Category Archives: Faculty

DLA Fellow Visualizes the Effects of Abortion Policy in Texas

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From the Middlebury News Room

Middlebury Economist Studies the Effects of Abortion Policy in Texas
January 31, 2017

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – A Middlebury College associate professor who studies the social and economic effects of policies governing women’s access to abortion presented recent findings at a “Behind the Scenes” lecture at the Davis Family Library on January 25.

Caitlin M.K. Myers, an applied micro economist, is one of Middlebury’s Digital Liberal Arts (DLA) faculty fellows – professors who explore the power of technology to enhance and transform their scholarship, through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Myers’ presentation was titled “Desperate Measures: Visualizing the Effects of Abortion Clinic Closures in Texas,” and she focused the majority of her talk on the effects of Texas House Bill 2, the 2013 law that says all abortion providers in the state must have admitting privileges at an emergency room within 30 miles of the clinic, and that all clinics must be licensed as ambulatory surgical centers. read more

CTLR J-Term Contemporary Teaching Series: Envisioning Teaching and Learning at Middlebury

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The Center for Teaching, Learning & Research (CTLR) is pleased to present the 2017 Contemporary Teaching Series: Envisioning Teaching and Learning at Middlebury.

The series includes presentations and conversations to inspire, challenge, and educate Middlebury faculty, staff, and students. This year, we are offering a number of afternoon workshops that develop a practical dimension of broader pedagogical topics discussed in the morning sessions. The series opening presentation and discussion will be:

Evidence-Based Curricular Design: The Story of The Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine (UVM) by William Jeffries, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education, The Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine on Tuesday, January 10 at 11am in the CTLR Suite (Davis Library 225)

Below is a summary of events for the Contemporary Teaching Series, followed by a list of additional technology related workshops available through CTLR’s Academic Technology. For the most current information and to sign up for individual sessions, please visit the series website at https://sites.middlebury.edu/ctlrjan2017/

Tuesday, January 10

Evidence-Based Curricular Design
Presenter: Dr. William Jeffries, Senior Associate Dean, The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
Tuesday, January 10, 11:00am–12:15pm, CTLR
A progressive phase out of lecturing by the year 2022 is planned at the UVM’s Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine, replaced by time in active learning environments. Dr. Jeffries will discuss the increased importance of active learning, and how UVM is going about re-designing its curriculum based on growing evidence about superior strategies to lecturing. current details and sign up

Moving Away from Lecturing – Practicing the Flip
Presenter: Joe Antonioli, Academic Technology
Tuesday, January 10, 1:30-3:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
Introduce your students to you, the course, and the tools you’ll be using before they even enter the classroom. This workshop will introduce and explore ways to use Panopto, a new video streaming service for Middlebury, that has a screen-recording tool to record activity on your computer to save and share with students online. current details and sign up

Friday, January 13

Teaching Ideas from MIDDCore
Presenter: Rob Moeller, Psychology
Friday, January 13, 11:00am–12:15pm, CTLR
Rob will discuss some of the teaching techniques he’s incorporated into his courses, based on his experience working as a faculty mentor at MiddCORE over the past two summers. This interactive session will focus on, best practices for group work, community engagement projects, activity based classroom sessions as well as case study based learning. current details and sign up

Tuesday, January 17

Keeping Science Real: The UMass iCons Program
Presenter: Scott Auerbach, Professor of Chemistry, UMass, Amherst
Tuesday, January 17, 11:00am–12:15pm, CTLR
In the innovative Integrated Concentration in Science (iCons) program at UMass Amherst, students learn how to integrate knowledge to solve problems as part of interdisciplinary teams, conducting research on issues from endocrine disruption to the fate of nanoparticles in photovoltaics. The program’s contemporary teaching and learning practices (collaborative learning, reflective assessment practices, and progressive curricular scaffolding) will apply to courses across the disciplines. current details and sign up

Keeping Your Science Real: Building Case Studies from the Problem Up
Presenter: Scott Auerbach, Professor of Chemistry, UMass, Amherst
Tuesday, January 17, 1:30-3:00pm, CTLR
current details and sign up

Thursday, January 19

Mid-term Assessment with Survey Tools (Qualtrics & Canvas Quiz Tool)
Presenter: Bill Koulopoulos, Academic Technology
Thursday, January 19, 1:30-3:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
Surveys are frequently used to gather data on opinions, impressions or satisfaction levels. Within the educational context surveys can be used for student profiles, midterm assessments and general feedback. This session will cover survey basics and demonstrate how a survey can be created using Canvas or Qualtrics. current details and sign up

Re-envisioning Mid(d) Term Assessments
Thursday, January 19, 4:30–5:45pm, CTLR
Co-sponsored by the Student Educational Affairs Committee and the CTLR
current details and sign up

Monday, January 23

Collaborative Teaching Across Disciplines
Presenters: Steve Abbott, Mathematics, and Cheryl Faraone, Theatre
Monday, January 23, 11:00am–12:15pm, CTLR
current details and sign up

Enhancing Collaborative Work with Canvas
Presenter: Heather Stafford, Academic Technology
Monday, January 23, 1:30-3:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
Encouraging collaboration across different cohorts of students can be helped along by utilizing some tools within Canvas that allow conversations and work to extend beyond the limitations of a an in-class session. In this workshop we’ll explore different functions within Canvas that can provide additional pathways towards connection and conversation. current details and sign up

Thursday, January 26

Teaching When Technology Hacks Reality
Presenter: Bryan Alexander, futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and teacher, working in the field of how technology transforms education
Thursday, January 26, 11:00am–12:15pm, CTLR
One of the most interesting and potentially transformative technological trends concerns two separate movements–virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). What happens when VR and AR mix? Virtual data and objects become tied to the real world, as with Pokemon Go, what some call mixed reality (MR). What does MR mean for education? That is where this session concludes. current details and sign up

New Realities at Middlebury
Presenters: Joe Antonioli, Academic Technology and Kristy Golubiewski-Davis, Digital Liberal Arts
Thursday, January 26, 1:30–3:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
See a demonstration of some of the most recent and exciting technologies available at Middlebury. Stations will be set up in the Wilson Media Lab to showcase the HP 3D David Scanner, the Oculus Rift, and the Leap Motion. Experience these technologies for yourself, learn about the current projects Middlebury is participating in, and engage in your own discussions on how you think they could push your work forward. current details and sign up

Friday, January 27

Reflections on Teaching at a Distance
Presenters: Adam Dean, Political Science, Orion Lewis, Political Science, and Tatiana Smorodinska, Russian
Friday, January 27, 11:00am–12:15pm, CTLR
current details and sign up

Monday, January 30

Inquiry-Based Learning: An Interactive Workshop
Presenter: Priscilla Bremser, Mathematics
Monday, January 30, 11:00am–12:15pm
In inquiry-based learning, most class time is devoted to student-centered activities. In this workshop, participants will work through a sequence of questions on a mathematical topic accessible to all. We will also discuss recent research on the efficacy of IBL and other active learning environments, and explore ways that faculty can incorporate inquiry-based principles into their own classrooms. current details and sign up

Thursday, February 2

Envisioning Learning Spaces
Presenter: Richard Jones, architect
Thursday, February 2, 11:00am–12:15pm, CTLR
current details and sign up

Tour of Teaching Spaces
Thursday, February 2, 1:30-3:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
current details and sign up

Additional J-Term Academic Technology Workshops

Introducing MiddCreate
Presenters: Amy Collier, Associate Dean, and Sonja Burrows, Office of Digital Learning
Thursday, January 12, 1:30–3:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
MiddCreate provides web space and a host of open source digital tools (e.g., WordPress, Omeka, Scalar, Known, DocuWiki, and more than 100 additional applications) that individuals can use to “grow” their learning, digital identity, professional development, and scholarly output. This workshop will introduce faculty to MiddCreate, offer examples of how students, faculty, and staff are using MiddCreate, and provide a launching point for anyone who wants to start their own digital garden. current details and sign up

Intro to 3D Workshop
Presenters: Kristy Golubiewski-Davis, Digital Liberal Arts and Daniel Houghton, Academic Technology
Friday, January 13, 1:00-5:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
Note: This workshop will be repeated on January 27, 1:00–5:00pm
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work in a 3D environment? This workshop will walk you through the process of 3D scanning an object, manipulating that object in a 3D environment, and preparing scenes to be viewed online or using a 3d virtual headset. Each participant will have the opportunity to scan an object and create a virtual exhibit of previously scanned objects. current details and sign up

Getting Started with Canvas
Presenter: Heather Stafford, Academic Technology
Wednesday, January 18, 1:30-3:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
Note: Repeated Wednesday, January 25, 1:00-3:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
These interactive sessions will introduce faculty to the Canvas interface, navigation selections, and new features (like an aggregated calendar) to help them decide how to configure their Canvas sites to meet their needs. In addition, faculty already working on designing their sites can utilize the block as a work session where they can follow along, or work at their own pace with academic technology staff to help answer questions and explore new options. current details and sign up

Zotero
Presenters: Ryan Clement and Wendy Shook, Library
Tuesday, January 24, 1:30-2:30pm, Wilson Media Lab
Get to the next stage of your journey as a power researcher. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to save, organize, and cite sources using Zotero, a free, easy, and powerful citation management tool that can help scholars and researchers collect, organize, and annotate resources as well as creating citations and bibliographies using thousands of styles. Available to both Mac and PC users, with plugins available for most modern web browsers as well as Microsoft Word and Libre Office. current details and sign up

Getting Started with Canvas
Presenter: Heather Stafford, Academic Technology
Wednesday, January 25, 1:30-3:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
Note: Repeated January 18, 1:00-3:00 pm, Wilson Media Lab
These interactive sessions will introduce faculty to the Canvas interface, navigation selections, and new features (like an aggregated calendar) to help them decide how to configure their Canvas sites to meet their needs. In addition, faculty already working on designing their sites can utilize the block as a work session where they can follow along, or work at their own pace with academic technology staff to help answer questions and explore new options. current details and sign up

Intro to 3D Workshop
Presenters: Kristy Golubiewski-Davis, Digital Liberal Arts and Daniel Houghton, Academic Technology
Friday, January 27, 1:00–5:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
Note: This workshop is repeated on January 13, 1:00–5:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work in a 3D environment? This workshop will walk you through the process of 3D scanning an object, manipulating that object in a 3D environment, and preparing scenes to be viewed online or using a 3d virtual headset. Each participant will have the opportunity to scan an object and create a virtual exhibit of previously scanned objects. current details and sign up

Data Bootcamp 1 & 2
Presenters: Ryan Clement, Library, and Kristy Golubiewski-Davis, Digital Liberal Arts
(1) Tuesday, January 31, 1:00–4:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
(2) Wednesday, February 1, 1:00–4:00pm, Wilson Media Lab
Are you new to working with data for digital scholarship? This pair of workshops will introduce participants to the basics of working with and visualizing data as well as some helpful resources for further learning. Day one will cover “Working with Data,” including topics such as finding and interpreting data and codebooks. Day two will include cleaning and visualizing data, including creating original visualizations! Both sessions are 3 hours long and will include discussions of background concepts as well as hands-on work. Because these courses will be tailored to the participants’ interests and disciplines, please sign up by January 17th at the latest. current details and sign up

Bring Your Own Data Workshop
Presenters: Ryan Clement, Library and Kristy Golubiewski-Davis, Digital Liberal Arts
Friday, February 3, 1:00-4:00, Wilson Media Lab
A drop-in session to collaboratively work on your data in a community setting. We encourage you to bring your own data sets for cleaning, visualization, or connecting your conceptual thoughts about your project to the data. Come for help and stay for the collaboration! If you want to work with data but don’t have a specific dataset in mind, we will have a few examples for you to play with while you’re there. current details and sign up

Resources from Annual Writing and Teaching Retreat

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Each August, Middlebury College faculty have the opportunity to attend an off campus writing and teaching retreat to explore topics in pedagogy, prepare for courses, and explore issues in higher education.

Faculty can access materials and information from the Aug. 23-24, 2016 Annual Middlebury College Writing and Teaching Retreat at http://sites.middlebury.edu/teachingandwriting/ (you will need to use your Middlebury login).

CTLR and Middcore Collaborative Workshops–3/14 and 4/20

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The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Research invites you to participate in two workshops this spring, one “Design Thinking and the Liberal Arts,” on Monday, March 14, and the other, “Collaboration in the Classroom: Improving the ‘Group Project’ Experience,” on Wednesday, April 20.

These workshops will be taught by Jessica Holmes, Mary Hurlie, and Jon Isham, and they will draw on their experiences in working with students in the programs offered by MiddCORE and the Center for Social Entrepreneurship.

The workshops will begin at 12:20 p.m. and will run until 1:20 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

An overview of each workshop follows:

Design thinking and the liberal arts (Jessica Holmes and Jon Isham), Monday, March 14, MiddCORE (DKE) House

Design thinking is a methodology of identifying, (re)framing, and solving problems. It encompasses an iterative process of empathetic observation, ideation, and prototyping, and relies heavily on collaboration across disciplines. During this workshop, we will explore how design thinking might be used as a pedagogical tool in the classroom.

Collaboration in the classroom: improving the “group project” experience (Jessica Holmes and Mary Hurlie), Wednesday, April 20, CTLR Suite

Group projects, when designed well, can build problem solving, teamwork and communication skills, yet many students (and some faculty) groan at their mere mention. During this workshop, we will explore strategies to maximize the benefits of collaborative learning activities.

Registration Open for 2015 Teaching and Writing Retreat

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We invite you to the 28th annual overnight retreat, sponsored by the Center for Teaching, Learning & Research and the Writing Program, to be held at the Mountain Top Inn and Resort in Chittenden, about 45 minutes south of Middlebury (http://mountaintopinn.com). We will begin with lunch on Wednesday, August 26 and end in the afternoon on Thursday, August 27.

Learn more about the retreat here. Registration is available online here.

 

Science of Learning in Action: A Two-day Learning Institute May 27-28, 2015

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To view a full description of the two-day learning institute and to register, please turn to the institute’s webpage https://sites.middlebury.edu/ctlrmay2015/

This two-day learning institute builds upon the growing body of research on how people learn and highlights how this understanding informs pedagogy, student engagement, and innovative classroom practice. Victor Benassi and Catherine Overson of the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning will share their expertise and experiences with us as will members of the Middlebury faculty.

It is our hope that those who will register for the conference will participate in the full program so that a strong sense of shared involvement will inform the institute.

The first twenty persons who register will receive copies of either Susan A. Ambrose et al.’s How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching or Peter Brown et al.’s Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning.

 

Ward Prize nomination deadline: June 15th

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Faculty may nominate First-Year Students for The Paul Ward ’25 Prize in Writing for First-Year Students. Please help identify and encourage academic excellence in the Class of 2018 by uploading  a copy of your first-year students’ best papers to this online form:  go/wardsubmit. JoAnn Brewer brewer@middlebury.edu  is happy to help you if you have any difficulties with the form.  E-mail Mary Ellen Bertolini (mbertoli@middlebury.edu) if you have any questions about eligible work.

 

Ninth Student Symposium Showcases Creativity, Inquiry

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Release by Middlebury Communications

April 10, 2015

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – More than 300 Middlebury students showcased their creative and intellectual pursuits over two days at the ninth annual Student Symposium. McCardell Bicentennial Hall was filled with energy and a festive atmosphere on Friday as students presented posters of their independent research and conducted oral presentations in rooms throughout the building.

Poster presentations in the MBH Great Hall.

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty Andi Lloyd welcomed the crowd on Friday morning. “When I looked through the catalog of talks last night, I couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer breadth of your collective endeavors,” Lloyd told the student presenters. She noted that there were scientific, literary, musical, and theatrical talks – often intermingled in the same session. read more

The Middlebury Spring Symposium is sponsored by the Center for Teaching Learning and Research