teaching times at pitt - march 06

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In this issue of the Teaching Times, Lu-in Wang, Law; Kim Needy, Engineering; Ed-ward Stricker, Neuroscience; and MelanieDreyer-Lude, Theatre Arts (pictured herewith her class), share strategies and tech-niques they employ to help students learnin the classroom. As a springboard for theirarticles, they considered How Do They

Conduct Class? a chapter from Ken BainsWhat the Best College Teachers Do. This chapterpresents seven challenges to the collegeinstructor:

Create a natural cr itical learningenvironment

Get student attention and keep itStart with students rather than thediscipline

Seek commitmentsHelp students learn outside of classEngage students in disciplinarythinking

Create diverse learning experiencesPointing out that Bains examples col-

lectively describe an environment in whichstudents and teacher engage in a jointundertaking, recognizing and even relishing their mutual responsibility for and contribu-tions to its success, Wang elaborates on theconcept of hosting her law classes. Thisinvolves focusing on the students the wayone ideally focuses on companions aroundthe table: being attentive, responsive, sponta-neous, and exible.

Dreyer-Lude describes her classes astaking place in a collaborative environment

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InsideThisIssue

Center for Instructional Developm& Distance Education

U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H

XI, N 3 March 2A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching & learning at the University of Pittsb

Keys To Conducting a Vital Class

S p e cC l a s s r oI s s u e

IT Updates:Foreign LanguagContent in Black+ CIDDEs New

Help StudentsLearn in the Classroom:Professors Strategiesand Techniques

Teach Your OwnSummer Classfor the First Time

where teamwork and resource sharing become a habitual part of the studentsprocess. She believes that interactivelearning promotes the acquisition of newinformation and ideas without sacricing an independent point of view.

Stricker emphasizes the importanceof arousing student curiosity to capturestudent attention and keep it. He doesthis by selecting topics that illustrate basicprinciples of the eld. He engages students

by asking questions to model scienticinquiry, sharing anecdotes that illustrateconcepts in concrete ways, and encourag-ing students to generate their own ques-tions.

Needy explains how she uses classroomdiscussions to explore contemporary issuesand real-world applications. Discussions,along with other varied activities, helpstudents to appreciate the lifelong learning that is implicit in the eld of engineering.

An introductory activity in an advanced acting class taught byMelanie Dreyer-Lude, Theatre Arts, uses a prop (string) toreinforce the ideas of ensemble and collaboration.


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Center for Instructional Development& Distance Education (CIDDE) Alumni Hall4227 Fifth AvenuePittsburgh, PA 15260

Phone: 412-624-6596Fax: 412-624-7220E-mail: [email protected]: www.pitt.edu/~ciddeweb/teachingtimes

Editorial Staff Editor: Carol DeArmentGraphic Design & Illustrations: Alec A. SarkasCopy Editor: Tim KylePhotography: CIDDE, Photography & Electronic Imaging

The TeachingTimes, a newsletter devoted to thesupport of teaching and learning, is distributed toevery faculty member and teaching assistant atthe University of Pittsburgh. It features interviewswith faculty who share teaching experiences,strategies, and techniques that can be applied inclassrooms across the University.

The TeachingTimeswelcomes letters and articlesfrom faculty and staff about any topic affecting

University teaching and learning.

The TeachingTimesis published by the Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education(CIDDE), which provides a wide range of servicesto faculty in support of University teaching andlearning. The central mission of CIDDE is tosupport excellence in University instruction.CIDDE also is responsible for maximizing theeffective use of instructional technologies to meetthe Universitys academic goals and priorities.

Diane Davis,Director

[email protected]

Joanne M. Nicoll,Associate Director for Instructional Design and Faculty Development [email protected]

Nick Laudato,Associate Director, Instructional Technology [email protected]

CIDDE Photography& Electronic Imaging Services provides full-service location and studiophotography in digital and film formats as

well as a full range of photo lab services.For further information, contact Jim Burke by telephone, 412-648-9870, or e-mail,

[email protected].

2005 Teaching Awards O The following School of Medicine teachingawards for 2005 were inadvertently omittedfrom the November 2005 issue of theTeach-ing Times:

School of MedicineDonald S. Fraley Award

Stephen L. Phillips

Sheldon Adler AwardPeter F. DrainMary E. Choifor

Award for Excellence in Clinical Pre Michael WusylkoBruce I. HydeMarc J. Schneiderman

Dea r Fa cult y ,

A re y ou pla nning to dev elo p a new course or rev ise a n ex ist ing one? The Cen ter f or I n str u ct ion al Dev elo pm en t & Distan ce Edu cat ion ( CI DDE) prov ides serv ices to f a cult y in su p por t of U niv er sit y tea ching a nd lea rning . I nstr uctiona l Dev elo pment serv ices include a ssisting instr uctors a s the y dev elo p a nd rev ise courses, lea rning a ct iv it ies, course ma ter ia ls, a nd techniq ues to a ssess student lea rning . A CI DDE instr uctiona l desig ner w ill w ork directl y w ith y ou, a ccording to y our schedule, to hel p y ou crea te the ba sic com ponents of a new course or to reeng ineer a n ex ist ing one, using cur rent a nd ef f ectiv e tea ching a nd lea rning stra teg ies. I n the pa st y ea r a lone, CI DDE prov ided these su p por t serv ices to ov er 100 f a cult y members.

To g et more inf orma t ion or to schedule a n a p pointment, plea se conta ct me a t 4 12- 624 - 7 37 2 or n icoll@ pit t .edu .

A ll the best ,J oan n e N icoll

A ssocia te Director of I nstruct iona l Desig n a nd Fa cult y Dev elo pmentCI DDE


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Special Classroom IssuMarc

Classroom Conversation: Key To Engaging StudentsBy Lu-in Wang,School of Law

Bains seven principles (see Page 1) col-lectively describe an environment inwhich students and teacher engage ina joint undertaking, recognizing and evenrelishing their mutual responsibility forand contributions to its success. Essentialto that success is the teachers use of whatBain calls good talk. As Bain tells it, touse good talk is to approach communica-tion both within and outside of the class-room as a conversation (which is not tosuggest that it is not also a performance).Susan Wiltshire, a successful teacher citedby Bain, notes that it is not unlike inviting students into exchanges around the dinnertable (p. 119). That comparison describesmy classroom approachI try to act notsimply as the leader of the class, but alsoas its host.

Hosting the class involves focusing onthe students the way one ideally focuses on

ones companions aroundthe table: being attentive,

responsive, spontaneous,and exible. It meansdrawing each student intothe discussion by eliciting questions and commentsfrom a wide range of students, remembering and using the studentscontributions to furtherdiscussion, and adjust-ing the pace and focus of discussion to the cues from

students words, facialexpressions, and body language. It meansrecognizing and appreciating the variousways individual students can contributeto the conversation. It also entails somerisknot every student responds positivelyto the invitation to participate, and the op-portunity for embarrassment (the teachersand the students) is always present.

Some students make this conversa-tion easy: They are engaged and eager tospeak, and they provide focused commentsand questions that naturally move discus-sion forward or help to illuminate pointsalready made. But even those studentswho are more retiring or less focused canmake positive contributions if the teacheris alert to opportunities to involve themand to channel and situate their com-ments. Sometimes nonverbal behavior dgeting, shifting in his seat, changing facial expressionssignals that a student is

Hosting the class involves focusistudents the way one ideally focuscompanions around the table: beinresponsive, spontaneous, and exi

struggling with the question of whether toraise his hand. I try to be attentive to those

cues, and might even point them out whenI call on that student. This usually paysoff: the student says something valuableand is glad that he did. Even commentsor questions that seem irrelevant can behelpful, for they provide an opportunityto step back from the particular point andremind the class of the overall themes of the coursefor example, to explain howthe question or comment is relevant toanother topic and how that topic relates(or doesnt) to the current discussion.

Far less comfortable, but no less es-sential, is acknowledging and responding to a student whose comment, question, ornonverbal expression suggests boredom,confusion, frustration, or even anger.Engaging this student presents greater risk,both pedagogical and social, but often isworth the rewards. I have learned not toassume that I know what lies behind astudents negative appearance, for ap-pearances can be deceiving, and often thestudent welcomes an invitation into thediscussion. Even when the student trulyis confused, bored, frustrated, or angry,engaging her can be an opportunity forme to learn of a problem with the classthat other, less expressive students share.It also can open constructive, substantivedialogue by raising objections to basicconcepts, principles, or assumptions thatno one else (including me) had thought toquestion.


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Collaboration Fosters Learning Skills and Independent ThBy Melanie Dreyer-Lude,Theater Arts

The collaborative environment that Inurture throughout the semester is animportant component of the teach-ing dynamic in my classes. For example,in my directing courses, teamwork andresource sharing become a habitual partof the students process, and this behav-ior often continues once the semester isover and they work on outside projectstogether. As directors, I hope theyvelearned that they can be open to theacquisition of new information and ideaswithout sacricing an independent pointof view.

One of my greatest obstacles inteaching directing to undergraduates ishelping them to assimilate a practical skillset (learning to follow some rules aboutdirecting) while maintaining an inde-pendent point of view (having an artisticopinion). There are theatrical customsand audience expectations that createa set of standards by which we viewtheatrical production. But art fails to holdinterest if it lacks a passionate point of

view. I regularly wrestle with the tensionbetween imparting a set of guidelines forexecution while encouraging as much freethinking as possible.

One of my strategies for dealing withthis tension is to reverse the introductionof ideas in activities based on collabora-

tive teamwork. Rather than beginning the semester with a series of skill building exercises, I begin by having my studentsdirect without telling them how to do it.During the rst three days of class, theyare asked to work as a team to stage achildrens story. Together we considerwhat the directors job might be, but theymust decide which steps to take. Whilethey work together, they have the oppor-tunity to recognize the value of variousartistic opinions; they see multiple ways tosolve a problem; they learn how to work in a teamhow to support their col-leagues and how to nd compromise inmoments of disagreement.

Once the directors have begun toestablish their own methods of problemsolving, I begin to introduce skill sets. Aswe examine the individual componentsin the craft of directing, I encouragestudents to share their expertise with oneanother. Some are gifted at text analysis,while others easily work with abstractionand image association. Some under-stand how to think spatially and how tocompose stage pictures. Each new skill weencounter offers an opportunity for thestudents to demonstrate existing exper-tise as well as to work together to learnsomething new.

Student collaboration is also a core

component of feedback and evaluation. When grading my directing students, Iuse the articulation of their ideas as thebenchmark for their work. Do we seewhat she described? Has he been clearabout telling his story? Are there mo-ments where she is actually contradicting what she intended to say? This negotia-tion gives the students ownership over thegrades they receive at the end of the se-mester. Few quibble with the marks I givethem, having already recognized wheretheyve succeeded and failed. All of thestudents in class must track one anothersgoals and accept the various interpreta-tions presented in order to offer usefulfeedback for nal presentations. The task is not to contradict what they see but toidentify each directors successes and fail-ures in communicating their ideas.

I regularly wrestle the tension betweenimparting a set of gulines for execution wencouraging as mucthinking as possible

of my strategies for ing with this tensionreverse the introducof ideas in activitieson collaborative teawork.


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Left to right:Kim LaScola NeedywithDoug Rabeneck and Mandy Kaszycki, students, Engineering Management class

Discussion and Contemporary Issues Promote Appreciatio By Kim LaScola Needy,Industrial Engineering

Engineering is a highly technical eldwith a rapid turnover of the body of knowledge. So in addition to seek-ing the students mastery of the coursematerial, another primary objective is toinstill in the students an appreciation forlifelong learning.

Lifelong learning is emphasizedthroughout Engineering Management, arequired course for industrial engineer-ing seniors, covering modern engineer-ing management theory as it applies totechnical organizations. Because thiscourse contains a signicant amount of discussion, students are asked to make acommitment to attend class and partici-pate in the discussion by sharing theirrelated experiences.

For example, during the discussionon planning , we study how organizationsdevelop a vision, mission, objectives,goals, strategies, and projects to supporttheir strategic plan. In class we examinethe strategic plans of several organiza-tions and then, for a homework assign-ment, the students select a company of interest and analyze its strategic plan. Asan extension to this exercise, students arechallenged to reect upon how strategic

planning is critical for them personally.Specically, students are asked to developa personal mission statement and a ve-

year strategic plan. Their strategic plansmust contain not only career-based, butalso personal-based objectives and goals.This assignment requires students to ask themselves questions such as, How willI maintain my technical skills and keepabreast of changing technology if I wishto advance in my career? Assessmentof this assignment examines the depth,breadth, and, specically, attention tolifelong learning of each students plan.

Lifelong learning is also discussedexplicitly in one of the class sessions onachieving effectiveness as an engineer . A group,in-class exercise asks students to brain-storm how they will stay technically com-petent in engineering and the importanceof active professional society involvement.

Another approach used to showthe importance of lifelong learning isincorporating contemporary issues intothe classroom. Contemporary issues areintroduced from the trade press such asthe Wall Street Journal , Business Week , andthe local newspaper. From an engineer-ing management perspective, the world

almost acts as our laboratory for explora-tion of the course material, and the stu-dents learn that engineering managementcan be applied in any number of settings.For example, in the fall 2005 semester, wediscussed the engineering managementand project management aspects associ-ated with the rebuilding efforts to theU.S. Gulf Coast region after HurricaneKatrina. This exercise also provokes theengineering students to consider the im-pact of engineering solutions in a societalcontext.

In summary, by carefully designing thecourse homework assignments, projects,in-class exercises, discussions, and casestudies we not only provide an effectivelearning environment, but also conveythe importance of lifelong learning along with consideration of societal implica-tions and contemporary issues critical forsolving complex engineering problems.

As educators, if we can provide ourgraduates with the foundation and toolsfor lifelong learning, then we can helpto ensure that they will have bright andrewarding careers.

By carefully desing the course homeassignments, projecin-class exercises, dsions, and case studwe not only provideeffective learning en

ment, but also convimportance of lifelolearning


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Curiosity Drives Learning In and Out of ClassBy Edward Stricker,Neuroscience

Ihave taught Introduction to Neuro-science for many years. As the titleimplies, the general goal of the courseis to introduce students to the scienceof the nervous system. Because it is aprerequisite for all other courses in theneuroscience major, I must preparestudents for more advanced courses.However, I tell them that the course isless oriented around the product than theprocess of neuroscience. By that I meanthat I will be less interested in whetherthey learn numerous facts (although theycertainly will do so) than whether theylearn how to understand scientic infor-mation. When I was growing up in theBronx, I thought that food came fromstores, and I remember being surprisedto learn about farms and orchards. I can

I believe that questions drive leTherefore, in addition to describsearch questions that stimulated I encourage students to ask ques

imagine that manystudents similarly stillbelieve that scienticinformation comesfrom books. Instead,I want them to ap-preciate that it wasobtained from experi-ments, that those ex-periments generatednew theories, andthat those theorieswere evaluated insubsequent experi-ments.

This research-oriented course is fairlylarge (120 enrolled students) and is taughtexclusively in a lecture format. In onesemester I cannot provide a comprehen-sive introduction to the entire disciplineof neuroscience; so, instead, I selecttopics that will illustrate its basic prin-ciples. I have found these topics to be of considerable interest to the students and,

just as important, to me. Thus, I know alot about this material, and I can speak about it knowledgeably and enthusiasti-cally.

There are many phenomena withexplanations that can provide insightsinto the nervous system. Some can bepresented as anecdotes. For example,when London was being rebombedduring World War II, a wooden nursing

home which housed patients who couldnot move was set are. Patients withspinal damage perished, but patients withParkinsons disease ed to safety only tobecome akinetic (unable to move) againwhen they reached the streets. Few stu-dents have heard this story, and it makesthem curious about the biological basesfor the observed difference between thepatients. More familiar phenomena canbe presented as questions without elabo-rate anecdotes. For example, why do weget hungry? How can we see in color? Ibegin each class with a story or ques-tion of this sort, intended to capture thestudents attention and spark their curios-ity, and then I describe the experimentalevidence that allowed an understanding of the phenomenon.

I believe that questions drive learn-ing. Therefore, in addition to describing the research questions that stimulatedexperiments, I encourage students to ask questions both in and out of class (viaelectronic messages). I am pleased to saythat I am bombarded with such questionsevery day, and I post the questions andmy answers on the course Web page sothat all students can participate in this

virtual discussion. That is a hidden agen-da of the course, to have students think at all times (not just while they are in myclass), in all courses (not just in mine),and in all settings (not just in courses).


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Although the initial responsibility of teaching assistants is to assist fac-ulty, many graduate student teachersat the University of Pittsburgh subsequentlyhave an opportunity to teach courses inde-pendently for the first time in the summer.We at CIDDEs TA Services are available toassist with this process. In addition, help-ful information is available from theDevel-oping and Teaching a Course section of CIDDEs Web site1 and from CIDDEsTAHandbook .2 In this article I share generalsuggestions on how to plan a successfulsummer course, with an emphasis on howto develop a course from scratch.

This first-time teaching usually involvesone of three types of situations for a TA:

A class that she has previously instructedas a TA.

A class that she has no experiencewith but that is one of the core coursesrequired by the department (e.g., anintroductory course).

A new course that needs to be developedfrom scratch.

Obviously, planning a course takes time,and condensing a course into six weeksduring the summer presents unique chal-lenges; therefore, begin your preparationsas soon as possible. In my experience, it isuseful to think about the following stages indeveloping a successful course:

Formulate the learning objectives, or outcomes, of the course and understand

the characteristics of students who aremost likely to take the class.Select a textbook and/or readingmaterials targeted at the expectedaudience.

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Develop a structure that helps to achievethe learning objectives.

Develop a syllabus.Develop lesson plans.Obviously, when you are assigned to teach

a course for which you have led recitationsor labs, you are already familiar with the pur-pose and structure of the course, the learningmaterials, and the typical or average studentwho takes the course. On the other hand,when you are assigned to teach an unfamiliar course, identifying course objectives and thetargeted audience is more challenging. If it isone of the basic classes offered each semes-ter, you should discuss the goals and structurewith professors and/or other graduate stu-dent instructors whohave already taughtthe class. Ask to lookat others syllabi andclass materials, dis-cuss the academicbackgrounds of typi-cal students, consider possible challenges, and ask for textbooksuggestions.

In developing a course from scratch, your first challenge is to identify the course objec-tives and the prior knowledge and skills of thestudents. To identify the objectives, or out-comes, of the class, first, think of what youwant the students to be able to do, in termsof knowledge and skills, by the end of the

course. If this class has been offered before,read its description, usually available throughthe department. Note prerequisitesthis willhelp you to get an idea of the backgroundof the students you will teach. Again, try to

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discuss your ideas with professors and fel-low graduate students. In addition, a Websearch may provide ideas on how this classis taught in other schools and textbooksothers have found to be useful.

A word of caution: Do not pick the firsttextbook colleagues suggest! Shop aroundto get a comprehensive perspective of theoptions, keeping the level of the students inmind. Most publishers will ship a desk copyfree of charge when you fill in a requestform on their Web sites.

Once you have identified the objectives,the targeted audience, and the textbook,the next step is to develop the course struc-

ture. There are many possible organiza-tional structures, and your decision will bedetermined by the discipline, subject mat-ter, and learning objectives. Remember,summer courses are intense; therefore, it isimportant to break the course content intosequential concepts. Using the textbookand the course learning outcomes, list thetopics you want to cover, aligning them with

the course objectives. You may choose toclosely follow the textbook, or supplementthe course with additional readings if youthink that some of the topics are not ad-equately covered in the textbook.

Then, again based on learning objec-tives, think about how you are going toteach, or follow, that structure. Because of the intensity of summer coursesa regu-

See Teach Your Own Summer Class on Page 10

Preparing To Teach Your Own Summer Classfor the First Time

By Yadviga Semikolenova,CIDDE TA Services

1 Developing and Teaching a Course: www.pitt.edu/~ciddeweb/FACULTY-DEVELOPMENT/FDS/fss2.html2 CIDDEsTA Handbook : www.pitt.edu/~ciddeweb/FACULTY-DEVELOPMENT/TA_HANDBOOK/index.htm

Condensing a course into sixduring the summer presents uchallenges; therefore, begin y

preparations as soon as possib


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Blackboard Allows Consistent Foreign Language ContentBy Cindy Lu,CIDDE Instructional Technologist

Multilanguage support in recent

versions of Blackboard allows

faculty to offer consistent onlinecontent in any of seven languages. Inaddition to English, the default languagefor menu buttons, Blackboard allowsinstructors to convert menu buttons toGerman, French, Italian, Portuguese,Dutch, or Spanish (see Figs. 1 and 2).East Asian and other languages willbe supported in Blackboard 7, to beadopted by the University in the future.This tool is useful to faculty who enrichtheir online course content and whodo not allow English to be written orspoken in their courses.

Explaining the usefulness of this tool,teaching fellow Rob Mucklo, HispanicLanguages and Literatures, comments,The prociency of my Spanish 1 and2 students in the language is somewhatlimited, and even more so when itcomes to technology. I translate thebuttons for several reasons: (1) to providefurther exposure to the language (2) toprovide a real context for vocabulary (3)to use student knowledge of standardCourseWeb button arrangement andcognation of terms to aid in learning.

On my course evaluations studentshave commented that they like the wayI speak to them entirely in Spanish anduse Spanish wherever possible. Theyvealso mentioned that they like having CourseWeb available to them for thecourse. I post all of the days activities,

handouts, and homework on CourseWeb(all in Spanish); so if theyre absent, they

have it all at their ngertips.Lina Insana, French and Italian

Languages and Literatures, comments,We in the Italian program have made a

very strong commitment to maintaining the target language in all of ourcourses. This means that, when possible,instructors out of class interactionswith our students take place in Italian,whether were at a departmentallysponsored event like the Tavola Italiana(weekly conversation hour) or in morecasual settings like the hallways of theCathedral of Learning.

Recently, our instructionalactivities have begun to spill out of the classroom space in more and moreinteresting ways: not just into physicalcorridors, but into virtual spaces likeCourseWeb, as well. It is importantthat this commitment to an Italian-only experience be exclusive and total,and details like the ability to changethe language (or Locale) of ourCourseWeb settings contribute to thisgoal. In this way, students entering a courses CourseWeb site can feelthat they are still in an Italian-onlyspace. This function also makes for asmoother management of the coursewithin traditional walls: if I know thatmy students know the Italian terms forSyllabus and Digital Drop Box, Ican use them in the classroom to direct

my students usage of the CourseWebsite. Students have reacted very well

to this standardization and appreciatethe acquisition of new and important

vocabulary in such a contextualized,practical way.

To change menu buttons to alanguage other than English, instructorsshould go to the Control Panel andselect Settings, then Set Locale.(As with any Blackboard application,faculty can delete and add buttons tosuit their content.) Instructors should beaware that when a locale is selected inBlackboard, the entire control panel textchanges to the language of that locale.

In addition to setting the locale,there are other ways to include non-English content in CourseWeb. Forexample, text typed in any language ina Microsoft Word document can be cutand pasted into Blackboard. To use aparticular language in Microsoft Word,instructors may select Control Panel,then Regional and Language Options.Click the icon that appears in the lowerright side of the screen to activate textto be typed in the desired language.

European language keyboards aresimilar to those of the United States,with the addition of certain charactersand accents. On a U.S. keyboard, othercharacters can be inserted by clicking on Start, then All Programs,Accessories, System Tools, andCharacter Map.

Figure 1:Pull-down menu of lanugages available Figure 2:English and Dutch buttons


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CIDDEs New mCasts!By Nick Laudato,CIDDE Associate Director

CIDDE has initiated a new series of multimedia Web casts aime

addressing several goals: to provide faculty with useful informaabout instructional technologies being deployed at Pitt; to gain dexperience using new multimedia technologies; and to serve as amples of such use.

Years ago I was explaining a technol-ogy solution to a colleague. Thesolution addressed several differentproblems simultaneously; so I remarkedthat it killed multiple birds with one

stone. She got a kick out of the expres-sion, and Ive found occasion to use itmany times since. With our hectic work schedules, were delighted when we cansolve more than one problem with asingle effort. That is what we sought toachieve when we began what we are call-ing the mCasts .

We use the term mCast to refer to amultiple multimedia Web cast. The essen-tial idea was to record the many compo-nents of a presentation with one effort,and then make several varied forms of that presentation available over the Web.The one recording effort would be doneusing Mediasite technology, enabling thesimultaneous recording of video, audio,and the presenters computer display,complete with any written annotationson the display. The inaugural mCast,available as ITmCast000 on the sitehttps://cidde-web.cidde.pitt.edu/mcast,explains the original concept. Its calledan ITmCast because it focuses on in-structional technologies. We also plan tobegin a BbmCast that will focus on theBlackboard course management system(CourseWeb).

We are implementing the mCasts aslive events. The ITmCast is broadcast liveat noon every Thursday and the Bbm-Cast is planned for noon Wednesdays.The live event can be viewed by follow-ing the appropriate link on the mCast

homepage, https://cidde-web.cidde.pitt.edu/mcast. The target length for eachbroadcast is about 15 minutes. The livebroadcast includes the ability to send aquestion in the form of a text message to

the presenter. The presenter will addressany questions at the end of the broadcast.Of course, an archive of the broadcastwill be available on Mediasite immedi-ately after the event.

The outputs from an mCast recording session include:

Audio Recordings: Thepresentation audio is available inthe form of an mpeg le that canbe downloaded and played on acomputer or transferred to a portableplayback device such as an iPod. Theaudio version will be available the dayafter the live presentation.

Video Recordings: Thepresentation video is available inseveral different formats, including the Apple-friendly MOV format, the

Windows-friendly WMV format (bothstreaming and downloadable), andthe popular Flash format (SWF). TheMP4 version can play in iTunes or in

Apples new portable ipod. The video version will be available two working days after the live presentation.

Video Recordings with Slides: A second video version is availablein all the same formats. This versionintersperses the images from thepresenters computer display into the

video, showing the PowerPoint slideswith written annotations.

Rich Media Recordings: TheMediasite recording of the event isavailable both live and archived. TheMediasite version is also available inFlash format.

Documents: The recordings are alsoavailable in transcribed form, both asplain text and as an Adobe Acrobat(PDF) document. Ironically, this non-mediated form will take the longesttime to prepare and post.

See CIDDEs New mCasts! Page 10

mCast Output Types


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The audio (MP3 and M4A/B) and video (MP4) versions of the presentationare also available as podcasts. Podcastsare multimedia les that are distributed

via subscription. To subscribe to a pod-cast, you rst install a software packagecalled an aggregator on your computer.CSSD recommends iTunes for both thePC and Macintosh platforms, availableat the electronic software distributionsite http://software.pitt.edu or directlyfrom Apple at www.apple.com. Oncethe aggregator is installed, subscribing to a podcast is easy (see directions onthe sidebar at https://cidde-web.cidde.pitt.edu/mcast). Once subscribed, new

editions of the mCast will be automati-cally downloaded to your computer for

playback in iTunes or for transfer to yourportable mp3 player, if you have one.Dan Hummons presentation in ITm-Cast003, available at https://cidde-web.

cidde.pitt.edu/mcast, explains podcasting in more detail.As is often the case with new technolo-

gies, the original approach was obsoletebefore we started publishing the results.For example, we began to make multiplesimultaneous recordings of the presenta-tion in order to optimize recording qual-ity and reduce the amount of postproduc-tion effort required to create all of theoutputs listed above. We also began mix-ing the slides into a version of the video

in real time. We expect our techniques tocontinually evolve and hope to soon offer

these services to the University commu-nity.

With all due apologies to ornitholo-gists and bird lovers, I think we are

achieving our goal of killing multiplebirds with one stone. The ITmCast serieswill help familiarize faculty with themany and varied instructional technolo-gies available to them at the University,and the BbmCast series will provide auseful library of short Blackboard train-ing modules on both general and specialtopics. At the same time, the CIDDEtechnical staff is gaining valuable insightsinto these emerging technologies andgenerating some useful examples for

potential users. Hope you all tune in andlet us know what you think.

lar 15-week course is often taught in only sixweeksit is important to vary activities andprovide ample time for practice and feedback.For example, you might employ class discus-sions, role plays, demonstrations, and groupwork.

Once the structure is mapped, developa tentative timeline for the class, using theacademic calendar of the University availableat www.pitt.edu/calendars.html. Keeping thiscalendar in mind, list the topics that will becovered in each class or week and identifyin-class activities and readings for each topic. A timeline will help you to stay organized andon target for learning outcomes. An important

consideration is how you will assess andevaluate the students progress based on thecourse learning objectives. Plan the number and frequency of homework assignments,quizzes, and exams and how each will beevaluated.

Once you are satisfied with your structure,you may choose to make it available to your students as a part of the syllabus. Besidesthe tentative structure, your syllabus shouldcontain a course description along with theobjectives you have identified and how youplan to reach them; course prerequisites;textbook information; assignments and dead-lines; exams; grading rubric; attendance and

other policies (e.g., on plagiarism); as well asyour office hours; location of your office; andyour e-mail.

Finally, remember the necessary admin-istrative tasks that must be completed: Youwill need to order the textbook (ask your de-

partment secretary how to do it online, andtry to do it early) as well as put materials onreserve in the library if you use supplemen-tary readings. If you decide to use media(e.g., laptop or VCR) in the classroom, makearrangements with CIDDEs Media Servicesat www.education.pitt.edu/technology/media-services.

Continued from Page 7

Teach Your Own Summer Class

Continued from previous page

CIDDEs New mCasts!

The Faculty Development Resource Library at the Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education(CIDDE) provides University faculty and teaching assistants with a wealth of books, periodicals, and multi-media on a variety of subjects dealing with education and new strategies for teaching and learning, such as:

Problem-based Learning Instructional Design Faculty Evaluation & Development Active Learning Teaching with Technology Diversity in the Classroom & Curriculum

The library is located on the 6 th floor of Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Avenue.To visit the library or borrow a book, please contact Michelle Lane, 412-383-9729 or [email protected] .


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Summer Instructional Development Institute for Faculty

The annual Summer Instructional Development Institute (SIDI) provides University of Pittsburgh fac-ulty with learning opportunities designed to promote effective teaching. Presented in collaborationwith the Office of the Provost and the Provosts Advisory Council on Instructional Excellence (ACIE), the following initiativesare planned for 2006.

Summer Institute: Part IBeyond the Classroom: Fostering Long-term Retention and Transfer of Learning

Friday, May 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

What is involved in teaching for long-term retention and transfer of learning? Join faculty from various disciplines as they discussand share effective ways to promote retention and transfer, and learn how to incorporate these activities into your courses. By theend of the program, you will have new ideas and possibilities to consider as you plan for your fall semester courses.

Summer Institute: Part IICourse Design

May 1 through August 15

This opportunity provides individual course development support for those who wish to develop or revise a course. A CIDDE instructional designer will work directly with you, according to your summer schedule, to help you meet your course design goals. CIDDEcan help you to locate course-specific teaching materials and assist you in developing the most effective teaching activities, tests,projects, and assignments.

Summer Institute: Part IIICourse Development Using Blackboard

Monday through Thursday, June 1922, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This Summer Institute provides hands-on instruction in using Blackboard. This seminar helps you to learn and apply instructionaldesign principles and knowledge of Bb authoring, communication, and management tools. You should expect to have a significantportion of your online course components complete by the end of this week of instruction.

To enroll or for more information, please contact Michelle Lane at [email protected] or 412-383-9729.


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TeachingTimesUniversity of Pittsburgh

Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education4227 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Phone: 412-624-6596, Fax: 412-624-7220Editorial staff: Carol DeArment, Editor; [email protected]

Alec A. Sarkas, Graphic Design & Illustrations; [email protected]

Faculty Book Discussions

Plan to Join Your Colleagues for Falls Faculty Book Discussions

The Art of Changing the Brain Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning By James E. Zull, 2002 Stylus Publishing LLC

James E. Zull invites teachers in higher education to accompany him in his explorationof what scientists can tell us about the brain and to discover how this knowledge caninuence the practice of teaching. The Art of Changing the Brain is based on thepremise that biology can enrich our understanding of the good practices that cognitivescience and education research have given us. Zulls approach is grounded in thechallenges of creating effective opportunities for deep and lasting learning, and of dealing with students as unique learners. Author James E. Zull is a professor of biologyand director of the University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education at Case

Western Reserve University.

A necessary part of any collection of important literature on teaching and learning. Michael Theall,

National Teaching and Learning Forum

This is the best book I have read about the brain and learning. His perspective forms the foundation for a teaching approach that can dramatically improve human learning.

David A. Kolb,Dept. of Organizational Behavior,

CWRU

Dates will be announced in the fall.To enroll and receive a free copy of the book, contact Michelle Lane,Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education (CIDDE),[email protected] or phone 412-383-9729.

Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education

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