FUN Final Fridays
FUN Final Fridays
For those that were not able to join last year, or who might be new to FUN, these Final Friday meetups are intended to be informal gatherings to learn about, or remind ourselves of, strong pedagogical tools and to provide fun collegial support.
We welcome you to all or as many as you can attend.
Schedule 2022-2023
All meetings will take place on Friday, be one hour in length, and will begin at 4 pm (EST). Here is our schedule for the Fall:
August 26 – Incorporating Empirical Research Articles into your Coursework
Interested in incorporating more empirical research articles, or better incorporating articles into your coursework? Then join us as Kristy Kenyon discusses the CREATE method and Jen Round discusses Figure Facts. Each of these tools will help students better dissect empirical research and both place an emphasis on methods and data (you know, that whole Results section that they gloss over, sometimes). Either can be incorporated into your existing semester plan (as long as there is an empirical paper) with no change to the syllabus! Please take a look at the embedded links before the session to become familiar with these powerful ideas.
September 30 – Course Embedded Research Experiences for Upper-level courses
Does your course need a CURE? The September FUN Final Friday is focused on implementing Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs/CREs) in the undergraduate curriculum. We will be joined by Dr. Becky Delventhal (Lake Forest College), Dr. Josefa Steinhauer (Yeshiva University), and Dr. Jonathan Fitz Gerald (Rhodes College). They will give a brief presentation at the beginning then we will have an open panel discussion in the latter half of the hour for us to ask questions and toss around ideas. The links below navigate to a couple of resources if you are interested in learning more about the topics they will discuss:
Drs. Deventhal and Steinhauer will discuss their recent paper on using Drosophila to teach students to think like scientists (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0230912)
Dr. Fitz Gerald will discuss his assessment strategy based on three dimensions of research-based courses. He is also part of the team implementing the Council for Undergraduate Research MIRIC program, a mentoring program for faculty who would like to implement research concepts in the classroom. (3 dimensions link: https://www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/cbe.15-03-0073; MIRIC link: https://www.cur.org/who/governance/divisions/biology/miric/)
October 28 – FUNapalooza (overview of FUN opportunities and highlights for SfN)
Do you teach undergraduates in Neuroscience or Neuroscience-adjacent classes? Have you heard of the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience? Yes or No - you should join us on Friday, October 28that 4 pm (EST) to learn more about the many ways FUN can support you, your teaching, your research, and your students.
FUN representatives will be present to discuss:
- how your students can apply for a $1000 award to attend SFN,
- about the Neuroscience honor society that provides monetary support for chapter activities and summer research,
- how you can apply to borrow amazing equipment for 2-years (at no cost to you!) to gather preliminary data,
- about our upcoming pedagogical conference where members will discuss their amazing teaching practices,
- why publishing in the Journal for Undergraduate Neuroscience Education (JUNE) is a great, PubMed indexed, choice,
- about the newly created mentoring network,
- and more!!
We look forward to having you join FUNapalooza so we can share the great ways FUN can help you!
December 9 – Inclusive Syllabus Design with Monica Linden and Sarah Brownell
Diversity and Inclusion: Put it in the syllabus <https://web.archive.org/web/20220106081222/https:/tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/1625>, It’s in the syllabus… or is it?<https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/advan.00119.2020>. Bring your current syllabus so you can compare and revise!
January 6 - Engage with spring semester early! We are holding a special FUN First Friday to kick off a great semester of inclusive teaching!
Ashley Juavinett (UCSD), author of So You Want to be a Neuroscientist?<https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53214548-so-you-want-to-be-a-neuroscientist> and The Mismatch Between Neuroscience Graduate Training and Professional Skill Sets<https://www.funjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/june-21-35.pdf?x36670> (in the newest issue of JUNE) will lead a conversation for educators to help their students consider themselves scientists and help them develop critical skills and information that help them envision their futures.
January 27 - Inspiring Curiosity
Do you face issues with student motivation in the classroom? Then join the FUN Final Friday crew for a session on Inspiring curiosity.
Dr. Hannah Ruehl will discuss ways to inspire curiosity in the classroom. Hannah’s work focuses on the relationship between curiosity and learning. Specifically, her work entails guiding faculty towards harnessing the power of curiosity in the classroom for student motivation and persistence in learning. Hannah co-chairs the University of Kentucky’s Curiosity Fair held annually.
February 24 - Thriving in the changing landscape of higher education: ChatGPT. How might we use it rather than react to it?
March 31 - Thriving in the changing landscape of higher education: Engaging in cross and inter-disciplinary thinking and teaching
April 28 - FUN Workshop Preview - what to expect at the Western Washington conference, July 27-30, 2023
June 2 - Thriving in the changing landscape of higher education: Representation in textbooks
Registration - Not a member? Join us!
Past Schedules and Resources
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Information and resources from previous FUN Final Fridays
Questions? - Contact webmaster@funfaculty.org