The SECS Center for Excellence in Teaching held a lecture series in fall ’22 featuring prominent researchers in teaching and pedagogy from the University of Michigan. Dr. Kate Bowers, Special Instructor in CSE, is Director of the SECS CET, and coordinated the series to help faculty, graduate students, and the OU community develop new perspectives on teaching excellence.
The first talk from Aaron Johnson focused on “Bridging the Gap Between Coursework and Ill-Defined Sociotechnical Engineering Practice,” in which he spoke about engineering judgement, or the use of mathematical models in design and analysis. Johnson’s design based research includes innovative assignments strategies in which students model a real-world system by making and justifying their own assumptions.
The second talk on October 6 was from Ahmed Lachheb, presenting “What Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Have to Do with my Classes: An Answer Through Learning Design Lenses,” in which he discussed how to find clear connections between the subject taught and diversity/equity/inclusion concepts.
On October 14, Audra Baleisis gave a talk on “Understanding How Stereotype Threat, Imposter Syndrome, and Growth Mindset Affect Student Learning,” discussing how social identities and negative stereotypes affect student learning, as well as how instructor beliefs about intelligence can affect learning int he classroom. She provided strategies to mitigate harmful mindsets to encourage positive intellectual growth.
Kellie Grasman gave a talk on Restructuring Engineering Teaching on November 11, reflecting on positive changes in instructional technology thanks to the pandemic, and how to sustain flexible and accessible options for course delivery in the engineering classroom.
Oakland University has a number of resources for faculty and grad students seeking to develop new teaching strategies, promote scholarship in teaching, and extend excellence in the classroom. In addition to the SECS CET, Oakland University’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) provides teaching and learning support for all of Oakland University through events, consultations, teaching resources, and year-long programs.This semester, CETL is offering workshops on the Teaching Toolbox (basics in teaching), Toward Post-Pandemic Teaching, Course Planning with a High Teaching Load, and more. Sign up to receive a new teaching tip every Monday and receive timely updates on teaching and learning every two weeks.