Bringing Theory to Practice Workshops – Winter Quarter

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bttop

Winter Quarter is Just Around the Corner – Start Planning Your Courses Now

 

Mon. Dec 5th, 12-2pm: Syllabus Design Workshop: Tips & Strategies for Planning Your Course for Winter Quarter

Location: Hershey Hall 164

 

Tues. Dec 6th, 1-3pm: Introduction to iClicker Polling Software for Improving Student Engagement: Get set-up with the iClicker software and learn some tips and strategies for effective implementation and question design.

Location: 4100 Terasaki Life Sciences Building

 

Wed. Dec 7th, 12-2pm: How to Design Compelling Multiple Choice Questions for Polling (iClickers) and Assessment. Learn strategies for constructing effective multiple choice questions.

Location: Hershey Hall 164
*This workshop may also be helpful to attend if you attend the Dec. 6th workshop on introducing iClicker software to develop clicker questions.

 

Please click here to RSVP to one or more of these BTtoP workshops

CEILS Mid-Quarter Course Evaluation Resource Now Available in CCLE

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If you are looking for ways to get feedback from your students on their learning and your teaching effectiveness, providing a feedback survey at the mid-quarter is one recommendation. To help facilitate this, CEILS has developed a “questionnaire template” with approximately 20 questions. You can use the resource “as-is” or customize for your course. Simply copy the questionnaire into your course, edit/add any questions, and adjust the settings to suit your needs. Once added, this resource is private to your course and just for you and your students to view and participate.

PREVIEW the CEILS Mid-Quarter Course Evaluation 

VIDEO TUTORIAL: Customizing the CEILS Mid-Quarter Course Evaluation in CCLE

CEILS Welcomes Rachel Kennison as Associate Director for Professional Development and Student Engagement

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Rachel Kennison

Rachel received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College, MS in Clinical Social Work from Columbia University and her PhD in Biology from UCLA in 2008. Her graduate research focused on studying the structure and function of southern California estuaries, and the patterns of nutrient availability and macroalgal blooms. Her overriding goal was to further her passion for communicating science to a broad audience, teaching and mentoring and working with underrepresented students in science to improve the pipeline to higher education. After graduating she worked as Co-Director for the Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence-West, a program connecting K-12 teachers with marine scientists and implementing cutting edge research into the K-12 classroom.

Rachel teaches the Career Development for Life Science Majors course (LS 110), exposing students to a variety of career opportunities in the sciences and featuring UCLA faculty and alumni speakers from various industries. Additionally, Rachel runs all of the programming for the CEILS CIRTL (Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning) program. CIRTL provides professional development opportunities for future faculty (graduate students and postdoctoral scholars) interested in academic careers at the intersection of research and teaching.

Rachel can be contacted at rkennison@ceils.ucla.edu.

100+ Faculty Join CEILS for 3rd Annual “UCLA Faculty Workshop on Best Practices in Teaching”

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CEILS hosted the third annual Faculty Workshop on Best Practices in Teaching on September 14th. The day-long event featured sessions on UCLA’s undergraduate students and their current barriers to academic success and persistence in STEM fields. Throughout the day, session facilitators highlighted inclusive and equitable teaching strategies designed to support student success as well as using backwards design to organize a single lesson or an entire course. Participants practiced writing learning outcomes, were exposed to a variety of active learning strategies, and considered multiple ways to assess student learning. Concurrent sessions provided a choice of topics for participants to explore in more depth including group work and collaborative instruction, question writing, concept mapping, and classroom technology supporting hybrid and flipped learning environments. Additionally, representatives from multiple campus units came to highlight their programs and services and offer additional resources to support all instructors in their teaching at UCLA.

Thank you to all who helped make the event a huge success!

Photo: Jordan Moberg Parker highlights strategies for effective assessment of student learning.

Shanna Shaked Joins CEILS as Senior Associate Director for Physical Sciences Initiatives!

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ShannaShakedDr. Shaked is a leader at UCLA in the use of evidence-based teaching techniques, particularly those that aid in the retention of underrepresented groups. She has also pioneered a range of interdisciplinary teaching collaborations with faculty across the UCLA Physical and Life Sciences. After earning her B.S. and B.A. in Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics from the University of Arizona, she received a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Ithaca College.  Her research experience ranges across astrophysics, biophysics, environmental physics, pollutant modeling, sustainability, and ultimately physics education research. At UCLA, Dr. Shaked has initiated a range of evidence-based teaching techniques, such as an interdisciplinary undergraduate Learning Assistant program to promote active learning and inclusivity in large lecture courses. She is an expert in the implementation of pre- and post-tests and surveys to assess the effectiveness such educational interventions.

The overall focus of Dr. Shaked’s efforts in CEILS is to identify and address the educational needs and interests of Physical Science faculty, and in so doing, support the academic success of all UCLA students. Connect with Shanna at shaked@ceils.ucla.edu.

Professor Will Conley presented as 2016 My Last Lecture Award Recipient

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Please join us in congratulating 2016 My Last Lecture Award Recipient:

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Professor Will Conley, UCLA Department of Mathematics

More than 50 years ago, the “My Last Lecture” award was established to honor a UCLA professor who is an inspiration to students. Every year, the Alumni Scholars Club asks students from all over campus to vote for their favorite professor, the one whose teaching has inspired them the most. These notable UCLA professors were given the chance to put all of their life lessons and advice for students into one “last lecture.”

The Alumni Scholars Club (ASC) hosted this year’s ceremony on Tuesday May 17th at the De Neve Auditorium. On this day Professor Conley not only received his award, but also gave an inspiring lecture on the question posed to the original lecturers more than 50 years ago:  What would you tell your audience if you had but one lecture to give – your last lecture on this earth?

Congrats, Will, and thank you for your inspirational teaching!

To see past recipients of this award and watch their lectures, please see the UCLA Alumni website here.

Professors Frank Laski and Jamie Lloyd-Smith are the 2016 Distinguished Teaching Award Winners

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CEILS  is proud to share the news that two faculty members from the Division of Life Sciences are recipients of the 2016 Distinguished Teaching Award, awarded by the Academic Senate Committee on Teaching: Dr. Frank Laski (MCDB and the LS Core) and Dr. Jamie Lloyd-Smith (EEB).

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Frank and Jamie are among six award recipients this year, in a large field of nominees with extraordinary records in the classroom, which is a testimony to their accomplishments as teachers, mentors, and colleagues. The Distinguished Teaching Award honors individuals who bring respect and admiration to the scholarship of teaching.

 

Congratulations, Frank and Jamie!

UCLA Climate Scientists Aradhna Tripati and Alex Hall featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

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Watch the video here (warning: includes bleeped profanity!)

Tripati and Hall were among 6 climate scientists featured in Kimmel’s late night show. Jimmy takes a moment to talk about climate change and the confusing political argument that has emerged around it. NASA says that 97 percent of climate scientists agree that the warming we are experiencing is very likely due to human activity.

Tama Hasson and Michael Alfaro Among the Winners for the 2016 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Awards

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The Academic Senate and its Committee on Diversity and Equal Opportunity (CODEO) have announced the recipients of the 2015-2016 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Awards. Each year, CODEO honors one undergraduate student, one graduate student, one staff and four faculty members for their contributions to furthering a diverse, impartial, and inclusive environment at UCLA.

 

alfaroFaculty Student Development DEI Award Recipients: Professor Michael Alfaro, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is this year’s Faculty Student Development DEI Award recipient. In the Spring of 2014, Professor Alfaro was one of the campus leaders who was tasked with developing a proposal to establish a diversity course requirement for undergraduate students in the College of Letters and Science. The proposal articulated the goals of the diversity requirement at UCLA as well as set criteria for courses satisfying the requirement, including numerous community-based courses. His leadership in this area contributed to the successful passage of the diversity requirement. Professor Alfaro also chaired the Diversity Implementation Committee that was charged with developing a process for syllabi evaluation, determining demand, and existing capacity for the new requirement and identifying additional resources required to mount the requirement for Fall 2015. He currently chairs both the Diversity Initiative Steering Committee and the Diversity Requirement ad hoc Committee.

 

hassonStaff Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award Recipient: Tama Hasson, the Academic Director of the Program for Excellence in Education and Research in the Sciences (PEERS), is this year’s Staff DEI Award recipient. She has personally worked with and mentored more than 1000 students through a variety of programs at UCLA, all of which emphasize the success of students from underserved backgrounds. Dr. Hasson also played a leading role in the development of the curriculum that prepares these students to succeed in majors where they often are not successful. Since arriving at UCLA she has obtained at least 10 grants to support underserved and minority students to achieve educational and research excellence.