Author Archives: brendaa

How Are Faculty at St. Edward’s University Fostering Student Research?

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Student presenting research in a poster sessionOn October 1, 2014, Dr. Richard Kopec, Professor School of Natural Sciences, Dr. Molly Minus, Associate Vice President, Dean and Director McNair Program, Sonia Briseno, Assistant Director McNair Program, Dr. Sara Henseler, Associate Professor, BSS, and Dr. Jason Rosenblum, Assistant Professor, School of Management and Business, presented at a Tech Snack on the topic “Fostering Student Research in the Classroom and Beyond.”

Dr. Richard Kopec

Dr. Kopec explained how the School of Natural sciences is fostering student research through the following initiatives:

  • The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) seeks to increase the number of students receiving associate or baccalaureate degrees in established or emerging fields within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
  • The Natural Sciences LLC  (also known as the CASAR Project: Community for Achievement in Science, Academic, and Research) was established by a grant from the National Science Foundation in Washington, DC, to give science majors at St. Edward’s University unique opportunities to begin establishing their credentials as experienced scientists. The participants participate in the Freshman Accelerated Research Methods (FARM) Workshop where they learn research tools and methodologies.
  • The Natural Sciences Learning Clusters  are open to all science and mathematics majors. Cluster members can participate in the pre-college research workshop. Participants will also be eligible for a research stipend, and housing stipend. The Natural Sciences Learning Clusters are provided by a grant from TG (the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation). During the Freshman Introduction to Research Experience (FIRE) weekend workshop, participants meet other science cluster members and several science faculty members and learn research tools and methodologies focused in their discipline.During the spring semester science seminar course, students learn about possible research projects and meet the supervising faculty. If there is a project that interests the student, he/she can apply to participate in a six-week research project with the faculty member/research project of their choice. Up to 15 students are supported for summer research during the first six-week summer session.

Dr. Molly Minus and Sonia Briseno

Dr. Molly Minus and Sonia Briseno explained the mission, vision, objectives, and accomplishments of the McNair Scholars Program at SEU:

In August 2003, St. Edward’s University received their first four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to begin the McNair Scholars Program This program prepares participants for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. The goal is to increase the attainment of PhD degrees by students from underrepresented segments of society. McNair scholars are undergraduate students interested in pursuing PhDs who are typically underrepresented in their fields of interest. A majority are low-income and first-generation college students. The program provides funding for faculty-directed research that includes a stipend for scholars. In addition, McNair scholars benefit from visits to graduate schools, academic counseling, course tutoring, professional conferences, preparation for GRE exams, and advice and assistance with the graduate school selection and application process.

The McNair program at SEU has produced more than 30 Master’s Degrees, three Ph.Ds and two Ph.D candidates.

Dr. Sara Henseler

Dr. Sara Henseler explained the different elements that she uses to foster student research in her Experimental Psychology and Research Methods class trough the development of longitudinal and correlational studies in her class. She also encourages students to conduct research, collect, and analyze data using online survey technologies like Qualtrics.

Dr. Jason Rosenblum

Dr. Jason Rosenblum shared with the audience his experience creating a digital capstone course that meets the student learning outcomes required, that builds on prior faculty expertise, and is manageable both as an instructor and by the students. He share that students bring a diverse array of research skills to their capstone experience, but their experience with digital research strategies are spotty. Be prepared to review basic strategies to conduct online research and schedule research support time with library staff.

Presenters Announced for Experiments in Teaching

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Green lightningJoin the Center for Teaching Excellence, Instructional Technology, and the Munday library for lightning talks and a discussion on pedagogical experiments, Friday, October 24, 3-5 pm in the North Reading Room (Library 137), Munday Library.

We invite all teaching faculty (full-time, adjuncts, and staff who teach), staff, and administrators to join us for talks and a reception celebrating pedagogical experiments on campus. Featuring a wide variety of St. Edward’s faculty members making brief presentations about their innovative teaching projects, “Experiments in Teaching” will explore the range of teaching initiatives at St. Edward’s University and the models they afford our teaching community. We aim to create a venue for colleagues to share the challenges and successes of teaching innovation. The event will be an open reception with food, drink, and “lightning” talks, followed by informal conversation among all participants.

Presenters will use the brief lightning talk format to share a “teaser” for their project then be available for more conversation. Lightning talks will begin at 3:30 pm and include the following faculty and topics:

John Abbott | Using the Citizen Science Website iNaturalist In and Out of the Classroom

Alex Barron | Service Learning in Bangladesh

Peter Beck | Teaching a field research course at Wild Basin

Mary Brantl & Charles Porter | Endurance & Excitement: 2012’s Enduring Women

Monica Cicciarelli | Teaching with a Tablet and Screen Video Capture

Billy Earnest | The iPad-enabled Classroom: Results & Recommendations

Jennifer K. Greene | A Citizenship-Centered Capstone Model

Raelynn Deaton Haynes | Food for Thought: Teaching Marine Conservation through the Eyes of Biodiversity and the Mouths of Students

Kendall Kelly | Bringing the World to Austin: Using the GDC to Create a Global Classroom

Judy Leavell and David Hollier | Anticipating Teachers’ Futures with iPad Technology

I. Moriah McCracken | Teaching Writing with Online, Self-Directed Resources

Jeff Potratz | Hodge Podge: Google Forms, Annotated Answer Keys,’Screen Capture’ Videos, and Pre-Lab Videos

Mark Poulos & Angel Tazzer | The value of classroom teamwork assignments: Is it to reduce the amount of time we spend in grading or is it to prepare students to work well with other colleagues in their future endeavors?

Jason Rosenblum | Gameful learning in Global Social Problems : Fostering impact through experiential engagement

Georgia Seminet | Real Time Quizzing, Polling and Assessment in Class Using Socrative

Tricia Shepherd | POGIL – focusing on both what (content) and how (process) using guided inquiry team based learning

Michael Wasserman | A Travis County Almanac: Using Nature Blogs to Connect Students to Their Local Environment

Pre-register for the event: http://ow.ly/BN5hy

We hope to see you there!

Managing the 21st Century Classroom

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Classroom teacher's station with document camera and touch panelWhat is the 21st Century Ecosystem and how do the face-to-face classrooms fit into that ecosystem?  Most faculty at St. Edward’s teach face-to-face so the classroom layout and technology is important for classes.  The ability to display content, interact with students, bring in guest speakers and promote group work are all important components of the 21st century classroom.

At our September 17th Tech Snack, Austin Doak, Media Services Manager, discussed changes to the classroom technology on campus.  The new classrooms in Fleck and John Brooks William South are completely digital.  What does that mean for you?

  • Connectivity from your laptop to the teacher’s station is easy and you usually won’t need to purchase and remember separate connectors as connectivity to the projector will be right on the teacher’s station leash.  You can connect directly with a newer laptop that has an HDMI connector or a mini-Display port connector found on Apple laptops.
  • Setting display resolution is automatic on laptops with these new connections.  The standard VGA connector is still available as well.
  • All controls  for media, including volume, are on a separate touch panel.

Document cameras are integrated into these new room upgrades and can act as a web cam so you can use the camera to Skype or WebEx.  You can also use document cameras to project from your iPad!  Not all document cameras can be used as a webcam. Check out the list of classrooms with document cameras that can be used for Skype or WebEx.

How can I project from an iPad?

Austin reminded us that you can plug your iPad directly into the laptop leash at any teacher’s station.  You will need an adaptor to connect, but the process is simple. In the future we will be looking at other ways to project and share content from an iPad or other devices.

What would faculty like to see in the 21st Century Classroom?

The facilitation of group work is a primary concern of faculty.  Kim Garza’s students are collaborating around technology by building mind maps on iPads and laptops in class.    A way for students to share content from their devices would be ideal.  Julie Sievers has her students do group work with online texts so a way to share content from devices would help her class also.

What’s on the Horizon for St. Edward’s Classrooms?

The experimental classroom in Moody Hall 212 will be getting technology later this semester.  The room already has moveable furniture that makes it ideal for group work.  Soon it will also have Huddleboards which are small, portable display surfaces or whiteboards.

Tips for Using Classroom Technology

Austin shared some tips for the classroom:

  • If nothing works, feel free to shut down the computer by holding down the computer power button for a few seconds.  With solid state drives the computer boots back up in 10 seconds.  There are not logins on the teacher’s stations computers.  You only need to log in if you are trying to get to EdShare, which is accessible via a shortcut on the desktop.
  • If you connect to cloud storage, myHilltop or EdShare remember to log off!
  • You can hook up video cameras into the DVD player and it will play video from the camera.  You can also play audio as long as there is a standard headphone jack on your device.  There is a connector on every teacher’s station.  Some faculty use this to play music as students come in.

Need Help in the Classroom?

Media Services has a 5 minute or less response time.  If your device doesn’t work or the network doesn’t seem to be accessible, call us!  We want you to be successful! Call 448-8443 and hit #1 to get someone to the classroom in 5 minutes.

Tech Snack – Managing Your 21st Century Classroom

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Tech SnacksWhat should the 21st century classroom look like? In the fall of 2013 the Taskforce on Academic Innovation and New Academic Approaches surveyed faculty. One of the questions asked faculty to imagine a classroom that is ideal, from a technological standpoint, for teaching.  Responses included whiteboards, smartboards, audience response systems, video conferencing and easily configurable furniture.

What would you like to do in your class? Bring in guest speakers via Skype or Jabber Video? Play videos from the Library collection? Get immediate feedback from all of your students? Join us in a discussion of customizing your classroom using digital tools to create a borderless learning environment. Discover the changes and improvements in the classroom technology in Fleck Hall.  Join Instructional Technology and Austin Doak from Media Services as we discuss the 21st century classroom on Wednesday, September 17 from 3:30 – 4:30 in the Faculty Resource Center, Premont 110.

Please sign up today: http://bit.ly/SEUITTraining so we can bring enough snacks.

 

 

5 Things to Know for the Start of the Semester

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5Things

1. Photo Rosters & More on Faculty/Advisor Tab in myHilltop

New for the Fall 2014 semester, Faculty and Advisors now have a customized page in myHilltop.

From this page, you can access course information, class lists with photos, grade submission, and more for each of your classes each semester. You can find Instructional Technology events and our blog posts here also!

More information about the Faculty/Advisor tab …

2. Using Terms to Group Courses by Semester in Blackboard

Tired of searching through the long list of courses in the My Courses module in Blackboard?

You can now use terms in Blackboard to make it easier to find your classes by organizing them by semester. To set up the Terms, click on the gear icon to the left of My Courses.
Course Module with arrow pointing at gear icon in right corner

In the Terms section, click on the box next to “Group by Term” and then select the terms you wish to display.
Checkbox next to term

Click on Submit.  Course terms will now appear in the My Courses list.
Terms listed in separate lines

Travis county Almanac3. Creating a Website/Blog for Yourself, Your Course, Your Students Using CampusPress

Would you like to create a personal, course or research website or start your own blog? All St. Edward’s faculty, staff and students can easily create their own website or blog via Campus Press (formerly EduBlogs) powered by WordPress. You can also create multi-author course blogs where each student is a contributor. You can log in at https://sites.stedwards.edu to get started. If you’d like assistance contact us at instcom@stedwards.edu.

4. One Page for All Student Academic Support Services

Students can now see all the academic support services and solutions available to them on one page. From Advising to the Writing Center all of the options are listed on the Student Academic Support Services Page.  From this page students can sign up for one-on-one appointments with Instructional Technology Training staff, view video tutorials or sign up for workshops or the Innovation Creation Lounge.

5. Making Your Blackboard Courses Available to Students

All courses, instructors and student enrollments are loaded automatically into Blackboard. However, all classes are unavailable to students by default. If you are using Blackboard for your course, please make your course available to students.

• In the Control Panel, select Customization and then Properties.

• In the Set Availability section choose yes to make the course available, then click Submit.

Teaching Symposium 2014: A Conference on College Teaching

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Word cloud with largest text: classroom, global, digital, teachingInterested in how technology is being used in classes at St. Edward’s?  The Teaching Symposium will host a number of sessions that illustrate innovative uses of technology by faculty. This peer-reviewed teaching and learning conference organized by the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Teaching Symposium Planning Committee will be held in on Thursday, August 21, from 8:30 – 4:00 pm in John Brooks William South.  This year’s conference features a variety of formats for learning and interacting, including an opening plenary session, short and long presentations and interactive sessions, roundtable discussions, a poster session, and a resource fair.

 

Highlighted Sessions Featuring Innovative Uses of Technology

  • Designing Course-Based, Student-Faculty Collaborative Research Projects Using Digital Tools – Rebecca Frost Davis, Instructional Technology and Pongracz Sennyey, Munday Library
  • Teaching in the Global Digital Classrooms: Lessons Learned and Tips for Success – Michael Weston, Instructional Technology, David Altounian, Digital Media Management, Rebecca Frost Davis, Instructional Technology, Kendall Kelly, English, Writing, and Rhetoric, Kay Firth-Butterfield, Criminal Justice
  • Innovative Teaching with Technology: Utilizing Social Media and E-Communication in the Classroom — Monique Mercado, Psychology
  • The iPad-Equipped Classroom: Results from Two TLTR-funded Pilots – Billy Earnest, Communication, Judy Leavell, Education, David Hollier, Education
  • Three Ways You Can Elevate and Energize In-Class Discussions with Clickers – Michael Weston, Instructional Technology
  • The Syria Simulation and Global Learning Assessment—Chistopher Micklethwait, Literature, Writing, and Rhetoric, Mity Myhr, History, Jason Rosenblum, Digital Media Management, Christie Sample Wilson, History, Selin Guner, Global Studies, David Blair, Institutional Assessment
  • Using Rap Genius: How to Make Annotating Sources Engaging, Effective and Even Fun! – Amy Nathan Wright, University Studies

The complete conference program is available on the Teaching Symposium site.

Please visit Instructional Technology at the Resource Fair  during the Symposium.  We’ll answer questions, talk about opportunities such as the Innovation Fellowship, and discuss your instructional technology needs.

E-Portfolios

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Have you been hearing about portfolios and want to know how they are used at St. Edward’s Univeristy?  Are you interested in how portfolios might be used for student assessment and reflection?  Have you been using portfolios and are ready to throw out the binders?  Portfolios or their electronic version, e-portfolios are used in many ways on our campus. Please join Instructional Technology and the Center for Teaching Excellence as we discuss portfolios on Wednesday, April 16 from 2 – 3:30 pm.

What Do We Mean by Portfolios? 
a roundtable discussion
– Shannan Butler | Communication
– Lori Eggleston | New College
– Anna Escamilla | Social Work
– Emily Salazar | Career Services
– Corinne Weisgerber | Communication
Wednesday, April 16, 2 – 3:30 pm
Fleck Hall 314
RSVP: Please register to help ensure that we bring enough snacks: http://ow.ly/vmsnt
In this session, we will discuss the many models of portfolios used across campus. Some of our presenters will share models for using portfolios in classes to enable students to build media-rich e-portfolios. Others will discuss how e-portfolios are used for documenting skills, career readiness, or prior learning. Come and discuss how portfolios are used in your discipline and the value and challenges of using them.

Videoconferencing Tips for Participants

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If you are working with guest speakers or have students who will be participating from off campus, Dr. Dwight Daniel, Director of MSCIS, Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems at St. Edward’s University, has developed some videoconferencing do’s and don’ts to help participants get ready.

  • Verify webcam placement before the videoconference starts. Confirm that your individual webcam is showing a flattering image of you (remember, display your webcam image on your display).  For a beginning placement, try straight on with your face medium distance from the webcam, and then adjust.
  • Don’t place your webcam in front of a window.  The incoming light will overpower your webcam and your screen will be totally black.
  • Verify your audio works on your device before the videoconference starts. Before dialing into the conference, always test the Jabber client  to ensure your microphone and speakers are working.  Don’t assume your conferencing tool will automatically turn them on or even use the proper speakers and microphones.
  • Try to wear a headset.  Whether you attend from a mobile device, a laptop, or desktop, a headset will help you hear and be heard well in web conferences.  Ear buds work for meetings on the go, but a USB headset plugged into a laptop or desktop will give you the best sound quality for online meetings.
  • Turn off your instant messaging app when you’re in a conference.  For example, it is bad when everybody hears the chimes for an incoming message and then they hear you start typing.  Everybody knows you are no longer paying attention to the conference.
  • Turn off your cell phone ringer for the same reason. 
  • Don’t forget to mute your microphone when you are not speaking
  • When speaking simulate eye contact. You don’t have to maintain direct eye contact and please don’t stare.  A trick for simulating eye contact on a desktop or laptop is to drag the video feeds to the top of your computer screen right underneath your webcam. That way, as you look at your attendees on screen your eyes are looking just below the webcam and simulating eye contact.  On mobile devices, the screen is much smaller, so if you’re looking at the presentation, you’re likely to simulate eye contact too. But, for good measure, periodically look into the camera as you speak. 

Visit the St. Edward’s University Global Digital Classrooms website for more information on videoconferencing.

Complete Video Conferencing Do’s and Dont’s from Dr. Dwight Daniels.

Videoconferencing Tips for Presenters

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Are you planning to use the new high definition videoconferencing equipment available in the Global Digital Classrooms?  This equipment allows classes to interact in real time no matter where they are located.  If you are presenting in a videoconferencing environment you might be interested in some advice from faculty experienced in working in this setting.  Dr. Dwight Daniel, Director of MSCIS, Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems at St. Edward’s University, has developed some videoconferencing do’s and don’ts to help you get started.  Below are some highlights for presenters. A subsequent post will highlight tips for participants.

  • Do prepare in advance for the meeting.
  • Be aware that in a video conference you are on camera at all times even when you can’t see yourself – speak directly to the camera and treat the others as if they were in the room with you.
  • Speak in a normal tone.  Don’t shout or whisper.
  • Don’t make distracting sounds.
  • Don’t wear “noisy” jewelry.  Even a metal band on your watch banging on the table as you move will drive participants crazy if you are near a microphone.
  • Don’t carry on side conversations with your room audience.  It is discourteous to your remote listeners and can make them wonder what they are missing.
  • Be culturally sensitive.  For example, in some societies is it impolite to walk out of an ongoing meeting, no matter the reason.  In others, people should not lean back in chairs.
  • Be courteous to other participants (wait for the person to finish speaking before jumping in).
  • Be yourself and have fun!

Visit the St. Edward’s University Global Digital Classrooms website for more information on videoconferencing.

Complete Video Conferencing Do’s and Dont’s from Dr. Dwight Daniels.