Talking about Teaching Series
This fall, the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence (SITE) will host conversations with experts about teaching topics that are top-of-mind for instructors and academic administrators. Each session will include introductory remarks, questions from the moderator for guests, and additional questions from attendees, but specific formats may vary.
All events will be held in Zoom. Registration will close one hour before each event starts, at which time registrants will receive a Zoom link.
Find more details and register at our events page schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/events. Email questions to site@psu.edu.
Current Talking about Teaching Events
- Talking about the Midsemester Student Educational Experience Questionnaire (MSEEQ) - October 2
- Talking about Free Speech and Academic Freedom in Courses - October 4
- Talking about Teaching during Presidential Elections - October 16
- Talking about Course Disruptions - October 31
For more info, visit the Talking about Teaching Series page or Penn State's news item: 'Talking about Teaching' series begins Oct.2
Upcoming Workshops for Assessment Planning in 2024-25
The Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research has announced the dates for the workshops in the 2024-25 Assessment Workshop Series, free for all Penn State Faculty. The series covers assessment best practices, General Education assessment, and using Nuventive for documentation for program learning assessment leaders, faculty and administrators across Penn State. Additionally, any faculty members in the Provost Endorsement Program, “Making the Most of Program Assessment,” can attend sessions for credit towards the endorsement.
Visit Penn State’s news post for the list of all workshop dates and view our resources for assessment framework on the Assessment of Teaching page.
Data Cartels, Fair Use, and Copyright: Penn State Libraries October Events
Engage in workshops and discussions about open access, fair use, and copyright through the Penn State University Libraries. All October Penn State Libraries events are listed below.
Contact Office of Scholarly Communications and Copyright with questions, copyright@psu.edu.
Open Access Week Talk: Sarah Lamdan on Data Cartels & Commercial Obstacles to Open Access
October 24, 1:30-3:00 p.m., Zoom (registration required)
The Penn State University Libraries will participate in the 17th annual global celebration of Open Access Week by hosting Sarah Lamdan, Deputy Director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and author of Data Cartels, for a talk, “Data Cartels and Commercial Obstacles to Open Access.” Lamdan has worked on data justice projects across the spectrum from open government to personal privacy. She researches and writes about information access, surveillance and privacy, and informational capitalism. Her most recent book is Data Cartels (published in 2023 by Stanford University Press), in which she calls out the companies that control and monopolize our information, which she will be discussing at this event.
Follow-up Sarah Lamdan’s Talk with Desserts and Discussion
October 24, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Pattee Library W-325 (Music Seminar Room)
After Lamdan's talk, members of the university community are invited to join members of the University Libraries’ Open Initiatives Group for desserts and discussion in the Music Seminar Room on the third floor of Pattee Library (Pattee W-325) in University Park.
Scholarly Communications and Copyright Workshops
- Fair Use, October 8, 2-3 p.m., Zoom,Please register on Zoom
- Copyright and Generative AI, Zoom Please register on Zoom
- October 15, 1-2 p.m.,Please register on Zoom
- October 16, 1-2 p.m.,Please register on Zoom
- Using Video in Courses, November 12, 10 a.m., Zoom,Please register on Zoom
- Advanced Copyright Workshop: Managing Copyright and Permission, November 19, 3-4:30 p.m., Zoom, Please register on Zoom
Explore Creative Approaches to Teaching Through the Sparkshop Series
You are invited to join us in the Sparkshop --a series of short, lively professional development opportunities that draw upon classic and emerging theories of student motivation to inspire creative approaches to your teaching and learning practice.
9/13 Break the Ice! Penguins Can Swim! Samantha Beebe, Associate Teaching Professor, BBH, Penn State Lehigh Valley:
This Sparkshop will explore Vygotsky’s view of learning as a “team sport”. Icebreakers provide a safe and structured opportunity for students to share experiences and nurture this learning relationship. Join us for ideas on how to spark a sense of community in your classroom!
9/27 Bricks and Brains: LEGO® Learning for Active Classrooms Sydney Pons, PhD Candidate, Hospitality & Tourism, Penn State University Park:
This Sparkshop will introduce innovative ways to integrate LEGO® bricks into your classroom activities. By exploring various forms of LEGO®-based exercises, you'll discover how to integrate theories of play to meet diverse learning objectives. Join us to build a more interactive and dynamic learning environment with LEGO®!
10/4 “Your mission, should you choose to accept it…” Kristy Ganoe, Assistant Teaching Professor, English, Penn State University Park:
This Sparkshop explores ideas for re-imagining writing assignments as role-based cooperative learning scenarios (in this case, a spy scenario), drawing on social and cognitive learning theories. Join us for ideas on how to bring course activities to life.
Discover even more Sparkshop events on the horizon on our Events page.
SITE Supports Penn State Faculty at SoTL Summit Conference
We are proud to support 20 Penn State faculty who shared their work in Teaching and Learning Scholarship at the SoTL Summit Conference this past September. Formerly known as the Research on Teaching Summit, the Scholarship on Teaching and Learning Summit (SoTL) helps participants at all levels of the SoTL experience and grow as teacher scholars. On September 19 and 20, SoTL held their thirtieth conference, giving faculty from colleges and universities all over the U.S. a platform to discuss their peer reviewed SoTL briefs and give Innovative Teaching Talks. The Schreyer Institute would like to acknowledge and support the 20 Penn State faculty involved in the 2024 SoTL Summit.
To learn more about the SoTL Summit, visit:https://facultydevelopment.kennesaw.edu/scholarly-teaching/sotl-summit/index.php
All Penn State Faculty Presenters:
Prof. Larry Musolino, Penn State University
Dr. Erin Kitt-Lewis, The Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing
Dr. Paul Logan, The Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing
Lawrence M Dupak, Penn State Greater Allegheny
Dr. Lauren Cameron, The Pennsylvania State University
Carol Cowan Crawford, The Pennsylvania State University
Roxanne Atterholt, The Pennsylvania State University
Eileen M Grodziak, Penn State Univerity
Sandy Kile, Penn State University
Mary Ann V. Smith, Penn State University - Penn StateSchuylkill
Dr. Alicia Drais-Parrillo, Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Dustin Elliott, Pennsylvania State University
Beth A Greenberg, Penn State Hazleton
Karen Stylianides, Penn State Hazleton
Dr. Elizabeth Huck, Penn State Hazleton
Dr. Gina Tarud, Penn State Hazleton
Kristen L Osborne Carroll, The Pennsylvania State University
Mary Ritchey, The Pennsylvania State University, York Campus
Dr. Patrice Rimbey, Penn State University
Dr Prabhani Kuruppumullage Don, The Pennsylvania State University
Meet the Schreyer Institute Consultants: Larkin Hood
Larkin Hood, an associate director and faculty consultant at Penn State's Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, collaborates with faculty to enhance teaching methods and create inclusive learning environments. Her background in archaeology and educational outreach informs her approach, particularly in working with STEM faculty. She values personal interactions, helping instructors refine their teaching strategies while fostering enthusiasm for educational innovation. Beyond her role, Hood leads research on mid-career faculty development, aiming to enrich teaching practices across higher education. Outside of work, she finds inspiration in riding horses, seeing parallels between effective communication with horses and teaching.
Read full quotes from Hood’s interview on Penn State’s Meet the Schreyer Institute Consultants: Larkin Hood news story.
Schedule a meeting with Larkin Hood through our directory.
Schreyer Institute Reasearch Professor Laura Cruz Presented at 2024 Lilly Conference
Congratulations to Schreyer Institute’s Laura Cruz, Penn State Shenango’s Jennifer Jewell, and Penn State Fayette’s Pamela Pologruto for presenting their work ““Human Interest: Pedagogical Strategies for Humanizing Higher Education” at the 2024 Lilly Conference in Austin, Texas. The Lilly Conference’s mission is to provide evidence-based teaching and learning techniques to promote professional development for faculty. Jewell and Pologruto looked at existing evidence-based practices concerning patient care to see what could translate well into a higher education classroom setting, and together the team presented humanizing strategies that focus on the development of students as whole individuals.
Read the full article at:https://tinyurl.com/2s3wcxyh
Resources for Instructors: PSU Pathways to Pedagogy
Planning for your fall courses this summer? Penn State’s Pathways to Pedagogy website provides a multitude of tools for instructors to support student learning in their classrooms through mini lessons and guides. Explore new ice breaker questions for the beginning of the semester. Encourage students to think critically about the lesson content by having them curate test questions and one sentence summaries. Improve your student's information retention through memory matrices and one-minute papers. Pathways to Pedagogy can help you elevate your students’ classroom experience and engagement through simple activities.
Learn more on the Pathways to Pedagogy website.