such verbs call for covert behavior which cannot be observed or measured. These types of verbs should be avoided: Examples of vague verbs: Examples of vague verbs:  know  know  become aware of  appreciate  appreciate  learn  understand  develop  develop  become familiar with 98/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23, 2015

Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy 10 New Bloom’s TaxonomyTraditional Bloom’s Taxonomy 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23, 2015

Writing SLO’s: Tips Check whether your students’ intended performance is observable. Check whether you can assess/measure your students’ observable performance. Indicate the level of knowledge, attitude and skills which are expected of students upon completion of the course. Make sure each statement has one action verb. Do not include more than one expectation in one statement because the required assessment methods may differ. Focus on the learning result (i.e. product or performance) that the student will exhibit and not the learning process or your instruction. 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23,

Write learning outcomes which can be measured by more than one assessment method. When writing your course SLO’s, you may want to consider that:  Each major topic in the course should have one to three learning outcomes.  Each 45-hour or three-credit course should have between 5 and 12 learning outcomes. Writing SLO’s: Tips 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23,

SLO’s Example History Define a pluralistic society and its relationship to the USA democratic principles Business Evaluate various marketing strategies Music Appreciation Describe the distinct style periods of Western music General Psychology Analyze current research findings in the areas of physiological psychology, perception, learning, abnormal, and social psychology Plant and Soil Sciences Calculate the germination rates of various seeds General Nutrition Design individualized eating plans utilizing diet planning principles and the Food Guide Pyramid 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23,

 What is the purpose of a teaching portfolio?  What are the components of a teaching portfolio?  What challenges do you face when compiling a teaching portfolio 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23, Teaching Portfolios

Please work in groups  In your group, kindly discuss the following questions and later share them with all. In your opinion, what is "good" teaching? What evidence of effective teaching can faculty members collect? Teaching Portfolios 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23,

A collection of information by a faculty member about his/her teaching profile What is a Teaching Portfolio New faculty seminar January 23, /30/2015

 Teaching philosophy  Teaching activities  Teaching methods/strategies  Teaching effectiveness  Teaching evaluation & improvement  Innovations in Teaching Teaching Portfolio Elements New faculty seminar January 23, /30/2015

What topics would you recommend for CTL which would contribute to teaching excellence? What topics would you recommend for CTL which would contribute to teaching excellence?  Please your suggestions to: 8/30/2015New faculty seminar January 23, Question