Expeditions in Learning: Academic Institutions
Dates: This 5 week session will run between June 30 and July 31. The days and times or meetings will be set per participant availability. Commitment will include three 2-hour group discussion periods along with two 8-hour campus trips.
Facilitator: Tessa Lowinske Desmond and
Brian Manske, Delta Program
Location: Science House - 1645 Linden Drive along with campus visits to be determined by participants.
Are you thinking about your future professional career in higher education? Have you ever wondered which type of institution would be the best fit for you? It is likely that many of us are intimately familiar with only a few campus environments, and haven’t fully considered the myriad opportunities in research, teaching and learning that various colleges and universities of higher learning have to offer. This novel version of our popular Expeditions in Learning program explores these diverse institutions through a framework to guide your search for professional place.
The Expeditions in Learning program is structured by expeditions and reflection. Together we will explore various types of institutions—public, private, research, liberal arts, community, and technical. Through these expeditions we will learn about the unique origins, missions and cultures that characterize each of these schools. Then, as a community we will reflect on how these institutional values align with your professional goals. Participants will have the opportunity to help significantly shape the course.
CLICK HERE to start the registration process. Please contact Brian Manske (bfmanske@wisc.edu) with further questions.
Dates: Wednesdays 3-4:30pm (every other week)
Facilitator: Robert Mathieu, Astronomy and Steve Ackerman, Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
Location:1645 Linden (Science House)
Overview and Purpose
How do we, standing in front of our students, communicate effectively with them?
Lecturing. It can work; and it can be fun. A well designed lecture helps students learn if it is reasonably well presented. But, how does one lecture well? Are there principles for good lecturing that we should follow? How do we integrate our lecturing with active learning in-class experiences? Might we look at the lecture classroom as theatre, where the instructor is the director, writer, technician, producer and actor. What ‘actor’ skills do we need to make our lectures engaging and dynamic? Can we learn and improve lecturing skills?
This Expeditions in Learning will give a group of faculty and staff the chance every other week to “sit in” on an array of UW lecture classes, both to observe a variety of approaches and to refresh memories of the student experience. On the “off” weeks the group will discuss the expeditions to explore aspects of good lecturing. In addition, we will explore exercises that sharpen our own lecturing style – how to include humor, how to dress, how to asses if our students are engaged, using our voice, dealing with questions and using ‘props’. We will look at how good storytelling skills might be effectively included in lectures. We will also look at how classroom lecturing skills intersect with professional presentations.
In addition to the weekly meetings, participants are invited to monthly Roundtable dinners with all other groups from other Delta teaching and learning programs, courses, and opportunities.
CLICK HERE to start the registration process. Please contact Brian Manske (bfmanske@wisc.edu) with further questions.
Dates: TBA
Facilitator: Wren Singer (Center for the First Year Experience)
Location: TBA
Overview and Purpose
First-year college students present unique challenges and
opportunities for instructors. Join the staff from the Center for the
First-Year Experience to explore the theories and best practices for
connecting with and engaging these students. Through self-reflection and
guided discussion, you will consider the generational, developmental,
and psychological variables specific to the first year-student that may
impact their experience in your classroom. This program may be of
particular interest for faculty and instructors who work with (or
anticipate working with) large, introductory-level courses or who mentor
first-year college students.
CLICK HERE to start the registration process. Please contact Brian Manske (bfmanske@wisc.edu) with further questions.
Download the prior year syllabus: MS Word
Past Offerings
Expeditions in Learning at UW-Madison (Fall '04, Spring '05, Fall '05, Spring '06, Fall '07, Spring '08, Fall '08)
Expeditions in Learning about Diversity (Fall '06)
Explore our campus learning environment in new ways with an emphasis on
diversity through explorations of classes, facilities, and campus events.
Concurrent with these expeditions, the Delta and Diversity Education Programs
will facilitate small group discussions of your discoveries and the possible
implications for teaching and learning.
Expeditions in Learning about Social Justice (Spring '07)
Expeditions in Learning for new faculty (Spring '07)
Expeditions in Learning Outreach (Summer '06)
Expeditions in Learning Physics Department (2006-2007)
Expeditions of the Classroom Experience (Fall '05, Fall '06)
Observe teaching and learning in a variety of classrooms on campus. Expeditions
will include visits to majors and non-majors classes and a lab. Participants
will use their observations to discuss ways to improve their own teaching
practice. Some teaching experience is required to participate. (Syllabi
will be posted soon.)
Download the syllabus (draft) in MS Word format or
Download the syllabus (draft) in PDF.
To register or get more information please email Brian Manske.
