Teaching Well Newsletter

Teaching Fellowship

Congratulations to the 2017-2019 Teaching Fellows:  Lucas Cordova and Jessica Luebbers.

The purpose of the Excellence in Teaching Fellowship Program is to provide faculty and teaching staff with advanced teaching and professional development opportunities to become excellent teachers.  This two-year Teaching Fellowship is sponsored by the Commission on College Teaching (CCT).

Selected Teaching Fellows will have the opportunity to:

• further advance their teaching through mentorship, professional development, research, peer collaboration and leadership opportunities;
• upon successfully meeting program requirements after year one of the program, Fellowship participants will receive a $1,000 award (transferred into department budget).  

OTET Workshop Graduates

Congratulations to the September graduates of the Oregon Tech Excellence in Teaching Workshop:

Bobbi Kowash, Dongbin "Don" Lee, Krista Beaty, Josh Millard, Erin Cox, Tonja Willey, Barry Canaday, Jesse Kinder, Dawn Taylor, Robin Schwartz, Monica Breedlove, Jesse Chaney, Terri Torres, and Darlene Swigart. 

This five-day hands-on practicum provides Oregon Tech educators with an opportunity to work with their peers to learn pedagogy models and improve their teaching abilities.   Participants who complete the workshop earn an Excellence in Teaching Certificate from the Commission on College Teaching.  Prior worship graduates, Addie Clark, Jessica Luebbers and Michal Kawka served as mentors to guide this year’s peers through the process. 

Contact:  CJ Riley or Sharon Beaudry

Help us upgrade the Teaching Talks!

The Commission on College Teaching is excited to announce a new TED-style format for the 2017-18 Teaching Talks, coming soon this winter term.  Help us plan for this event by telling us what you’d like to learn about…

One Question Survey:  https://oit.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8pEAYbQBkgT9kQ5

Contact:  Aja Bettencourt-McCarthy or Travis Lund

OTET Conference Highlight

Faculty Comments:

"The posters were excellent and the connections made during the poster session were invaluable.  Thanks for another opportunity to present via poster and connect!"

"Design thinking workshop was excellent!"

"I am especially interested in going to more Effective Teaching Workshops."

"Best practices for online teaching.  I found the panel for this to be well-informed and they gave very practical, easy-to-use tips for effective online teaching.  Very well done!"

"Interacting with colleagues in a meaningful way."

Fun Numbers:

12 Posters
12 Workshops
95 Faculty Attended
16 Staff Attended 

OTET Conference Book: Being Wrong

Do you want more of “Being Wrong”, this year’s CCT faculty book, or are you simply curious what all the fuss is about?  Check out the author, Kathryn Schulz, in her TED Talk “On Being Wrong”:

 Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/kathryn_schulz_on_being_wrong

Contact:  Aja Bettencourt-McCarthy

Call for Fall Term Grant Proposals!

• Grant Information and materials are available on the website:

  https://www.oit.edu/faculty-staff/resources/committees/commission-college-teaching/innovative-teaching-grants

• Click here to submit Grant Request online:

  https://oit.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bw5JRqvH8skB4e9

• Deadline for submission: November 10, 2017

Contact:  Aja Bettencourt-McCarthy or Travis Lund

From the Students

Students come here because they know Oregon Tech professors are here to teach.  This week, for example, a prospective student asked a group of students and I, “What is great about being a student here?”  Everyone in the group responded, “The professors, because they are here to teach”.  Professors deserve recognition, as top-level students and athletes already do.  The creation of the Excellence of Teaching awards is just the start of a future of professor recognition by students.  That being said, students are also very excited about research opportunities and making a difference while at Oregon Tech. Community projects, research projects with professors, and senior projects tend to challenge students, but also seem to be the highlights of their academic college careers.  Although we may have a reputation for being a teaching school, students deeply value their time spent working with professors as well.  I am excited to aid the CCT in using student perspectives to make helpful decisions for both students and professors across this institution.

Cindy Reed
CCT Student Representative

Double Major: Biology- Health Sciences & Population Health Management
Hometown: Klamath Falls, OR
Athlete: Track & Field with Cross Country

Innovation Grant Recipients

Congratulations to the Fall 2017 Oregon Tech Excellence in Teaching Innovation Grant Recipients

• $1351, Student Perceptions of Asynchronous Writing Feedback, Amber Lancaster
• $1000, Implementation of new, innovative Product Design Software for Senior Projects, Brian Moravec

The proposal submission deadline for the winter term round of funding of CCT’s Innovation Grant is February 2, 2018.  Recall that proposals are invited in four categories:

• (I) Innovative Teaching Methods,
• (II) Education Research,
• (III) On-Campus Workshops/Seminars, and
• (IV) Teaching Workshops/Conferences. 

More information, including the application form (now fully online!) is available at:
https://www.oit.edu/faculty-staff/resources/committees/commission-college-teaching/innovative-teaching-grants

Oregon Tech Foundation Teaching Grant Renewed for a Second Year

Call for Winter Term Oregon Tech Foundation Teaching Grant Proposals!

For the second year in a row, the Oregon Tech Foundation has voted to provide $10,000 in funding for Oregon Tech Foundation Teaching Grants (a second grant opportunity, distinct from CCT’s Innovation Grants).  The deadline for winter term submission is February 2, 2018.  Proposals are invited in four categories:

• (I) Service Learning and Community Connections,
• (II) Innovation and Industry Partnerships,
• (III) Technology for Hands-On Learning, and
• (IV) Undergraduate Research.

More information, including the application form (now fully online!) is available at:
https://www.oit.edu/faculty-staff/resources/committees/commission-college-teaching/oregon-tech-foundation-teaching-grant

CCT New Faculty Training

Congratulations to Oregon Tech’s newest cohort of faculty for their successful completion of CCT’s new fall-term New Faculty Training series! Below is a list of the weekly sessions:

• Week 1: Surviving Your First Term, with Faculty Senate President David Thaemert and Faculty Panel
• Week 2: Using Campus Technology Effectively, with ITS, Oregon Tech Online, and the Oregon Tech Library
• Week 3: FOP Workshop, with Dan Peterson
• Week 4: The Oregon Tech Student, with Dean Foley and Student Services
• Week 5: IDEA Center, with Kristen Konkel
• Week 6: Introduction to Assessment, with Interim Director of Academic Excellence Seth Anthony
• Week 7: Assignment Design, with Kari Lundgren and Oregon Tech Safety, with Sherry Himelwright
• Week 8: Classroom Tips and Pedagogies with Travis Lund, Maria Lynn Kessler and CJ Riley
• Final Celebration: The Tech Nest, Syllabus Policies with Ben Bunting, Carrie Dickson and CCT

For full session information, visit https://www.oit.edu/faculty-staff/resources/committees/commission-college-teaching/new-faculty-training, and contact CCT (or any of the new faculty!) if you would like to hear more about any of these topics!

Oregon Tech Syllabus Information

As you are composing your syllabi for winter term, note that CCT’s website includes a collection of the latest standard syllabi statements (from Disability Services, Title IX reporting, etc.), as well as some sample policy statements (academic integrity, digital device policy, etc.)

Currently, CCT maintains this collection of sample syllabus statements located on our website:
https://www.oit.edu/faculty-staff/resources/committees/commission-college-teaching/oregon-tech-syllabi

A CCT subcommittee is currently working on expanding this resource to include more example language, as well as syllabus templates. The motivation behind this effort is to encourage more uniformity in syllabus design across the university so syllabi are easier for students to read and understand. Ultimately, a universal Oregon Tech syllabus template would allow important university information to be communicated to students in a predictable and uniform way while still allowing individual faculty the freedom to present information pertaining only to their unique classes as they see fit.

If you have any questions about or suggestions for the continued development of this resource, contact:  Carrie Dickson or Ben Bunting.

Recommended Reading

Don’t let being away from campus keep you away from the news: Chronicle of Higher Education is available in Full from the Oregon Tech Library!

What the best college teachers do

Creating cultures of thinking: the 8 forces we must master to truly transform our schools

Lean engineering education: driving content and competency mastery

Reach before you teach: ignite passion and purpose in your classroom

McKeachie's teaching tips: strategies, research, and theory for college and university

Small teaching: everyday lessons from the science of learning

From the Students

With all of our attention on finals, it’s easy for us to forget how much work goes into grading finals, preparing for next term, and evaluating last term for improvements. After ten weeks of discussing with students, athletes, and peer consultants on the Klamath Falls campus, I’ve identified three main thoughts that seem to resonate among students about this past term.

The student consensus after this term reiterate 1) there is need for keeping classes timely and organized. Students comment that they prefer studying rather than attending class when too much class time is used for non-related topics. Of course it isn’t ideal to have students out of class, but keeping a focused classroom may help. Also, students seem particularly excited by classes in which professors are excited about the course too. 2) Remember to encourage students to work through a problem rather than providing an answer or explanation. Students want to learn material on their own, but sometimes it requires additional help. My conversations with students this term have revealed that some are worried about asking for help because they do not want answers handed to them. Perhaps reminding students to seek help and ensuring that you won’t hand them answers will help. Even better, you can remind students to say “don’t tell me the answer” as a reminder. 3) Encourage students to practice teaching each other content (this is especially useful because it helps students identify problem spots in their understanding). There has been a lot conversation among students this term about using teaching as a study tactic. Perhaps we can encourage students to reinforce their math or chemistry knowledge by offering tutoring for high school students. Could this not be a source for extra cash?

With these thoughts in mind, I want to thank you for your dedication to teaching and to students.  I wish you all a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! 

Cindy Reed
CCT Student Representative

Double Major: Biology- Health Sciences & Population Health Management
Hometown: Klamath Falls, OR
Athlete: Track & Field with Cross Country

ITS Workshop: Power Up Oregon Tech Synchronous Classroom Delivery

3 Times to Choose from:

Thursday, February 1, 2018, 2:00 PM, Boivin Hall 159 or Wilsonville Room 106

Thursday, February 8, 2018, 11:00 AM, Boivin Hall 159 or Wilsonville Room 106

Thursday, February 22, 2018, 2:00 PM, Boivin Hall 159 or Wilsonville Room 106

•  What is a synchronous classroom delivery?
• What are the requirements for synchronous classroom setup?
• Open Discussion

Presented by Edis Worden, Educational Technologist

Refreshments will be provided.

CCT accepting Grant Requests for 2 different grant funds!

Winter Term Deadline: February 12, 2018

OTET Innovation Grant | funded by CCT

Oregon Tech Foundation Teaching Grant | funded by Oregon Tech Foundation

There is now only one Proposal Form to complete, available online.  Simply select which Grant you are applying for to complete the rest of the form.

Application Form

URL:  https://oit.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9FGF1Z9QVn5MPnn&Q_JFE=0

More information available on the website: www.oit.edu/cct

Let’s Engage - Diverse Perspectives ESLO

DP Defined:

“Recognition of diverse perspectives requires the self-awareness, intellectual flexibility, and broad knowledge that enables perception of the world through the eyes of others. This includes but is not limited to the awareness and understanding of the customs, practices, methodologies, and viewpoints of varied cultures, individuals, and identities.”

DP Workshops:

CCT and the DP Committee will be hosting two workshops this year to help departments understand, identify and develop DP assignments at the practicing level. 

DP Assignments & Rubric:  Friday, February 23 @ 2:00 to 3:30 pm, Klamath Falls, Mt. Bailey

This session will explore a variety of DP assignments as well as the details of the rubric so departments can investigate a range of options that DP can be worked into the curriculum.

Portland-Metro campus: Remote arrangements have been coordinated for you to join.

• If you would like to join via Skype link, click here: Join online meeting
• If you would like to join via phone, please call this number: (888) 858-6021 and enter this Conference ID: 9679125083

DP Assignment Development:  Friday, April 20 @ 2:00 to 3:30 pm, Klamath Falls, Mt. Bailey

This session will include a hands-on workshop to develop DP assignments at the practicing and capstone levels.  

Portland-Metro campus: Remote arrangements have been coordinated for you to join.

• If you would like to join via Skype link, click here:Join online meeting
• If you would like to join via phone, please call this number: (888) 858-6021 and enter this Conference ID: 9679125083

DP Events:  DP events are happening all the time on campus, and now Student Life is highlighting these events in the  TP Press.   February features includes the film: Battle of the Sexes, Canadian Cultural hour, and Black History month events.

Being Wrong at the Winter Leadership Summit

Oregon Tech faculty and CCT members had the opportunity to discuss this year’s book “Being Wrong” at the Winter Leadership Summit hosted last weekend by Campus Life. 

We had a wonderful discussion with students and other attendees and look forward to future opportunities to share the ideas and this book, and the conversations they generate, with the campus.

For more information on the book visit: http://www.library.oit.edu/sp/subjects/guide.php?subject=beingwrong

Book Review @ Your Library

Looking for something new to read this quarter?   Interested in learning how to spark discussion in your classroom? 

Check out Questioning for Classroom Discussion: Purposeful Speaking, Engaged Listening, Deep Thinking available online from the Oregon Tech Library.

Oregon Tech Foundation Teaching Award

Do you know an outstanding professor?

Watch for an email in February announcing the nomination process for this year’s Oregon Tech Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award. 

The Foundation looks forward to honoring faculty members whose talents as teachers make a difference in the lives of students.  Award recipients will receive a $1,000 stipend, pick their own parking spot on campus and will be honored with a Certificate.

From the Students

Greetings faculty!

The center of our focus this month has been on enhancing the Excellence in Teaching Award, which was created only last year.  Being the second year of the award, our goal is to implement improvements based off of last year’s award and make a step into making this a well-known Oregon Tech event.  Our biggest goal is to increase student participation.  To achieve this, we are working with ASOIT to facilitate student input and resources to help market the award. Professors, be at your best in the next few months and encourage students to nominate when the award opens in March!  We’re very excited to see this grow.  As students at Oregon Tech, a recognized teaching institution, we’re aware and thankful for our professors and faculty who dedicate their time to students.  With this award, we can give back our thanks and respect to you.

Happy February and see you in the classroom.

Cindy Reed, 
CCT Student Representative

Double Major: Biology- Health Sciences & Population Health Management
Hometown: Klamath Falls, OR
Athlete: Track & Field with Cross Country

Grant Recipients

Congratulations to the Winter term CCT OTET Innovation Grant Recipients

Yanqing Gao & Wangpin Sun | $1,000 | Attending the 11^th International Conference on e-Learning and Innovative Pedagogies

Kevin Garrett, Alishia Huntoon & Trevor Petersen | $500 | Improving Student Learning and Engagement through Interactive Classroom Technology

Congratulations to the Winter term Oregon Tech Foundation Excellence in Teaching Grant Recipients

Andria Fultz | $2,000 | RockStat-C

Kevin Garrett, Alishia Huntoon & Trevor Petersen | $1,371 | Improving Student Engagement through Interactive Classroom Technology

OER Library Application

Low cost, No cost, and Open Educations Resources 
 
Call for Proposals 

The Oregon Tech Libraries want to support teaching faculty in developing open and easier to access texts and educational materials for Oregon Tech students. To this end the libraries seeks applicants for two initiatives: 

• Adopt or adapt – Redesign your course to incorporate an existing open textbook or open course content as is or remixed to meet learning objectives. (Up to $500 per course)

Apply: https://oit.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9ZdaNr4ACisjLHn 

• Create a substantially new open textbook or open course where it is possible to demonstrate that quality resources are not currently available to meet learning objectives. (Up to $1000 per text replacement)

Apply: https://oit.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bpwSpaWsHtR1HHD 

Priority will be given to upper division and to program specific courses. 

Stipend recipients agree to adapt or create materials to use in the 2018-19 academic year and present on the process during Spring term 2019. Any new creative works will be hosted through the Oregon Tech Libraries digital collections, or Libraries publishing.  

Resources on OER and LC/NC materials are available through the library: http://www.library.oit.edu/sp/subjects/guide.php?subject=OER  

Applications are Due: April 13, 2018 

Applicants will be notified by: April 30, 2018 

REVIEW COMMITTEE:

• Dawn Lowe-Wincentsen, Libraries
• Gregg Waterman, Math
• Alishia Huntoon, Psychology
• Aja Bettencourt-McCarthy, Libraries
• CJ Riley, Civil Engineering

Student Success Center Conference Registration Reminder

The Oregon Tech Student Success Center is pleased to announce the first ever Student Success Conference set to take place on Saturday, April 7, 2018 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm.  This conference will bring together faculty, staff, and students who desire to enrich the undergraduate experience—especially for our unique population of non-traditional and underrepresented students. This is an opportunity to discuss the challenges these students face and the practices that are making a difference to their success at Oregon Tech. Attendance is open to all Oregon Tech faculty, staff, and students who wish to learn more about the initiatives driving collaborative learning and student success.

Call for Presentations Deadline: Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Conference Registration Deadline: Thursday, March 15, 2018

For more information about registration or to propose a conference presentation, please visit our website: https://www.oit.edu/student-success-conference

Oregon Tech Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award

SEEKING NOMINATIONS

Nominations accepted from Faculty, Students, and Staff

1 Faculty member from the College of Engineering, Technology and Management (ETM)

1 Faculty member from the College of Health, Arts and Sciences (HAS)

Submit Nomination Form

URL: https://oit.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0ept0vksMGzqidn

Due by Wednesday, April 11, 2018

The Oregon Tech Foundation and The Commission on College Teaching (CCT) seek nominations for the recipients of the 2017-18 Oregon Tech Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award. 

The Foundation looks forward to honoring faculty members whose talents as teachers make a difference in the lives of students.  Award recipients will receive a $1,000 stipend, their own parking spot and be honored with a Certificate.

AWARD CRITERIA

Recipients of the Oregon Tech Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award should demonstrate one or more of the following:

• Outstanding teaching performance as evidenced by engaging instruction, positive interaction with, and availability to, students.
• Exemplary commitment to students through academic advising, or extra-curricular involvement and advising, both formal and informal.
• Leadership in initiatives supporting student success.

WHO WON LAST YEAR?

Matthew Sleep, Assistant Professor from the College of Engineering, Technology and Management

Burt Clark, Professor from the College of Health, Arts and Sciences

Support your Students: Place your Textbook on Course Reserve

Looking for a simple way to help your students and support their reading of class materials?  Consider placing a copy of your textbook on Course Reserves in the library.  Students will be able to check the book out for a set period of time (usually 2 hours or 1 day) and we'll return your book at the end of the term. 

For more information, visit:
https://www.oit.edu/libraries/about/services/faculty

Teaching T.A.L.K.S.

Kevin Brown and Veronica Koehn of the Communication department attended Teaching T.A.L.K.S. IV at Oregon State on March 9th.  Teaching Talks bring together community college and university faculty from across the state; each talk is focused on an overarching idea to improve pedagogy, and this year's focus was Teamwork.  Due to the newly revised Teamwork ESLO, Veronica and Kevin were asked to give a presentation on Oregon Tech's Teamwork outcome.  They discussed the reasons that Teamwork was adopted as a university outcome, the process through which the Teamwork ESLO was developed, and the three-stage pedagogic model underlying all of the ESLOs, including Teamwork.  The ways in which Teamwork is assessed was also discussed. The presentation was very well-received, with several in attendance asking for a copy of their PowerPoint presentation.  Kevin and Veronica are now involved in discussions with faculty at other universities who are interested in Teamwork as an outcome. 

Spring Break Recommended Reading

Travis Lund:  It seems that binge-watching and binge-reading have parallels with cramming and collegiate "binge-learning." Check out the following article, and consider the implications for course design, programmatic learning pathways, and the cognitive science of effective learning! 

• https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/01/what-was-this-article-about-again/551603/

Ben Bunting:  While Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Conversation In a Digital Age isn't a book about teaching, per se, author Sherry Turkle has been assessing digital technology's influence on our lives since 1984's The Second Self, and starting with 2011's Alone Together she has focused particularly on mobile technology and social media's effects on high-school and college-age students. If you rely at all on conversation in your classrooms, or are simply looking to be more informed about how the current generation of students learn, process that learning, and then communicate (or don't), I can't recommend this book enough.

• https://www.amazon.com/Reclaiming-Conversation-Power-Talk-Digital-ebook/dp/B00SI0B6PC

• Library version available: https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=CP71232439690001451&context=L&vid=OIT&search_scope=oit_alma_summit_primo_central&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US 

A week-long experience developing teaching skills leading to a teaching certificate

The Commission on College Teaching will once again present the Oregon Tech Excellence in Teaching (OTET) Workshop (September 10-14, 2018).  This five-day practicum provides Oregon Tech educators with an opportunity to improve their teaching abilities.  This workshop has been adapted for Oregon Tech based on the highly successful ExCEEd Model.   Participants who complete the workshops will earn an Excellence in Teaching Certificate from the Commission on College Teaching (CCT), and will have the opportunity to apply for a CCT Excellence in Teaching Fellowship. 

The OTET workshops produced 30 graduates who reported increasing their average IDEA center score from 4.3 to 4.6. 

Participant Comments:

• “I just received my evaluation results, I am ecstatic with the results.”
• “I feel like the tools I learned benefited my classes greatly!”
• “I was nervous at first to change what worked in the past, but the level of engagement and rapport with the students made every change invaluable.”
• “The workshop was a life changing experience for me as I develop my teaching skills. It gave me confidence and made my instruction much more interesting and valuable.”
• “I felt that incorporating many of the OTET tools into my classes this past term made the courses more focused and led to students not only learning the material better, but able to extrapolate from the material in really interesting ways.”

There are limited seats available for this popular workshop! As such, accepted participants will be required to commit to the full week workshop.  Those that apply  by June 1st and are accepted into the workshop will receive a copy of the book Mastering the Techniques of Teaching by Joseph Lowman for summer reading. 

Complete your Application Here:  Workshop Application

Monday, September 17, 2018
Klamath Falls Campus
College Union, 2^nd Floor
Poster Session | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Lunch | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Afternoon Sessions | 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

CALL FOR POSTER AND SESSION PRESENTERS

Deadline to submit application: Friday, June 22, 2018

CCT is seeking poster presenters and session presenters for our Fourth Annual Oregon Tech Excellence in Teaching Conference.  Poster presenters and session presentations can address anything to do with teaching.  While you have the summer to complete your poster or prepare your presentation, we would like interested participants to complete this form by Friday, June 22, 2018.

Please contact the poster and session coordinator, Ben Bunting with any questions. 

Notifications will be made by June 29, 2018 and additional instructions and resources will be made available on that date as well.

Poster printing will be paid for by CCT.  Please see more details on the website: www.oit.edu/cctconference

Complete your Application Here:  Poster and Session Presenter Application

PRE-REGISTER FOR FREE BOOK

Pre-register by Monday, June 18 to receive a complimentary copy of the conference book!

You are cordially invited to join us for an active-learning day with Oregon Tech faculty and staff. Enjoy a free lunch, walk around to see the poster presenters and attend concurrent afternoon sessions with a chance to learn more about what your colleagues are doing that may inspire more ideas!

Pre-Register Here:  Register to Attend

Do you want to teach in the new innovative classroom Fall Term 2018?

The Commission on College Teaching is seeking applications from faculty to teach in the new Active Learning Center, an innovative and flexible classroom that supports team-based learning.  This center, available in the fall of 2018, is supported by a grant from Steelcase Education, and will feature modular, flexible furnishings, teaching equipment, and whiteboards.

This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of a ground-breaking classroom and to participate in research to explore how an environment can support learning.  The classroom will hold up to 30 students in Owens Hall.

For more details, please go to the Website: www.oit.edu/cctactivelearningcenter

Complete your Application Here: ALC Application

The Oregon Tech Foundation and the Commission on College Teaching would like to congratulate to the 2018 Award Recipients!

Irina Demeshko, Associate Professor
Engineering, Technology & Management

“Irina is an organized, dedicated professor with a love for her profession, her students and education. She excels at instructing students on theory, gives worked examples of problems and gives well-structured and relevant lectures. She helps students in class and out of class understand the material and creates interesting labs that require out of the box thinking and problem solving skills. Also Irina is the adviser for the Society of Women’s Engineers.”

“Irina is always cordial and her door is always open to her students and faculty.  She always has a positive attitude.”

“Irina is an exceptional faculty and person, always willing to go the extra mile for her students.”

“By far the most impressive aspects of Irina's work are her teaching, tutoring, and development of engineering students.  Irina dedicates a significant amount of time to helping students get jobs, both while in school and upon graduation.  Irina serves the department, institution, and community tirelessly.   Some notable activities include Preview Day & Tech Trek events and acquiring resources for her students with RBC and Innovative Teaching grants (especially in her specialization area of 3D Printing).“

Andria Fultz, Assistant Professor
Health, Arts & Sciences

“Professor Fultz teaches Speech Fundamentals and Small Group Communication - useful skills for daily work and home life but always applied in some sort of context.  Most people don't give speeches or work in groups for the sake of doing so - Professor Fultz knows this and gives that context to the class.  Speech is given the context of teaching or instructing the class.  Group work is given the context of building a device or process that will actually be used by students.  Her approach is engineering applied to communications.”

“Outside of her classes, Professor Fultz is dedicated to the same principles of applied learning.  She advises the Portland-Metro Inventor's Club - a student club allowing for both engineer and non-engineering students to gain hands-on experience in crafting inventions and presenting them to the public.” 

“Perhaps even more impressively, Professor Fultz has taken the reins on project-managing this year's RockSat-C project.  She mediates the work relationships, budgets, and work flow of a very talented team building a sound rocket payload that will send a variety of experiments, including four capstones, into space from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.  She is absolutely critical in the success of this project.”

Nominees:  We received 107 Nominations and Support Statements for 54 Faculty Members!

Award Selection Committee:

Faith Lee, ASOIT President Klamath Falls
Peggy Hawkins, ASOIT President Portland-Metro
Cindy Reed, CCT Student Representative
Matthew Sleep, ETM Prior Award Recipient
Dan Peterson, CCT Representative
Sally Jones, Oregon Tech Foundation Board Representative
Seth Anthony, Interim Director of the Office of Academic Excellence
Nellie Stewart, Executive Assistant to the Office Academic Excellence

Congratulations to the Spring term CCT OTET Innovation Grant Recipient

• Irina Demeshko | $1,000 | Attend WE 2018 Conference
• Irina Demeshko | $3,799 | Portable Laser Cutter to Enhance Learning
• Matt Frye, Franny Howes, Kari Lundgren, Matt Schnackenberg | $850 | Communication Program Rubric Development and Writing Assessment
• Maria Lynn Kessler | $500 | Adapt OER Materials for PSY Courses+

Congratulations to the Spring term Oregon Tech Foundation Excellence in Teaching Grant Recipient

• Irina Demeshko | $1,795 | Portable Laser Cutter to Enhance Learning

More information available on the website: www.oit.edu/cct

The Oregon Tech Commission on College Teaching hosted a new event, open to educators and all interested parties in the Klamath Falls community.

Excellence in Teaching Talks was an evening of, short, TED-style talks on innovative and effective educational practices, delivered by educators, students, and others.  The event was open to both the Oregon Tech campus and Klamath Falls community.  Movie Theatre refreshments were provided.

This event was streamed live and recorded on the Oregon Tech YouTube Channel, check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr-oFiSx1tw&list=PLERmye1a8pDNJr-0P55NdddkK9D5EYdc_

News from Zone Conference – take 2 + ASSE-PNW Award Winners!

2018 PNW Section Best Paper Award

"Teaching economics of electricity markets using a web-based model market game," David K. Hammond and H. J. Corsair, both from Oregon Institute of Technology - Portland Metro

Congratulations to David Hammond and Hope Corsair!

The new Active Learning Classroom, located in Owens 201 on the Klamath Falls campus, was created through a grant from Steelcase Education.  This Fall we have 10 faculty members that are using this new class and conducting research regarding how the classroom is affecting student learning.  Here is what students are saying about the room:

• “In my opinion, the classroom is wonderful!  For me, it is a comfortable learning environment and allows me to stay focused longer.  The  setup of the classroom is great and I enjoy having class in Owens 201.”
• “I do like our classroom in the new active learning classroom.  It is fairly easy to see everyone and hear what is being said.  Also, these interactive boards are awesome!”

Active Learning Center Classroom – Owens Hall, Room 201

Apply for Winter 2019, Spring 2019 and Summer 2019

The Commission on College Teaching is seeking applications from faculty to teach in the new Active Learning Center, an innovative and flexible classroom that supports team-based learning.  This center is supported by a grant from Steelcase Education and features modular, flexible furnishings, teaching equipment, and whiteboards.  The classroom holds up to 30 students.

Desired Teaching Methods: 
This classroom will support teaching, learning, and student success in an active learning environment. Specifically, the CCT seeks faculty whose pedagogy will support the following: 

1. Essential Student Synthesis Experience (ESSE) that addresses collaborative problem-based learning or
2. A course that develops student teamwork skills in an active learning and collaborative environment.  

Research Activity:

Faculty using this classroom will agree to participate in the following research activities:  

1. The development of student teamwork skills.  This will require the assessment of one assignment using the ESLO Teamwork Rubric. This data will be entered into the assessment software by the instructor.  
2. The engagement of students and instructors in an active learning environment.  This will be assessed through surveys completed by the instructor and students. 
3. The influence of the learning environment on classroom pedagogies.  This will be assessed through periodic documentation of class period activities.

The time commitment for faculty related to research is estimated to be 2-3 hours per course per term. This research will be collected by CCT from all faculty using the ALC.  The work will be used for the Steelcase Grant annual report as well as other publications.  Faculty using the ALC will also be encouraged to share their experience through CCT events, articles and research.   

More details on the website: www.oit.edu/cctactivelearningcenter  

Excellence in Teaching Conference

OTET Conference Highlight

Participant Comments:

• "I found the poster session the most interesting.  I loved learning what other faculty members are doing.”
• "I always enjoy OTET.  Thanks for all of your work!”
• "I liked the poster session because it was great to have an hour to walk around that talk to faculty after the long summer break and catch up on what some of them have been working on.”
• "I really loved the sessions I attended.  The GIS talk was amazing, and I implemented a student survey this term using the tool that John Ritter demonstrated.”

Numbers:

• 13 Posters
• 7 Afternoon Sessions
• 97 Faculty Attended
• 6 Staff Attended 

More details on the website: www.oit.edu/cctconference

Have you read CCT’s book for the year Reclaiming Conversation, The Power of Talk in the Digital Age? 

Are you interested in learning more about writing and speaking as part of the Communication Engage year? 

Check out Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom.

Excellence in Teaching Workshop – 3 Question Survey

OTET Workshop on the Portland-Metro Campus for 2019?

The Oregon Tech Commission on College Teaching is inquiring as to the interest of holding the week-long Oregon Tech Excellence in Teaching (OTET) Workshop on the Portland-Metro campus for 2019.  The past 3 years, CCT has offered the OTET Workshop on the Klamath Falls campus with over 40 participants.  Past participants have given the workshop excellent reviews.      

In the workshop, faculty and staff participate in seminars covering content in teaching and learning theories, learning objectives, class participation, organization, communication techniques, and assessment.  Faculty then apply this knowledge during practice teaching sessions to small groups utilizing the models learned.  They receive constructive feedback and support from mentors and fellow participants. 

We would very much appreciate it if you would take time to give us input on your interest and possible dates for the OTET Workshop.