Mentor Commons: Teaching Tools at your Fingertips
Are you interested in learning more about leading class discussions, flipping the classroom, conducting large classes, assessing student learning, or other useful teaching tips? Mentor Commons is free to use and available any time online.
This series offers video-based programs designed to answer a specific question related to teaching and learning, delivering actionable insights in highly focused 20-minute presentations designed to fit busy schedules.
Subscribe to Magna’s 20-Minute Mentor Commons Today
As a member of the UConn campus community, you have free access to all of the 20-Minute Mentor videos, which cover a broad range of faculty development topics, at all times. Sign up today and help energize your higher education career:
STEP 1: Activate your 20-Minute Mentor Commons subscription
- Go to magnapubs.com/sitelicense/registration.html?v=uconn0622
- Enter information in each of the required fields. In the Authorization Code box, enter our group Authorization Code UCONN752and click Submit
Please note: entering the Authorization Code is done only once.
STEP 2: Access the 20-Minute Mentor Commons library
- Go to magnapubs.com/profile
- Enter your email address & password & click Submit. If you do not know or remember your account password, use “Forget your password?” to reset it.
- On the left side of the screen, under My Account, My Online Access, select Subscriptions. The online content you have access to will be listed to the right. Click the appropriate link to view the content.
Please do not share the Authorization Code with anyone outside our campus community.
Need help? Email support@magnapubs.com or call 800-433-0499 ext. 2 (office hours are 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday).
Please contact UConn’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL@uconn.edu) for more information.
Helping STEM Students Develop High-Level Skills
CETL is excited to present this all-day workshop led by Richard Felder, nationally acclaimed author of "Teaching and Learning STEM: a Practical Guide." This workshop provides tools and strategies for STEM faculty members to help their students acquire and improve skills in analytical problem solving, critical and creative thinking, communication, and teamwork, and outlines techniques for assessing those skills.
How do I clearly define my expectations for my students' performance in targeted skill areas and clearly communicate those expectations to the students?
How can I help students develop skills to analyze and solve complex problems?
What is critical thinking? Why is it an essential skill in STEM professions?
How can critical thinking, creative thinking, and communication skills be taught and assessed effectively?
How can instruction in those skills be integrated into core STEM courses, assignments and projects, and exams?
What does research say about the teaching methods recommended for instruction in the targeted skills?
What forms might STEM student resistance to those methods take, and how can the resistance be minimized or eliminated?
September 29, 2017 ~ 9am-4pm ~ Alumni House
To register: https://web9.uits.uconn.edu/fins/secure_inst/workshops/workshop_view.php?ser=271
Teaching Talks
You are invited to participate in a series of informal teaching talks throughout 2017. These are opportunities for participants to comfortably share teaching concerns and discuss techniques and strategies with colleagues, experts, and CETL staff. All sessions will take place in Rowe 319. All UConn instructors —graduate students, TAs, and APIRs, as well as adjunct, tenure-track and tenured faculty—are encouraged to attend.
Contact Suzanne LaFleurif you have questions or would like more information.
Monday, August 21 9:00 – 10:15 Planning for Effective Communication in Your Course
In this talk, we will share and discuss how establish more effective communication in your course right from the start. We will discuss topics such as:
Register here
Monday, August 21 11:00 – 12:15 Active Learning Strategies
We will discuss topics such as:
- Reasons to use active learning strategies
- Practical considerations
- Specific techniques for both large and small classes
- Flipping the course or lesson
- Managing the active classroom
Register here
Tuesday, August 22 1:00 – 2:15 Creating a Positive Classroom Environment
We will discuss topics such as:
Maintaining a positive attitude
Making students feel welcome and showing you care
Encouraging student participation and active learning
Giving choices and engaging student passion
Celebrating both success and failure
Using humor to make and/or emphasize a point
Register here
Tuesday, August 22 2:30 – 3:45 Encouraging Class Participation & Interaction
At this session, participants will discuss topics like
- Enhancing student motivation to participate
- Integrating active learning both inside & outside of class
- Encouraging discussion
- Using discussion boards & related tools
- Using technology as an engagement tool
Register here
Wednesday, August 23 9:30 – 10:45 Designing Your Syllabus
At this session, participants will discuss issues like
- Course-design concerns
- Syllabus requirements
- Policy statements (what to include and why)
- How students use a syllabus
- Using the syllabus to engage students
If possible, bring a draft syllabus to work on during this session.
Register here
Wednesday, August 23 11:00 – 12:15 Public Speaking and Presentation Tips for Teachers
We will discuss topics such as:
Breaking up the lecture- small group discussion, large group discussion, questions (yours and theirs)
Effective use of PowerPoint slides & other visuals
Speaking the students’, or audience’s language, and making the presentation fit the audience
Moving away from the board or the podium
Effective use of humor
Register here
Friday, August 25 11:00 – 12:15 Student Engagement: From the Syllabus to the First Day & Beyond
At this session, we will discuss topics like
- The syllabus as an engagement tool
- Essential questions of the course
- Capturing and keeping attention
- Encouraging intellectual curiosity
- Designing engaging assessments
Register here
Hands-On HuskyCT Workshops and other EdTech Workshops
Is your HuskyCT Grade Center ready for midterm and final grade calculations? Do you have questions about using HuskyCT tools in your course? Join us for hands on guidance with HuskyCT, including Grade Center. Workshops take place in Rowe 319 except via WebEx dates.
While each session covers a specific topic, general discussions and open-ended questions are always welcome. Please bring your laptop.
HuskyCT: Contact Daniel Facchinetti if you have questions or would like more information.
Other EdTech: Contact Karen Skudlarek if you have questions or would like more information.
Wed., 8/23 10:00-11:00 am – iClicker Personal Response Systems (online using WebEx)
The use of Classroom Response Systems or “clickers” is a proven way to engage students and let instructors know what students are thinking. This training will cover the following:
- How to install/run the iClicker software
- How to setup a Polling Session
- How to run a Polling Session
- How to link your Polling Sessions to HuskyCT
- How to sync your roster and scores into HuskyCT
- How to setup clicker Registration for your students in HuskyCT
Register here
Wed., 8/23 1:00-2:30 pm – Fostering Collaboration Online Using HuskyCT
HuskyCT offers a number ways to incorporate online student collaborations such as discussion boards and group work, as well as increasingly popular methods that make use of live and recorded video and audio. This session will cover the tools available to instructors and students within HuskyCT and discuss various uses and best practices.
Register here
Wed., 8/23 3:30-4:30 pm – Grade Center Basics (via WebEx)
The Grade Center in HuskyCT can be one of the most useful and time-saving features of the learning management system, but its many options and settings can cause confusion. This session will cover the basic functions of the Grade Center and break down its settings to help you make use of it in your teaching for both recording and calculating grades.
Register here
For more information, contact: Stacey Valliere at stacey.valliere@uconn.edu