Introduction Seminar for New Faculty at DIS June 11 2014 Yearbook

1. Introduction Seminar for New Faculty at DISJune 11 2014Yearbook

2. Keith Gumery kgu@dis.dk Director of Teaching and Learning MA and PhD Temple University, Philadelphia, USA BA University of Hull, UK DIS since 2011Sixteenyears of experience in US higher ed What do I do? Help with classroomissues Support for faculty and students Academic administration Policy central! Who am I and what do I do?

3. DIS - A Comprehensive High Quality Study Abroad Program in Copenhagen • Independent Danish foundation • Non-profit, tuition-driven • Government recognized • Established 1959 • Focus on the combination of theory and practice • Learning through experience • Personal development Page 3

4. At the end of today’s session: you will be aware of why we have learning objectives at DIS and why they are important you will have techniques for assessing student performance you will have techniques for communicating expectations and standards to students you will begin to see how assignments, grading, and rubrics work together you will have a set of tools you can use to build your course Learning objectives

5. How DIS has been successful • Majority of students from excellent private liberal arts colleges • Credit transfer requires high academic quality • Challenging academics that add international competencies • Focus on challenge and support of the individual student Page 5

6. DIS student voices

7. The Teaching and Learning Website

8. Whatareyourlearningobjectives? • What do youwant students to beable to do at the end of yourcourse? • Tell themwhat the aim is • Tell themhowtheywillgetthere • Tell themwhatwillbeexpected and rewarded in yourclass • Expectations and rewardshouldbealigned with the learningobjectives

9. The syllabus (and why it matters) Names, places, contact informationDescriptionof course:  In thiscoursewewill …Learning objectives of the course:  By the end of thiscourseyouwillbeable to … Approach to teaching Expectations of the students Field studies and/or study tour detailsEvaluationGrading (beware of over-weighting participation)Recommended statement:  To beeligible for a passing grade in thisclassyou must complete all of the assignedwork.

10. Remember to plan for the calendar

11. Communication and consistency

12. How do weget to ourlearningobjectives?

14. Keythings to remember • The learningobjectiveswillbeconsistent with the mission of DIS, the aims of your program, and the purpose of yourcourse • Tell the students what the learningobjectivesare, and usethem as a guideline to monitor the progress of the course and of the students – refer to themoften! • Be clear aboutwhatyouexpect and willreward, and howtheseexpectations and rewardsarelinked to the learningobjectivesyou set out in the syllabus

15. Educationalaims Reading, thinking, and writing

16. Using readingeffectively • Less is more whenyou set classreading. • Explain the relevance of the readingassignment. • Preview the reading with the students. • Use class activities that increase compliance and effectiveness. • Useclass time for reading over keypassages. • Ask students questionsabout the reading (or set them tests) so thattheycandemonstrateuseage, competenceand knowledge

17. In addition…. Useclassroomassessmenttechniques to assesscompliance. • Ask students ifthey did the reading • Ask themiftheyfound the readinghard • Ask themiftherewereareas of the readingthatthey still find confusing

18. Critical thinking • requires active listening • requires an active and open mind and being able to access the strengths and weaknesses of an argument • being able to distinguish between the fact, theory and opinions of an argument • allows for thinking outside of the box • involves being able to judge the credibility of sources • involves discerning relationships between ideas

19. Designingassignments Managingexpectations and requirements for successful student assessment

20. Stages for constructing an assignment

21. Writing an assignment –seeingacademicwork as an exchange of ideas • The assignmentthatyou set is crucial to the success of the paper the student writes. • What do youwant the student to demonstrate relative to the learningobjectives of the course? • Make it clear whatyouexpect and whatelements willberewarded with higher grades. • Emphasize the importance of doingwhat the assignment asks, because it has a distinct purpose. • If the student is designing the topic/assignment, make sure to review it and look for itsadequacy in relation to the course.

22. Articulation is vital • Tell students howyouwilldecide on grades • Tell students whatwillberewarded • Rubricscanbe an excellent guide for students and instructors • A rubric is a gridagainst whichyoucanevaluate standards

23. An assignmentthatrequires students to look at the criticalapproaches to a subject. Students are told thattheir job is to explain and analyze positions. Theyshouldalsobeable to evaluate the strengths and weakness of the arguments.

24. Full rubriccombineskeyareas

25. Best practices in the DIS classroom • Interactive teaching and learning • Variety in the class sessions • Teaching to the top third • Regularassessment and feedback

26. To sum up…. • You have support and help – just ask • Use tlc.dis.dk as a resource! • Weare glad thatyouarehere!

27. The Teaching and Learning Website

28. Thank you for your attention!See youagain on August 13 @ 16:00 Keith Gumery kgu@dis.dk