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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Congrats to the 2015 STEM/Applied STEM Institute Faculty!


Congratulations to the faculty members and coaches of the 2015 STEM/Applied STEM Institute for Faculty: Course Redesign for Active & Collaborative Learning! 

The Institute, hosted by MCC’s Teaching & Creativity Center on the Brighton Campus during July 27-31, 2015, was a mix of interactive workshops, one-on-one consultations, and work time designed to help STEM and Applied STEM faculty members learn about and implement active and collaborative learning techniques. With the help of MCC faculty coaches, participants learned new techniques, effective implementation strategies, solutions to common problems, and various assessment methods. By the end of the week, participants successfully used integrated course design to redesign a unit in their courses with active and collaborative techniques.  This project is funded by the Xerox Foundation, Academic Services, and Title III: Building a Culture of Engagement & Success.

Thank you to the following faculty members for their participation and hard work. It was a fantastic week filled with new ideas and exciting collaborations! 

Katherine Amann, Mathematics
Carlo Atene, Mathematics
Laura Bond, Mathematics
Amanda Colosimo, Chemistry/Geosciences
Steven Crump, Applied Technologies
Joy Daggett, Chemistry/Geosciences
Thomas Heidt, Mathematics
Heather McKechney, Chemistry/Geosciences
Laurie Rocco, Biology
Anuradha Shivpuri, ESOL/TRS
Anne Vogtle, Nursing
Charles Wuertzer, Biology

Thank you to the coaches of the Institute: Julie Damerell (ESOL/TRS), Suzanne Long (Biology), Margaret Kaminsky (Chemistry/Geosciences), Jon Iuzzini (Teaching & Creativity Center), and Neeta Primo (TCC/Mathematics).  The coaches spent months preparing and each workshop was an amazing opportunity for participants to learn about and experience active and collaborative learning. 

The STEM/Applied STEM Institute included the following workshops:

-- Active Learning = (Thinking  × Time)  + (Acting  ×  Applying) + (Creating × Communicating) – Julie Damerell, Suzanne Long

-- Designing Courses for Significant Learning - Jon Iuzzini, Neeta Primo

-- Integrated Course Design: Feedback and Assessment - Jon Iuzzini, Margaret Kaminsky

-- Group Work: Actively Learning Together - Neeta Primo, Julie Damerell

-- Engaged Note-taking - Julie Damerell

- -Effective Lecture - Jon Iuzzini, Margaret Kaminsky

-- Helping Students Use Their Text(book) - Julie Damerell

-- Common Issues in the Classroom - Margaret Kaminsky, Suzanne Long

-- Action Plan: Setting Goals, Planning Your Next Steps, and Identifying Challenges - Jon Iuzzini, Neeta Primo


Here are a few comments from this year’s participants:

-- “This was refreshing and reinvigorating and has gotten me so excited to teach a course that I've literally been teaching for years. Thank you to all the coaches!!”

-- “This was hands down the most helpful and positive professional development experience I have had - including courses in instructional design.”

-- “This was a fabulous week! I stretched my brain a lot, but met some amazing people and learned about some great learning strategies.”

-- “I enjoyed and appreciated utilizing the techniques that were presented during the week. It was helpful to see these activities through the eyes of a student.”

Neeta Primo
Teaching & Creativity Center
09/10/2015