Note faculty study seminar offerings for spring 2008 Three faculty study seminars will be offered during spring 2008. The seminars provide a means for faculty with common interests to learn more about a teaching-related topic. Each group meets four times a semester, at times mutually agreed to by participants, to read and discuss a teaching-related book (books provided by the Office of Instructional Development). The participant’s only obligation is to read and to show up for discussion. This semester’s offerings are: "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (Random House 2007). Many faculty struggle with how to communicate ideas effectively and how to get those ideas to make a difference: an (unnamed) history professor spends 50 minutes explaining social construction, and a week later only six students remember it. Based on a class at Stanford taught by one of the authors, this book profiles how some ideas “stick” in our minds while the majority fall by the wayside. Ever wondered why urban legends, conspiracy theories, and compelling advertising have intrinsic “stickiness” and how can that help us better communicate with classes and colleagues? Drawing on the work of psychologists, education researchers, and political scientists, the Heaths identify six traits they think all great ideas -- from urban legends to public policy to product design -- have in common. If you are interested in reading this book as part of a faculty study seminar, contact Anne Kelsch at anne_kelsch@und.nodak.edu or 777-4233 "Enhancing Learning Through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning" by Kathleen McKinney (Anker 2007) with a foreword by K. Patricia Cross. This book is written for a wide audience. Faculty members, as well as administrators and academic staff, will find the practical advice McKinney offers useful. According to a review by Nancy Chick of University of Wisconsin-Barron County, “its structure is logical and user-friendly, its prose easy and accessible, and (perhaps most strikingly) its general points consistently grounded in specifics and examples.” POD, the Professional and Organizational Network in Higher Education lists this book as one of the two best overall sources on SoTL. If you are a newcomer to the SoTL field, this book is a great primer. It is also, however, a very useful resource for those who have done work in the area. McKinney offers some background on SoTL and its role in higher education, how to use SoTL for your professional goals, and, perhaps most importantly, how to use SoTL in the classroom. If you are interested in reading this book as part of a faculty study seminar, contact Kim Crowley at kimberly.crowley@und.edu or 777-6381. "Student Success in College" by George D. Kuh et al (Jossey-Bass, 2005). Many colleges (UND included) claim to provide high-quality learning environments. But do we? Recent data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), widely viewed as the most credible measure of student engagement, shows that UND students participate in fewer “high impact” learning practices than do students at similar institutions elsewhere. For example, UND students have lower rates of involvement in learning communities, they do less research with faculty, they study abroad with less frequency, and they are less likely to participate in a “culminating senior experience” of some sort. Why is that? What is “student engagement,” really, and how does it relate to learning? What control do faculty and staff have over student engagement? Given budget constraints, are there ways of improving student engagement and improving the quality of the learning environment at UND? In this FSS group, we’ll look at UND through the lens of student engagement, examining data from UND’s own students and faculty, and reading Student Success in College, a book by the team of faculty who conducted the research behind the NSSE. If you are interested in reading this book as part of a faculty study seminar, contact Joan Hawthorne at joan_hawthorne@und.nodak.edu or 777-4684. -- Anne Kelsch, Director, Office of Instructional Development, anne.kelsch@und.nodak.edu, 777-4233