MSUM Professional Development Day
CMU October 14, 2008   8:00-3:15

Registration begins Sept. 24 and closes Oct. 7

Please check back frequently as information continues to be added and adjusted in this section.
Last updated Sept. 17th 2008

Breakfast (8-8:15)
Morning Session (8:00-12)
Lunch (12-1)
Afternoon Session (1-3:15)


Sponsored by Academic Affairs and
The Faculty Development Committee
 

Step 1. Review Schedule
Step 2. Review Professional Development Day Sessions
Step 3. Register for Three morning sessions and Two afternoon Sessions
Step 4. Print Confirmation
Step 5. Bring Confirmation on Oct 14, 2008

Step 1. Schedule

8:00-8:15 Continental Breakfast
8:15-9:00 Opening Remarks - Edna Szymanski
9:00-9:50 First Session
10:00-10:50 Second Session
11:00-11:50 Third Session
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-1:20
Keynote Address: Making Your Syllabus Less Authoritarian

Wes Erwin, Counseling and Student Affairs, and Teresa Shume, School of Teaching and Learning.

1:30-2:15 7 Sessions (Block 1)
2:15-2:30 Break
2:30-3:15 7 Sessions Repeated (Block 2)

Step 2. Profession Development Day Sessions

Morning Sessions


9:00 - 9:50

1. Dragon Core Advising and Updates, CMU Ballroom D. 

In the Spring of 2008, department visits and an open forum lead to suggested revisions in the Dragon Core program. This session will review changes and areas of ongoing discussion. 

Jean K. Sando, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of General Education and Ellen Brisch, Chairperson – Dragon Core Committee 

2. What to Do About Students of Concern?, CMU 205. 
 
Learn when and how to make a referral to the CARE Team, MSUM’s student behavior intervention team, if you have a concern about a student in your classroom. Find out how you can discreetly get advice from a cross functional team working together to help students of concern.  

Diane Solinger, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and Interim Director of Housing and Residential Life

3. Academic Service-Learning and Distinction in Engagement, CMU Ballroom A. 
 
This session will examine how Academic Service-Learning and MSUM's new Distinction in Engagement program can link student learning in your courses and disciplines to the world off campus, fostering deeper engagement with both.  

Janet Haak, Director of Academic Outreach and Engagement

4. Livingston Lord Library and Technology Center Renovation, CMU 101. 
 
This presentation will include information from the schematic design architects and the renovation committee currently working on the Livingston Lord Library and Technology Center renovation. This will be a chance for faculty to give input into the project's direction, including thoughts on the development of an information/learning commons, student study spaces, services, student and faculty technology support, and more.  

Brittney Goodman, Associate Vice President of Instructional Resources and Director of Distance Learning

10:00 - 10:50

1. Antiracism in the Classroom: Discussion for ARMAC Participants, CMU Ballroom A. 

This session is for faculty who have participated in the Antiracist Multiculturalism Across the Curriculum (ARMAC) workshop to come together to talk about the work they have been doing in their classes. It is a chance to share ideas, celebrate successes, talk about challenges, and give each other concrete feedback about the on-going work in class.  

Anita Bender, TOCAR Program Coordinator and Director of the Women’s Center 

2. Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL): Pedagogies of Engagement, CMU 205. 
 
Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) is an informal alliance whose goal is to build and strengthen undergraduate programs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). PKAL and its partnership with MnSCU will be introduced and pedagogies of engagement discussed at past PKAL meetings and used at MSUM will be highlighted. Participants will discuss different teaching methods.  

Jeff Bodwin, Associate Professor of Chemistry; Steven Lindaas, Associate Professor of Physics; Andrew Maaz Marry, Assistant Professor of Biosciences; Joe Provost, Associate Professor o Chemistry; David Rodenbaugh, Assistant Professor of Biosciences; Mark Wallert, Professor of Biosciences

3. Disciplinary Issues: In and Out of the Classroom, CMU Ballroom D. 
 
MSUM’s new Judicial Officer will discuss student conduct issues related to academic integrity, disruptive student behavior in the classroom, and general information related to this new position.  

Ashley Atteberry, Judicial Officer

4. Student Success Initiatives: Update and Plans, CMU 101. 
 
MSUM has pursued several initiatives in the past three years focusing on improving students success including the Student Success Institute, the Student Success Task Force, and the Foundations of Excellence program. These initiatives have resulted in concrete changes, including a revision of the mission and charge of the Enrollment Management Committee. Learn about these and other student success achievements during this session.  

Ginny Bair, Associate Registrar; Tim Borchers, Interim Dean of Arts and Humanities; Jean K. Sando, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of General Education

11:00 - 11:50

1. What FERPA Protects and Does Not Protect, CMU 205. 

Learn more about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Minnesota Data Privacy ACT (MDPA) as they relate to student’s educational records. Participants will discuss rights of students, parents, and school officials and what information can and cannot be release or shared with others.  

Jayne Washburn, Registrar 

2. Learning Communities and Freshmen Interest Groups, CMU Ballroom A. 
 
Come and hear about the transformative promise of Learning Communities for instruction, learning, retention and student engagement.  

Diane Solinger, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and Interim Director of Housing and Residential Life

3. Dragons After Dark / First Year Experience, CMU Ballroom D. 
 
Dragons After Dark is a once a month late-night programming activity designed to provide positive entertainment options on weekends. Currently the program is held on Friday nights from 9pm-1am. FYE, designed to increase student success by helping to reduce academic missteps, is being offered more intentionally to new student cohorts in pilot sections this year. Join us for a discussion on both programs’ strategies, goals, and outcomes.

Veronica Michael, Coordinator of Orientation and Transition

4. External and Internal Funding through Grants, CMU 101. 
 
This session will review both internal and external sources of funding for faculty and student research projects as well as other faculty and institutional grants. Topics will include looking at sources of funding through Government Grants, Private Foundations, and MnSCU/MSUM funding.  

Richard Adler, Dean of Graduate Studies and Associate Dean of Education and Human Services and Brittney Goodman, Associate Vice President of Instructional Resources and Director of Distance Learning

Afternoon Sessions 1-7


1. Humanizing the Student and Teacher Relationship, CMU 203. 

This presentation will focus on ways to develop trust with students in the classroom and will share student feedback related to changes in course syllabi and class structure in an attempt to be less authoritarian. The session will conclude with discussion of Mano Singham’s article, “Moving Away from the Authoritarian Classroom". 

Karen Branden, Associate Professor of Sociology 

2. Grading: A Balancing Act, CMU Ballroom A. 
 
The methods for assessing students’ papers are vast and varied, but do they all lead to the same end? This is a hands-on session for faculty members who are interested in practicing and discussing a variety of summative assessment strategies using sample student papers. Following this interactive workshop, we will explore the relationship between assessment and the construction of teacher identity.  

Elizabeth Kirchoff, Assistant Professor of English

3. Best Practices: Teaching in the Dragon Core, CMU 101. 

The panelists will provide current course examples and offer suggestions for active learning in Dragon Core classes, including discussion of the use of in-class simulations for both upper and lower division Dragon Core history courses, an introduction to LodeStar software and its application in the information literacy module utilized in CMST 100, an explanation of the process for finding “learning objects” in repositories, and how to get students to “talk the talk” or conduct research and make presentations in the sciences.  

Travis Dolence, Assistant Professor and Instruction Librarian; Denise Goresline, Professor of Communication Studies; Ellen Hill, Professor of Mathematics; Theresa Hest, Associate Professor of Communication Studies; Paul Sando, Associate Professor of Geography; and Margaret Sankey, Associate Professor of History 

4. Democratizing the Classroom: Experiences from a Contract-based Research Methods Course, CMU 227 

This session will explore the contract-based syllabus as a mechanism for democratizing the classroom. It will discuss some benefits and common pitfalls of the contract approach, as well as other practical ways of giving students greater “voice” and “power” in classroom assessment procedures. 

Lee Vigilant, Associate Professor of Sociology 

5. Motivation and the College Student, CMU 205. 

This session will present techniques for motivating students to become more engaged in their coursework. Topics may include encouraging class discussion, sparking student interest in assignments and activities, and/or motivating students to continue exploring course materials outside of the classroom. The workshop will include working with first-year students and how to heighten interest in Dragon Core courses.  

Tim Decker, Assistant Professor of Corrick Center for General Education and Janet Haak, Director of Academic Outreach and Engagement 

6. Open Dialogue about Mano Singham’s August Presentation and Change Article, CMU 214. 

Singham’s point is how to develop and enhance a teacher-learner relationship through the lens of effective teaching and growing invested learners. This intent is challenged by federal and state statues, university policies, and teacher-learner dynamics based on the need for trust and mutual respect. Sharing ideas in this discussion will address the question “what to do?” with insights from colleagues providing “what I am doing?” Your ideas and views are welcome in this forum.  

Steve Street, Associate Professor of Special Education 

7. Diversity and Antiracism in the Classroom: Overcoming Obstacles, CMU Ballroom D. 

TOCAR Academic Unit Faculty who attended one of the TOCAR Infusing Antiracism into the Curriculum workshops will discuss how they adapted their courses, the challenges they faced in dealing with this sometimes controversial content, and some key successes they have had in fostering learning.  

TOCAR Staff and moderated by Jan Flack, Director of Continuing Studies 



Step 3. Register for Two Sessions
Be prepared to print the confirmation page. If you do not have a printer please write down the information.

Registration is open! Click here to Register.
Please complete registration by October 7, 2008.