The recent revelation of the cheating scandal at UCF has also uncovered another side of the issue, outsourcing test questions. It seems there is a growing trend for some schools to "buy" test questions from a publisher-provided test bank. If you know the story of UCF and other mega-universities like it, you might understand why it makes sense financially and in terms of the number of students faculty are asked to teach. You can read more about this fascinating topic in a great article by Jason Jones. Included in the article is a nice example of techniques that can be used to build tests that not only encourage student collaboration but are very instructive for faculty not only in terms of learning outcomes but what the students really thought the class was all about. Have you had students complain about test anxiety? Do you consider that a legitimate impairment that should be considered when making decisions about a student's progress? There was an interesting case at the University of Manitoba recently. In addition, the issue has been emerging more in the scholarship of teaching and learning literature. Have you ever been involved in a faculty-led, discipline-specific discussion about what a student should know and be able to do by graduation? The Lumina Foundation is funding a project that is targeted at encouraging states to zero in on these kinds of nitty-gritty details about classroom learning and agree on the specific ingredients that make up a high-quality college education. The annual conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, being held August 3 though 5, 2011 in Madison, Wisconsin has issued a call for proposals with a deadline of January 19. You can submit your proposal online. There are a variety of topics under the broad categories of teach, learn, and connect.

Provost Steve Doblin led a very informative Lunch+Learn today on the topics of promotion and tenure. The faculty were very engaged and brought up a number of very important issues. If you are looking for advice on the entire process, feel free to contact us at the Center to set an appointment. As always, everything we do in the consulting arena is confidential. Do you keep a journal of your teaching experiences during the semester? I started that practice several years ago and it is always so interesting to look back at the end of the semester. I have actually started listing my preconceptions on the first day of class so that I can compare them to reality at the end. It has been so beneficial in helping me improve my teaching and has certainly made me much more student-centered. The national discussion about student cheating has exploded. After the revelation of the large-scale cheating incident at the University of Central Florida, the article by an individual who write papers for pay in the Chronicle added fuel to the fire. Research is slowly emerging in this area but there is a lot to do. If you are using unique techniques to impede cheating in your class that have proven effective, I encourage you to publish your results in one of the many journals focused on the scholarship of teaching and learning. I hope each of you has a very happy Thanksgiving.

Change magazine has an interesting article about course redesign at MIT in the physics department. The impetus to redesign came about because of the high failure rate in physics I and II courses. MIT utilized a best practices model names TEAL (Technology Enabled Active Learning). To quote from the article, "TEAL prevailed because everything was in place that was needed for an initiative of its scale to succeed. First, the reform was centered in a department. The introductory physics courses, Physics I and Physics II, were 'owned' by the physics department, and their problems were the department’s problems." An article out today claims that more than half a million college students now use wireless devices to register class attendance and take quizzes. It goes on to say that although the technology is relatively new, preliminary studies at Harvard and Ohio State, among other institutions, suggest that engaging students in class through a device as familiar to them as a cellphone — there are even applications that convert iPads and BlackBerrys into class-ready clickers — increases their understanding of material that may otherwise be conveyed in traditional lectures. Registration is moving briskly for the upcoming Lunch+Learn on the promotion and tenure process at LU that will occur on Monday, November 22. Space is still available and you can register by contacting the Center for Teaching and Learning Enhancement.

The Presidents’ Alliance for Excellence in Student Learning and Accountability was mentioned a few weeks ago in a post that talked about a renewed commitment to teaching and learning. Now there is new reaction out today. One of the responses mentioned the Degree Qualifications Profile being developed by the Lumina Foundation which will provide a framework of specific student learning outcomes that define the associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees by showing at each level what students should know and be able to do with their knowledge. We had a spirited discussion at the retention workshop today. There are some terrific efforts occurring specifically in the Nursing Department and STARS that should and can be replicated. This is a conversation that needs to continue. By the way, research has shown that faculty and students who mutually respect each other create an environment for success. In addition, it is very important that faculty actively engage with their students both in and out of the classroom setting. If you encounter a student who wants to leave LU, find out why before you sign off of the drop form. Getting to know your students as human beings can make all the difference in the world when it comes to retention and completion. Just finished reading a terrific article on student engagement titled, "Improving student engagement: Ten proposals for action" by Zepke and Leach that we highly recommend.

In the most recent issue of the American Educational Research Association Division C newsletter, it was noted that over 1,000 proposals were submitted focused on learning and instruction. Of that total, over 27% focused on cognitive, social and motivational processes. This indicates how healthy the field of the scholarship of teaching and learning is and ensures that we will have an abundance of new research and scholarship emerging for years to come. The ACES Fellows along with members of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Steering Committee celebrated the success of the program yesterday at a gathering in the John Gray Center. We were honored to be joined by Provost Steve Doblin and Senior Associate Provost Kevin Smith (who also serves as QEP Steering Committee Chair). The occasion was marked by the unveiling of the poster advertising the ACES Fellows course offering for Spring 2011. The excitement continues to build for the workshop focused on retention that will occur on Monday, November 15. Please join us at 2:00 p.m. in room 702 of the Gray Library. You also still have time to register for the upcoming Lunch and Learn focused on the promotion and tenure process at LU. Provost Doblin will facilitate this interactive conversation on November 22 at noon in the Dining Hall.

The field of faculty development is very focused on helping faculty to develop themselves. It was very validating to attend the 35th annual Professional and Organization Development (POD) Network in Higher Education conference last week. One of the more interesting sessions focused on the preconceptions that faculty have about their students. Do you classify your students when the walk into your class or tell you their story? Do you raise or lower your expectations when you decide what "group" they belong to? David Green and Celia Popovic have a book coming out soon that explores this topic. If you can't wait, you might want to look at Dr. Popovic's dissertation work that focuses on the same topic. Preconceptions about our students can cause problems for everyone. We strongly suggest that you try to get to know your students better both in and out of class. Holding informal sessions in the Library or Setzer Center where you can interact with your students in a relaxed setting helps to form bonds and provides an additional link for the students to LU. That relationship development has proven to stunt the attrition rate. Think back to your college days and you too will (hopefully) remember fondly the relationships that you forged then that have survived to this day. Do your part to create Cardinals for life.

Looking to spend a semester in a beautiful location surrounding by cultural jewels and meeting new people? Have you ever looked at the Fulbright Scholar Program? Proposals for the next round are due February 18 so now is the time to begin putting your submission together. Here is a quote from a recent article you might want to read, "We are not far from the day when a student, finding unsatisfactory reviews of a faculty member on ratemyprofessors.com, will choose to take a class through open courseware online and then ask his home institution to assess him." During the recent POD Network conference in St. Louis, I attended a session that promised to help us understand what the Millennials are expecting out of college. One of the most surprising results from the data said that they realize that they need to learn (or relearn) how to study in a different way than they did while attending high school. So do you teach your students how to properly use Google to do research? Looking forward to the retention workshop this coming Monday.

Our students are important to us at LU and we are working hard to improve our retention rates. November 15 is the date of the workshop designed to help all units design retention plans. Just another step in maintaining the student-centered focus at LU. Two words that always get a reaction out of faculty are promotion and tenure. The process for both is often complex but Provost Steve Doblin promises to demystify the policy at the Lunch and Learn on November 22. To fully prepare for this event, we encourage you to take a look at three important documents which will be emailed to you upon registration: the Ad-Hoc Committee's Foundational Agreement on P&T; the LU tenure and/or promotion recommendation form; and, the second and fourth year review form. We are accepting pre-registration for both events at cpmumbach@lamar.edu. Visited the Department of Nursing on Friday to talk about the Center and QEP. What a positive group of folks. I know that our nursing students are in good hands. The Professional and Organization Development Network annual conference is being held later this week in St. Louis and we are attending so look for some new and exciting ideas upon our return.