Scholarship of Pedagogy Symposium 2006

Presenters	Discipline	School	Presentation Title	Abstract
Brice, Robert	Philosophy	Elmhurst College/ Loyola University Chicago	A Reply to John Searle & Other Traditionalists	One of the more recent pedagogical debates confronting university instructors is whether liberal education should be replaced with multiculturalism. John Searle has labeled these positions as "traditionalists" and "challengers," respectively. Searle, while not finding"much that is objectionable in the [traditionalists] assumptions," has argued that the challengers' assumptions are "weak" and "fallacious." This negative outcome for the challengers however, is due in large part to Searle's misrepresentation of their position. Searle presents a flawed, fallacious, straw-man argument of the challengers' position by unfairly and inaccurately presenting their assumptions as weak. In this paper I shall address some of the assumptions Searle raises on the challengers' side and offer further elucidation of their position where he fails to do so.
Colosimo, Mary Lynn	Psychology	Trinity Christian College	Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening	"It is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen." - Oliver Wendell Holmes Research has shown that our energies follow our attention.  What are YOU paying attention to these days?  This question is seldom asked and less frequently answered as the hectic pace of our lives (personally and professionally) moves us onward.  In this session, we will consider questions about our attention and our listening skills. Do you ever feel as though LIFE IS LIVING YOU VS. YOU ARE LIVING YOUR LIFE?  Consider the following practice: ask yourself the question, "what AM I paying attention to these days?" take some time to reflect on your answers observe where your energies are going Maybe you'll hear "what's important" to you.  This will set the stage for us to determine just how aligned we are with what we value, to shift course if we're off a bit, and to practice the skills needed to actively choose where we place our energies in order to live a full and integrated life.  Being 'present' to one's life allows us to choose just how we want to live, regardless of the circumstances and especially when life feels too hard.
Cunningham, Michael	English	Lewis University	The Thematically Focused First Year Seminar	At many colleges and universities, first year students are required to take a seminar that has a variety of different purposes: exposure to the disciplines and interdisciplinary study, development of writing and speaking skills, and acculturation to the university. This presentation focuses on one such course that selects consumer culture as the object of study and the basis for multiple, inter-related activities and assignments.
Diab, Salim	Chemistry	University of St. Francis	Demystefying Organic Chemsitry	For many years, Organic Chemistry was taught as a body of chemical reactions with little or no conceptual connectivity. Professors and students alike struggled to make some sense out of literally tens of thousands of organic compounds within traditional classroom lectures. The field of organic chemistry is rapidly expanding and the number of classroom hours has not increased appreciably during the last thirty years, yet the size of the organic textbook has almost doubled. The teaching of organic chemistry has become somewhat a contest, with the professor and student on opposing teams. Hence, the two crucial questions: 1. What material should be stressed in the introductory organic chemistry course? 2. By what method of instruction should the material be presented? This presentation will focus on the notion that an introductory organic chemistry course should not attempt to be comprehensive in nature but rather limited to critical body of limited concepts. These concepts should serve as a vehicle for answering the most nagging questions in Organic Chemistry - the How and Why of chemical reactions, synthesis and mechanism.
Fiene, Judy Kahn, Brian	Education	Elmhurst College	Collaboration: An Active Approach to Learning on All Levels	In education, collaboration often brings together people of similar interests as they voice similar goals and objectives. This session will describe a collaborative effort that took place between two middle school teachers and two education professors in the spring of 2006. We will illustrate how an integrated Holocaust unit provided an excellent backdrop for working together. We will also demonstrate how working in a collaborative effort of this kind can be a win-win situation.
Gettys, Serafima	Foreign Languages	Lewis University	Foreign Language Dilemma: Reconciling Research and Practice	There is a considerable amount of empirical research today that proves the general education value of foreign language study both at high school and at the university level. For example, recent study conducted in California high schools demonstrated that foreign language study is the main predictor of students' broad-spectrum academic success. In this study foreign language program features were examined in relation to the school's Academic Performance Index (API), the school's socio-economic status and percentage of English Language Learners. Among other findings, high API ranking high schools reported a larger percentage of students enrolled in foreign language classes. Another study, presented in the book "Foreign Language and Mother Tongue", contains compelling data about the crucial role of foreign language learning in the development of native language and in general educational enhancement. This and other studies however show that in order for the foreign language to be beneficial as a general education tool several important conditions have to be met. The latter include: The intensity and length of the foreign language study; Strong emotional involvement on the part of the learners and motivation. The purpose of foreign language study should not be limited to purely practical needs as it is often proclaimed by the university foreign language programs but should be explicitly directed toward the development of conscious metalinguistic awareness; It is highly desirable, from the educational point of view, that the language studied represented a typologically different linguistic group of languages etc The above-listed conditions often run counter to the present day reality: university foreign language courses are not long or intensive enough to promote positive transfer of cognitive skills; most students have a limited choice of languages for study; the purpose of foreign language study is all too often formulated in terms of practical conversational skills; and most languages offered in colleges and universities belong to the same family of languages as the native language of the students.
Ginn, Dwight	Biological Sciences	Olivet Nazarene University	Student-directed Independent Research Projects in Developmental Biology for Teaching the Scientific Method	The scientific method is the framework that scientists use to investigate the natural world. Investigation utilizing developmental stages of animals or plants provides an effective tool to teach students the use of the scientific method. In Developmental Biology (BIOL 354), students are required to conduct an independent research project using animal or plant embryos to investigate a specific developmental observation or phenomenon. Students are encouraged to follow the steps of the scientific method to complete their project. This necessitates initial library research to create a hypothesis and devise experimentation to test this hypothesis. Students submit a research proposal that introduces the research project, explains the hypothesis and details the planned experimentation. The instructor monitors the project progress by meeting with students at least one time during the experimentation phase of the project. Finally, students submit a type-written scientific report and present a formal oral presentation over their research project at the end of the semester.
Goetz-Sota, Germaine	Communications, Theatre Arts, and Music	Dominican University	Creation, Synergy and Assessment in the Solo Performance Course	This paper examines three phases of an artistic process taught in a solo performance course over a five-year period. To expose students to a more experimental pedagogy, giving them frequent options to create, collaborate, and assess their own work and that of their peers, was the purpose of the course. The creation phase involved students writing their own performance material in a workshop setting where they were encouraged to experiment with structure, characterization, and staging. The synergy phase explored student experience in navigating the intimate relationship between solo performer and audience. Finally, the third phase of the process, assessment, engaged students in evaluation which led to increased critical competence in dealing with criteria such as universality, individuality and ambiguity.
Greenwood, John	Psychology	Lewis University	Using Cartoons to Guide Students to Conceptual Understanding	Instructors face problems in moving students toward abstract conceptual understanding. Barriers include insufficient development of abstract thinking in general, lack of cultural or personal connections to new concepts, visual learning style rather than verbal learning styles, and motivational barriers due to indifference or anxiety. Cartoons can engage students in ways that address these issues. They present visually clear, simplified structure in a limited but easily presented format. Selection of humorous content can increase attention and interest. Content can be selected to illustrate core concepts. Narrative panels like Zits, Dilbert or For Better or Worse are excellent but single panel or political cartoons can also be valuable. The method includes use of the Socratic method to encourage skill development in students. Small group discussion can also be used. Cartoons provide a bridge to concepts but students have to learn to cross it, so instructor modeling and encouragement are essential. Cultural referents that inform the cartoons, frequently have to be provided, which deepens student learning. A fascinating side effect is growth of instructor awareness when students present creative or alternative interpretations that open new windows for instructors as well.
Headley, Cathy	Exercise and Sport Science	Judson College	How can colleges and universities get involved with the community to learn about fitness and health?	The Fitness Testing and Prescription and Community Health classes created a service learning project of a fitness fair for the Judson College community as well as Elgin. The classes learned and formed the programs that would be included in the fair. Classes were lecture and lab. This fair entails fitness testing for all participants, a health and wellness information area, blood pressure. Goals of the course were: Fitness Testing and Prescription To show the importance of physical activity in one's life. To describe the goals of fitness and performance. Demonstrate an understanding of the components of fitness. Understand the purpose of evaluating the health status of fitness participants and identify appropriate instruments for health appraisal. Identify and describe the roles of the muscles. Identify the essential nutritional needs of a physically active person. Understand the importance of body composition analysis in assessing physical fitness. Describe the role that energy balance plays in weight loss/ weight maintenance. Define muscle strength and endurance and list the factors related to muscle strength. 10. Describe the characteristics of a good exercise leader. 11. Explain how to enhance motivation to begin and continue exercise. 12. Identify the elements of a comprehensive fitness program. Community Health Define and understand the basic definitions and concepts of community health and well being (minority health, injuries, workplace health, health care systems, environmental concerns, and alcohol and drug issues) and be able to discuss the current status of health in America. Describe the efforts to improve world health and how/why the Healthy People 2010 objectives differ from Healthy People 2000. Understand and identify the roles of service, social, and religious organizations in community health. Participate in community and/or population health service arenas List and describe the types of epidemiological studies and explain the purpose of each. Understand and explain the processes of community organization and health promotion planning and evaluation for communities. Discuss school health programs and their importance in the community. Identify and discuss the health promotion efforts targeted across the lifespan. A reflection paper and discussion were completed at the end of the fair reflecting on strengths, weaknesses as well as usefulness of a community health fair.
Johnson, Tim	Sociology	Judson College	Making the Most of Service Learning in the Chicagoland	Chicago not only brings out the best of opportunities for students and residents but it also reveals a variety of needs within the various communities. How has your school connected students to the needs of the city while helping them better understand a variety of disciplines? Please come ready to share the following during our roundtable: What is the general strategy or program of Service Learning at your college or university. How has the mission of the college influenced the program? What obstacles have you had to overcome? What are some specific ways that Service Learning is incorporated into various classes? Other issues might include: administration-staffing, funding, support (like transportation), and OF COURSE, success stories about your program!
Kakta, Barbara	Nursing and Health Professions	Lewis University	Interactive Online Learning Experiences	Today, instructors seek to do more than impart their wisdom on students even in the traditional classroom setting. Therefore, the lecture approach which is teacher-centered has for the most part been replaced by student-centered approaches. Web-based instruction, either as an alternative or an enhancement to traditional classroom experiences, is rapidly becoming the most popular form of distance learning in higher education. As educators are being asked to develop online courses, they are asked to adapt student-centered strategies used in the classroom for this delivery method. Teaching Methodology and Delivery Systems is a course in the graduate nursing education track. In this highly interactive course, first students participate in a variety of teaching strategies designed by the instructor. This provides them the opportunity to experience and evaluate different instructional methods. Then they are provided the opportunity to use these strategies as they micro-teach with their classmates and instructor serving as their students in the last week of the course. The purpose of this project was the redesign and implementation of interactive teaching strategies that had been used in the f2f environment as the course was first offered fully on-line in August 2004. Since that time the class has been offered three times, twice fully on-line and once web-enhanced. The focus of this presentation is selected strategies that have been implemented in the on-line environment. These include: · Threaded discussion, alternatives to large group discussion board · Debate · Case studies to stimulate discussion in virtual classroom · E-games · Collaborative learning activities
Kirstein, Peter Neil	History	St. Xavier University	David Horowitz in Your Classroom: Assessing Right-wing Rage and Proposals to Transform Pedagogy	I debated David Horowitz last March on the Iraq War and teaching about the war. It is important to explore the specific arguments of the conservative critique of alleged pedagogical failings: Socially conscious professors are too biased. Professors abuse conservative students. Professors indoctrinate, proselytize and fail to engage in multiple causality. Professors assign only books that represent their weltanschauung. Having been named one of the "101 Most Dangerous Professors" in David Horowitz's recent book, I can assess with some expertise the conservative pedagogical vision and its implications for all our teaching. This is a major event in the culture wars and for academic freedom in the United States.
Kurth, Lila	English	Concordia University	Should we lose Paradise Lost:  The Relevance of Renaissance Texts for the post-modern student	I recently received a publisher's "blurb" for a new edition of John Milton's Paradise Lost which claims that the work is "as challenging and relevant today as it was in the turbulent intellectual and political environment in which it was written." As a teacher and scholar of Early Modern British literature, I would like to believe that, but realistically I feel my area of study grows more and more anachronistic as both my students and literary editors and scholars question the validity of including works such as Paradise Lost in an English liberal arts curriculum. In this paper, I discuss why works of Early Modern British literature are no longer relevant and accessible to my post-modern students, why I still strive to teach those works, and how I attempt to make them relevant and accessible. The paper further explores my pedagogical dilemma that in using strategies to make the works more accessible, I may be "dumbing down" the material, and perhaps defeating my purpose in teaching them. I see this paper as an invitation to colleagues who teach similar works that seem to have outlived their usefulness. Perhaps my relatively petty struggles with Paradise Lost relate to a larger issue. As human knowledge grows exponentially, how do we establish what constitutes a liberal arts education in a post-modern world.
Lawler-Sagarin, Kimberly A.	Chemistry	Elmhurst College	Fiction, Politics and Science: State of Fear or State of Confusion? Using Michael Crichton's State of Fear in a Chemistry Class	"Chemistry and Issues in the Environment" is a course designed for non-science majors at Elmhurst College to fulfill a general education requirement.  In the Fall of 2005, an enhanced version of this course was offered for students in the college's honors program.  For one of the course assignments, students read Michael Crichton's "State of Fear", prepared group presentations discussing the evidence presented in the novel and wrote individual response papers.  I will discuss the implementation of this assignment and student responses. Of the twenty one students in the class, almost all wrote response papers that were critical of Crichton's presentation.  This is interesting, as a similar activity reported by Clyde Freeman Herreidin the "Journal of College Science Teaching" had different results, with the majority of students supporting Crichton's presentation.  Some possible reasons for this discrepancy will be discussed along with student critiques of Crichton's novel.
Lloyd, John K. Newman, Aaron W.	Biology/ Student Activities	Aurora University	The Integration of CD-ROM Technology in the Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory	In the past decade, the CD-ROM has slowly become a standard item with textbooks and has replaced many on-line informational resources. As computer technology (software capability) has improved, CD-ROM's offer an interactive approach to learn anatomy & physiology with detailed and quality cadaver photographs, illustrations, and animations, study aids (flash cards), and various self-testing procedures. In this presentation, the Anatomy & Physiology Revealed and MediaPhys CD-ROM's (from McGraw Hill) are discussed and shown. In the 2005-06 academic school year, cat dissection was replaced by the Anatomy & Physiology Revealed CD-ROM. The CD developed by a medical school allowed students to view and dissect actual cadaver images and had timed practical exams. In the previous academic school year, 2004-05, a survey was conducted in the A & P courses and students were asked about replacing the cat with a cadaver CD and ninety percent of the students wanted the change and the nursing and athletic training programs also supported the change. At the end of every semester course, a course evaluation is performed and students are asked to rank the various teaching tools and methods that have enhanced their learning of the material. Results of the survey which will include both CD-ROMs and other activities will be presented.
Maier, Donald D.	Business	University of St. Francis	Utilizing technology to evaluate student presentations	As the global economy and workplace become more connected and virtual, the acceptance and use of technology as a means to communicate is essential for a successful career. However, the assessment stage is easily overlooked and receives little attention. Students conduct the research, analyze data, provide presentations, and teachers enter grades. Yet it is this assessment phase that completes the problem solving process, especially in terms of self-improvement. This paper will focus on using technology as a means of providing "near" real-time feedback for student presentations and projects. The goal of the project is to provide active feedback to students in order to facilitate the self-improvement process of learning. Through the use of Macromedia's Breeze software, a web-cam, microphone, and standardized oral presentation rubric, students are able to evaluate their own presentation skills and receive feedback on specific strengths or opportunities thereby creating a double-loop mechanism. The project will also facilitate the student's preparation for transitioning to the "connected" workplace. Finally, the teaching experience is more creative, rewarding, and creates a sense of worth by providing a real-life learning environment.
Marzec, Marcia	English	University of St. Francis	Reading the Cross: A Case Study for Historical Criticism	New Criticism, with its emphasis on the artifact of the text, has taught our students to read carefully and perceptively what is on the page, It insists that writers might indeed think "outside the box" of their time and their own biography. I use this criticism myself in the Introduction to Literature class when, without knowing the background of a story's author, I proceed to discuss character, themes, setting, symbols, etc. I may not be able to advance the high-level discussions my modernist colleagues have in their major courses, but if I begin with, "Well, what do you think of this guy John Marcher?", I can usually get a decent and instructive discussion going. This doesn't work, however, with "Well, what do you think of this guy Piers Ploughman?" The farther we go back in literature, the more we need bring to bear those outside circumstances of history, archeology, art history, etc. One cannot appreciate 18th-century satire, for example, without the historical context any more than could someone two hundred years from now appreciate a Saturday Night Live political skit without the background that informs it. Similarly, medieval allegory is incoherent without our understanding the principles of the quadriga. This paper is not designed to dissuade any budding deconstructionists, but rather to illustrate by a specific case, the importance of historical criticism and to suggest an approach that will communicate that fact to students. The paper examines an Old English crucifixion poem, "The Dream of the Rood," bringing to bear historical, art historical, and theological background which inform the poem.
Meeker, Ralph Nohl, Daniel	Computer Science	Benedictine University	Getting More Out of the CS Curriculum Using Practica	Computing Curricula 2001 (CC2001) speaks of the complementary curriculum of computer science (CC2001, Section 9.1.6), stating "it is important to keep in mind that students are best served ... by gaining an enduring understanding of theory and practice that will allow them to maintain currency over the long term." A characteristic of a computer science graduate includes an "appreciation of the interplay between theory and practice" (CC2001, Section 11.1). In order to meet these CC2001 pronouncements, we have designed five hands-on, lab-based enrichment experiences that incorporate current practices or historic issues within essential areas of the field to complement the theory. It is our intent that these practica will give the student additional perspectives that are not normally covered in the course. We will discuss the overall practica experience gained from the last three years of offerings, while focusing on two specific computer science areas: computer networks and database management systems.
Morjan, Carrie	Biology	Aurora University	Designing alien life forms as a means to foster critical thinking in an upper-level Invertebrate Zoology course	Content-rich upper-level zoology courses are often a challenge for designing assessment tools that foster critical thinking. At Aurora University, an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning, I employed a series of assignments in which students designed and described their own alien life form invertebrates. In each assignment, students provided a drawing and description including the habitat of their creature, the various organ systems and how they met the invertebrate's physiological needs, and its life cycle. Students were assessed based on the appropriateness of the biology of the various systems with the organism's habitat and lifestyle, the detail of the descriptions, the uniqueness/creativity of the design, and the quality of writing. These assignments were useful for uncovering student misconceptions of physiology that were otherwise undetected. Moreover, students that normally scored high on traditional assessment methods found this creative component challenging, whereas students that struggled in a traditional testing environment tended to excel using this approach. These assignments were an excellent complement to traditional assessment methods that focused on invertebrate structures, functions, and classification.
Mysyk, Noreen Mason, Barrie	Speech Communication	North Central College	Play it again, Professor: The Use of "Reel" Examples to Demonstrate Course Concepts	Using popular film in the classroom is not a new concept. In fact, the range of fields of study and the range of choices of films described in the published literature is quite interesting. From using the film Proof to challenge math students to find a Cartesian circle in the narrative to challenging physics students to calculate the magnitude of negative acceleration of the DeLorean sports car in Back to the Future, these "reel" examples of course concepts are used to demonstrate theory in action, promote inductive reasoning, encourage classroom discussion, and help students to both develop a better understanding and to remember those concepts However, using popular film clips was often not convenient (e.g. running to the library to get a copy, cuing the right scene, returning the copy after class). Now technology has made the process of using films much easier, enabling the capture of the scene and the copying of all the film clips that may be used in a course to a DVD. At North Central College, we have been testing out this technology in the production of DVD's to be used in a course in our Speech Communication Department, Interpersonal Communication. Over the past year, we have prepared three DVD's and surveyed several classes to find out if the connection between course concept and theory was made and if the students thought that the use of popular films added to their understanding of these concepts. The purpose of our discussion is to explain the technology, to describe the results of these surveys, and to spark the discussion of how this technology can be used in your classrooms.
Pascoe, Patricia	Biology	University of St. Francis	The Difference a Body Makes: A Survey of Student Attitudes regarding Human Anatomy	The University of St. Francis instituted BIOL 221 Human Anatomy ten years ago to serve students interested in the health professions including pre-professional, allied health, and nursing students. The course was designed using a regional approach to human anatomy. The laboratory component of the course utilized A.D.A.M. software, bones, models, and preserved animal and human specimens. Over time a plastinated cadaver was added, followed most recently by the construction of a human cadaver lab and two embalmed cadavers. Students from recent classes (spring 2006 - fall 2004) were surveyed regarding the tools/resources they felt were most helpful in learning human anatomy at USF. Students were also queried about course objectives and emphases, the regional versus systems approach, and their opinions about studying human cadavers, including the opportunity to dissect human cadavers.
Perez, Christina Dean, Matthew Thelen, MaDonna	Study Abroad	Dominican University	The Power and Potential of Service Learning Abroad	Study abroad provides untold learning opportunities that include culture, history, language, communications and group dynamics, as well as, the challenges of international travel. Service learning abroad expands global partnerships and possibilities through civic responsibility. El Salvador held municipal elections on the 12^th of March 2006. Students and faculty of Dominican University participated in an international elections observation mission with over 100 individuals from more than 20 countries. In preparation for the eight-day trip, students read and attended lectures on the history, civil war, economy, politics, and culture of El Salvador, as well as sessions on travel and heath issues. The group was composed of eclectic individuals with diverse political persuasions, language abilities, and travel experience. Through in-country orientations, observer training, meetings with Salvadoran politicians and community organizations, the pre-trip academic portion of the class came to life. Before, during, and after being personally involved in El Salvador's democratic process, perhaps more involved than in their own country, students reflected on their changing attitudes towards other cultures, community involvement and social/ global responsibility. All returned home satisfied with the knowledge that their service was beneficial to the emerging democracy of El Salvador. Service learning abroad has the power to bring positive life-changing experiences to our students and the potential to integrate any aspect of academic endeavor.
Serra, Deborah Bangert, Jason	Natural Sciences and Geography	Concordia University	Title:  The Integration of Academic Service Learning in a First Year Experience Course	During the fall semester at Concordia University, all first year college students take the course "Freedom and Responsibility." The main objective of the course is to help students in their transition to college. A vital component of the course is academic service learning. In the presentation, community service versus academic service learning will be discussed as well as how academic service learning is incorporated into the course. Specific examples from the various sections of the first year experience course will be presented.
Vandendorpe, Mary Slocum, Michele	Psychology	Lewis University	A Positive Spin on the Capstone Seminar	The capstone class is designed in the manner of a graduate seminar and is intended as a culmination of the student's undergraduate studies. In this course, the student analyzes and synthesizes research and theory. The course uses a format of class discussions, short writing assignments, and concludes as each student presents a review of the literature in one area related to psychology, so that students not only deepen their knowledge and understanding of psychology, but also further their career plans and self-understanding. The capstone seminar "Positive Psychology" will be discussed in terms of its impact on students.
Whitlock, Ben B.	Biology	University of St. Francis