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Faculty Development Opportunities

• Weekly events– Institute on High Impact Pedagogical Practices– Faculty Development Workshop Series– The Pre-Tenure Club– The Mid-Career Faculty Interest Group

• www.wichita.edu/ofdss/faculty

• Newsletters, special events, campus subscriptions to The Teaching Professor and The Chronicle for Higher Education, and more!

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Effective Teaching

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Some basics

• 3-credit courses carry an expectation of 6-9 hours of studying per week outside of class– New federal mandate to include this definition

in your syllabus

• WSU uses a plus/minus grading scale

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Syllabus Guidelines

• Choose the Syllabus Statements link on www.wichita.edu/ofdss/faculty– You’ll find a Syllabus Template and a series of

statements you may use in your own syllabus as you see fit.

• Explicitly include General Education outcomes in your Gen Ed course syllabi.

• Plan to return meaningful, graded assignments in time for early alert (5th week) and the last day to drop with a W (11th week).

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12 Reasons Students Drop Out (handout)

• Instructors play a key role in promoting retention and graduation

• Most college dropouts COULD have succeeded with a little help or encouragement.

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Increasing Student Success

• It is NOT about lowering standards– Clearly explained high expectations

plus support equals success.

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Increasing Student Success

• It is about:– increasing your awareness– intentionally designing learning

experiences– promoting connections– really knowing your students

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Important Teaching Principles

• Teach the students you have, not the students you might want.

• A big part of the teacher’s job is providing motivation to learn.

• Don’t buy in to “the myth of content.”

• Skills can only be learned by practice + feedback.

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Critical Thinking

• Arum and Roska, Academically Adrift:

– The ONLY thing shown to have a measurable impact on critical thinking skills is 40 pages of reading per week plus 20 pages of writing per semester.

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Chickering and Gamson (1987)

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Good practice in undergraduate education:

1. Encourages contacts between students and faculty.

2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students.

3. Uses active learning techniques. 4. Gives prompt feedback. 5. Emphasizes time on task. 6. Communicates high expectations.

7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

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Six powerful forces in education

• Activity

• Expectations

• Cooperation

• Interaction

• Diversity

• Responsibility

…works for any kind of student

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GradesFirst Academic Early Alert System

• Part of a strategy of proactive, positive outreach to promote student success

• Look for an email in the 5th week of classes

• Within a week, provide feedback on any of your students who are in the GF pool who might be having issues

• Easy, secure