There are many reasons for incorporating real-life situations into instruction. Foremost are that applications of theoretical material in real-life situations make content easier to understand and that the relevance of content is demonstrated by real-life examples. If we are trying to connect content to real-life situations, our assessments must demonstrate face validity. That is, they have to model the situations in which the new knowledge and skills will be used. If we only test for knowledge the opportunity to demonstrate that learning is relevant is missed. The preceding comments are from Dr. Michael Theall's paper Related Course Material to Real Life Situations. Theall will be at LU on Thursday and Friday to deliver two thought provoking sessions. The Thursday workshop begins at 2:00 PM in the auditorium of the Dishman Art Museum. He will take the research on teaching and learning from the past six decades and distill it for you in an action-packed hour and a half. Theall continues the distinguished speaker series on Friday at 8:30 AM in the Landis Auditorium of the Galloway Building. Theall will address why he thinks that increased workloads, external pressures, a focus on disciplinary productivity, and new demands placed on faculty have weakened community and resulted in feelings of isolation and the loss of collegiality. Not content to merely comment, Theall will offer his ideas on how this recent trend can be reversed for the good of the institution and individuals. Registration is requested but not required. Adam and Jaye Fenderson have released their new documentary chronicling the lives of several first-generation college students. The makers of the film are a married couple who said that they found it difficult not to help the students they were covering. “We actually made a decision when we started thinking about the film that we were not going to intervene in the students’ lives,” Mr. Fenderson said. “It was very difficult to sit there and listen to them talk about what their counselor told them when we knew that it was wrong. It was difficult to even sit in some of the counselor meetings and hear the counselors be so brief and quick with these students and these students not get answers that they really needed.” An absence of college graduates in a family can result not only in a lack of financial support — many economic studies have suggested that college graduates make more money over time than high school graduates — but also a shortage of knowledge about the college admissions process. In the film First Generation, one of the student’s mothers is depicted as having no idea how to pay for college, and not knowing whether the cost is required to be paid in full upfront. The students, themselves floundering through the process, make misinformed financial decisions that limit their college choices and may even stifle their academic potential. The members of the LU Faculty Learning Community High School to College Transition is exploring many of the issues described in the documentary. Be sure to join us at the inaugural FLC Showcase on Monday, May 14 from 2:30-4:30 PM in the Setzer Student Center Ballroom. You will learn about the efforts over the last academic year of all four FLC. Lamar University has honored three faculty members with 2012 University Merit Awards in recognition of outstanding performance in the classroom. Award recipients are assistant professors John Zhanhu Guo, chemical engineering; Qin Qian, civil engineering; and Melissa Rusher, deaf studies and deaf education. While scholarship and service to the university and community are an important consideration in granting the Merit Awards, the most important criteria for selection are classroom performance and interaction with students, said Stephen Doblin, provost and vice president for academic affairs. CT+LE congratulates these teachers who focus their efforts on student learning. Look for an announcement in the future concerning this year's recipients and a collaboration with CT+LE.