Provost's Conversations on Teaching and Learning

Dr. Bean illustrates how to blend creativity theory and concept learning using lyric composition in small groups, as a culminating experience in a problem-based learning environment. How can classes in the disciplines take up this strategy entitled ReWrite to explore and pursue big questions (e.g. climate change causes, effects, and possible solutions)?

Using examples from collaborative projects completed with partnering businesses in a variety of areas, Michelle Carpenter and Dr. Yuping Liu-Thompkins of ODU's Department of Marketing discuss the benefits and pitfalls in experiential learning, and share the lessons that they learned along the way.

Dr. Carolyn Rutledge, Professor of Nursing, and Corrin Richels, Associate Professor of Communication Disorders, host a Conversation about what interprofessional education (IPE) is – and what it isn't. They discuss ways to best prepare faculty for interprofessional education opportunities and ways to best educate students, using examples of successful programs and highlighting their impact on educational goals and outcomes

Dr. Ryan Klinger facilitates a Conversation about teachers' experiences managing the virtual classroom. How, in the online environment, does one collect student feedback, encourage peer-to-peer collaboration, make oneself available to students, and manage the distribution of course content?

Dr. Justin Haegele of Old Dominion University's Human Movement Sciences Department believes that the word "inclusion" is one of the most commonly used, yet most commonly misunderstood, terms in education today. Consequently, he says, the words inclusion and integration are often muddled together and are used interchangeably. In this Conversation, Dr. Haegele conceptually defines these terms and discusses their utility in helping teachers meet the unique needs of an increasingly diverse student body.

A conversation led by James Van, Nicole Willock, and Scott Girdner.

A conversation led by Michelle Kelley, Richard Landers, Debra Major, and Suzanne Morrow.

Problem solving is one of the most practical skills a student could learn if they are studying towards a career in science, engineering, business, or politics. Most importantly, it is also an essential skill that can be leveraged in everyday life. Critical thinking is just the first step in mastering the art of problem solving. So how do we take this incredibly powerful but elusive skill, break it down into a number of identifiable steps, and teach to others?

Debbie Bauman -- a passionate ODU alumna (’80 and ’82), Assistant Dean of the College of Health Sciences, and associate professor -- has been teaching dental hygienists for 31 years. In addition to teaching undergraduates, she also teaches graduate students how to teach. In her Conversation, Dr. Bauman leads a discussion of successful interactions with ODU’s diverse group of learners, both in and outside of class, synchronously and asynchronously, and via web conferencing and video chat. She also presents a brief summary of college student development theory.

Dr. Shana Pribesh teaches distance courses in various formats and reports that she "gets flop-sweat terror before each one." In her words, "Teaching distance courses is scary. Now imagine how it feels to take a distance course – super scary. In this Conversation, we will explore how to facilitate online and hybrid distance courses in the midst of this apprehension." Dr. Pribesh is interested in the structural aspects of educational inequality, and she has worked on studies of student/teacher racial matching, as well as on the consequences of residential and school moving on educational performance. Dr. Pribesh has over two decades of educational research experience, having worked with the American Institutes for Research, RAND, the Center for Research in Educational Policy, and the University of Michigan.

Kay Palmer reflects on the massive changes that have occurred during her forty years "in the classroom" -- changes in teaching strategies, in the learners, in the science of nursing. Palmer, a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse, has presented nationally and internationally and has published in her areas of expertise: nursing care of a rehabilitation patient, culturally competent nursing care, and the use of technology to teach.

Thomas Socha, Professor of Communication at ODU, believes that it is through everyday messages that teachers and students create discursive contexts that welcome us to perform at our very best. His Conversation will remind us that positive communication in teacher-student relationships is indeed like child's play.

The establishment of rapport, Tami Al-Hazza believes, is an integral part of the learning environment, since it can enhance a student's satisfaction with a course. Rapport isn't established in a single event but begins with the course syllabus and continues with each action throughout the semester. In this Conversation, Al-Hazza examines the research behind the establishment of rapport. She will help us explores personal successes and failures in creating and nurturing rapport with our students.

Jay Morris, senior lecturer in Old Dominion University's Computer Science department, supports and criticizes various instruction techniques, "mercilessly pointing out" their strengths and weaknesses. He hopes to open a debate about the changing role of the professor in the classroom - not only as a lecturer and pontificator, but as mentor, role model, counselor, enforcer, and the "hundred other opportunities for personal growth in the land of the ivory tower."

Jason Osborne, an Associate Professor of Educational Foundations and Leadership, has been teaching Statistics and Research Methods to what he calls "unwilling students" for approximately twenty years. Here, Osborne considers the nearly-hundred years of research on student achievement, motivation, engagement, and resiliency, and shares examples of the implementation of mastery learning in both undergraduate and graduate level courses.

Jenifer Alonzo, an assistant professor in Communication and Theatre Arts at ODU, discusses how to create safe environments for students to take creative risks. Watch a hands-on exploration of the techniques that theatre directors use to promote creativity in the rehearsal room. Alonzo then shares how she translates these techniques to the classroom.

In this episode, Ed Neukrug expounds on the importance of developing a teaching method that includes compatibility with theory and teaching method, competence, and cognitive complexity. Dr. Neukrug covered nine factors to consider and asked participants in the Conversation to share their ideas.

John Adam does not claim to offer scientific evidence of the use of humor in aiding understanding, but he does claim to have several strong opinions on the subject. He will ask: "How does one attempt to engage the 'educated public' on math-related themes when so many people confess to some level of 'math anxiety'?" Does humor help?

Robert Wojtowicz, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies and Professor of Art History at ODU, discusses how art history found itself in near-crisis mode at the turn of the millennium, as analog slide photography gave way to digital imaging. Many senior art historians retired reluctantly rather than adapt to the new technology, even as junior art historians rose enthusiastically to meet the new challenge. He also examines of some of the latest digital tools and the ways in which they can enhance our students' understanding of art history.

This Conversation is led by Gail Dickinson, Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning in the Darden College of Education. Engaging graduate students in online learning can be tough when the course is competing with the busy lives and competing interests of its students. Dickinson focuses on using social network tools to build a community of practice in online classes.