News

Faculty Spotlight: Bank of America Award Finalist Series

jpyke — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:59:42 -0500

Engaging Students in the Classroom,
A Roundtable Discussion Hosted by Dr. Charlie Burnap,
2009 BOA Teaching Award Winner

Fri., Nov. 20, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Atkins Library Room 124
Sign Up Now To Attend

All faculty are invited to attend this interactive roundtable session, where Charlie Burnap will discuss topics ranging from high level goals down to the nitty-gritty of teaching and how we can encourage students to be active learners.

“While setting high standards is important, it is essential to realize that most courses include students with a wide range of backgrounds, interests, and talents. Consequently, it is important that high level goals be approached in small steps. Because mastery comes from the act of doing, students must be engaged in classroom activities and must attempt assigned work.”—Charlie Burnap, 2009 BOA award winner

About Charlie Burnap

A 27-year veteran of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at UNC Charlotte, Charlie Burnap was selected from a prestigious list of finalists as the 2009 recipient of the highest teaching honor bestowed by UNC Charlotte – the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence. In addition to classroom teaching and individual tutorials, Charlie has led teaching discussions in his Department and in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He has served on panels for Summer Institutes and on the College Task Force on the Evaluation of Teaching. He was one of the original members of the American Association of Higher Education Peer Review Project and has chaired the CLAS Course and Curriculum Committee.

Next in the Faculty Spotlight: Bank of America Award Finalist Series

January: Patrick Moyer (CLAS) – Critical Thinking
February: Lori Van Wallendael (CLAS) - Effective Lecturing Techniques
March: James Lyons (COED) - Problem Based Learning

SOTL Faculty Development Grant Proposals Due 10/23/09

jpyke — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:25:55 -0400

The UNC Charlotte Faculty Scholarship on Teaching and Learning Grants Committee is requesting proposals for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) Grants (formerly known as API/CID Grants). The committee awards grants to individual faculty members, departments, colleges, programs, academies, or standing committees to support them in projects that will examine and reflect upon the teaching and learning practices in their discipline in a systematic way by using research methods and by making the results known to the campus community and beyond. Such projects may be aimed at making significant curricular reforms, designing new curricula, conducting research that informs teaching and learning at the local (course, department, college, university) level, or initiating activities that would improve the quality of instruction in the undergraduate and graduate programs of the unit or the campus. The SOTL Grants Committee is particularly concerned with funding projects which have measurable outcomes and will demonstrate evidence of success to the UNC Charlotte teaching and learning community.

Proposals must be submitted electronically as a single email attachment (e.g., MS Word document or PDF) to the Center for Teaching and Learning (ctl@uncc.edu) no later than 4:00 PM on Friday, October 23, 2009. To be considered for funding, you must include a letter of support from your college dean as part of your proposal.

To read the full request for proposals--including the specific criteria, budget information, and other supporting documents--please see http://teaching.uncc.edu/sotl

Welcome Back!

jpyke — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:35:20 -0400

The new CTL newsletter has been published. Highlights:

Moodle to Replace Blackboard Vista
Top 9 Things to Consider When Using Moodle
Instructional Design Consultations Available
New! Teaching Tip Sheets Now Available
Fully Online Professional Development Opportunities Through Sloan-C
Good Reads: The CTL Library

Moodle Announcement from Provost Joan Lorden

jpyke — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:38:45 -0400

Dear Colleagues, June 18, 2009

The jury’s in, and so is Moodle. It’s an odd name, but after extensive testing by faculty and students, Moodle, the open-source course management system, proved to have significant advantages over Blackboard, so our campus is beginning the transition to the Moodle system. Because two years remain on our Blackboard contract, we’ll have the benefit of a gradual transition, but I know many of you are planning and preparing your fall classes and will want to make the move sooner rather than later. read more »

Teaching with The New York Times - Faculty Workshop

ctl-admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:23:27 -0400

When: Friday, 22 May 2009, 12:00pm
Where: CHHS Room 155

The New York Times workshop will provide information on resources and programs available to UNC Charlotte faculty and will focus on ways faculty members can incorporate The New York Times into their classroom discussion. The Times can help faculty cover topics that have direct impact on the lives of students today - from social issues and new technology to the global economy and career opportunities. Most importantly, The Times can play a vital role in aiding students to think more critically, improve their global and social perspective and most importantly, give additional relevancy to what students are learning. Complimentary subscriptions can be provided to faculty who incorporate The Times into their syllabi. read more »

Morgan Wins UNC Board of Governors Teaching Award

jpyke — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:21:53 -0400

Margaret Morgan is a 2009 recipient of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. She will be recognized at commencement, Saturday, May 9.

Established by the Board of Governors in 1994 to underscore the importance of and to reward good teaching across the University system, the awards are given annually to a tenured faculty member from each UNC campus. read more »

New! Opscan Workshops Added Just in Time for Finals

jpyke — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:17:48 -0400

Using Opscan for Quizzes and Surveys - April 24 and April 28 - Sign Up Now!

This informational session will provide an overview the Opscan process. You will learn where the Opscan office is located, examine the different forms and special directions for each, see how to interpret results, and view the process for uploading the grades into Blackboard Vista.

15th Annual Sloan-C Conference: Call for Papers Open

jpyke — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:19:54 -0400

Dear Educator,

The Call for Papers is now open for the 15th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning. Please submit your papers for Sloan-C's annual conference held in Orlando, FL on October 28 – 30, 2009. Last year's conference attracted over 1,100 participants to more than 180 presentations. read more »

Call for Proposals: Innovation in Instruction Conference, Elon University, August 20, 2009

jpyke — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:08:47 -0400

New Media and the Interdisciplinary Teacher/Student
The 6th Annual Innovation in Instruction Conference
Elon University August 20, 2009

http://org.elon.edu/catl/conference/index.html read more »

NC Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Network

jpyke — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:49:15 -0400

If you don't already know about it, you might want to take a look at our new NC Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Network site on ning.com. Currently (Tues., March 11) there are 94 members. Not bad for a network that was created last Thursday. The site also includes campus-based "group" areas that can be used for campus-based discussion of SoTL activities and initiatives...Come take a look (and join us if you are interested) at http://ncsotl.ning.com.

The NC SoTL Network focuses on sharing SoTL work and building a SoTL community across NC universities, colleges, and community colleges. read more »