1.1 Research in the Composition Classroom in a Post Truth Age
Room: McCormack Hall, 2nd floor, Room 116
The presenters will share their current experience creating a composition course that addresses the issues and challenges associated with teaching and doing research in a so-called Post Truth Age. What does this mean in the context of the composition classroom where we expect our students to think critically, ask questions, and examine multiple perspectives on issues as they arrive at their own well-reasoned understanding of truth? The presenters will share both conceptual and practical methods including readings, classroom activities, and assignments they have developed in response to Professor Rodgers’ (emeritus professor of history at Princeton University), call to commit ourselves to teaching our students “…truth’s complexity and the processes by which one searches for it.”
Presenters: Victoria Kingsley, English; Teresa Maceira, Healey Library
1.2 Student Voice vs. Academic Voice: I Don’t Speak (Academic) English, Only
Room: McCormack Hall, 3rd floor, Room 407
This workshop is designed to explore issues surrounding the connection between students’ “academic voice” and their “student voice,” how they think about this distinction, and how they incorporate both voices into their writing and academic lives. We will explore topics such as academic language as shorthand for Whiteness or Americanness and how students feel the need to change their speech and writing patterns to fit into the academic paradigm. The workshop is designed so that participants leave contemplating broader strategies for moving beyond the standard thinking about Standard Academic English.
- Workshop Facilitators: Kurt Klopmeier, Kathleen Raddatz, Timothy Connors, Meesh McCarthy, Krysten Hill, and Ian Drinkwater, Justin Saret, Academic Support Programs
1.3 An Interprofessional Seminar to Improve Post-Hospital Medication Safety.
Room: McCormack Hall, 3rd floor, Room 430
This session will review the design and implementation of an interprofessional seminar to address post-hospital medication management, which is a common and complex patient safety concern. Interactive teaching strategies and preliminary seminar feedback will be shared.
- Presenters: Janice Foust and Louise Ford, Nursing
1.4 A “Clicker” Toolkit
Room: McCormack Hall, 2nd floor, Room 404
Video of Session 1.4
Classroom Personal Response Systems, aka “clickers” are being used in a wide and growing range of classes at UMass Boston. “Clickers” facilitate active learning by allowing instructors to rapidly collect students’ responses to questions and other activities in real time during class. This interactive presentation (we will use iClickers) is intended as a “clicker toolkit” – a set of ideas that should apply in a wide range of classes. Brian will discuss and demonstrate the different learning goals that clicker questions can address and the different types of questions to meet different learning goals. He will also explore the role of the right answer in effective clicker use – when to give a hint; how to address wrong answers; when to explain the right answer; etc. In addition, he will demonstrate innovative uses of clickers in simulations. Although this session will use iClickers – the principles explored are technology-independent.
- Presenter: Brian White, Biology