Coming soon—the first CTL book discussion group

The Center plans to host a discussion group for Howard Gardner’s new book, Five Minds for the Future, starting with in-person meetings that may branch out to online discussions. In this fascinating and timely book, Gardner posits that changes are taking place in the 21st century which call for new ways of learning and thinking in school, business, and the professions. We invite you to join in this conversation with others on campus as we explore how to enhance the ways we are equipping our students for the future. Watch for more information about the book discussion group coming soon!

Dr. Maria Yon, Faculty Fellow
Dr. Garvey Pyke, Instructional Programs

What is SOTL?

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, or SOTL (rhymes with “yodel”), initiative was started in 1998 by the Carnegie Foundation to recognize, support, and publicize teaching as a scholarly activity—to show that teaching and research can and actually do work together. In the past 10 years, colleges and universities across the nation and world have created SOTL programs on their campuses to support and promote teaching as a scholarly activity. Likewise, the Center for Teaching and Learning is working to develop a SOTL program at UNC Charlotte to assist faculty in studying their own teaching practices and making the results known to the campus community and beyond. Sharing what we learn through SOTL research is a key component, since it is a valuable avenue for scholarly output. The Center will be hosting several campus events regarding SOTL this year, and we will also promote other SOTL activities within the UNC system.

Dr. Garvey Pyke
Instructional Programs

Teaching & Learning Matters

Would you like to advance teaching and learning in your courses? We have a great resource to help you —— our Teaching & Learning Matters podcast.

Two members of our Center team, Dr. Garvey Pyke and Dr. Maria Yon, host this bi-weekly series. They have aired episodes on a variety of topics like encouraging active learning, designing the course syllabus, millennial students and how to use podcasting in a class, among others.

To listen online or to subscribe, visit the Teaching & Learning Matters Podcast web page.

Sam Eneman
Instructional Technology Consultant

Teaching tips: motivating students to learn

The term “motivate” means to stimulate interest in a subject to the degree that students have a desire to learn. It is natural that not all students are equally motivated about a course or a particular topic, especially in required courses. The responsibility rests on the teacher to make the subject matter appealing and of value for students. More motivated students want to learn more, so they achieve more and are more engaged and participatory in class.

To motivate as many students as possible, consider the following strategies:

1. Make the course relevant. On the first day of class, show them how this course fits into their program and into the larger society. Give examples of how it is useful today or to their careers.
2. Stress conceptual understanding above rote memorization. Determine which facts are important to memorize to master the basics of the discipline, but help them use that knowledge to construct broader concepts.
3. Use various teaching strategies such as discussion, debates, cooperative learning, role playing, simulations, case studies, and problems solving exercises. While lecture has its place for transmitting information, effective active learning strategies help students understand the information, leading to conceptual understanding.
4. Give feedback often. Students need to know how they are progressing. Formative assessments (i.e., those not given for a grade or perhaps a small portion of the final grade) are effective motivators. Their purpose is to help students determine what they have learned by the end of class or a series of classes.
5. Last, but certainly not least, your own enthusiasm and motivation is contagious. Your passion about the course, about teaching, and about helping them learn will all go a long way in helping to motivate students.

If you would like more information on motivation, or perhaps you would like to meet with someone in the Center for Teaching and Learning to brainstorm strategies for your courses, please let us know.

Dr. Maria Yon
Faculty Fellow

Record lectures, capture PowerPoint presentations, and create videos with tools that are now available on campus

Two new software titles for teaching and learning, Camtasia Studio and SnagIt Screen Capture, are now available to all faculty members. Camtasia is a simple, easy-to-use screen capture program that allows users to record live lectures, capture PowerPoint presentations, or even create instructional videos. Once recorded, these materials can then be distributed in various video formats such as Flash or MP3 as well as uploaded into Blackboard Vista. The other tool, SnagIt, is a screen capture program that allows users to capture anything on screen and edit captures. SnagIt screen captures can be used to create simple “How-to” guides for students. Camtasia and SnagIt are powerful programs with infinite possibilities.

Camtasia and SnagIt are available through the Novell Application Launcher (NAL). Fifty concurrent licenses of each program are available for faculty use. For more information on installing Camtasia or SnagIt from NAL, visit http://bbvista.uncc.edu/guides/camtasiaSnagIt/camtasiaSnagIt.html.

Melanie Smith
Instructional Technology Consultant

Moodle pilot begins

As recommended by the Learning Management Systems Evaluation Committee, there are now 12 faculty conducting an initial pilot test of the Moodle learning management system (LMS) during this fall semester. These 12 faculty will teach 21 sections via Moodle, totaling over 700 students. During the semester, the Center for Teaching and Learning will work closely with the pilot faculty and students to determine how Moodle could best be implemented on this campus and also to evaluate it alongside with Blackboard Vista. CTL has also developed Moodle training for faculty, and four of the faculty with previous Moodle experience are serving as “Moodle Mentors” by providing instructional guidance and support to newer users.

While the current pilot is limited to 12 faculty, we envision that a second, expanded pilot will take place in the spring semester, as we continue our evaluation of Moodle. The best way for you to keep apprised of all the latest developments with the LMS evaluation process is to stay tuned to the LMS Evaluation website. Or you can contact us with any questions about Moodle or the pilot efforts. We welcome your feedback.

Dr. Garvey Pyke, Instructional Programs
Lorraine Stanton, Coordinator of E-Learning Programs

Please consider leaving feedback on our Newsletter using our survey form.