Dancing with the Circulatory System

Yesterday afternoon I got a message from Deborah Firak, one of the hundreds of extraordinary faculty members here at MCC who go above and beyond their students' needs to deliver content in innovative and exciting ways.

Deb, who teaches biology, shared a video with me that she made "for [her] students to memorize the structures of the heart & circulatory system." She wrote a "ditty" to help them remember this important information, and then she put that song to work in this video, which is, for lack of a better word, adorable. Please watch it:



Now that you're bopping your head to those dancing little blood droplets and know a bit about the heart and circulatory system, send me a message to let me know what you have been up to. Because guess what? You're also one of the hundreds of extraordinary faculty members here at MCC, and you go above and beyond your students' needs to deliver content in innovative and exiting ways. So let's hear about it!

February is Re-Run Season at MCC

We had a variety of great workshops to offer on Faculty Development Day in January. But there were a half dozen workshops and only one of you! So if you had a hard time deciding between a couple workshops, don't worry--you've got another chance this semester.

Here's the list of workshops from FD Day that we're re-running in February:

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And look ahead on the Professional Development calendar for more workshops scheduled for March and April!

Grant Opportunities This Year

Contributed by Caroline Sobolak, Resource Development Specialist

Page/Image by Liz Weston

If you're looking for a grant to fund a project, look no further. There are plenty of opportunities this year:

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 For more information, contact Caroline Sobolak at MCC ext. 7538.

Dealing with Disruptive Classroom Behavior

Contributed by Talia Koronkiewicz, Manager of Student Conduct & Campus Life

The Professional Development and Student Conduct Offices are excited to host the webinar, Managing Disruptive Classroom Behavior: Strategies for Creating a Safe & Dynamic Learning Environment on both Wednesday, January 22 at 2 p.m. and Thursday, February 27 at 12:00 p.m.

Cartoon by David Sipress

Whether you are a seasoned faculty member or just starting out, classroom management is not easy. This 1.5 hour webinar will provide you with great resources to start the semester off on the right foot!

Webinar Participants Will:

• Develop an overall philosophy of classroom management that promotes learning and creates a safe environment
• Implement effective strategies for creating and sustaining an engaging and respectful learning environment
• Learn strategies for setting the right tone on the first day of class
• Generate a list of practical strategies for redirecting disruptive behaviors
• Learn how to handle side conversations, digital distractions, and inappropriate comments
• Review how to use positive language in a syllabus that sets expectations, policies, and procedures
• Examine the instructor's role in disruptive student behavior
• Identify when and how to make referrals for student conduct violations

Register via the Professional Development auto-registration site today!

A Successful Faculty Development Day

Kathy Hayhurst and Susan Sieber at the Welcome Table

Thank you, everyone, who participated in and helped to plan this Spring 2014 Faculty Development Day. We were so happy to present the great workshops in the morning and afternoon breakout sessions, and we're doubly pleased that the workshop presenters have made themselves available this semester to lead the workshops again in case you couldn't make one that you wanted to attend.
Here is the list of when each of the workshops will be presented:

• Comments and Rubrics: Canvas’s Speed-Grading Gift with Gabriel Decio, 2/4, 1 – 2:30 p.m.
  Bringing Sexy Back to Assessment with Robert McCord, 2/11, 1 – 2 p.m.
  Classroom Management with Gerry Braasch and Talia Koronkiewicz, 2/18, 1 – 2 p.m.
  
• Creating Your Faculty Web Page with Laura Power, 2/26, 2 – 3 p.m. 
  
• Building a Sustainable Curriculum with Kim Hankins, 2/26, 3 – 4 p.m.
• New School or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Emerging Technologies with Timothy Linehan, 4/9, 4 – 5 p.m.

You can register for these clock-hour workshops in the Professional Development auto-registration system.

We also asked each Faculty Development Day workshop leader to complete an Excellence in Teaching workshop curriculum map, and here they are:

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Check your mchenry.edu e-mail for an evaluation of the day, and check back here next week for some brand new posts.

Have a great first week of the semester!

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.

November is a Cornucopia of Faculty Development!

This month, we're giving thanks for the terrific workshops offered here on campus. Look over the calendar and choose one that's right for you.

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And remember that if you can't make a workshop because of a scheduling conflict, let us know what day and time might work better for you!

Excellence in Teaching Showcase

This October was one of the handful of months during the academic year that has a fifth Tuesday. Tuesday afternoons are dedicated to various faculty meetings, but since fifth Tuesdays are floating inconsistencies, we try to take advantage of them whenever we can and have a Fifth Tuesday get together for faculty members.

Our last meeting was just this week, Tuesday, October 29, and it was used to showcase our fantastic faculty members here at MCC and how we're all using tenants from the Excellence in Teaching definition in our classrooms.

Each faculty member brainstormed something they're using in the classroom to connect to subject matter, pedagogy, professionalism, and/or assessment. They wrote short descriptions on a notecard and dropped their cards into our plastic pumpkin. We pulled out names of faculty members across all divisions and got interesting and steal-able ideas from everyone.

Gayle Cochin-Swidler, Instructor of Nursing, was just one of the half-dozen or so names we drew from the pumpkin head. Gayle talked about a video she uses in her Nursing 210 course; the video, called A Virtual Hallucination, is produced by Mindstorm and simulates a schizophrenic hallucination. Here's what Gayle said about using this simulation in class:

"Students experienced a simulation of severe audio and visual hallucinations similar to the symptoms experienced every day by millions of people diagnosed with schizophrenia. The students found the experience to be compelling, which helped them better understand horrific symptoms of schizophrenia and the importance of treating symptoms in order to improve their quality of life."

You can experience a bit of the video yourself right here:

 

For the next few weeks I'll be highlighting more things from the notecards, and I might be calling on you (yes, you!) for more information on your idea. Stay tuned!

Get Your Passport Ready!

If you're a full time faculty member at MCC and are looking for an exciting, adventurous, and pedagogically relevant travel opportunity, Lindsay Carson has something for you.

Image by Robert Wood

For the past five years, Lindsay has been hard at work honing the College's study abroad programming, made available through the Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs (ICISP), and that programming includes three teaching abroad programs. It's not just the students who get to have all the fun--we get in on the action, too!
Here's a breakdown of our three programs. Compare, contrast, and find one that's perfect for you.

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Because of ICISP regulations and the institutions through which ICISP organizes, current opportunities are only available to full time faculty members. At this time, the three excellent programs outlined above fill our international studies plate--of course Lindsay may be developing additional opportunities in the future, but for now, we hope you find that one of our existing programs fits your availability and interests.

Lindsay will also be leading two workshops this semester, scheduled for October 23 and November 11, and a lunch-n-learn about our three programs (date to be scheduled). The curriculum map for her two workshops is posted below. Visit the Professional Development auto-registration system to enroll, and feel free to contact Lindsay with additional questions!

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So Many Workshops!

October offers up some excellent workshops for faculty development. Check them out!

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