Dean's Corner
I hope that you are having a productive summer. Spring 2016 ended with the first full year of implementation of our Faculty Learning Community Program. I offer my sincere thanks to the 21 FT and 2 PT faculty members who participated. See further details below of our closing ceremony.
At the start of the summer, 5 faculty and 1 staff attended one of the prestigious Teaching and Learning conferences sponsored by Lilly in Bethesda, MD from June 1 -5, 2016. The conference was excellent and the attendees will be sharing some of the strategies learned through upcoming presentations.
This summer we are offering our Summer Bridge (Level UP) Program with instruction in math, English and chemistry. We are also providing supplemental instruction for one biology class and supporting an embedded tutor in a math class.
Inside this issue you will be updated on these and other activities sponsored by the STEM CTL. Please stop in to see one of our technology staff if you have questions or wish to update your skills on various techniques. We appreciate your continued support!
Faculty/Staff Spotlight
The closing ceremony for the first year of Faculty Learning Community (FLC) Program was held on May 13, 2016 in the STEM Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Twenty one full-time faculty and two part-time faculty participated in the program during the 2015-2016 academic year. The closing ceremony was kicked off with a welcome from President Angelia Millender, followed by a history of the OHC FLC program by Dr. Vera Fullard, Dean of STEM CTL. There were three active FLCs over the course of the year. They were 1) Effective Teaching in the STEM Disciplines, 2) Integrative Learning Across Disciplines and 3) Assessment (Course, Program and Institution-Wide). FLC Facilitators, Prof. John Jackson, Prof. Jacquelyn Johnson and Dr. Liza Mohanty presented a summary of their year-end reports. Other participating faculty were also able to share their FLC experiences, as well as students from Prof. Carla Carr’s art class and Dr. Jong Kim’s computer science class.
The program ended with presentations and awards to facilitators and participants. These faculty members were officially inaugurated as the first class of STEM CTL Faculty Scholars.
Thank you and congratulations from the STEM CTL!
Congratulations to Michelle E. Ferguson, Manager, Instructional Technology and Elissa Tobin, Technology Integration Specialist for successfully passing their Certified Faculty Developer certification exam. Michelle and Elissa completed an eight week online course through the Learning Resources Network (LERN). Course topics included:
Best Practices for Online and Face-To-Face Classrooms
- Understanding Learning Styles
- Continual Engagement: Fostering Online Discussions
- Designing Visuals for Deeper Learning
- Designing Multimedia for e-Learning
- Assessment and Retention Techniques
- Designing Hybrid Courses
New research indicates that hybrid or blended courses are more effective than both traditional face to face courses and totally online courses. Hybrid courses can also save faculty and students time by offsetting classroom discussion with independent studying and preparation. This workshop was adapted from LERN’s Certified Faculty Developer Program, in which Michelle E. Ferguson and Elissa Tobin gave a presentation on Flipping Learning. Flipped learning uses some of the same teaching and learning methodologies you will find in a hybrid courses. However, to get started thinking about creating/teaching a hybrid course, they suggested that participants start small by creating a flipped lesson first. In this workshop, participants learned strategies for designing a successful flipped lesson to enhance the learning process for their students.
The STEM Center for Teaching and Learning had the pleasure of hosting the Wellness Center’s presentation “Self-Care! Let’s KICK THE STRESS!” on Thursday April 7th. Wellness Center Intern and Master’s candidate in Sports Psychology, Ashley Lewis lead a presentation on deep breathing, visualization, and progressive muscle relaxation. Even when you can’t leave the office, there are powerful time-friendly self-care techniques to do in your office, or on the go that can help decrease the stress and improve your wellness.
On Wednesday, April 13th Professor M. Carla Carr introduced faculty and staff to the creative world of clay. With little to no experience, attendees were able to jump headfirst into creating their own works of art. Participants chose between creating a box or a pinch bowl, and Professor Carr provided the framework and knowledge needed to start the creative process. Over a two-hour workshop, participants were able to create a piece of their choosing, while learning the basic principles of the clay art form.
Professor Liza Mohanty, Biology Faculty, presented on April 14th in the STEM Center for Teaching and Learning. In this event, Professor Mohanty showed attendees how aerobic exercise can impact the brain in a positive way by physically remodeling the it. The benefits of exercise for the brain were include improved cognitive function, possible decreased risk of health issues such as Alzheimer's Disease/dementia, and management of depression, anxiety, and ADHD. For more information on this topic, Professor Mohanty recommends the following book: “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain" by John J. Ratey, M.D
Personality has been described as the sum total of who you are – your attitudes and reactions, both physical and emotional. What has shaped your personality plays a huge role in how you interact with people. Your personality type definitely has an impact on your professional career. On April 19th, Dr. Kristee Davis presented a phenomenal workshop on how an individual’s personality can affect their profession. Throughout the workshop participants were able to make a connection between their personality and how it relates to their chosen profession.
Having an online space can promote, engage, and connect you with the world, but creating one can be daunting. Weebly is a platform to easily create a website, blog, e-portfolio, or even a class project which can be made available on the Internet in seconds. On April 22nd, faculty and staff were introduced to the functionality of Weebly and throughout the course of the training they were able to create their very own website.
STEM CTL Programs Spring 2016
In conjunction with the Office of Instruction, the STEM CTL hosted their second annual STEM Camp. The STEM Camp was a fun-filled day of activities for high school students to get hands-on experience in the STEM fields. Thirty-three students from Carvery Military Academy, Corliss Early College STEM School, Chicago Vocational Career Academy and Julian High School were invited to participate.
The day started with a welcome from Dr. Fullard, and guest speaker Mike Davis Chemistry Faculty from Truman College. Throughout the day, students participated in the following break-out sessions:
Science - GENES IN A BOTTLE - Students extracted DNA from their own cheek cells and watched it precipitate from solution as floating white strands. The DNA strands were collected and transferred to a glass vial, and the vial was fashioned into a necklace.
Technology - HAVE YOU PLAYED MOBILE GAMES? – Students created their own mobile games using Hopscotch which is based on Scratch programming language. Students wrote code together to make their first mobile game, and enjoyed the playing game!
Engineering - THE POWER OF ELECTROLYTES IN YOUR SPORTS DRINKS - We all know drinking Gatorade helps us hydrate and replenish lost fluids while playing sports. But do you know how and why? And did you know that it’s made from chemicals you can find in your own kitchen? In this activity students investigated the contents of Gatorade and its amazing properties. The students enjoyed an introduction to chemical engineering.
Math - USING TECHNOLOGY TO LEARN ALGEBRA – Students put their thinking caps on and discovered how to work out real-world math problems using graphing calculators.
The day ended with a closing ceremony where each student received a certificate of participation.
Special thank you to Miguel Millett - Coordinator, Office of Instruction.
STEM Camp Agenda Spring 2016
We had an incredible semester of Supplemental Instruction with 10 SI Leaders supporting 13 sections of courses including Biology 119 and 121, Chemistry 121 and 201, Economics 201 and 202, Math 125, Physics 235, Sociology 101 and Spanish 101. SI Attendance included 48% of the courses overall enrollment, and students who attended SI sessions over the course of the semester had an average success rate of 77% vs an average of 59% success amongst students who did not attend any SI sessions. We celebrated the end of the semester in style as we recognized each of the SI leaders for their hard work and dedication to the students.
A special thank you to our faculty who continue to make SI a success with their support and encouragement.
The After School Academy @ Julian HS has finished another semester at Percy L. Julian High School. The program ran from February 9, 2016 – May 12, 2016. Academic coaching sessions were 1.5 hours each day, on either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30pm – 5:30pm. For the first time the ASA provided academic coaching during the school lunch periods Monday – Thursday in Math and English. This enhancement was requested by both the Academic Coaches and the students in which additional support was made available to those students who were unable to attend after school.
The mission of the After School Academy is to provide students with academic support in the areas of English, Reading, Science and Math. Also, to improve the academic achievement of students through increasing their knowledge and skills, school attendance, and time devoted to their academic career by providing additional, instruction and guidance.
The After School Academy @ Julian High School is an extension of the courses offered and Julian High School. The academic coaching sessions were designed for students to improve test scores, complete missing assignments and homework, improve study skills, improve classroom attendance, and improve note-taking skills.
The Spring 2016 Academic Coaches were:
Fitzhubert Barclay – English & Reading – Kennedy-King College
Paul Buckner – Math – Olive-Harvey College
Jo'Van Harrison – Math – Kennedy-King College
Tonia Humphrey – English & Reading – Truman College!
This semester 31 students attended academic coaching. As a result 44% English and 41% of Math scores increased. Students receiving a C or higher were 89% in their English courses and 64% in their Math courses.
The STEM CTL appreciates the Academic Coaches continued support and commitment to the students at Julian High School.
For more information about the program download a copy of the 2015 – 2016 After School Academy Handbook.