CNA Workshop on Course Design

Michele DiPietro, Associate Director for Graduate Student Support at the Eberly Center, will offer a CNA Workshop on Course Design. Monday April 6, 13, 20, 27, 4:30-6:30 pm, DH 2315. Postdoctoral fellows and advanced graduate students (on year 3 or beyond of their training) are encouraged to attend. Those interested must register with Nancy Watson (nw0z@andrew.cmu.edu) on or before March 20, 2009.

Overview of Student Cognition

Monday April 6, 4:30-6:30 pm, DH 2315

There is no good teaching without learning. as instructors, we can therefore become more effective educators if we understand how students learn and use that knowledge to generate appropriate pedagogical strategies. This seminar will provide an introduction to psychological models of how students learn concepts, principles and skills, and we will discuss how we can facilitate this process. 

Course and Syllabus Design                                     

Monday April 13, 4:30-6:30 pm, DH 2315

Many of the decisions affecting the success of a course take place well before the first day of class. In this seminar, we will analyze effective math syllabi and from there we will abstract a simple model for designing effective courses and articulating the course structure to the students in ways that facilitate their learning.

Supporting Student Learning through Good Assessment Practices

Monday April 20, 4:30-6:30 pm, DH 2315

A critical part of effective teaching is providing feedback to guide students’ efforts to master course material. In this seminar, we will discuss the multiple roles assessment can play in your course to evaluate student learning but also to support it. We will discuss formal and informal ways of assessing student progress, as well as constructive ways of feeding that information back to the students.

Implementing Effective Instructional Strategies

Monday April 27, 4:30-6:30 pm, DH 2315

Regardless of a specific mode of instruction (lecture, one-on-one office hours, computer labs, etc), as instructors we are faced with similar questions: How can I grab and maintain students’ attention? How can I effectively structure my explanations? How can I teach problem-solving and critical thinking? Building on the previous sessions, in this seminar, we will explore suggestions from the research and generate effective pedagogical strategies.