Limed: Teaching with a Twist

See extended show notes for this episode at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/refresh-course-construction-bridging-the-academy/

In this episode of Limed: Teaching with a Twist, intern Jeremiah Timberlake checks in with Katherine Fox from Season 1, Episode 6, “Course Construction: Bridging the Academy.” Jeremiah and Katherine talk about the current stage of her work developing a new course that cultivates creativity, building connections in a new community, and where to focus her initial efforts.

This episode was hosted and edited by Jeremiah Timberlake and produced by Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning.

See extended notes for this episode at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/refresh-demonstrating-knowledge-using-oral-assessments/.

In this episode of Limed: Teaching with a Twist, host Matt Wittstein follows up with Mark Burnham from Season 1, Episode 8, “Demonstrating Knowledge Using Oral Assessments.” Matt and Mark discuss Mark’s experience with implementing oral exams in his Biology coursework, the feedback and reactions he gauged from his students, and his future plans with oral assessments and other non-traditional methods of assessment in the classroom.

This episode was hosted by Matt Wittstein, edited by Jeremiah Timberlake, and produced by Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Center for Engaged Learning.

See the full show notes for this episode at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/refresh-place-based-learning-along-the-duwamish/

In this episode of Limed: Teaching with a Twist, host, Matt Wittstein follows-up with Dr. Ben Machado from Season 1, Episode 3 “Place-Based Learning Along the Duwamish.” Matt and Ben have a casual conversation about how Ben’s course went, some of the successes and challenges he faced, and what Ben is hopeful for in the future of their multi-disciplinary project centering the indigenous people of Seattle and the region.

This episode was hosted by Matt Wittstein, edited by Jeremiah Timberlake, and produced by Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning.

See our extended show notes for this episode at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/bite-sized-learning-to-support-young-professionals/

Jon Chesky, Senior Project Manager at L.F. Jennings, Inc., teaches within their Developing Young Professionals program. Faced with the challenge of engaging adult learners in a short-form workshop session, Jon asks our panel for ideas of how to be efficient in this bite-sized context with students participating in a voluntary program. Our panel included Brooke Buffington, Director of Elon University's Student Professional Development Center; Jen Platania, Associate Provost of Academic Affairs at Elon; and Elon alumna Andrea Sheetz ’22, who is a Workforce and Economic Development Analyst for Forsyth County, North Carolina. Panelists discuss trends in preparing graduates for the ever-changing workforce and provide ideas for how to connect with young professional as learners in short-format settings.

This episode of Limed: Teaching with a Twist is hosted by Matt Wittstein and produced by Dhvani Toprani and Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning.

See our extended show notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/demonstrating-knowledge-using-oral-assessments/.

Mark Burnham wants to help his students get more practice and feel psychologically more prepared for their oral graduation examinations in Emerson and Henry College’s biology program. He already plans to include oral assessments in some of his courses and our panel shares their thoughts on oral assessments as a practice, the importance of connecting your assessment with your learning outcomes, and tips to help oral assessments go smoothly. Panelists include Dr. Laura Pipe (UNC Greensboro), Dr. Olivia Choplin (Elon University), and Maddie Fayne (Elon University). 

This episode of Limed: Teaching with a Twist is hosted by Matt Wittstein and produced by Dhvani Toprani and Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning.

See our extended show notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/gamifying-multimedia-writing/

Dr. Travis Maynard found a game called “Silicon Valley Startups” at a Goodwill store and turned it into the basis for introducing his professional writing and rhetoric students to the skills and concepts needed for brand development and producing print, digital, audio, and video campaigns. He joins the podcast to share some of his lessons learned and ask our panel about ways to battle project and semester fatigue while making subtle improvements to a fun idea. Jill McSweeney rejoins the podcast along with John Spencer and Annelise Weaver to share their insights and ideas to keep students engaged and compare and contrast class projects from working on projects as a professional.  

This episode of Limed: Teaching with a Twist is hosted by Matt Wittstein and produced by Dhvani Toprani and Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning.

See extended show notes for this episode at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/course-construction-bridging-the-academy/

Dr. Katherine Fox is a medical anthropologist from Southern Oregon University. As her university is adopting a new general education requirement, she is working on developing a new course that centers creativity and innovation and could be taught by different faculty members. Yuzu Do, Jeff Grabill, and Danielle Lake share their insights on course development that bridges the academy and community and helps students translate their experiences into professional skills. 

This episode of Limed: Teaching with a Twist is hosted by Matt Wittstein and produced by Dhvani Toprani and Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning.

View our extended show notes at: https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/opportunities-to-make-group-work-authentic/

Derek O’Leary from Virginia Commonwealth University teaches advertising, a field known to require collaboration and cooperation with diverse teams, often remotely. David Buck, Gianna Smurro, and our producer Dhvani Toprani consider how to create an authentic group work experience in a remote setting. The panel provides some advice on creating groups, providing support, and assessing group work.

This episode of Limed: Teaching with a Twist is hosted by Matt Wittstein and produced by Dhvani Toprani and Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Center for Engaged Learning.

See our extended show notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/powerpointers-making-the-most-of-slide-decks/

Dr. Sarah Morrison-Smith is a new faculty member at Hamilton College, where the institutional culture leans away from PowerPoint in the classroom. Our panel of Jill McSweeney, Scott Spurlock, and Christina Wyatt reinforce the ethos that PowerPoint is a great tool… when you use it well, and they provide tips and advice for Sarah in her new position and her Computer Science classroom.

This episode of Limed: Teaching with a Twist is hosted and produced by Matt Wittstein and Dhvani Toprani in collaboration with the Center for Engaged Learning at Elon University.

Sarah Morrison Smith is an Assistant Professor at Hamilton College and has been teaching computer science at small, liberal arts colleges for the past four years. In her teaching, Sarah focuses on practical applications of computer science for the betterment of humanity, particularly with regard to accessibility. Her research focuses on building systems that support collaboration, especially when working remotely. More info about Sarah's lab can be found at mochiresearch.com. 

Jill McSweeney has been working in Educational Development for almost a decade. She began her work at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where she completed her PhD, and is now an Assistant Director for the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and an Assistant Professor at Elon University. She actively engages in scholarship around educational development and the scholarship of teaching and learning, publishing in journals such as Teaching and Learning Inquiry, the International Journal of Academic Development and The International Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. She approaches her teaching and educational development work with the focus of facilitating a space where learners and colleagues can create connections and meaning with themselves and their learning/teaching. To learn more about her teaching and ongoing scholarship, visit her on Twitter or her Faculty Profile.

Scott Spurlock is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Elon University. He teaches a variety of courses, including Algorithm Analysis, Computer Vision, and Data Mining and Machine Learning. He enjoys experimenting with new teaching approaches, such as Scrumage (Improving Content Learning and Student Perceptions in CS1 with Scrumage) and Ungrading (Improving Student Motivation by Ungrading), that structure courses in ways that improve student attitudes and motivation. In addition to Computer Science Education, his research focuses on applied machine learning and computer vision. Visit his website and connect on LinkedIn.

Christina Wyatt is a senior Finance and Economic Consulting double major at Elon University. While she is originally from Sarasota, FL, she plans to move to northern Virginia post-grad and work at Capital One located near Washington DC. Christina’s interest in research stems from her insatiable pursuit of knowledge, which she’s embedded in her research as both a CEL Student Scholar with Elon’s Center for Engaged Learning as well as her independent body of economic research. After beginning her independent research and her research role as a CEL student scholar 2 years ago, she’s seen her work flourish in unexpected ways—she’s attended 3 national and international conferences on engaged learning, been awarded the Cavarretta Award for the thesis she’s publishing in economics, and has had the opportunity to publish numerous blog posts on the subject of student advocacy. Beyond her research and classwork, Christina can be seen in Elon’s design thinking spaces (whether it be the Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship or the Maker Hub) creatively thinking and encouraging others to do the same.

See our extended show notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/place-based-learning-along-the-duwamish/.

This episode of Limed: Teaching with a Twist is hosted by Matt Wittstein and produced by Dhvani Toprani and Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Center for Engaged Learning.

Ben Machado has been teaching biology to community college students for the last 15 years in Oregon, California, and Washington, where he currently teaches at South Seattle College. He tries to imbue high-impact teaching practices into every part of his curriculum and thinks that helping underserved populations of students experience the joy of learning biology is always the best part of his day. Currently Ben is trying to bring a greater awareness of the area around South Seattle College to his students by focusing some of his lessons on the Duwamish River. More info on this incredible river that has shaped Seattle’s history can be found here: http://www.duwamishalive.org/our-duwamish-river/  

Kelsey Bitting is an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies Department at Elon University, and a former Associate Director for Elon’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. In her teaching, she incorporates a wide range of active and student-centered pedagogies, including place-based, community-engaged, and inquiry-based activities as well as contemplative pedagogy practices. She is the co-author of the peer-reviewed place-based unit curriculum, What’s in the Water?, and co-editor of the Guided Inquiry Introductory Geology Labs collection, both available on Teach the Earth. As a geoscience education researcher, she has published in The Journal of Geoscience Education and Research in Science Education, contributed to the development of the Geoscience Education Research community’s Grand Challenges effort, and formerly served as the president of the Geoscience Education Research Division of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers.  Learn more about her work and connect on LinkedIn.

Scott Morrison is an Associate Professor of Education at Elon University. He spent 11 years as a middle school English, social studies, and science teacher in Blowing Rock, NC, where he built and maintained a garden with his students. In graduate school he realized that he was an ecologically minded teacher (Moroye, 2009). That is, he brought his environmental values and beliefs into the classroom even though he was not trained or required to do so. Scott teaches courses on environmental education and garden-based learning so that future teachers have the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for taking students outside during the school day. His research focuses on everyday environmental education, abolitionist teaching outside, ecologically minded teaching, nature-based learning, and social media in teacher education.  Find him on Twitter (@scomorrison) and Instagram (@sco.morrison and @teachingoutside).  

Dani Toma-Harrold is a senior Elementary Education major with minors in African and African American Studies and Environmental Education at Elon University in North Carolina. While she is originally from Decatur, GA, she plans to stay in NC to teach (hopefully 3rd grade!). Dani is incredibly passionate about her research on the connections between antiracism, abolitionist teaching and place-based environmental education, or teaching and learning outside. Starting this study almost 2 years ago, she has presented at 7 national and international conferences, hosted a 2-part webinar series for a national garden support organization, created 2 workshops preparing a manuscript to publish her findings. Outside of classes, her 3rd grade student-teaching placement, and research, you can find Dani running around campus with Elon Runs or working at the local elementary school’s garden club!