Who is in charge here? Do you ever find yourself saying that after a particularly trying class session? If so, you might want to register for the faculty development workshop Establishing Classroom Decorum and Dealing with Student's Complaints. Dr. Timothy McNicholl is the featured presenter for the workshop that will be held on Tuesday, March 27. The session begins at 2:00 PM in the CT+LE Commons located on the sixth floor of the Mary and John Gray Library (MJGL). Dr. Dee Fink says (in his book Creating Significant Learning Experiences) that we should focus on providing students with significant learning experiences. He says that a significant learning experience has both a process and an outcome dimension. In a powerful learning experience, students will be engaged in their own learning, there will be a high energy level associated with it, and the whole process will have important outcomes and results. Not only will students be learning throughout the course, by the end of the course they will clearly have changed in some important way. And that learning will have the potential for changing their lives in an important way. Inside Higher Ed reports that 84-percent of students at a public research university believe students who cheat should be punished, yet two of every three admit to having cheated themselves. Most of the cheating students admit to involves homework, not tests, and they see academic misconduct applying differently to those two kinds of work. These findings were part of a study presented at the annual convention of NASPA: Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education. Those results, coupled with the fact that many instructors devote little if any time to discussing academic integrity, led the researchers to an obvious conclusion: setting clear expectations, and repeating them early and often, is crucial. “It’s about communicating clearly in the classroom and spending time on the topic,” said Angela Baldasare, divisional manager of assessment and data analysis at the University of Arizona, about clarifying expectations and increasing the intrinsic values of assignments, “so that there’s something more to it than just a grade.” The study into the frequency and type of offenses, and the faculty policies and responses, surveyed more than 2,000 students and 600 instructors on the Arizona campus. Applications are now being accepted from faculty and staff who would like to teach the University Success Seminar. LMAR 1101, as it will appear in the registration material, is a cross-disciplinary, interactive, and reflective course that will teach students how to make the academic and social transition from high school to college. Through this one credit hour course, LMAR 1101 students will gain a better understanding of the responsibilities that come with making this important transition. Faculty and staff members who are interested in teaching LMAR 1101 must meet the appropriate SACS requirements which include holding a Master’s degree in any subject from an accredited four-year institution. Over the upcoming weeks, there will be several introductory sessions that will provide further information about this course as well as the selection process. Those interested in applying should obtain an application packet from either Dr. Nicki Michalski (nicki.michalski@lamar.edu) or Dr. Todd Pourciau (todd.pourciau@lamar.edu).

Got lunch? We did and today at the Lunch+Learn about classroom interventions that can improve retention, we had an interesting conversation with a varied group of individuals including department chairs, online instructors, and retention and enrollment administrators. Of course, the main purpose of today's event was to gather information for the workshop to be held on April 25. If you were unable to attend the Lunch+Learn today but would like to hear about interventions that can help in your classes, send your ideas to Dr. Sherri Shoefstall or contact a member of the CT+LE staff. You asked for it and we heard you. The next faculty development workshop is set for Tuesday, March 27 at 2:00 PM in the CT+LE Commons. Dr. Timothy McNicholl will be delivering a powerful session designed to help you establish classroom decorum and deal with disruptive student behavior. Registration is now open but look for more information in your email box very soon. Millennials, the generation of young Americans born after 1982, may not be the caring, socially conscious environmentalists some have portrayed them to be, according to a study described in the new issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The study, which compares the traits of young people in high school and entering college today with those of baby boomers and Gen X'ers at the same age from 1966 to 2009, shows an increasing trend of valuing money, image, and fame more than inherent principles like self-acceptance, affiliation, and community. "The results generally support the 'Generation Me' view of generational differences rather than the 'Generation We,'" the study's authors write in a report published today, "Generational Differences in Young Adults' Life Goals, Concern for Others, and Civic Orientation." This follows closely on the heels and parallels the recently presented research by Dr. Christy Price, who was visiting LU last week. The millennial generation has been raised in a culture that places "more focus on the self and less focus on the group, society, and community," says Dr. Jean Twenge, author of the Millennial's study. "The aphorisms have shifted to 'believe in yourself' and 'you're special,'" she says. "It emphasizes individualism, and this gets reflected in personality traits and attitudes."

While reviewing the evaluation survey for the recent workshops presented by Dr. Christy Price, we wanted to share some of the comments collected. Some of the remarks for the Engaging Millennial Learners session included the following. Charlotte Mizener, music, noted that she plans to use the idea of turning the point of view on learning to a student-centered approach. Gayle Fairley, professional pedagogy, noted that she plans to use the feedback "sandwich" idea. Martha Rinker, psychology, found Dr. Price's statement that there are no neutral interactions with students very thought provoking. James Nelson, political science plans to incorporate more group work in his classes. Some of the remarks for the Extreme Arousal 2.0 session included the following. Numerous participants reacted to Dr. Price's discussion about the importance of the first day of class as setting the tone for the rest of the semester including Nicki Michalski, communications, Virginia Gummelt, social work, and Michelle Ozmun, theatre and dance, among others. Karen Neuhauser, economics and finance, plans to video the student presentations in her class and would like to implement a classroom response system. Cynthia McBride, English and modern languages, plans to use daily quizzes, consistent consequences, and reward points for reading to expand her active learning toolbox. Almost all of the participants over the two days noted that Dr. Price's Five R's for engaging the millennial learners, which include relevance, rationale, relaxed, rapport, and research-based methods, got them thinking about their current classroom interactions. Robert Talbert, who teaches mathematics at Grand Valley State University, suggests in his blog that we can improve student learning by focusing on asking questions rather than covering material. He says, "What’s been good about this approach is that it promotes an ownership mindset of the mathematics in the class. Students get very creative and engaged when they have some say in the proceedings and it’s not just parroting what they learned in class. The lab problems are created so that they apply what we’ve learned in class, but often students will find some creative workaround." Dr. Talbert also uses a classroom response system and has found it very effective. Do you remember the recess breaks you had back in elementary school? Do you know why we had these breaks? Martin Seligman explains, in his most recent book Flourish, that the idea of the basic rest and activity cycle (BRAC) is characteristic of human beings and animals who are typically awake during the day. On average, we are at our most alert in late morning and mid-evening. We are at the bottom of our cycle--tired, grumpy, inattentive, and pessimistic--at mid-afternoon and in the wee hours of the morning. So very biological is this cycle that death occurs disproportionately at the bottom of BRAC. He suggests frequent energy breaks in the classroom to restore intellectual energy. Registration is open for the Lunch+Learn on retention efforts to be held Monday, March 19 at noon in 108 Setzer Center. As LU focuses additional attention on increasing the graduation rate of our students, what can faculty do on the front lines to stem the attrition rate and enhance student learning? What are the red flags that indicate you should pull the intervention trigger? What are the trends emerging in this area? What is causing you the most frustration about this problem? This Lunch+Learn is your opportunity to build a workshop to address your needs. Come and share your perspective now so that we can provide you with specifically tailored solutions at the follow-up workshop planned for April 25.

Do you want to know how to improve the completion rate in your classes? Do you know the indicators you should be looking for in your student's behavior that signal potential academic problems? How much do personal problems play in creating impediments for our students? Did you know that there is a large resource of data-driven information on retention? All of these questions and more will be addressed at the next Lunch+Learn event to be held on March 19 at noon in 108 Setzer Center. Dr. Sherri Shoefstall will be facilitating an open discussion designed to uncover your unmet needs. Join us so that we can craft a workshop planned for April that will address your immediate needs in this important area. LU is focused on improving our retention rates but we need everyone to help with this effort. Registration is open and this is an approved faculty development event. Dr. Christy Price's visit last week was a huge success. Not only were the workshops well attended but the conversations have continued even during Spring Break week. If you were unable to attend either or both workshops, you can still reap some benefits as Dr. Price has provided her presentations to us. If you are interested in receiving a copy, please contact a member of the CT+LE staff. Upon your return next week, you will be receiving an email announcing that the application period is open to apply to teach the University Success Seminar (LMAR 1101) to be offered in Fall 2012. This announcement will be followed closely by information sessions so that all of your questions can be answered. We are looking for student-centered teachers who are committed to using active learning methods to enhance student learning. This foundational class is a cornerstone piece to the retention efforts at LU. Matthew Kahn is the first to admit his blog post was poorly crafted, insufficiently researched and offensive. The University of California at Los Angeles economics professor suggested on his personal blog that UCLA’s transfer students were often less committed to the institution than their peers who spent four years in Westwood. He added that the university should admit more of those students as 18-year-olds instead of sending them to two-year colleges where academics might be a “watering down" of UCLA coursework. Before long, the article had spread back to California and drawn the ire of administrators and transfer students – who make up 40 percent of each UCLA entering class and 30 percent of the student body. The issue is particularly fraught with tension in California because the state lacks enough room in its universities and as a matter of policy expects many who will graduate from four-year institutions to start at community colleges. Kahn -- who insists he likes transfer students and wants them to take his environmental economics courses – has started a national conversation about whether faculty are biased against transfers and whether students who spend up to half their undergraduate careers at community colleges can learn as much as their fellow students who spend four years at a university. What if the Federal Government decided to reward university teaching in the same way that it now chooses to reward research? Kiernan Mathews says that there is incongruity in the current reward structure, namely that foundations, policymakers, and executive officers are advocating a reform agenda that requires faculty to be more committed to better teaching, advising, counseling, and assessment. "Yet all of the impulses in the academy’s DNA are driving faculty and the institutions they serve away from teaching and into ever more grant-seeking and research activities," he says.

In Dee Fink's seminal book Creating Significant Learning Experiences, he says there are two widespread problems in college teaching today. The first is that many of us set learning goals that don't do beyond understanding-and-remembering type of learning. The second problem is most teachers are still tied to the traditional standbys of lecturing and leading discussions when it comes to learning experiences. Fink goes on to point out that it is not our fault but that of our system of graduate education which is focused on having us devote our time to doing research. Once we graduate and arrive at our teaching-oriented institutions, we are told "just teach." The good news is that we have resources to help us change this situation like Fink's book and CT+LE. We are here for you. The visit of Dr. Christy Price later this week is a perfect opportunity for you to explore new ideas for your classroom. You can register now for the two exciting workshops set for Thursday and Friday. The familiar Lamar green yard-signs have gone up and we urge you to come and be a part of the changing landscape in higher education. Upon your return from Spring Break, you will want to jump right back into your faculty development program and we have a great opportunity for you. On Monday, March 19, CT+LE will host a Lunch+Learn on the topic of retention. Dr. Sherri Shoefstall will be leading the discussion about interventions that can be used to stem attrition in your classes. This event is a precursor to the workshop on the same topic planned for April 25. We want to hear about your specific issues so that we can tailor the follow-up workshop to your needs. Save the dates now. As you begin to think about what you plan to teach in the Fall 2012 semester, we want to remind you of the University Success Seminar (LMAR 1101). The two hour course will be offered to all incoming freshmen but is open to all LU students. If you are looking to have an immediate impact on students new to college life, this is the course for you. Look for an application packet, which will include all of the details, coming to your email box soon. If you want more information now, contact Drs. Todd Pourciau or Nicki Michalski. Are you trying to figure out how to use Google Docs and Acrobat.com to increase the productivity of your students? The Center for Distance Education will offer a workshop on Cloud Computing on March 21 at 1:30PM. If you are looking for a way to create more learning experiences focused on writing, this workshop will help you discover how to reduce your workload while increasing student learning.

As we reported earlier, the University Undergraduate Advising Center has a director and it is Dr. Daniel Bartlett. Many of you already know him from the Center for College Readiness. CT+LE has partnered with Dr. Bartlett on several occasions and we are looking forward to increasing that collaboration moving forward. You should also know that UUAC is in need of an Associate Director. Those interested should view the relevant information on the LU Human Resources website. Have you registered for the upcoming faculty development workshops set for March 8 and 9 yet? Dr. Christy Price will be visiting from Georgia to deliver two workshops packed with research-based information. Before you pack it in for Spring Break, we encourage you to come and add some new tools to your teaching toolbox and earn points for your Faculty Development Program account as well. We are putting the final touches on four very relevant workshop opportunities for you. The topics include mid-semester evaluation and assessment, classroom interventions to stem attrition, classroom conflict and decorum, and student internships. Follow us by email and you will be assured of not missing a thing. There is an interesting article on the Inside Higher Ed website today about the post-tenure review discussion at the University of Texas. To some, “post-tenure review” raises the issue of whether a professor’s tenure will continue. To others, it is a process of evaluating performance to provide valuable feedback. The latter is how Francisco G. Cigarroa, chancellor of the UT system, put it during a visit to the offices of Inside Higher Ed last week. Cigarroa stressed the importance of “performance differentiation” and how those professors getting unsatisfactory reviews will be helped with a remediation plan. He said one weakness of the previous post-tenure review system was that the best rating a professor could attain was “satisfactory.” And irrespective of what happened in between, a tenured professor would get a comprehensive review only once in six years. Did you know that students can be taught to develop resiliency and mental toughness? Did you also know that someone who has good resiliency skills is less likely to fail your class, drop out of college, or fall into a depressive state? Research by Martin Seligman, revealed in his book Flourish, provides a powerful argument for positive psychology. His methods have been tested in the lab and are now being implemented into all sorts of situations including the U.S. Armed Forces.

The response has been solid for the upcoming visit by Dr. Christy Price who will be at LU on March 8 and 9 to deliver two powerful workshops designed to expand your teaching toolkit. Price was named 2010 Georgia Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). In 2009, Price was named one of the top ten “Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates” nationwide by the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. The workshop on Thursday will be focused on influencing student motivation and their desire to learn. The Friday session will be focused on how you can build a learning environment that your students will not want to miss. Registration continues for both events. We are also encouraging everyone to take a look at her recent article The New "R"s for Engaging Millennial Learners. The Chronicle of Higher Education is offering a number of free webinars focused on improving the writing abilities of your students. This is an area that will receive some additional attention at LU in the coming months. You can get a jump start now by checking out the sessions. It is also a good opportunity to remind you that our Blackboard support includes the plagiarism-detection service SafeAssign. When someone receives a resume from a LU graduate in response to a job opening, what is it that you want that person to expect? What is the LU alumni profile? What are the ultimate learning outcomes we want all of our graduates to have when they receive their degree from LU? Those are the larger questions being pondered by the University's Core Curriculum Committee, composed of faculty elected by their peers to oversee the evaluation of the current core curriculum and recommend the new core to be implemented by 2014. Dr. Rebecca Boone is chairing this important committee. If you have comments or questions, you should contact your departmental representative. You might also want to take a look at the guidelines for this process being overseen by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The Collaborative Alliance for Post-secondary Success annual conference will be held June 8-10 in Seaside, CA. They have just extended the call for proposals and are looking for submissions by March 6 on the following topics: fostering habits of mind; high school to college transition programs (e.g., AP courses, developmental education, first- year seminars, Expository Reading and Writing Course and Early Assessment Programs, AVID, bridge and stretch programs); serving returning students, veterans, and students seeking workforce retraining; connecting multicultural and multilingual students to the learning community (e.g. Puente Project); using data in program design and assessment; engaging students by incorporating technology, collaborative learning, and high impact practices; collaborations within and across institutions; using assessment to guide our work; engaging students in assessment; sharing our stories to advocate for change in attitudes and policies; and, the Basic Skills Initiative.