Welcome to the 2012 Annual Ideas to Action (i2a) Institute ...louisville.edu/ideastoaction/-/files/2012-i2a-institute-program.pdf · as you consider how to put those ideas into action

Welcome to the 2012 Annual Ideas to Action (i2a) Institute:

Critical Thinking InnovationMay 21-23, 2012 | Shelby Campus, University of Louisville

Institute Program

2 | i2a Institute Program

Dear Colleagues:

Welcome to the 2012 i2a Institute: Critical Thinking Innovations.

Our fourth annual i2a Institute marks a significant milestone for our campus. While the first three years of the i2a Institute put the focus on developing critical thinkers, this year we are emphasizing critical think-ing innovations. This year’s program schedule makes more room for faculty and staff to share their innovative i2a work happening inside andoutside of the classroom. We have also put together featured sessions de-signed to spark innovative thinking and practices, and we’ve carved out additional networking time for you to explore new ideas with your peers as you consider how to put those ideas into action.

For those of you new to i2a, day one continues our tradition of offering critical thinking expert Dr. Gerald Nosich’s workshops on the founda-tions of teaching for critical thinking. For days two and three, we’re of-fering 25 concurrent sessions and 13 roundtable sessions designed and facilitated by faculty and staff from UofL and from institutions in the region. Some of last year’s first-time participants are presenters this year, continuing the cycle of innovation and sharing that is a hallmark of our i2a Institute.

Returning favorites Dr. Gerald Nosich and Harry Pickens will also lead us in new interactive sessions, and we welcome innovative educator Dr. Ed Nuhfer to help us consider the affective aspects of critical think-ing. Threaded through all of these sessions is an emphasis on engaging our students in higher-order thinking skills and discovering innovative ways to support their success in our classrooms and the world beyond our campus.

Our aim is to create a university where great thinking thrives–where all students have the tools they need to face the diverse challenges of 21st century citizenship. By joining us for the i2a Institute this year as a participant and/or a presenter, you are indicating your commitment to helping our community realize this vision and to sparking, sharing and supporting critical thinking innovations.

Thank you for your support of continuous improvement of teaching and learning at the University of Louisville.

Shirley WillihnganzExecutive Vice President and University Provost

Welcome

i2a Institute Program | 3

Monday, May 21, 20128:00-8:45 a.m.

Registration & Check-inLight breakfast snacks with beverage service will be available throughout the morning

Lobby

8:45-9:00 a.m. Welcome & Announcements Room 218

9:00-11:45 a.m. Foundations of Teaching for Critical Thinking (Part I) Gerald Nosich Room 218

12:00-1:00 p.m Lunch Buffet Room 218

1:00-3:45 p.m. Foundations of Teaching for Critical Thinking (Part II) Gerald NosichRoom 218

3:45-4:00 p.m Daily Wrap-up & Door Prizes Room 218

Tuesday, May 22, 20128:00-8:45 a.m.


Lobby


9:00-9:30 a.m Metacognitive Moment: Getting Ready to Engage (Harry Pickens) Room 218

9:30-11:45 a.m.How Do You Know Your Students are “Getting It”? Assessing for Authentic Integration of Critical Thinking (Gerald Nosich)

Room 218

12:00-12:45 p.m. Lunch Buffet Room 218

1:00-2:15 p.m.Concurrent Sessions IFor session titles and locations see page 5

2:30-3:00 p.m. Next Steps: Translating Your Ideas Into Action (Harry Pickens) Room 218

3:15-4:00 p.m.Innovations Exchange Daily Wrap-up & Door Prizes

Lobby

Wednesday, May 23, 20128:00-8:45 a.m.


Lobby


9:00-9:15 a.m. Metacognitive Moment: Getting Ready to Engage (Harry Pickens) Room 218

9:30-10:45 a.m. Concurrent Sessions IIFor session titles and locations see page 9

11:00-11:45 a.mRoundtable Sessions For Roundtable titles and locations see page 16

11:45 a.m. Lunch Buffet Begins Room 218

12:15-1:45 p.m.A New Way to Think About Learning and Development: A Fractal Perspective on Critical Thinking (Ed Nuhfer)

Room 218

2:00-3:15 p.m.Concurrent Sessions IIIFor session titles and locations see page 12

3:30-4:00 p.m. Next Steps: Translating Your Ideas Into Action (Harry Pickens)Conference Wrap-up & Door Prizes

Room 218

NEW THIS YEAR! Download handouts and materials from this year’s presenters

Visit uofl.me/2012i2ainstitutematerials to view and download handouts and other materials. You may view session documents by session type and title (select: ‘Concurrent Sessions’ and ‘Roundtables’ on the side bar) or by the name of the presenter (select: ‘Sessions by Presenter’).

Schedule At-A-Glance


8:00-8:45 a.m. Registration & Check-in (Lobby)

8:45-9:00 a.m. Welcome & Announcements (Room 218)

Dale Billingsley Professor and Vice Provost Undergraduate Affairs/Enrollment Management

Patty Payette Executive Director, Ideas to Action Associate Director, Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning

9:00 a.m.-11:45 a.m. Foundations of Teaching for Critical Thinking (Part I) (Room 218)

Gerald Nosich Professor, Buffalo State University

These workshop sessions, presented over a full day, will introduce you to the basic components of critical thinking and ways to build those com-ponents into the design of what you teach. The sessions are strongly par-ticipatory and approach critical thinking not as something additional to content, but rather as skills, insights, and values integral to understand-ing and internalizing content. The focus, therefore, is on illustrating how students can come to see what they are learning not as random bits and pieces of information to be memorized, but as a system with a definite set of logical relationships, and as an organized structure of concepts, principles, and understandings they must think their way through in or-der to learn content. Participants, sometimes individually, sometimes in groups, will be applying central concepts of critical thinking to their own classes and their own disciplines, with their own students in mind.

This workshop will focus on the most central concepts and dimensions of critical thinking: the elements of reasoning, the standards of critical thinking, and the intellectual traits of a critical thinker. The central task of the workshop overall is (a) to analyze, synthesize, and internalize the main concepts of critical thinking, and (b) to contextualize and apply them to one’s own teaching. The guiding question throughout is “How can I help my students learn to think more critically in classes, in their disciplines, and in their lives outside the classroom?”

Noon-1:00 p.m. Buffet Lunch (Room 218)

1:00-3:45 p.m. Foundations of Teaching for Critical Thinking (Part II) (Room 218)


3:45-4:00 p.m. Daily Wrap-up & Door Prizes (Room 218)

Edna Ross Specialist for Critical Thinking, Ideas to Action Associate Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences

Monday, May 21




Cathy Bays Specialist for Assessment, Ideas to Action

9:00-9:30 a.m. Metacognitive Moment: Getting Ready to Engage (Room 218)

Harry Pickens Special Assistant to the Provost for New Initiatives

This morning session will help you “wake up” your brain for the day’s learning. You will be guided through questions and short interactive exercises to focus and “prime” your mind by helping you articulate the goal(s) you have for the day. This session promotes metacognition (quite simply, thinking about your own thinking), awakens motivation and models tools you can use in your own teaching or learning contexts.

9:30-11:45 a.m. How Do You Know Your Students Are “Getting It”?: Assessing for Authentic Integration of Critical Thinking (Room 218)


Fostering critical thinking skills and habits of mind in your students involves having them learn to use critical thinking concepts and to think their way through issues both in and outside the classroom. Another important piece of the process is assessing your students’ ability to au-thentically engage in the skills you want them to master as novice critical thinkers. This session will engage participants in reflecting upon, and refining, their methods for assessing students’ ability to put into practice the critical thinking they are learning. What does it mean for us to truly discover if our students are “getting it,” and how can we create assign-ments and learning contexts in which students will experience those enlightening “aha” moments? This interactive session under Dr. Nosich’s guidance will explore these questions and provide opportunities for peer sharing and exchange of ideas, insights and challenges.

12:00-12:45 p.m. Lunch Buffet (Room 218)

12:45-1:00 p.m. Break

1:00-2:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions I

These concurrent sessions feature faculty and staff sharing their strategies and successes with infusing critical thinking concepts and languages into their courses, programs and conversations with students and colleagues.

Concurrent session presenters are all from the University of Louisville unless otherwise noted.

Tuesday, May 22


ê Fostering Critical Thinking in an Interdisciplinary Academic Program (Room 218)

Presenters: Paula Kommor, Adjunct Professor, Human Resources and Wellness Programs; Ann Herd, Assistant Professor, Leadership Foundations and Human Resource Education; Noell Rowan, Professor, Kent School of Social Work; Paul Salmon, Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences

This session explores the interdisciplinary curriculum development process used at the University of Louisville to develop a program mi-nor in Wellness Coaching, in which critical thinking is a unifying core component and objective in the academic curriculum. The steps used in the curriculum development process are described, and implications for interdisciplinary programs focusing on critical thinking skills are examined.

ê Using the Elements of Thought in a Digital Media Assignment to Foster the Development of the Intellectual Traits (Room 136B)

Presenters: Edna Ross, Specialist for Critical Thinking, Ideas to Action, and Associate Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences; Rhonda Orman, Student; Spencer Scruggs, Student

The emphasis on digital media proficiency and critical thinking com-petencies are increasingly important components of higher education. In fall 2011, UofL Honors Seminar students were required to use the Paul-Elder framework of critical thinking to develop a video presenta-tion of their final project. The instructor of the course will explain how the assignment maps to specific critical thinking proficiencies, and two students from the class will present their perspectives on how the assign-ment impacted their critical thinking skills.

ê Engaging Students in Critical Thinking Outside the Classroom (Room 136A)

Presenters: Christopher Poché, Library Assistant, University Libraries; Brian Buford, Director, Office for LGBT Services; Phyllis Clark, Associate Director, The Cultural Center

This panel discussion will present the particular experiences of three university staff persons working in very different units who incorporated elements of critical thinking into daily activities with undergraduate stu-dents. It will also invite attendees to reflect upon their own work experi-ences with students and thus begin their own incorporation of critical thinking into their work with students.

ê Better Materials, Better Thinking: How the Composition Program Helped Its Instructors to Emphasize Critical Thinking in Their Classrooms (Room 201)

Presenters: Joanna Wolfe, Director of Composition, English; Matt Wiles, Instructor, English; Caroline Wilkinson, Instructor, English

Tuesday, May 22


During the 2011-2012 academic year, the Composition Program imple-mented a professional development initiative aimed at helping instruc-tors better emphasize critical thinking in their classrooms. In this workshop, the presenters will describe this initiative and model two workshops used during the initiative: a workshop on designing effective assignments and one on designing scaffolding activities to encourage students’ to engage in more critical thinking in their written work.

ê Engaging in Critical Thinking in a Non-academic Area (Room 211)

Presenters: Jo Kaelin, Director, Communication Services, Information Technol-ogy; Pam Frank, Assistant Director IT Consulting, Information Technology; Denita Campo, Systems Analyst Sr., Information Technology

This panel discussion will present the findings from the Information Technology HelpDesk’s new focus on increasing first call resolution using the Paul-Elder critical thinking framework. Components of the project include staff skills assessment, triage training, call scripts, auto-mation of HelpDesk processes and the creation of a technical knowledge base. This presentation will also invite attendees to consider how to infuse this framework in a non-academic area.

ê A Constructivist-Aligned Model for the Teaching of Critical Thinking Compared to the Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Framework (Room 15)

Presenters: Patricia Sherblom, Associate Professor and Chair of Physical Educa-tion, Wesley College; B. Patricia Patterson, Director of Assessment and Accredi-tation, Wesley College

Critical thinking models purposefully direct learners to describe, ana-lyze, and explain data. Our constructivist-aligned model challenges learners to go beyond explanations into evaluative thinking to test the limits of their newly formed explanation, an essential step to develop self-directed learners. The presenters employ their model in various contexts and produced assessment data that illustrate its usefulness in developing self-directed learning. The presentation will provide ways in which the model extends the Paul-Elder framework.

ê Critical Thinking Assignments for the Humanities and Social Sciences Classroom (Room 14)

Presenters: Rose Mills, Lecturer, English; Sue Ann Compton, Lecturer, English; Amy Cotterill, Lecturer, Theatre Arts; Laneshia R. McCord, Lecturer, Kent School of Social Work

Members of this panel were introduced to the Paul-Elder model a year ago as participants in the 2011 i2a Institute Part-time Faculty Cohort Group. They designed one assignment or revised an existing assignment to require students in a fall 2011 undergraduate course to “think things through” using the Paul-Elder framework. Panelists will share their as-signments, students’ responses to this “i2a infusion,” and each instruc-tor’s reflection on that infusion.

Tuesday, May 22


ê Using Intellectual Standards for Student Evaluation: Theory and Practice (Room 6)

Presenters: Pete Walton, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Public Health and Information Sciences; David Johnson, Teaching Assistant and Graduate Student, Health Management

In fall 2011, the School of Public Health and Information Sciences of-fered a general education course on the introduction to public health. The course stressed critical thinking by focusing on five intellectual stan-dards: clarity, relevance, significance, logic, and completeness. A signifi-cant portion of the student evaluation was based on assessment of these standards. This session focuses on the presenters’ experiences with the approach, effects on student performance, successes and defeats, practical and conceptual tradeoffs, and workload associated with the approach.

2:15-2:30 p.m. Break

2:30-3:00 p.m. Next Steps: Translating Your Ideas Into Action (Room 218 )


This session will give you tools to identify and plan for your next steps. Through fast-paced, interactive exercises, you will sharpen your thinking about how to put critical thinking ideas to work for you and your stu-dents. You will:• connect your original goals for the day with the day’s learning

experiences,

• integrate and consolidate your most significant insights, and

• explore next steps to apply what you’ve learned to your work with students.

Harry Pickens’ high energy and focused questions will provide the launching pad to help you put your newly-hatched Institute ideas into action.

3:15-4:00 p.m. Innovations Exchange (Lobby)

We will move to the lobby and the patio for informal conversations, sharing and networking over light snacks and beverages. We will also formally recognize the staff members who are completing two years of work in the i2a Collaborative Learning Community. You are also invited to meet and connect with others at this “exchange” who may wish to ex-tend conversation over dinner at a nearby restaurant. Conclude your day by sharing conversations with colleagues about what you are learning at the 2012 i2a Institute.

Daily Wrap-up & Door Prizes (Lobby)

Cathy Bays Specialist for Assessment, Ideas to Action

Tuesday, May 22




Nisha Gupta Specialist for Culminating Experiences, Ideas to Action

9:00-9:15 a.m. Metacognitive Moment: Getting Ready to Engage (Room 218)


This morning session will help you “wake up” your brain for the day’s learning. You will be guided through questions and short interactive exercises to focus and “prime” your mind by helping you articulate the goal(s) you have for the day. This session promotes metacognition (quite simply, thinking about your own thinking), awakens motivation and models tools you can use in your own teaching or learning contexts.

9:15-9:30 a.m. Break

9:30-10:45 a.m. Concurrent Sessions II

ê Point of View and the “Self” (Room 136A)

Presenter: Rich Lewine, Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences

This workshop will demonstrate techniques used in an undergraduate class to facilitate content learning and self-awareness. In-class exercises reveal the co-existence of conscious and unconscious processes, high-lighting the value of multiple perspectives in understanding “self.” Origi-nal articles and review of de-biasing techniques provide students with the modeling, tools, and practice of considering multiple points of view. Humor is used as a learning tool and to support “self” examination.

ê On-line Student Staff Training Module (Room 136B)

Presenters: David Shaw, Assistant Director, Facilities; Julia Onnembo, Assistant Director Student Involvement; John D. Smith, Assistant Director, Intramurals

Student Affairs staff at UofL are in process of creating on-line training modules intended to train their student employees. The modules will clarify staff expectations of all student employees. Through this presen-tation they will discuss the various on-line modules, explore the student assessment rubric and consider how attendees may mold this to their specific departments/campuses. The presenters encourage discussion and feedback on the project and welcome interest in the training.

Wednesday, May 23


ê Use of Scaffolded Explicit Revision to Promote Effective Student Effort in Content-Rich Science Courses (Room 14)

Presenter: Hunter Moseley, Assistant Professor, Chemistry

While student effort is considered a necessary component for classroom performance, not all student effort is effective in improving perfor-mance. This disconnect between student effort and performance is made more troubling by trends in declining student effort over the last few decades. The presenter shares methods for promoting effective student effort based upon the incorporation of scaffolded explicit revision into class assessments within the context of a content-rich science course.

ê Peer Instruction and Just-in-Time Teaching: A Strategy That Engages Students and Fosters Critical Thinking (Room 15)

Presenter: Barry Ceridan, Assistant Clinical Instructor, School of Dentistry

In this instructor’s course, like other classes/courses, some students are engaged with the lecturer, taking notes and viewing the PowerPoint. However, some students in the classroom may not be engaged in the learning process. Some are not in attendance. Many are multi-tasking during the lecture using their laptops, iPads, and cell phones to email, text, or tweet. The presenter will discuss how he uses Dr. Eric Mazur’s strategy of Peer Instruction, Just-in-Time Teaching, and iClickers as solu-tions to enhance student engagement in the classroom and foster critical thinking.

ê Applying Critical Thinking in Core Courses Across the Curriculum at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) (Room 218)

Presenters: Kathryn Thedwall, Senior Lecturer, Communication Studies, and Director of the Gateway to Graduation Program, IUPUI; Lin Zhu, Lecturer, Chemistry, IUPUI; Jennifer A. Beasle, Instructional Design Consultant, Center for Teaching and Learning (IUPUI)

Faculty members at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis will share their efforts to implement within their courses critical think-ing strategies promoted by the Foundation for Critical Thinking, and in particular researcher Gerald Nosich. Presenters will discuss their work with the critical thinking strategies, offer results from class-based inves-tigations, and invite interaction from participants on how the presenters’ results compare with efforts at other institutions.

ê Using the Critical Thinking “Elements of Thought Wheel” as Staff Training Tool at Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC) (Room 211)

Presenters: Rhonda Orman, Administrative Assistant, Business Affairs, JCTC; Sherry Wyleta, Financial Specialist, Institutional Advancement, JCTC

Wednesday, May 23


This session explores a process by which the presenters utilized critical thinking knowledge gained by one of them as an undergraduate student at UofL to subsequently develop a year-long training initiative at JCTC. This initiative focused on developing critical thinking skills using tools from the Paul-Elder framework modified by the presenters specifically for this purpose. This session will cover goals, challenges, strengths, and weaknesses of using the Paul-Elder framework as a strategy to address departmental training needs at JCTC.

ê Critical Thinking Assignments in a Clinical Setting (Room 6)

Presenters: Rose Mills, Lecturer, English; Donna Aden, School of Dentistry; Julie Drury, School of Dentistry

Members of this panel were introduced to the Paul-Elder model a year ago as participants in the 2011 i2a Institute Part-time Faculty Cohort Group. They each designed one assignment to require students in a fall 2011 Dental Hygiene Clinical course to “think things through” using the Paul-Elder framework. The panelists will share their assignments, student response to this “i2a infusion,” and each instructor’s reflection on that infusion.

ê Action! (Room 201)

Presenters: Brooke J. Banet, Wellness Coach Coordinator, Get Healthy Now; Paula Kommor, Adjunct Professor, Human Resources and Wellness Programs

This session will demonstrate how trigger tape videos enhance student understanding. Participants will have the opportunity to view videos and learn how to use videos to stimulate discussion and to assess student understanding. Participants will walk away from this session ready to create their own trigger tape videos.

10:45-11:00 a.m. Break

11:00-11:45 a.m. Roundtable Session (Room 218)

For Roundtable titles and locations, see pages 16 & 17.

11:45 a.m. Lunch Buffet Begins (Room 218)

12:15-1:45 p.m. A New Way to Think About Learning and Development: A Fractal Perspective on Critical Thinking

Ed Nuhfer Director, Faculty Development and Professor of Geology California State University at Channel Islands

From “Unreflective Thinker” to “Accomplished Thinker,” The Stages of Critical Thinking Development depicted in the Paul-Elder critical thinking framework certainly describe a progressive development of

Wednesday, May 23


distinctive reasoning capabilities. All developmental models based upon longitudinal studies of college students confirm a similar progression to that of the Paul-Elder stages, with similar characteristics occurring in the same sequence. What might account for discovery of similar stages occurring in the same sequence by varied researchers? Why is critical thinking such a difficult skill to teach? How long does it take to acquire critical thinking skills?

In this 90-minute session, we will examine critical thinking through a simple concept: through education, the brain progressively develops neu-ral networks that enable distinctive thinking capabilities. The networks are fractal forms, and understanding a few characteristics of fractals pro-vides some insights into the above questions. This concept allows us to make connections across a tremendous amount of research that focuses on higher education challenges.

In addition, understanding this concept enables understanding of why cognitive learning is a physical process, why the brain is capable of infi-nite thought, why high-level thinking is unlikely to arise from a single course, why essential skills in learning and thinking are best developed through across-the-curriculum approaches, why assessing learning is difficult, why diversity is a powerful asset, and finally, why is how we feel–our “affect”–so important to how well we learn?

Participants will engage actively with striking visuals, captivating videos and with one another as they view their efforts to foster critical think-ing in a new way through the perspective of fractals. They will also learn practical ways to share this particular perspective directly with their students. In this workshop, we’ll learn how to teach students about their learning in ways that are not intrusive on course time.

1:45-2:00 p.m. Break

2:00-3:15 p.m. Concurrent Session III

ê Part-time Faculty Cohort Group Session (Room 211A)

Presenters: Rose Mills, Part-time Faculty Fellow 2010-2012, Delphi Center; Cathy Bays, Specialist for Assessment, Ideas to Action; Edna Ross, Specialist for Critical Thinking, Ideas to Action, Associate Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences

This session is reserved exclusively for those part-time faculty members who have applied and been accepted into the 2012 i2a Part-time Faculty Cohort Program.

ê Helping Students to “Talk the Talk”: Developing Critical Thinking Skills Through Role-Playing (Room 136B)

Presenter: Cynthia J. Miller, Assistant Professor, Physiology and Biophysics

We all expect students to gain knowledge in our classroom, but are we effectively preparing them for the “real world” upon graduation? This

Wednesday, May 23


interactive presentation is designed to help attendees brainstorm and implement role-playing activities to improve students’ critical thinking skills. It will include how to introduce the new exercises in a positive manner, make expectations clear through rubrics and examples, and give formative feedback on the progression of abilities.

ê Human Trafficking: Teaching Critical Thinking About Modern Slavery (Room 201)

Presenters: Theresa C. Hayden, Assistant Professor Term, Justice Administra-tion; Ashlea Hellman, Student; Darlene Smith, Student

This presentation will demonstrate the assessment and documenta-tion of critical thinking innovations introduced in a course on human trafficking taught in the Department of Justice Administration. Critical thinking exercises based on Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning were intro-duced throughout the course. Students advanced from remembering new information to creating a product used for presentations in the Louisville community. This presentation will identify the critical thinking innova-tions implemented throughout the course to advance student learning, including the perspectives of students who took the course.

ê The Uses of Critical Thinking in the Division of Undergraduate Affairs (Room 136A)

Presenters: Mark Woolwine, Coordinator, REACH; Tony Robinson, Coordinator, Undergraduate Affairs; Mike Abboud, Associate Director, Financial Aid; Christy Metzger, Director, First-year Intiatives

This panel discussion will present the particular experiences of three critical thinking projects within UofL’s division of Undergraduate Af-fairs. REACH, the Cardinal Covenant program, and the Office of First-year Initiatives each have very different responsibilities, but each incor-porated elements of critical thinking into new objectives and projects.

ê Capturing the Imagination of Students Through the Practice of Critical Thinking (Room 14)

Presenters: Shelia Peters, Associate Professor Behavioral Sciences and Educa-tion and QEP Director, Fisk University; Adenike Davidson, Professor, English Department, Fisk University; Jonathan Stadler, Associate Professor, Psychology, Fisk University

This session is an interactive dialogue about the struggles and triumphs in capturing the imagination of students using the Paul-Elder critical thinking framework. Participants will become active learners through a critique of critical thinking strategies used by their facilitators in their teaching with emphasis on social sciences, humanities, first year pro-gramming and service learning. Reflections through journals and writ-ings will be used to give voice to the student perspective.

Wednesday, May 23


ê Applying Critical Thinking Strategies in a Learning-Centered Classroom (Room 15)

Presenter: John Hausman, Lecturer, School of Music; Judith Heitzman, Lecturer, Kent School of Social Work; Alford Gustafson, Lecturer, College of Business; Carolyn Provenzano, Lecturer, Kent School of Social Work

Following a discussion of what defines a course as learning-centered, each panelist will present one strategy or assessment, explicating its develop-ment, implementation, assessment, and refinement, as well as which specific aspects of critical thinking their tool highlights. While panel members will present practices that have been implemented in discipline-specific contexts, each will also discuss its broader applicability.

ê Thinking Small to Big: From Activity to Course to Curriculum at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) (Room 218)

Presenter: Lisa Contino, Sr. Lecturer and Course Coordinator, Psychology, IUPUI; Scott Weeden, Sr. Lecturer and Course Coordinator, English, IUPUI; Nancy Evans, Lecturer and Course Coordinator, Computer Information Technology, IUPUI

Course coordinators from three disciplines share their experiences implementing the Paul-Elder critical thinking model and thinking in the discipline. After attending the 2010 i2a Institute, presenters made changes in their specific courses, with a vision of broader curricular change. Each presenter is currently incorporating different aspects of the model at different levels of change, and will describe the dynamic and ongoing process of making critical thinking a central, core activity in their courses, programs, and curricula. Participants will better under-stand how to take a conference idea and move it to a programmatic level.

ê The Morehead State University (MSU) Critical Thinking Initiative (Room 6)

Presenters: Robert Royar, QEP Coordinator, Associate Professor, English, MSU; Wesley White, QEP Director and Professor, MSU; Paula Serra, Assessment Coordinator, MSU

The workshop will describe and illustrate features of the Morehead State University QEP. The goal of the QEP is to develop and assess a critical thinking program introduced in selected sections of First Year Seminar (FYS). An experimental approach is being used. The workshop will also describe and illustrate additional activities intended to extend the criti-cal thinking initiative beyond the FYS. The Paul-Elder model provides the basic critical thinking framework used.

Wednesday, May 23


ê Bringing “Leaders in the Field” into the Classroom via SKYPE: Utilizing Critical Thinking Principles to Help Maximize the Experience (Room 211)

Presenters: P. Gay Baughman, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Dentistry; W. Michael Mansfield, Instructor, School of Dentistry

Utilizing Skype provides an effective way to combat fiscal constraints which challenge the ability of educators to bring exceptional outside speakers and authors into the classroom. Combining an external speak-er’s “Power of Presence” with best practices for teaching critical thinking in a large classroom creates a memorable and engaging learning experi-ence. Students will participate in a live Q&A session with i2a Institute participants via SKYPE from a School of Dentistry lecture room. Partici-pants will leave with the information necessary to successfully conduct a SKYPE lecture in the classroom while incorporating useful critical thinking tools.

:15-3:30 p.m. Break

:30-4:00 p.m. Next Steps: Translating Your Ideas Into Action (Room 218)


This final session will give you tools to identify and plan next steps after the Institute concludes. Through fast-paced, interactive exercises, you will sharpen your thinking about how to put critical thinking ideas to work for you and your students. You will:• connect your original goals for the day with the Institute’s learning

experiences,• integrate and consolidate your most significant insights, and• explore next steps to apply what you’ve learned to your work with

students.Harry Pickens’ high energy and focused questions will provide the launching pad to help you put your newly-hatched Institute ideas into action for the coming year.

Conference Wrap-up & Door Prizes (Room 218)

Patty Payette Executive Director, Ideas to Action Associate Director, Delphi Center

3

3

Wednesday, May 23


All Roundtables will take place in either Room 218 or Room 201.

Roundtable presenters are all from the University of Louisville unless otherwise noted.

ê Infusing Critical Thinking Practices into a Recreational Sports Setting to Positively Affect Participant Behavior

Presenter: John D. Smith, Assistant Director, Intramural & Recreational Sports

The arena of student affairs represents a tremendous platform not only for the introduction of critical thinking to broad populations, but the opportunity to apply skills with deep levels of understanding through a unique experiential application outside of the classroom. This round-ta-ble discussion presents the process and results of infusing critical think-ing practices into an ongoing sportsmanship program entitled “Dare to Play Fair” by the Intramural and Recreational Sports Department. Attendees will explore the possibilities for including critical thinking in other non-academic settings.

ê Documenting Ghost Signs: Deciphering the Traces of Another Era

Presenters: Rachel Howard, Digital Initiatives Librarian, University Libraries; Mary Carothers, Associate Professor, Fine Arts Department; Amy Purcell, Associate Curator Special Collections, University Libraries

Ghost signs are faded remnants of painted advertisements which give a glimpse into the culture and history of the urban environment. In Fall 2011, students in a Documentary Photography class employed critical thinking skills to locate, identify, photograph, and describe ghost signs in Louisville neighborhoods for inclusion in the Libraries’ Digital Collec-tions. The presenters will describe the assignment and the collaboration with the Libraries, and display the results of the student project.

ê Students Speak on How They Put Critical Thinking Into Action in Community Experiences

Presenters: Nisha Gupta, i2a Specialist for Culminating Experiences, Ideas to Action; Ben Donlon, Student

Critical thinking and putting your ideas into action are both conceptual notions. This session offers the voice of students speaking about how this really works for them. This presentation is led by two students who conducted a survey of over 100 UofL students who actively participate in community-based learning.

ê Just-In-Time Teaching for Critical Thinking

Presenter: William A. Brantley, Adjunct Professor, Communication and Civil Engineering, University of Maryland

Just-In-Time Teaching (JITT) utilizes reflective questions posted online before a class session to enhance teaching and learning. The students re-

Roundtable Session Descriptions


spond to the questions and the instructor then incorporates the respons-es into the upcoming lecture so as to engage students in the lecture and to help the instructor determine student comprehension of the material. The presenter will describe how to write a good JITT question, incorpo-rate the responses into your teaching strategies, and use JITT responses for measuring student progress.

ê Community Engagement and Critical Thinking: Stereotypes of Homelessness

Presenters: Barbara Burns, Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences; Lora Haynes, Associate Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences

Can community engagement be a powerful tool to promote critical thinking skills? Together with a panel of students who worked at the Resilient Families Project at Hotel Louisville, the participants will answer this question and describe the changes in stereotypes about homeless-ness that occurred following participation in a weekly parent education program. Engagement with homeless families, combined with subse-quent group reflection and analysis of these experiences, were powerful and life changing.

ê Forgeries as an Aid in Critical Thinking

Presenters: Peter Morrin, Executive-in-Residence and Associate Professor, Fine Arts; John Begley, Director, Hite Art Institute Gallery

Examination of forgeries and other “mystery objects” provide excellent opportunities for students to clarify elements of thought. Visual exami-nation of material culture objects raises a number of issues including the nature of observable information, direct interpretation of data, assump-tions, implications for examination, and points of view. Challenging students with questions of purpose, quality and authenticity assist in helping students observe their own critical thinking.

ê Assessment for Non-Academic Units

Presenters: Virginia Hosono, Assistant Director, International Center; Michael Anthony, Director, Cultural Center

Being able to measure and report the effectiveness of programs, events and experiences can directly affect the structure of a non-academic office. Historically, assessment tools that were not aligned with critical thinking concepts have been used by the presenters of this session. Having students provide more thoughtful and thorough feedback can help in program design and student interactions. This roundtable focuses on steps taken to revamp existing assessment tools into a new tool that is focused on foster-ing critical thinking in non-academic units.



ê World Cafe for Compassionate Louisville

Presenter: Lora Haynes, Associate Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences

The World Cafe framework is focused on conflict resolution and public engagement practices with the goal of working together across race, eth-nic and other divides to address important social issues. This practice has recently been initiated in Louisville to engage participants and promote careful thinking about The Charter for Compassion. This World Café roundtable discussions will focus on critical thinking about compas-sion–including more formal definitions and best practices–along with brainstorming about how these can be implemented toward our mayor’s Compassionate Louisville initiative.

ê Using Metacognition to Improve Student Learning and Critical Thinking

Presenter: Edna Ross, Specialist for Critical Thinking, Ideas to Action, and Associate Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences

What is metacognition and how does this concept align with improving student learning and promoting critical thinking using the Paul-Elder critical thinking framework? This roundtable will explore student-cen-tered, self-regulation strategies designed for the classroom. The session is also designed to help participants share strategies for fostering students’ awareness of their own learning processes in order to enhance learning and long-term retention of course content.

ê Challenges and Rewards of Becoming a Critical Thinking Change Agent

Presenter: Patty Payette, Executive Director, Ideas to Action, and Associate Director, Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning

This roundtable invites faculty and staff to consider the ways in which they can promote the concepts, tools and priorities of critical thinking with their colleagues and students in and outside the classroom. Research demonstrates that one of the most effective ways to foster organizational change is for individuals to be “agents of change” with peers. By sharing personal experiences, ideas, struggles and triumphs, individuals can help inspire and guide others to take on new challenges related to promoting critical thinking. Participants will talk about the challenges and rewards of being a change agent and share strategies for helping others to “get on board” with explicit critical thinking instruction.



ê Using Research-Based Multimedia Principles to Promote Deep Learning

Presenter: Roger Buskill, Instructor, Leadership, Foundations and Human Resource Education

Making presentations with learning as an outcome is a major way we communicate our message to our students. Whether instruction is face-to-face or virtual, there are principles, which, if understood and prac-ticed, will promote deep learning among our students. The way the brain takes in and processes information will be presented showing how your presentations can use these cognitive realities to benefit the learning process and promote critical thinking.

ê Assessing Critical Thinking via Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Presenters: Cheryl Gilchrist, Director of Undergraduate Assessment and Reten-tion, Office of Academic Planning and Accountability; Cathy Bays, i2a Special-ist for Assessment, Ideas to Action

Student learning outcomes (SLOs) are statements specifying the knowl-edge (cognitive), skills (psychomotor), and perceptions (affective) students will be able to demonstrate after completing or participating in an academic program and/or learning experience. Over the last sev-eral years our research intensive university has focused on revising and enhancing the process for reporting program-level SLOs. During this roundtable participants will learn and have the opportunity to dialogue about our SLO process, available resources, and multi-layered educa-tional process.

ê Critical Thinking in the Arts: A Symphony of Possibilities

Presenters: Robert Amchin, Professor, School of Music; John Hausman, Lecturer, School of Music

The School of Music faculty are continually and creatively enhancing crit-ical thinking skills in their undergraduate and graduate students. Partici-pants will hear what has been done in the School of Music and have the opportunity to discuss specific strategies being used to stimulate students’ critical thinking abilities in undergraduate arts-based classes.


Notes


About

Gerald NosichGerald Nosich, Ph.D., is a professor at Buffalo State College and profes-sor emeritus at the University of New Orleans. He has been working with critical thinking concepts since 1977. Since the mid-1980s he has become committed to teaching for critical thinking across the curriculum. He is convinced that the only way for students to learn a subject matter is to think their way through it. He is the author of Reasons and Arguments (Wadsworth, 1982). His second book, Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum, has recently been released in its fourth edition (Pearson, 2011) and has been translated into Span-ish, Chinese, and Arabic.

He has given more than 200 workshops on all aspects of teaching for critical thinking. These have been given for instructors at all levels of education, in the U.S., Canada, Thailand, Lithuania, Austria, Germany and England. He has worked with the U.S. Department of Education on a project for a National Assessment of Higher Order Thinking Skills; given teleconferences sponsored by PBS and Starlink on teaching for critical thinking within subject-matter courses; served as assistant direc-tor of the Center for Critical Thinking and as a consultant for ACT in Critical Thinking and Language Arts assessment; been a consultant and evaluator for SACS; and been featured as a noted scholar at the Universi-ty of British Columbia. He is the author of numerous articles, audio- and videotapes on critical thinking and is an associate of the Foundation for Critical Thinking.

About

Ed NuhferEdward B. Nuhfer is the director of faculty development and professor of geology at the California State University Channel Islands. He received his doctorate in geology from the University of New Mexico in 1980, and MS from West Virginia University. He is the author of over one hundred publications on faculty development, assessment of student learning and geosciences. His work experience includes employment in industry (Chevron Oil Company) government (WV Geological Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey) and college teaching (Marietta College, Univer-sity of Wisconsin at Platteville The University of Colorado at Denver, Idaho State University and CSU Channel Islands). He was awarded three separate presidential certificates of merit by the American Institute of Professional Geologists (1983, 1988, 1993), served as their national edi-tor (1987-1988) and in 1995 received the John T. Galy Sr. Public Service

Keynote Speakers


Award from that same organization. He has also received the POD Inno-vation Award in 2006 and was an Innovation Award Finalist in 2006. He is a past National President of the American Society for Surface Mining and honored as “Academic Good Citizen” at American Association of Higher Education. His professional interests are faculty development, science education, and producing higher level thinking and conceptual reasoning in college students and environmental geology.

About

Harry PickensIn his role as special assistant to the provost for new initiatives, Harry Pickens works across disciplines and traditional boundaries to inspire, catalyze and support innovations that contribute to an outstanding uni-versity experience for students, faculty, and staff. He is a faculty member of the School of Music and also brings skills in facilitation, leadership and communication developed over a 20-year career as an organization-al consultant, professional speaker, and performing artist. His role at this conference will be to help participants apply what we know about today’s learners to better prepare our students for success in tomorrow’s world.

Keynote Speakers

Notes


The Ideas to Action (i2a) Task Group provides support and guidance for the development, implementation, and assessment of the i2a initiative. The i2a Task Group includes at least two i2a facilitators in each academic unit who are responsible for providing i2a leadership at the school or college level. The Task Group also includes representatives from other divisions and programs that provide academic, co-curricular and student support. You are invited to contact members of the i2a Task Group listed below to find out more about i2a activities in the unit and departments they represent.

i2a Task Group

Natasha AlvarezStudent Government Association [email protected]

Alan AttawayCollege of [email protected]

Cathy BaysIdeas to [email protected]

Dale BillingsleyDivision of Undergraduate [email protected]

Dror BiranSchool of [email protected]

Karen BlackSchool of [email protected]

Lynn BoydCollege of [email protected]

Marie Kendall BrownDelphi Center for Teaching & [email protected]

E. Todd BrownCollege of Education & Human [email protected]

Roger BuskillFaculty [email protected]

Henry CunninghamOffice of Community [email protected]

Manav DasCollege of Arts & [email protected]

Christopher P. DoaneSchool of [email protected]

Leslye EricksonDivision of Student [email protected]

Pamela FeldhoffEVP for Research [email protected]

Mark FrenchSpeed School of [email protected]

Cheryl GilchristAcademic Planning and [email protected]

Nisha GuptaIdeas to [email protected]

Tim HardinSpeed School of [email protected]

Virginia HosonoInternational Center [email protected]

Pat MartinSchool of Nursing [email protected]

Lee Mayer School of [email protected]


i2a Task GroupBryson McGuire Gale RhodesStudent Government Association Representative Delphi Center for Teaching & [email protected] [email protected]

Rose Mills Edna RossPart-time Faculty Representative Ideas to Action [email protected] [email protected]

Judi Murray Melissa ShirleyIdeas to Action College of Education & Human [email protected] [email protected]

Jennifer Osborne Connie ShumakeSchool of Dentistry Office of the [email protected] [email protected]

Patty Payette Terry SingerIdeas to Action Kent School of Social [email protected] [email protected]

Armon Perry Kira TaylorKent School of Social Work School of Public Health & Information [email protected] [email protected]

Lindsay Peters Nancy TheriotIdeas to Action College of Arts & [email protected] [email protected]

Harry Pickens Peter WaltonOffice of the Provost School of Public Health & Information [email protected] [email protected]

Latisha Reynolds Elaine Wise Libraries College of Arts & [email protected] [email protected]

Notes


Patty Payette, Ph.D.

i2a Executive Director

Associate Director, Delphi Center

[email protected]

502-852-5171

Cathy L. Bays, Ph.D.

i2a Specialist for Assessment

[email protected]

502-852-5105

Nisha Gupta, Ph.D.

i2a Specialist for Culminating Undergraduate Experiences

[email protected]

502-852-5104

Edna Ross, Ph.D.

i2a Specialist for Critical Thinking

Associate Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences

[email protected]

502-852-5138

Judi Murray

i2a Program Coordinator

[email protected]

502-852-7611

Lindsay Peters

i2a Graduate Student Assistant

[email protected]

502-852-7251

i2a Staff

mailto:[email protected]



Documents

Welcome to the 2012 Annual Ideas to Action (i2a) Institute ...louisville.edu/ideastoaction/-/files/2012-i2a-institute-program.pdf · as you consider how to put those ideas into action