Monthly Calendars
Event Highlights'
Workshop: Introducing Students to Critical Thinking by Debra Cohen, School of Law - Tuesday, February 14, 12:30-1:30pm, CCB 115
Faculty generally agree that critical thinking is an essential tool that our students need to succeed in school and beyond. While we might not all agree on an exact definition of critical thinking, if we took the time to break critical thinking down into its component pieces, our individual definitions would likely include many of the same components. This interactive presentation focuses on some of the components that comprise critical thinking and offers some suggestions for simple exercises that help make these concepts more accessible to our students.
OFD Academic Writing Group for Faculty, facilitated by Anna Klobucka (Portuguese and Women’s Studies)
February 15, March 7, March 28, April 11 and May 9
As the central element of OFD’s new Writing Program for Faculty, the Writing Group aims to provide interested UMass Dartmouth faculty with a structured yet flexible forum for discussing and stimulating their ongoing writing projects. In Spring 2012, the group will meet every three weeks, on Wednesday from 12 to 1:30 pm (lunch will be provided). Both continuing and new members are most welcome! Please contact Anna Klobucka at aklobucka@umassd.edu with any questions.
Lightning Sessions
- Wednesday, February 8th (12-1pm), Dion 109, Visual Presentations
- Monday, April 2nd (12-1pm), CCB 115, Stuenent Engagement: The Sequel
Faculty Conversations
Over the course of the semester, we will hold a series of lunch discussions in the Office of Faculty Development offices. These lunch sessions are designed to connect faculty with common interests across departmental and college boundaries.
- Tuesday, February 28th (12:30-1:30pm), CCB 115: Untenured Faculty (Stephanie O'Hara)
- Monday, March 5th (12-1pm): Senior Faculty (Susan Krumholz)
"Race Matters", facilitated by Ricardo Rosa (SEPPCE) and Sadhana Bery (Sociology)
Race is a critical component of teaching practices and curriculum design. Race matters in several ways, including but not limited to, the explicit and implicit racial dimensions of curriculum, teaching racially mixed and racially singular student bodies, pedagogical practices used to teach about race, and the voicing and silencing of racial matters.
In this series of discussions we will investigate the various dimensions and implications of race in our curriculum and pedagogy.
Monday, March 12, 3-5pm, CCB 115 -Race Matters: Race and Pedagogy
Panel discussion on pedagogical practices implicated in teaching about race and teaching students in classrooms with different racial compositions. Presenters will draw from their teaching experiences and highlight the pedagogical practices they have developed to teach more effectively about race matters. The session will include a discussion of student responses to learning about race.
Thursday, April 26, 3-5pm, CCB 115- Race Matters: Race and Curriculum
Panel discussion on the explicit and implicit racial dimensions of curricula, including curricula on race and curricula that ostensibly has nothing to do with racial matters. The session will include discussions of multiculturalism, teaching popular culture, and race and the visual and performing arts.
Wednesday, March 28th, 3-4:30pm, CCB 115 - Writing More (Often)
Presenter: Paul Silvia, Associate Professor, Psychology, UNC-Greensboro and author of How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Academic Writing.
In this talk, we’ll cover some strategies and motivational tips for writing productively despite the weekly madness of academic life.
Wednesday, April 11th, 3-4:30pm, CCB 115 - Writing Measurable Learning Outcomes, facilitated by Keota Fields
This session introduces participants to a UMD designed online learning module. The module assists faculty in writing measurable, specific, results oriented learning outcomes that are targeted to the level of your course and consistent with departmental learning outcomes. Please bring at least two syllabi (one lower-level course, one upper-level course), and your departmental learning outcomes
Wednesday, April 25th, 3-5pm, Faculty Dining Room – Reflective Teaching Practices: Critical Writing Poster Session
As part of its commitment to promote teaching development, the OFD has supported several projects that have promoted critical writing in Spring 2012 courses. Faculty who have implemented these projects will share their results in a poster session on April 25. Join us for some wine and cheese as, UMD faculty from various disciplines present and discuss different strategies for engaging students in critical writing. The poster session format will allow attendees to focus on projects of particular interest, interacting with the presenters as they learn more about project implementation and results obtained.
