UCAT Autumn '14 Newsletter

A Japanese proverb tells us: “Better than a thousand days
of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” And, as
Provost, one of my most important jobs is supporting the
recruitment, rewards, and retention of great teachers.
In addition to keeping apprised of the current thinking in
their feld, I believe that great teachers take stock of their
own teaching methods from time to time. Across the board,
new tools have made an impact on our options for teaching
improvements.
For example, in my feld of neuroscience, groundbreaking
technological developments have dramatically changed
what we know about the brain and its functions. In turn,
academic neuroscientists revised our teaching techniques
to better foster students’ critical thinking skills. We use our
enhanced knowledge base — and improved ways to analyze
and understand it — to help students uncover the intriguing
mysteries of the brain. Together, we work toward discoveries
and cures. That’s exciting, rewarding, and makes a
remarkable difference for students’ learning and our patients’
lives.
In a similar way, UCAT provides excellent training and
coaching for improving teaching techniques. UCAT can
assess teaching strengths and suggest tips. Importantly,
fresh, innovative approaches can inspire our students to want
to know more, and reimagining our teaching methods can
also energize and inspire us. That is the essence of great
teaching!
Wishing you all the best for a successful academic year,
Joseph E. Steinmetz
Executive Vice President and Provost
TEACHING @ OHIO STATE
AUTUMN 2014
A MESSAGE FROM PROVOST STEINMETZ
UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TEACHING
EVENTS AT A GLANCE
September
2 - Teaching What You Don’t Know
3 - STAR Open House
8 - Academic Job Search
10 - Suicide Prevention Training
15 - Curriculum Vitae and Cover Letters
19 - Fair & Effcient Grading
22 - Teaching & Research Statements
24 - STAR: Navigating Multiple Roles
29 - The Interview
30 - Working with Academic Advisors
October
6 - Negotiating the Job Offer
8 - Facilitating Classroom Discussion
13 - Critical Thinking Discussion (1)
14 - Planning a Class Session
20 - Critical Thinking Discussion (2)
23 - Responding to Student Writing
27 - Critical Thinking Discussion (3)
29 - STAR: Student Engagement
30 - Writing & Critical Thinking
November
6 - International Student Writing
13 - Strategies for Students in Distress
19 - STAR: Student Feedback
University Center for the Advancement of Teaching | 2nd foor Younkin Success Center | 1640 Neil Avenue | [email protected] | 614-292-3644 | ucat.osu.edu
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Welcome back to Autumn Semester 2014.
I hope you have noticed the new format for this newsletter, now entitled
Teaching @ Ohio State. We hope that the additional space and many new
features make it more interesting and useful to you.
We are very excited to be able to share with you our Provost’s thoughts on
teaching at our university. Dr. Steinmetz has been a member of the senior
leadership of Ohio State for fve years now, joining the university as Vice
Provost for Arts and Sciences and Executive Dean of the then-new College
of Arts and Sciences. Having piloted Arts and Sciences through its merg-
er, he became Executive Vice President and Provost in July 2013. As our
chief academic offcer, his support for world-class teaching is central to our
university’s success.
This issue also honors outstanding teachers: recipients of Ohio State’s pre-
mier, institution-wide teaching awards. Recipients of the Graduate Associate
Teaching Award (GATA) are listed on page 5; recipients of the Alumni Award
for Distinguished Teaching on page 7; and recipients of the Provost’s Award
for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer on page 11. We also introduce a
new feature that gives one faculty member the opportunity to share some-
thing about her own teaching (p. 12).
UCAT is presenting a rich selection of program offerings, including one-
time events and several topical series. Our assessment data tell us that
extended activities are more effective than individual sessions, so we have
increased our offerings of this type. This term, our extended events will
include the Academic Job Search series, a discussion group on Critical
Thinking, the Starting TA Resource Group, Course Design Institutes, and
the Writing as a College Teaching Tool series. All of our offerings (pp. 8-11)
are labeled as to the type of offering and intended audience.
In addition to news and notes on teaching topics and information about our
services and those of several of our partners in teaching support at Ohio
State, we are glad to bring you an interesting piece on mentoring from
VITAE, the Chronicle of Higher Education’s academic careers website.
We are also able to share a summary of ideas on teaching introverts and
extroverts, which comes from work UCAT staff members did in preparing for
a workshop on this topic last spring.
All in all, this new, larger format has allowed UCAT to share a wide range of
information that we hope will support you in advancing your teaching.
Alan Kalish
A NOTE FROM OUR DIRECTOR
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
p. 2 | A Note from Our Director
p. 3 | Mentoring New Faculty
p. 5 | Celebrating Success
p. 6 | One University
| Course Design Institute
p. 7 | @ohiostateucat
| Academy Corner
p. 8 | Events on Teaching
p. 11 | Lecturer Connection
p. 12 | Featured Teacher
p. 13 | Teaching & Learning
p. 14 | GTA News
p. 16 | The Libraries
| How Can UCAT Help You?
Alan Kalish, Director, UCAT
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As head of a faculty-development center, I visit a
different college campus nearly every week. By far
the most common complaint I hear from tenure-track
faculty members is about a lack of mentoring: “Men-
torship just doesn’t exist at this university,” for exam-
ple, or “We’ve all been matched with a mentor but I
only see mine once a year.”
And there’s truth in that venting: While everyone
seems to agree that mentoring is crucial to new
faculty success, many campuses have no formal
mentorship program. Others have mentor-matching
programs that are only marginally effective.
There are a few reasons why many colleges take
such a fawed approach to mentoring. First, it’s
invisible, time-intensive, and unrewarded labor. In a
context of shrinking resources and greater expecta-
tions, it can quickly fall to the bottom of a busy profes-
sor’s priority list. Second, informal mentoring is often
treated like a gift or a favor that’s bestowed upon
junior faculty members only when we like them, when
they behave in appropriately deferential ways, when
their needs support our agenda. The inevitable result
is that some new faculty members get mentored well
and others don’t get mentored at all.
But there’s another culprit: When there’s no consis-
tent defnition of mentoring, everyone’s in trouble. I
often ask people what “mentoring” means to them,
and I get a shockingly wide range of responses. For
some faculty, it’s an all-encompassing, quasi-parental
relationship. For others, it’s an obligatory 20-minute
coffee once a year to answer questions.
Now, if you’re getting all the support you want and
need to be successful, great. Keep doing what
you’re doing. But if you’re not getting the information,
resources, access, connections, sponsorship, and
encouragement you need, it’s time to ditch the
vague notion of “mentoring” and get in the habit of
asking yourself: What do I need, and where’s the
best place to get it? Here’s how to do that:
Stop looking for a guru.
Sure, it’d be nice to have your own personal (Dr.)
Yoda instructing you in the ways of the academic
force. But the idea that one person can meet all
your mentoring needs and guide you throughout
your career is a fantasy.
So stop searching for that one special someone.
Focus instead on building a broad and deep net-
work of people who can assist you.
Identify your needs.
Draft a list and be specifc. Do you need productiv-
ity tips and professional-development advice? En-
couragement and emotional support? Intellectual
community? A role model? Someone to keep you
on task or hold you accountable for your research?
Access to grants or other opportunities? Substan-
tive feedback on your performance?
Chances are that several of these are important
to you—and that only some of them are being
fulflled.
Find the gaps ...
Map out your current mentoring network to deter-
mine which needs are being met, who’s meeting
them, and where the gaps are.
WHEN IT COMES TO MENTORING,
THE MORE THE MERRIER
by Kerry Ann Rockquemore
President, Natonal Center for Faculty Development & Diversity
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I’ve watched hundreds of new faculty members fll out
a Mentor Map. And I’ve seen the same pattern over
and over: They realize they’ve relied almost exclu-
sively on one or two people—typically their disserta-
tion or postdoc advisor—to meet all of their needs.
If you want to broaden your network of support,
pick one area that would help you move forward. In
other words, what do you need right now? Maybe
you need people to critique your manuscripts. In that
case, it may be time to cultivate a network of readers,
engage a professional editor to polish and format
your manuscripts prior to submission, or start taking
colleagues up on their offers to read (or discuss) your
work. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a number of
trusted assessors who could read your manuscripts
at various stages, respond to specifc questions, help
you to target appropriate journals, and assist you
when you get stuck?
… and go about plugging them.
But how to fnd the right people? Start by soliciting
advice from colleagues who already have what you
seek.
If you want to apply for a grant from a particular
funding agency, who better to ask than a colleague
who has recently received funding from that source?
If you’re struggling to fnd enough time for your work
and children, why not seek out a colleague who has
mastered the art of time management as an aca-
demic parent? And if you’re struggling with a specifc
teaching issue, why not ask that award-winning
colleague down the hall for some input or head over
to your university’s center for teaching excellence?
Wouldn’t that be far more effective than repeatedly
turning to a mentor you’ve been matched with who
has never written a grant, has no children, and em-
ploys a teaching style that’s radically different than
your own?
Don’t be afraid to ask.
Asking for help isn’t something most new faculty look
forward to or feel comfortable doing. I often hear
young scholars repeat what I call “limiting beliefs”—
powerful stories that keep them from requesting the
resources, referrals, and support they really need.
Many of these are universal: “Who am I to contact
[insert big name scholar]?,” for example. Or “I feel
like an imposter, and if I ask for help, people will fnd
out I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Schedule your requests.
Limiting beliefs lead to procrastination: If you feel
awkward seeking help in the frst place, it’s tempting
to put it off. That’s why I recommend scheduling your
requests in your calendar each week at a specifc
day and time. That’s right: Scheduling one 30-min-
ute block each week to ask for what you need will
pay enormous dividends in expanding your support
network and getting your needs met.
And remember, when you do meet with a prospec-
tive mentor-to-be, know what you’re going to say
and be specifc. Don’t ask “Will you be my mentor?”
unless you want them to say no. Do ask focused and
informed questions about what you hope to learn.
Shifting from a guru-based mentoring model to a
network-based mentoring model requires an initial
leap of faith. But if you stop searching for that one
all-knowing mentor and start focusing instead on
your concrete, specifc needs, you’ll discover that
a large network does more than one mentor ever
could.
Reprinted with permission from Vitae
https://chroniclevitae.com/news/326-when-it-comes-to-mentoring-the-more-the-merrier
“Asking for help isn’t
something most new
faculty look forward to or
feel comfortable doing. I
often hear young scholars
repeat what I call ‘limiting
beliefs’ — powerful stories
that keep them from
requesting the resources,
referrals, and support they
really need.”
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CELEBRATING SUCCESS
On April 17, 2014, Interim President Alutto helped us honor the faculty
and graduate teaching associates who completed one of our learning
community programs during the 2013-2014 academic year. Our learning
communities bring faculty and graduate students from across disciplines
together to focus on their teaching through regular meetings and
teaching enhancement projects.
Mid-Career and Senior Faculty Learning Community
Kristin Casper, Pharmacy
Antoinette Errante, Educational Studies
Elly Kaizar, Statistics
Maria Pruchnicki, Pharmacy
Julianne Taaffe, ESL Programs
Heather Tanner, History
Yi Zhao, Biomedical Engineering
Co-facilitator: Jerry Masty, Veterinary Biosciences
Co-facilitator: Peg McMahon, Horticulture and Crop Science
Graduate Teaching Fellows
Jennifer Belding, Psychology
Sonnet Gabbard, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Nicholas Garcia, School of Environment and Natural Resources
Richard Henricksen, Spanish and Portuguese
Hui Jiang, Educational Studies
Shiang-Yu Lin, Educational Studies
Nora McCook, English
Corrie Pieterson, Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology
Leslie Rieck, School of Environment and Natural Resources
Megan Sanders, Educational Studies
Russ Stech, First-Year Engineering Program
Justin Woods, Pharmacy
Co-facilitator: Elizabeth Brewer, English
2013-2014 Learning Communites
The UCAT staff would like to offer our congratulations to this year’s winners of the Graduate Associate Teaching Award!
2014 Graduate Associate Teaching Award Winners
Emily Arendt, History
Elizabeth Brewer, English
Heidi Brown, French and Italian
Heather Derry, Psychology
Lizabeth Goldstein, Psychology
Colleen Kennedy, English
Owen King, Philosophy
Justine Law, Geography
Jill Yavorsky, Sociology
Philip Young, Chemistry and Biochemistry
2013-2014 Graduate Teaching Fellows
2013-2014 Mid-Career and Senior Faculty
Learning Community
Interim President Alutto at the 2013-2014 Learning
Community Reception and Poster Session
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TEACHING ACROSS ONE UNIVERSITY
OFFICE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
odi.osu.edu
Founded in 1970, the Offce of Diversity and Inclusion
(ODI) supports the recruitment, retention, and success of
students, faculty, and staff who enhance the diversity of The
Ohio State University. Two programs specifcally geared
toward the success of graduate students are “Armed for the
Academy,” which helps prepare students who aspire to a
faculty position, and “Dissertation Boot Camp,” which pro-
vides PhD candidates with space and guidance to complete
their dissertations. More program information can be
found at odi.osu.edu.
OFFICE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION & eLEARNING
odee.osu.edu
ODEE provides instructors with tools and expertise to enrich
teaching and learning. Consider enhancing your course with
this year’s new service offerings:
• Flip your classroom or provide lecture recordings for asyn-
chronous review with Mediasite.
>odee.osu.edu/resourcecenter/mediasite
• Produce professional-grade multimedia content in one of
our new Digital Unions.
>digitalunion.osu.edu
• Turn lecture-based classes into an online program with a
Distance Education consultation.
>odee.osu.edu/distance-education
• Author learning content, for your course and wider audi-
ences, with our Digital Books resources.
>odee.osu.edu/resourcecenter/digital-books
In this section, we bring you notes from units across campus who partner with us in supporting teachers.
COURSE DESIGN INSTITUTE
Autumn 2014
Thursdays (9/11, 9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/9) from 10am–1pm
Winter Break 2014
Monday–Friday (12/15–12/19) from 10am–1pm
Note: these dates overlap with the end of exams
Spring 2015
Tuesdays (1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17) from 1–4pm
For more information, an application, and a set of FAQ,
visit http://ucat.osu.edu/participate/course-design-institutes
UPCOMING COURSE DESIGN INSTITUTES
Did you know 350 university community members have completed our Course Design Institute (CDI)? One of our most
recent alumni commented: “This was awesome. I think everyone should be required to do this.” Join colleagues from
across the university as you take a big-picture look at a course of your choice and engage in a hands-on process of (re)-de-
signing it to more effectively and purposefully help students learn. An application is required, and a limited number will be
selected to participate in order to facilitate community development.
2014 Spring Break Course Design Institute participants
with their facilitators
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@ohiostateucat
ACADEMY CORNER
Each year, the recipients of the Alumni Award for Distin-
guished Teaching and Provost’s Award for Distinguished
Teaching by a Lecturer are inducted into the Academy of
Teaching. The Academy’s Executive Council would like to
extend a warm welcome to its newest members. Congrat-
ulations on your accomplishments, and we look forward to
connecting with you!
Lisa Cravens-Brown, Psychology
Richard Daley, Moritz College of Law
Martin Feinberg, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Steven Joyce, Germanic Languages and Literatures
(OSU Mansfeld)
Trevon Logan, Economics
Ben McCorkle, English (OSU Marion)
Donald Mutti, Optometry
Anthony Shoup, Physics (OSU Lima)
Jennifer Schlueter, Theatre
Robert Siston, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Mazeika Sullivan, School of Environment and Natural
Resources
Tatiana Suspitsyna, Educational Studies
Todd Thompson, Astronomy
2014 MINI-CONFERENCE
Our 2014 mini-conference, “Teaching and Learning with
High-Impact Practices,” was held on April 11, 2014. Here,
Wayne Carlson, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate
Education, addresses the group. We wish to thank all those
who attended and presented at the mini-conference! Learn
more at our website: academy.osu.edu.
The Academy of Teaching, founded in 1993, is
comprised of winners of the Alumni Award for
Distinguished Teaching and Provost’s Award for
Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer.
We’ll soon be asking you to record yourself responding to one of
our social media #OSUvoices questions, then send us that video
selfe-interview so that we can share your insights and experi-
ences with your fellow teachers.
GET YOUR CAMERA READY!
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UPCOMING SOCIAL MEDIA FEATURES
Facebook: facebook.com/ohiostateucat
Blog: ucat.osu.edu/blog
Twitter: @ohiostateucat
Join the UCAT Listserv
https://lists.service.ohio-state.ued/mailman/listinfo/ucat
August | We will hear from our Teaching Orientation partic-
ipants (#toUCAT) how they intend to negotiate their multiple
roles as teacher/student/person in the upcoming semester.
September | We will be asking the participants of a workshop
inspired by Therese Huston’s Teaching What You Don’t Know
to refect upon the benefts of teaching material in which they
are not expert (#NewClasses).
October | We will ask our readers to contribute to the larger
social discourse around “trigger warnings.” This will offer an
opportunity for teachers to explore deeper issues around con-
troversial topics in the classroom, class discussions, and how
emotional responses to challenging material can be sources
of invention and discovery, given appropriate guidance from a
teacher (#teachingcontroversy).
November | Continuing with our principle of attending to teach-
ers and students as “whole persons,” one of our fnal projects
this semester will involve a variety of issues related to student
and teacher #wellness, and will focus on the presentation by
the InterACT Theatre Project for Social Change.
UCAT social media is a place for your voice, so please talk to us if
there is a topic you would like us to take up, or a question you would
like us to pose to the Ohio State teaching community. Email us at
[email protected] and use the #OSUvoices hashtag in the subject
or body. Tell us why this topic matters to you, and why you think it is
important for our community of teachers and students to discuss.
WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS!
7
Pre-registration is requested for our events. Please visit
ucat.osu.edu/participate/events-on-teaching to register
online. You may alternatively email [email protected] or call
292-3644 with your selections.
EVENTS ON TEACHING
College Teaching Series (CTS)
Our College Teaching Series takes us “back to the basics”
with topics that are at the core of effective teaching. They
are designed with novice TAs and faculty members in mind.
Events on Teaching (ET)
These individual workshops are designed to address a
relevant teaching-related issue.
Discussion Group (DG)
This a series of three sessions on a particular topic, geared
toward experienced teachers and capped at 20 participants.
Participants must commit to all three sessions.
Preparing for the Academic Job Search (AJS)
This series is geared toward graduate students who will be
pursuing a career in academia. It is co-sponsored with
Career Counseling and Support Services and the OUAB
Grad/Prof Committee.
Starting Teaching Associate Resource Group (STAR)
STAR is a group for all frst- and second-year TAs at Ohio
State to socialize with, learn from, encourage, and grow
alongside each other.
Writing as a College Teaching Tool (WCTT)
Writing Across the Curriculum partners with UCAT to bring
you this series of events about effecting learning through
writing in the classroom.
SEPTEMBER CATEGORIES
While we welcome anyone to attend a workshop (unless
otherwise noted), please reference the “audience” key under
each event so that you are aware of the target audience.
F | Faculty members
GTA | Graduate Teaching Associates
L | Lecturers and Senior Lecturers
TS |Teaching Staff
REGISTRATION
AUDIENCE
Tue, 9/2 - Lecturers: Teaching What You Don’t Know
9:30–11am | 150 Younkin Success Center
Audience: L | Category: ET
This event is only open to lecturers and senior lecturers.
Last year, UCAT issued a survey to lecturers at Ohio State
to learn more about their experiences teaching. One thing
we learned was that many lecturers are given class assign-
ments with relatively little time to prepare. Though this can
be a frustrating scenario, there are strategies to mitigate
some of the challenges. This workshop will offer practical
strategies drawn from Therese Huston’s Teaching What
You Don’t Know (2009) for instructors who fnd themselves
in this position — or are interested to know how to proceed
if they should be in this position in the future. Because
this event is for lecturers only, we will also include time
for participants to get to know one another and to share
thoughts on teaching at Ohio State. Light refreshments will
be provided.
Wed, 9/3 - Starting TA Resource Group (STAR) Meeting
12–1:30pm | 150 Younkin Success Center
Audience: GTA | Category: STAR | #UCATStar
Join us for pizza and conversation! Reconnect with friends
from orientation and meet new TAs from across campus.
Together we’ll explore some of the most common anxieties
raised by new TAs on the orientation “Fear Wall”. UCAT staff
and TA peers will be available to discuss classroom suc-
cesses, concerns, and ideas for your teaching. If you have
questions about making the most of your teaching experi-
ence, if you’ve had challenges you’d like help addressing, or
if you’ve had great experiences you would like to share with
others, STAR is the place for you!
Mon, 9/8 - The Academic Job Search
2:30–4:30pm | US Bank Conference Theater, Ohio Union
Audience: GTA | Category: AJS | #AcademicJobSearch
We’ll provide helpful tips for starting your job search, includ-
ing where and how to look for faculty openings and what
materials need to be prepared.
Wed, 9/10 - Suicide Prevention Training
3–4:30pm | 300 Younkin Success Center
Audience: F, GTA, L, TS | Category: ET
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Mon, 10/6 - Negotiating the Job Offer
2:30–4:30pm | US Bank Conference Theater, Ohio Union
Audience: GTA | Category: AJS| #AcademicJobSearch
Learn what to do when a search committee is prepared to
offer you a faculty position. We’ll provide strategies for re-
sponding to a department’s offer, share some of the common
elements of job offers around which candidates might nego-
tiate, and introduce approaches that can help both parties—
the job candidate and the hiring department—communicate
effectively throughout the process of negotiation.
Wed, 10/8 - Facilitating Classroom Discussion
3–4:30pm | 150 Younkin Success Center
Audience: F, GTA, L, TS | Category: CTS
Class discussion can be an effective method for getting
students involved in most types of classes. In this workshop,
we will discuss how to encourage and maintain student
involvement, respond to individual contributions, and employ
questioning strategies.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among U.S.
college students. In this session, to be held on World Sui-
cide Prevention Day, a certifed instructor from Ohio State’s
Campus Suicide Prevention Training Program will teach
faculty, GTAs, and advising staff about prevention and early
intervention techniques designed to help save a life from
suicide. The training will provide the necessary knowledge
and skills required to recognize warning signs and risk fac-
tors for suicide, highlight available campus and community
resources, and more.
Mon, 9/15 - Curriculum Vitae & Cover Letters
2:30–4:30pm | US Bank Conference Theater, Ohio Union
Audience: GTA | Category: AJS | #AcademicJobSearch
This workshop will address how to write vitae and cover
letters when searching for jobs in academia. Importance will
be placed on format and content while highlighting career
tips useful when applying for positions with a teaching and/
or research emphasis.
Fri, 9/19 - Fair & Effcient Grading
11:30am–1pm | 150 Younkin Success Center
Audience: F, GTA, L, TS | Category: CTS
In this session, we will discuss grading techniques that
provide appropriate and clear feedback to students and
maintain fairness. We will specifcally focus our discussion
on grading criteria, rubrics, and grading as part of a team.
Mon, 9/22 - Teaching & Research Statements
2:30–4:30pm | US Bank Conference Theater, Ohio Union
Audience: GTA | Category: AJS| #AcademicJobSearch
We’ll provide an overview of teaching and research state-
ments, describe how they are used in the academic job
search process, and provide guidance on how to write them.
There will be opportunities during the session to start the
process of writing these statements.
Wed, 9/24 - Navigating Multiple Roles as a GTA: Your
Whole Self & the Classroom
12–1:30pm | 150 Younkin Success Center
Audience: GTA | Category: STAR | #UCATStar
GTAs occupy a unique position as both teachers and
students themselves—not to mention as individuals with
other roles outside of academia. We discuss strategies for
managing the different responsibilities we all have and work
with the concept of bringing one’s “whole self” to the class-
room as a teacher.
Mon, 9/29 - The Interview
2:30–4:30pm | US Bank Conference Theater, Ohio Union
Audience: GTA | Category: AJS | #AcademicJobSearch
Learn what to do before, during, and after an interview for
positions in academia. Emphasis will be on career strate-
gies, interviewing techniques, and familiarity with academic
interview expectations. Samples of questions and practice
opportunities will be provided, as well as useful suggestions
to enhance confdence skills.
Tues, 9/30 - Working Effectively with Advising Offces &
Academic Advisors
11:30am–1pm | 300 Younkin Success Center
Audience: F, L | Category: ET
Academic advisors have a signifcant role in student suc-
cess and often serve as a single point of contact in helping
students navigate the university, which means their jobs are
quite complex. This session will provide faculty and instruc-
tors with an overview of the advising structure at Ohio State,
a description of what academic advisors do on a day-to-day
basis, and how students interact with their assigned advi-
sors. We will also cover details about university procedures,
particularly those related to enrollment and topics requiring
collaboration between teachers and the advising offce.
OCTOBER
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Mon, 10/13, 10/20, 10/27 - Discussion Group on Critical
Thinking
3–4:30pm | 300 Younkin Success Center
Audience: F, GTA, L, TS | Category: DG
Most of us hope that by the end of a course our students
will be better able to critically think about our content. Yet,
many of us have not really defned for ourselves (or our
students) what being a critical thinker means, nor have we
had the opportunity to fully focus on our role in assisting this
transformation. In this multi-part session, we will explore
how students learn and develop cognitively, as well as the
pedagogical choices we make that can help or hinder this
development. Due to the limited size of the group (20), we
will have ample opportunity to discuss these concepts, apply
them to our own teaching, and explore their effectiveness
during the three weeks we meet together.
Tues, 10/14 - Planning a Class Session
3–4:30pm | 150 Younkin Success Center
Audience: F, GTA, L, TS | Category: CTS
You will learn how to structure the classroom interaction that
you have with your students in order to meet your learning
objectives. Whether you are a novice teaching for the frst
time or an experienced teacher looking for ways to enliven
or change up your class meetings, this workshop is for
you. We will apply the concept of backward design to help
in choosing appropriate delivery methods and classroom
activities. Participants will leave with a plan for a single class
session and the tools for planning others.
Thu, 10/23 - Responding to Student Writing
3–4:30pm | 150 Younkin Success Center
Audience: F, GTA, L, TS | Category: WCTT
Most instructors will be asked to respond to and evaluate
various forms of student writing at some point in their teach-
ing. Many new and experienced instructors often fnd this
activity to be frustrating and time consuming. In this session,
facilitated by Writing Across the Curriculum staff, learn how
responding effectively to assignments will ease instructors’
workloads, better refect their goals for student learning, and
guide students as they tackle the writing process.
Wed, 10/29 - Fostering Student Engagement
12–1:30pm | 150 Younkin Success Center
Audience: GTA | Category: STAR | #UCATStar
Wish your students were more engaged with course materi-
als or class activities? This session explores student-
Thu, 11/6 - Helping Your International Students with
Writing
3–4:30pm | 150 Younkin Success Center
Audience: F, GTA, L, TS | Category: WCTT
In this workshop, Writing Across the Curriculum will be airing
a documentary entitled “Writing Across Borders,” a project
developed at Oregon State University (http://cwl.oregon-
state.edu/wab/). The documentary’s main purpose is to help
faculty, writing assistants, and other professionals work more
effectively with international students in U.S. classrooms by
addressing some of the most signifcant challenges interna-
tional students face when writing for American colleges and
universities. This documentary will be followed by a conver-
sation about how to develop strategies for making class-
rooms more accessible to students with a range of cultural
and educational backgrounds.
Thu, 11/13 - Crisis: Teaching and Learning Strategies for
Students in Distress
1–2:30pm | 300 Younkin Success Center
Audience: F, GTA, L, TS | Category: ET
As teachers, we often witness how a variety of personal
stressors affect our students’ well-being and classroom
success. While we may be aware of available resources, it is
sometimes diffcult to know how to best begin to address our
students’ needs in and out of our classrooms. In this interac-
tive performance-based workshop, participants will discuss
and explore strategies for recognizing distress, engaging
students in conversation, and utilizing university resources for
wellness. InterACT is a theatre-based ensemble that uses
interactive techniques to assist participants in developing
success strategies and problem-solving common classroom
scenarios.
NOVEMBER
centered strategies to promote self-effcacy, improve commu-
nication, and build relevance into your course content.
Thu, 10/30 - Writing & Critical Thinking
3–4:30pm | 150 Younkin Success Center
Audience: F, GTA, L, TS | Category: WCTT
Critical thinking is an important skill for students in any class-
room. In this workshop, Writing Across the Curriculum consul-
tants will help participants defne what critical thinking means
in their discipline. Participants will then develop effective and
effcient writing activities that help students work on critical
thinking skills while also helping instructors assess student
learning.
10
In the summer of 2012, upon the recommendation of the
President and Provost’s Council on Women as well as the
Academy of Teaching, the Offce of the Provost created a new
annual teaching award for lecturers at Ohio State.
The purpose of the award is to recognize the excellent and
important work that lecturers in all colleges on all campuses
do to teach our students. The selection committee for the
award is comprised of past winners and campus advocates
for lecturers, along with representatives from the Academy
of Teaching, the President and Provost’s Council on Women,
the Council of Graduate Students, Undergraduate Student
Government, and the Inter-Professional Council. In addition
to a cash award, winners are inducted into Ohio State’s presti-
gious Academy of Teaching.
The winners of the 2013-2014 award are:
Lisa Cravens-Brown – Psychology, Columbus Campus
Anthony Shoup – Physics, Lima Campus
Richard T. Daley – Moritz College of Law
Starting this year, nominations will be accepted throughout
the early fall. If you are a student or a colleague interested in
nominating someone for this award, please visit
http://oaa.osu.edu/nomination-form-lecturer.html. If you have
any questions about the award, please email Lindsay
Bernhagen ([email protected]).
LECTURER CONNECTION
PROVOST’S AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED TEACHING
BY A LECTURER
LECTURERS AT OHIO STATE
UCAT aims to support all who teach at Ohio State,
so we are working on better customizing our services
and resources to meet the needs of lecturers. Last
fall, Lindsay Bernhagen, an instructional consultant
at UCAT, began an ongoing research project on the
teaching needs of the nearly 2000 lecturers that teach
at Ohio State. She began by sending a survey out to
the lecturers appointed for the fall 2013 term and then,
with the help of UCAT graduate consultant Wonnek-
en Wanske, completed face-to-face interviews with
a smaller subset of respondents. While our analysis
is still in process, some initial fndings from our 354
repondents are:
• Ohio State’s population of lecturers is quite stable:
75% have been teaching at Ohio State for three
years or more, and 20% report teaching at Ohio
State for 10 or more years!
• 49% have worked at Ohio State in another capacity
prior to becoming a lecturer, most often as a gradu-
ate associate.
• The majority of respondents teach undergraduate
courses, but 33% also teach graduate students.
• According to our respondents, the most effective
support for lecturers comes from department-spe-
cifc initiatives, such as formal or informal orien-
tations, mentoring relationships, and professional
development opportunities in which lecturers are
invited to participate.
Early this fall on Tuesday, September 2, UCAT will be offering our frst lecturers-only event, “Teaching What You Don’t
Know,” which is based on Therese Huston’s 2009 book of the same name. In addition to offering participants a chance to
get to know each other over coffee and snacks, the workshop will provide strategies for quickly pulling together a course
about a topic that falls outside of one’s area of expertise. Register at http://ucat.osu.edu/participate/events-on-teaching.
LECTURER EVENT: “TEACHING WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW” ON SEPTEMBER 2
Wed, 11/19 - Making Sense of Student Feedback
12–1:30pm | 150 Younkin Success Center
Audience: GTA | Category: STAR | #UCATStar
Are you curious about the value of different types of student feedback? Have you thought about how feedback can assist
you in teaching your courses? We will explore strategies for obtaining and interpreting student feedback, including the SEIs
and beyond.
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Last spring, I decided to try something new in my
classroom – eliminate it altogether by offering my
course “Survey Sampling Methods” entirely online.
No one in my department had online teaching
experience, so I initially felt that I was embarking
on this adventure on my own. Fortunately, lots
of support was available both from OSU and
external resources. In particular, participation in
two UCAT-sponsored programs have helped me
be confdent that my frst online course will be a
success.
First, I joined the Mid–Career and Senior Faculty
Learning Community. I found my colleagues to
be both pleasant companions and accomplished
and knowledgeable educators. The topics of our
monthly discussions were wide-ranging, from
extremely practical suggestions (be sure to include
an image of yourself in the online course to en-
hance the students’ connection) to philosophical
issues (how should we balance students’ changing
expectations and our own experience of what
works?). To inform our discussions, we relied both
on our own experiences and external expertise
via articles and UCAT resources. Even though I
was the only member of the community looking to
move a course online, several others had useful
pointers for me based on their experiences with
either a fipped classroom or online education. I
came to the group with a very specifc aim in mind.
I ended the year both closer to my goal and more
mature in my thoughts about teaching. I enjoyed
myself so much that I plan to be a part of the group
again next year.
Secondly, I participated in the intensive week-
long Course Design Institute. In the hour-long
sneak preview presented to my Community, I had
discovered how far my current process is from
the more pedagogically sound “backward design.”
My complete course re-design for distance ed-
ucation seemed the perfect opportunity to learn
more about backward design. I used this more
systematic and appropriately focused approach to
reduce the overwhelming task of “putting together
a course” to a list of doable tasks that will also be
more effective in leading my students toward the
ambitious course goals. I was able to keep the
capstone project at the core of the course, but
build around it a balanced set of activities that will
ensure the students have practice with the main
ideas of the course – including both theoretical
knowledge and skills. In turn, this focused my con-
tent creation to those ideas necessary to achieve
the course goals in only 14 weeks.
Through my experiences with UCAT, I now think
differently about course design. But, perhaps more
importantly, my participation has also changed
how I think of myself as a teacher in the dynamic
landscape of the modern university.
FEATURED TEACHER: ELLY KAIZAR
COURSE RE-DESIGN FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION
Elly Kaizar is an Associate Professor in the
Department of Staticstics.
“Through my experiences with UCAT, I now think differently about course design.
But, perhaps more importantly, my participation has also changed how I think of myself as a
teacher in the dynamic landscape of the modern university.”
-Elly Kaizar, Department of Statistics
12
One of the many ways in which our students are
different from one another is where they fall on the
introvert – extrovert spectrum. Since the publication
of Susan Cain’s book Quiet: The Power of Introverts
in a World that Can’t Stop Talking (2012), there has
been a food of public conversation about the ways
various social and cultural norms privilege one
side of the spectrum or the other. This past spring,
UCAT offered a workshop in which instructors could
gather to learn how their own and their students’
identifcation as extroverts, introverts, or ambiverts
(people who are somewhere in the middle of
the spectrum and who share characteristics of
both poles) shaped their teaching and learning
experiences. We’ve included some takeaway points
here.
• Introverts are generally drained by social
interactions because they are typically more
cognitively reactive to stimuli—not because
they are shy or sad. When introverts are over-
stimulated, they need more time to process
information. Therefore, in some environments
they have a hard time coming up with on-the-
spot responses or with short-term memory
recall.
• Extroverts are generally energized by
interactions with others, but they are not
necessarily leaders despite their ability to be
outgoing. They tend to be less sensitive to
stimuli, and are comfortable sharing developing
or incomplete ideas.
TEACHING & LEARNING with UCAT
TEACHING INTROVERTS & EXTROVERTS:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Introverts need time and space to retreat;
extroverts need opportunities to engage with
others. Importantly, both introverts and extroverts
beneft from having to do things outside of their
comfort zone. To design activities in ways that both
extroverts and introverts can be successful, we
offer the following:
• Scaffold activities that may be
uncomfortable for either extroverts (like quiet,
individual writing) or introverts (like presenting
in front of the class). Scale up by steadily
increasing the amount of time assigned to each
activity over the term to build confdence and
skills.
• Give students some choice in how they
complete course activities. For example, offer
the students the option of either participating in
a small group discussion or writing individually
frst before having a large group discussion.
by Lindsay Bernhagen, Instructonal Consultant
13
GRADUATE TEACHING ASSOCIATES
GRADUATE TEACHING FELLOWS PROGRAM
The Graduate Teaching Fellows (GTF) Program is a year-
long experience which prepares graduate students from
across disciplines to design and implement Graduate Teach-
ing Associate (GTA) professional development programs
within their home departments.
The program begins with a 3-unit summer semester course,
the Graduate Teaching Fellows Seminar, which introduces
larger issues in graduate student teaching, characteristics
of effective GTA development programs, and useful tools
for designing these programs. Topics include theoretical
perspectives on GTA development, course development
and backward design, project development and evaluation,
and needs assessment. Additionally, the summer course
involves practice in designing and delivering workshops
on teaching topics and culminates in a project proposal
designed to support some aspect of GTA teaching de-
velopment within each of the participants’ departments.
Throughout the course of the following academic year, the
GTF participants meet as a learning community to learn
from each other’s successes and to trouble-shoot challeng-
es. Additionally, GTFs facilitate each of the monthly meet-
ings, which focus not only on checking in with the projects’
progress but also on introducing other topics relevant to GTA
development.
At the conclusion of previous academic year, members of
the 2013-2014 GTF Program cohort noted:
“We learned. A lot. During the summer course, we learned a
great deal not only about teaching within the larger context
of higher education but also about specifc strategies and
methods for providing teaching support. The course was
benefcial in introducing us to other graduate students from
departments across campus, who brought with them a
valuable range of different perspectives and experiences on
teaching. We continued to learn from each other throughout
the academic year as we met to discuss our successes and
challenges.”
“Our projects evolved—in some cases, quite drastically.
Overall, many of us found that our plans for our projects
changed as we encountered the realities of providing sup-
port for graduate students, but these changes were valu-
able. For example, we came to understand the strengths
as well as the challenges within our departments, which
infuenced how we provided teaching support for our fellow
graduate students.”
“We created change. Sometimes the changes were small,
but despite the setbacks and challenges, our projects still
had an impact. We worked to create a positive climate for
GTAs within each of our departments, positioned ourselves
as visible resources for our fellow GTAs, and encouraged
our peers to push each other toward greater success in their
roles by sharing practices and strategies with each other.”
For more information on the departmental nomination
process for the 2015-2016 academic year, please visit
http://ucat.osu.edu/participate/learning-communities/
ostep/graduate-teaching-fellows
New to Carmen? The Offce of Distance Education and
eLearning will be offering a series of workshops to teach
Graduate Teaching Associates the ins and outs of Ohio
State’s course management system this autumn. Please
fnd more information and register for any sessions that in-
terest you by visiting: http://u.osu.edu/carmen/2014/06/05/
odees-carmen-workshop-series-for-gtas/.
Carmen: Getting Started
Fri, Sep 12 | 1:00 – 3:00pm | 119 Campbell Hall
Carmen: Grades
Tue, Sep 16 | 2:30 – 4:30pm | 186 Hagerty Hall
Carmen: Quizzes
Mon, Sep 29 | 2:00 – 4:00pm | 119 Campbell Hall
Carmen: Activities (Discussions, Dropbox, Groups)
Tue, Oct 7 | 12:00 – 2:00pm | 119 Campbell Hall
Carmen: Strategies for Grading Online (Dropbox,
Turnitin, Rubrics)
Tue, Oct. 21 | 2:30 – 4:30pm | 186 Hagerty Hall
ODEE’S CARMEN WORKSHOP SERIES for GTAs
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2014-2015 GRADUATE TEACHING FELLOWS
OPPORTUNITY TO SPECIALIZE IN COLLEGE TEACHING
GRANTS & FUNDING
Each academic year, UCAT requests proposals from
academic units or consortia of units to create, expand, or
signifcantly enhance their local GTA programming through
Seed Grants for GTA Program Enhancement at Ohio State.
We seek to support efforts that provide initial preparation
before GTAs begin their teaching duties, and more impor-
tantly, efforts that provide access to phased, ongoing sup-
port throughout their appointments. The following Principal
Investigators submitted proposals on behalf of their units/
departments which were subsequently recommended to
receive funding for the 2014-2015 academic year:
Offce of Educator Preparation, College of Education
and Human Ecology
PIs: Erica Brownstein and Kristall Day
Department of English
PIs: Kay Halasek and Scott Lloyd DeWitt
Department of Slavic and East European Languages
and Cultures
PIs: Yana Hashamova, Marina Pashkova, and
Ana Kabakova
First-Year Engineering Program, Engineering Educa-
tion Innovation Center
PI: Krista Kecskemety
Spanish Language Program, Department of Spanish
and Portuguese
PIs: Rob Robison, Freda Graan, Kimberly Ditty, and
Glenn Martinez
First-Year Writing Program, Department of English
PI: Edgar Singleton
All funding recommendations were made by a
campus-wide selection committee composed of represen-
tatives from UCAT, the Graduate School, past Seed Grant
recipients, and OSU graduate students.
For more information on the proposal submission pro-
cess for the 2015-2016 academic year, please visit
http://ucat.osu.edu/participate/grant-programs/seed-
grants
Are you a graduate student considering a career as a col-
lege or university faculty member?
The Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization/Minor in Col-
lege and University Teaching (GIST) is open to any graduate
or professional student in good standing at The Ohio State
University. This program allows graduate students to engage
in a rigorous, structured exploration of theories and practice
of university-level teaching, both in general and in their own
discipline, and to develop skills and experience that enable
them to become refective, scholarly teachers as they pre-
pare to enter the professoriate. No prior teaching experience
is required.
For more information and to apply for the GIST, please
visit http://ucat.osu.edu/gis
Alex Anastasia, Women’s, Gender, and
Sexuality Studies
Steven Bengal, Psychology
Britt Butler, Psychology
Nicole Brown, Walter E. Dennis Learning Center
Vicki Garrett, School of Environment and Natural Resources
Susie Mauck, Educational Studies
C.J. Potter, Educational Studies
Tim Sefczek, Anthropology
STARTING TA RESOURCE (STAR) GROUP
STAR is a group for all frst- and second-year GTAs at Ohio
State to socialize with, learn from, encourage, and grow
alongside one another.
Upcoming meetings:
September 3
September 24
October 29
November 19

All meetings are held in 150 Younkin Success Center
from 12–1:30pm.
Join our conversations on Twitter by following
@ohiostateucat and #UCATStar
15
8 WAYS THE LIBRARIES
CAN SUPPORT TEACHERS
1. Course Reserves: Either print or digital, we have ser-
vices to help you make reading materials available to your
students.
2. Off campus access to library content: You and your
students can research literature to which the library sub-
scribes from anywhere on the planet.
3. Copyright compliance: Questions about copyright and
course materials? We can review your syllabus, provide you
with an analysis, and refer you to further resources.
4. Carmen Library Links: Work with your subject librar-
ian to further refne the “Library” link that appears in your
Carmen course shell in order to highlight library resources of
particular merit for your course.
5. Instructional services: Work with your subject librarian
to incorporate assignments, lectures, or class activities
around research in your discipline.
6. InfoLit Toolkit: Review our toolkit for instructional
resources you might use in your class to make information
literacy an explicit skill for your students.
7. Course Enhancement Grants: Receive funding and
contact hours with your subject librarian to revise a course
in order to enhance students’ information and research skills
and use of quality resources in your course.
8. Net.TUTOR tutorials: Key information literacy skills are
taught through a series of over 20 online tutorials. Quizzes
can be incorporated into your course through Carmen.
For links to each service, visit: http://ucat.osu.edu/library-list.
Individual Consultation
If you have a teaching-related concern, idea, or need you’d
like to discuss, one of our instructional consultants will
gladly meet with you one-on-one.
Unit Consultation
UCAT consultants will meet with an individual representa-
tive or a group from your unit to discuss curriculum or other
large-scale projects or concerns.
Course Design Institutes
If you have a new course to design, or an existing course
that needs some new life breathed into it, attend one of our
fve-part Course Design Institutes.
Student Midterm Feedback
A consultant will have a mid-semester conversation with
your students and help you understand their feedback.
Learning Communities
Consider applying to a learning community if you’re inter-
ested in working through a longer-term teaching enhance-
ment project with the support of interdisciplinary peers.
Custom Workshops
A UCAT consultant will plan and facilitate a workshop on a
topic of your choosing for your unit or group.
Open Events
Register for our university-wide events and workshops.
Resources
Browse our website or the Younkin Success Center’s
library for teaching-related books, handouts, and articles.
HOW CAN UCAT HELP YOU?
Mission: Our mission at UCAT is to support and advocate
for all who teach at Ohio State. We aim to help Ohio State’s
teachers approach their work in a scholarly and refective
way, engaging with the research on effective pedagogies,
thus promoting continuous improvement of student learn-
ing. We likewise strive to create a community wherein stu-
dent-focused teaching principles and practices are valued
and in which teachers feel connected to each other. Taken
together, we believe these things engender a campus cul-
ture where teachers have access to the tools, support, and
recognition they need to be confdent and fulflled in their
pedagogical roles at Ohio State.
16