Problem-Based Learning: A Student-Centered Approach for Engagement (for those new to PBL)

Effective Grading: Strategies to Enhance Student Learning and Faculty Satisfaction

Problem-Based Learning: A Student-Centered Approach for Engagement (for those new to PBL)
Deborah Allen, George Watson, and Hal White, University of Delaware

The fundamental tenet of problem-based instruction (PBL) is that learning is initiated by a posed problem that the student wants to solve. In the PBL approach, complex, real-world problems motivate students to identify and research concepts and principles they need to understand to progress from ideas to solutions. Students work in small groups to acquire, communicate, and integrate information in a process that resembles that of inquiry. We will demonstrate PBL and model ways that it can be used effectively for student engagement. Click here for more information about Problem-Based Learning at the University of Delaware. (Registration No. 0705200-001-06S-RH)

Effective Grading: Strategies to Enhance Student Learning and Faculty Satisfaction
Virginia Anderson, Towson University

In this interactive workshop, based on the book, Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment, by Walvoord and Anderson (Jossey-Bass, 1998), you will gain experience in:

• Identifying kinds of deep learning that you want to take place in a course or program.
• Constructing exams/assignments that will test those kinds of learning.
• Setting standards and developing explicit criteria and rubrics for graded assignments.
• Communicating with students about their grades.
• Implementing changes in your teaching based on data from the grading process.
• Using these data from the grading process (not grades) for broader assessment purposes at the departmental and institutional level and for professional publications.(Registration No. 0705200-002-06S-RH)

Linking Cooperative Learning to the Research on How Students Learn
Barbara Millis, University of Nevada at Reno

Both scientists and teachers have become increasingly aware of the research related to the biological basis of learning and its impact on teaching and learning in higher education. This session will explore some of that research, discuss its implications for teaching and learning, and then model some specific practices that will enhance the learning process. This highly interactive session will draw eclectically from practices also associated with classroom assessment, cooperative learning, and writing across the curriculum. Participants will become familiar with the tenets of cooperative learning and its power to enhance learning—and more!—when it is carefully sequenced to promote deep learning. (Registration No. 0705200-003-06S-RH)