Instructor

Gabriele Bauer, Ph.D., Assistant Director
Center for Teaching Effectiveness, 212 Gore Hall
Office Hours by appointment
Phone: 302-831-2914

Please use WebCT mail to communicate with the instructor and fellow students. I will try to reply to your e-mail messages within 24 hours.
 

This course has been designed for graduate students across disciplines who are pursuing academic careers. Most of you are currently teaching or have taught recently and expect to do so again within the next semester or two, and bring first-hand learning and teaching encounters to the class. Your experiences as teacher practitioners constitute an integral part of this course. You bring your experiences as both students and instructors as well as your observations of faculty to this course. I welcome your input; it is essential to making this course personally meaningful and relevant to you. I look forward to working with you and learning from you. 

Course Description

This seminar entitled “Pedagogy in the University Classroom: Good Practice that Facilitates Learning” constitutes part of the  pedagogy track of the Higher Education Teaching Certification (HETC) program.

Context

What constitutes effective teaching and sound, research-based practice? How do we know whether we are effective and students are learning? Research on students' academic success and cognitive development has demonstrated the effectiveness of those modes of instruction that emphasize active learning and collaborative activities and engage students in intellectual discovery. The instructor's task is to interact with the students in ways that enable them to acquire new information, practice new skills, and reconfigure and expand on what they already know (Gross Davis, 1999).

This course is not focused on "teaching you how to teach" but on introducing you to practical, research-based teaching methods that facilitate student learning. The research literature in higher education provides us with a conceptual framework that we can use to understand more fully our effectiveness as instructors. This course extends the knowledge and skills that you acquired in the seminar focused on student learning, UNIV 600. It aims to deepen your understanding of learning and to help you connect that knowledge to effective instructional practice. We will translate what we know about learning into concrete instructional practice.

Principles of course design, learner-centered teaching, and assessment constitute the main focus of the seminar. You will learn about these teaching aspects from a conceptual basis, and then have the opportunity to apply them to your own instructional context. You will become more aware of how you teach, why you teach the way you do, and how you may teach more effectively to support student learning.

Through readings, discussions, and assignments we will explore the core question: How can we actively involve students  in our courses to maximize their learning?  In addition, you will have the opportunity to talk about what has been going on in the class that you currently teach and get feedback. You will be able to apply the theory and principles to your teaching right away.

The course consists of six units, each addressing a different question about teaching that supports student learning.  

Unit 1:      What is the relationship between effective teaching and student learning?
                Week of September 17

Unit 2:      How do we design courses and instruction that support learning?
                Weeks of September 24 and October 1

Unit 3:      What constitutes "active learning?" What potential barriers exist?
                Week of October 8

Unit 4:      How can we engage our students actively in their learning?
                Weeks of October 15, 22, and 29

Unit 5:      How can we assess student learning?
                Weeks of November 5 and 12

Unit 6:      Ethics of teaching and assessing your teaching- how would we know it?
                Weeks of November 19 and 26

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• Acquire a working knowledge of contemporary research and principles of learning and active learning approaches.
• Apply this conceptual knowledge to principles of effective teaching, particularly to teaching in your discipline.
• Translate the learning principles into effective teaching practice - expand your repertoire of teaching approaches to support student learning. 
• Become familiar with various teaching methods that support active learning and implement some of them in your teaching.
• Become more aware of how you teach, why you teach the way you do, and how you may teach more effectively.
  
• Provide a supportive forum in which to discuss aspects of your current teaching appointment.
  
• Reflect on your personal teaching experiences and beliefs.
• Speak about your teaching practice in an informed, descriptive manner and ground your practice in knowledge of student learning.
  
• Start or continue to develop your teaching portfolio.

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Many of you will be taking the HETC program seminars at the same time, thus forming a learning community. As a member of this learning community you will engage in informed conversation about higher education with the same cohort of peers, continue to learn from each other, and provide support and resources to each other. The online discussions facilitate ongoing dialogue and reflection.
 
Instructional methods utilized in the course (both online and in the seminar):

• Small group work and discussion.
• Class discussion.
• Print and video case study analysis and discussion.
  
• Individual readings, writing, and reflection.
• Guest faculty.
• Oral and written presentations.
• Class observation and feedback by instructor.

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• 9-18:           First seminar
  
• 10-2:           Second seminar
  
• 10-9:           Third seminar
• 10-30:         Fourth seminar
  
• 11-6:           Fifth seminar
• 11-13:         Sixth seminar
  
• 11-27:         Final seminar
  

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• Active learning activity in your discipline              demonstration starts Seminar 4, 10-30 -  team
  
• Assessment tool                                                       post by 11-13
• Learning-centered course syllabus                          post draft by 10-19; post final and present poster: 11-27
• Teaching journal                                                    Part 1: 9-25, Part 2: 11-30 at the latest - submit to instructor via WebCT e-mail

• Attend and actively participate in seminar activities. You need to attend all seminars. Inform the instructor in advance of absences.
• Complete core readings prior to each seminar session. You need to keep up with the readings as they form the basis for assignments and seminars.
  
• Complete the application assignments at a satisfactory level and submit on time.
• Provide and incorporate constructive feedback.
• Participate fully in the evaluation of the entire seminar. Your constructive feedback is essential in enhancing this course.

• Core readings support the seminar activities and prepare you for the assignments. 
• Supplementary readings build upon the core readings and provide additional explanations, examples and illustrations.
  
• Online discussions allow you to synthesize, evaluate and think back on the readings, particularly as they pertain to your teaching. 
• Refer to "Due Dates" or calendar for assignment descriptions and to keep track of your work.

Ethical Academic Conduct

You are responsible for understanding and acting according to the University of Delaware's policy concerning ethical academic conduct. You are expected to be honest and forthright in all of your academic work. Attempts to falsify or plagiarize will be treated in accordance with University policy.

University Guidelines for Responsible Computing to assure appropriate use of computing resources.

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In addition to the course resources, also access the University of Delaware electronic library holdings, your department library, and the Internet for references.

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Last Updated: September 13, 2007