Spring 2014 Faculty Development Day

Happy New Year, faculty!

Although we've had a relaxing winter break, we're looking forward to getting back to work next week for the Spring 2014 Faculty Development Day. Take a look at the program of workshops we have lined up!

Tips on using the Prezi--click on the "Full Screen" button in the lower-right hand corner, and use your mouse to click and drag to somewhere new in the presentation, or scroll in and out for zooming in on text.

Faculty On Display!

Less than a month ago, we put a call-out to faculty on behalf of the Department of Career Services. They were planning a panel discussion for students who were wondering, "What can I do with a major in (fill in the blank here)" and needed faculty participation.

And boy, did you all step up to the plate!

Our students will now have a variety of terrific faculty members (although every MCC faculty member is terrific, so I didn't really need to add that) to query about the ins and outs of particular majors and career paths.

So please promote the event to your students, and if you have time, please come down yourselves!

Look at the great line-up!

Thanks for all your hard work, faculty!

Getting to Know our Returning Adult Students

On February 20, a few of us were able to participate in a webinar, hosted by the Chicago Area Faculty Development Network (CAFDN), entitled "The Returning Adult Student."

The CAFDN moderators (Tony Labriola from Governor State and Mike Sukowski from Chicago State) were joined by four adult students: Lisa, a student at Chicago State; Robin, an NIU doctoral candidate who is also currently working at Gov. State; and Matthew, a U.S. veteran student at Harper College, studying nursing and working in the Harper tutoring center.

The focus of the webinar panel discussion was What Our Students Want, and we'd like to give you a run-down of some of the excellent questions and answers from the session.

Question: What makes a model instructor?
Answers:

• A model instructor is personal, cares about learning, is motivated and inspired (Robin). 
• A model instructor pushes students to learn and helps them to understand, works one-on-one, and breaks down complex material (Lisa).
• A model instructor writes her own PowerPoints (not the textbook's), answers personal questions, and tailors material--either the whole class or as individual students (Matthew).

Question: Do you think instructors should be role models of teachers for those students also interested in teaching?
Answers:

• Yes, they should exhibit behaviors and attitudes that students would want to cultivate. Unfortunately, sometimes it's the behavior that students see that they don't want to emulate (Matthew).
• Yes, I've used teachers as models and was aware of how they taught. I took techniques learned from modeling to take into my own class (Robin).
• A model instructor is one we learn from and we want to be like. Instructors should be versatile in instruction. I ask questions and watch teaching style and how instructors help others in the class; I watch how they're helping students learn (Lisa).

Question: How do you feel faculty incorporate technology into the learning plan (or do they)?
Answers:

• Technology is used across the board, but it's not always used well if it's forced on an instructor; it must be embraced by the instructor. If used well, it can be hugely beneficial, but forcing it could harm student outcomes. (Side note: My girlfriend teaches 3rd grade and all the teachers at her school have tablets--our instructors should have them, too [Matthew])!
• I'd like even more technology (but I have a background in tech.)--things like Google features or blogs to develop material. I always enjoy the activity workshops focused on technology (Robin).
• A lab connected to class where we can work hand-in-hand with the textbook is helpful. I don't have a tech. background, but anytime technology helped illustrate concepts from book was useful (Lisa).

Question: Are things changing in the classroom (i.e. changing from lecture)?
Answers:

• Lecture is important and it's not going away, but the interaction and discussion is important (Matthew).
• I prefer group activities, or small groups before large group discussion. Outside classroom projects are helpful so I can learn from my peers (Robin).

Question: What do you not like?
Answers:

• We don't like it when instructors lose patience. Don't let students identify that you've lost patience. Some students are at different levels, so work with all of them to the best of your ability. Don't show everyone a shortcut until they all understand the long way. Don't dump students on the tutoring center--you still need to have a professional relationship with those students for the rest of the semester (Lisa).
• You're responsible for your material. If you know there's a bad example, then get a better one. Don't be as confused as the students. Instructors can be heroes if they have a way to explain complex material in a way that makes people understand. Know your material and be responsible for it (Matthew).
• If you don't have the answer, admit it and get back to your students after you've checked. Be prepared with evaluation terms, such as rubrics, ahead of time, not the day before the assignment is due (Robin).

Question: How demanding should instructors be?
Answers:

• The most compelling pressures are those put on you by yourself, not someone else. I will invest more time and more creativity in assignments if I find the assignments themselves creative and challenging (Robin).
• Be demanding, especially in the lecture environment. Hold students accountable; they'll keep that knowledge available. You have the degrees we want, and that's why we're here, so be demanding of us (Matthew).

Stay tuned to the Professional Development calendar for information about all upcoming webinars and face-to-face workshops--we hope to see you down in A210!

What Can Students Do...

Contributed by Flecia Thomas, Dean of Student Success

The Department of Career Services is planning a series of thirty minute seminars entitled “What Can I Do with a Major In…?” on Thursday, April 18th from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. and we would love your help!

We would like to invite at least one faculty member per department to be featured as one of two panelists for these seminars. Each seminar would have two faculty speakers who will share their insights for twenty minutes and answer questions for the remaining ten minutes. This will give our students the opportunity to gain insight into careers associated with the majors they are considering. 

 

We hope to showcase a variety of faculty who are working in their chosen majors. During each thirty minute session we would like to have at least two faculty panel members address the following as agenda: 

• How did you select your major and are you working in a career related to your major? 
• How much education did you receive in order to attain your current position?
• What insights can you provide into the job outlook for your major?
• What information could you provide on other possible careers that one could pursue with your major?

If you are interested in being a featured faculty panelist, please check your e-mail for a message from Laura Power regarding the sign-up process (which is very easy!).

Thank you for your time and have a terrific day!