1. Using Pedagogy Workshops as a Catalyst for Curricular Change at 2-Year Colleges Karen Singer-Freeman, Joseph A. Skrivanek, & Ronnie Halperin, Purchase College Using Pedagogy Workshops as a Catalyst for Curricular Change at 2-Year Colleges Karen Singer-Freeman, Joseph A. Skrivanek, & Ronnie Halperin, Purchase College. 4) Peer-Led Team Learning - Spring 2007 Ways to implement group problem sessions Current students as group leaders Alumni as group leaders Student-generated or instructor-generated materials Ways to implement peer tutoring Current student tutors Alumni tutors 5) Effective Grading: Tools for Learning & Assessment – Fall 2007 Guest Speaker – Ginny Anderson Articulation of learning outcomes: Testing for learning vs. intelligence Rubrics Primary Trait Analysis Scales Affective Checklists Mini-Portfolios Surveys of student work Analysis of whole class data The use of reflective writing, poster sessions, and PowerPoint Feedback from Alumni 6) What We Have Learned So Far – Spring 2008 Four community college faculty gave talks about changes they had made in their teaching as a result of participation in earlier workshops. Re-Design of General Bio Sequence Using Student Assessment of Learning Gains Pedagogical Improvements in Intro Bio Peer-Led Team Learning Exercise in Chemical Kinetics 7) GIS-Based Resources for the Classroom – Fall 2009 Introduction to GIS and Google Earth Examples of classroom uses 8) Math Across the Community College Curriculum - Spring 2010 Challenges and pedagogical issues of interdisciplinary work Introduction to Quantitative Literacy: “What should students know when they leave college?” Examples of ways to integrate math and science content Group work to design 3 possible lessons Formative Evaluation The success of these workshops depended upon the use of formative evaluation. Surveys completed for each workshop Responses guided the development of future programs We conducted two focus groups in the Spring of 2009. Outcomes Immediate Survey Responses The majority of participants reported that they believed the information covered in every workshop would be useful in helping them to improve their teaching. Participants provided suggestions for future workshops Focus Group Retrospective Feedback 60% of participants have reported that they had made changes in their introductory STEM classes. Participants valued learning substantive information as well as more general pedagogical techniques Participants valued the networking opportunities provided by the workshops feeling that the chance to meet with colleagues enlivened their thinking about their subject matter, their curricula, and their pedagogy. Generally, faculty reported that the most helpful workshops provided information that could be applied broadly to many different types of introductory classes. Future Plans In the future faculty would like to have workshops on some of these topics Attention Retention: Keeping students’ interest Using Technology in the Classroom Communicating with Students A Faculty-Student Joint Workshop Closer cooperation between science and math faculty Abstract In 2006 Purchase College initiated a series of pedagogy workshops for community college faculty who teach in STEM fields. The goal of these workshops is to provide a supportive framework in which faculty learn about innovative pedagogy and share ideas with colleagues. Over the past 4 years, 8 day-long workshops have been offered. In this poster we describe the workshops and summarize the ways in which they have served as a catalyst for curricular changes at 2-year colleges. Details Individual workshops have attracted 15 -25 participants from 6 local community colleges. Faculty receive Compensation for attendance Release time from their institution in order to re-design courses Workshops 1) Strategies for Success – Spring 2006 The First Lecture: Enthuse them or Lose them Active Group Learning Bioethics Debates Using Technology in Lecture and Lab Getting Unprepared Students Ready for A & P Exploring the Human Genome Project Online Theatrics, Chemistry and Music 2) Your Favorite Bio or Chem Laboratory Spring 2006 Each participant presented the best lab they had developed. Labs included: Estimating Population Size of Pillbugs Bacteriaology Drosophila Park Determination of Mass of Limiting Reagent Lab Ecology Chemical Reaction of Copper Urinary Physiology Osmosis 3) Proven Approaches for Better Learning – Fall 2006 Organize class around a relevant problem Use teams to work on research tasks Have students communicate research results #23 Sponsored by NSF Grant # DUE0524965