Sunday, November 16, 2008       |       9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon

Washington Convention Center, Room 103B

When we think about teaching, many of us think first about presentation, what we will say and do as teachers. But we also need to think about learning, what our students will absorb and how we can help them be more effective. This year's teaching workshop focuses on structuring neuroscience courses to promote deep learning.

The workshop is open to graduate students, postdocs, and faculty at every level of teaching experience. There is no fee or preregistration.

SCHEDULE:

9:00

Introduction

Video: "From Questions to Concepts" (Eric Mazur, Harvard University)

Students in a physics course were passing tests but weren't really learning physics. The course changed its approach from "telling" to "asking," posing conceptual questions as part of each lecture, and asking students to work together in class to solidify concepts.

      SEE AN EXCERPT FROM THIS VIDEO, ON "TEACHING WITH CLICKERS"

9:40

Teaching a graduate core course for long-term retention

(Karen Gale, Georgetown University)

10:00

Preparing students for video conferences with researchers

(Michael Barresi, Smith College)     LEARN MORE ABOUT WEB CONFERENCES

10:20

Blogs to foster student writing

(Christina Williams, Duke University)     VIEW POWERPOINT SLIDES (pdf file)

10:40

A wiki for student-authored lecture notes

(Richard Olivo, Smith College and Harvard University)     VIEW EXCERPT FROM A TEACHING POSTER (pdf file)

11:00

The use and misuse of PowerPoint

(Ron Hoy, Cornell University)     VIEW POWERPOINT SLIDES (pdf file)

11:30

Breakout groups

Informal conversations among faculty teaching similar courses.

PANELISTS:

Karen Gale, Georgetown University

Professor of Pharmacology, and founding Director, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University. Recipient of the 2003 AWIS-Bethesda mentoring award; representative to the Carnegie Foundation Initiative on the Doctorate in Neuroscience. Dr. Gale has been a mentor to numerous thesis students, postdoctoral fellows, and undergraduates. Email: galek@georgetown.edu.

Michael Barresi, Smith College

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences and member of the Program in Neuroscience, Smith College. Dr. Barresi, a developmental biologist, uses web conferencing within the classroom to engage undergraduates directly with the scientists whose research is being studied. The discussions are also recorded and posted on the class's Web Conferences website. Email: mbarresi@email.smith.edu.

Christina Williams, Duke University

Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience; former Chair, Department of Experimental Psychology, Duke University. Member of the Finance Committee, SfN. Representative to the Carnegie Foundation Initiative on the Doctorate in Neuroscience. Email: williams@psych.duke.edu.

Richard Olivo, Smith College and Harvard University (workshop organizer)

Associate Director, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University, and Professor of Biological Sciences and member of the Program in Neuroscience, Smith College. Dr. Olivo developed "MacRetina," a simulated experiment to record from retinal ganglion cells, and he is the author of a deep website with procedures and videos for an undergraduate neurophysiology laboratory course. He was named "Educator of the Year" in 2005 by Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience. Email: rolivo@fas.harvard.edu.

Ron Hoy, Cornell University

David and Dorothy Merksamer Professor in Biology at Cornell University, Ithaca NY. Developer (with Bruce Johnson, Bob Wyttenbach, and Pat Rivlin) of "Crawdad" and "FruitFly" software (Sinauer Publishers). Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, one of a select group of "leading research scientists who also are deeply committed to making science more engaging for undergraduates. Their innovative approaches to teaching are infusing undergraduate science with the excitement and rigor of scientific research." Email: rrh3@cornell.edu.