HELP! Do grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors in your students’ writing sometimes make you want to tear your hair out? Are you wondering what to do?

You’re not alone. Many instructors are concerned about the clarity and correctness of their students’ writing. We know how important the ability to produce polished writing can be to a student’s academic and professional career, but too often we give extensive feedback on a paper only to see the same issues recur throughout the rest of the semester. Or we want to help our students in this area but don’t feel confident in our ability to do so. Or we worry that we simply don’t have enough time.

This webinar, which was recorded by and for CLC faculty, helps us rethink our assumptions about error and provides practical methods of coaching students in ways that don’t overwhelm them…or us. Anytime between 3/1 and 3/31, 2015 - online.

To register, click here and scroll down to the Teaching and Learning category. Within a few days, you will receive an email with a link to the webinar. View the webinar any time in March, and submit a brief response to receive payment (part-timers) or credit (full-timers) for 2 contact hours through the TLETC (formerly PDC).

Here are a few testimonials from the many faculty who have viewed previous versions of this webinar:

“This webinar was very informative, practical, and interesting. I hope it will be repeated every semester.” (Adult Ed teacher)

“Very enjoyable and organized and easy to view!” (Biology teacher)

“I found the presentation to be extremely engaging and relevant to the issues I face as an instructor. It seemed as though all the responses I wrote down were specifically addressed throughout the webinar as if it were customized just for me. It is nice to know that my concerns and challenges are the same ones being expressed by other instructors and that there are many ways we could be addressing these concerns in our classes. While I do not believe the solutions provided in the webinar will be the answer to all of our problems, they should go a long way toward alleviating some of our stress and anxiety (and workload) while, hopefully, making students more aware of the importance of writing effectively and appropriately for each class. I appreciate the efforts the college is taking to address this issue.” (Psychology teacher)

“I have gotten some really good ideas and strategies to use, and I am really looking forward to implementing them in my classes.” (Early Childhood Education teacher)

“I really enjoyed the webinar. It made me think differently about several issues, and I’m so glad to be able to hear them discussed in a public forum—makes me feel less isolated. … Overall I really appreciated how this webinar made me re-think those dark thoughts about our moral decay and that ‘there is nothing I can do about the decay.’” (Theatre teacher)

If you have any questions, please contact Marla L. Hyder

Coordinator, Writing Across the Curriculum
College of Lake County, L034
(847) 543-2988
wac@clcillinois.edu
mhyder@clcillinois.edu

Active Learning--An approach to instruction in which students engage the material they study through reading, writing, talking, listening, and reflecting. Active learning stands in contrast to "standard" modes of instruction in which teachers do most of the talking and students are passive.

CLC Faculty,

As part of a Title V grant extension the college has received, we are continuing our Active Learning workshop series but with a new twist.  Instead of bringing in an external speaker, we are utilizing our own talent to facilitate 4 workshops on a variety of perspectives of active learning.    Thirty faculty members will be selected to participate, and as a result of participation in the workshops AND applying Active Learning in your class this semester, each will receive up to a $420 stipend (for participation in all 4 workshops). 

DATES AND TOPICS

• Workshop #1—Introduction to Active Learning (Gayle Miller and Mary Zenner), Fri. March 13, 9am-noon (Rm. T333)
  
• Workshop #2—Active Learning for Online/Blended Classes (Ryan Cumpston, Holly Ledvina, and Page Wolf), Mon. March  30-Thu. Apr. 9 (online)
  
• Workshop #3—Using the Active Learning Classrooms (Holly Ledvina and Kathy Johnston), Fri. April 10, Noon-3pm (L113 and C134)
  
• Workshop #4—Wrap up/Discussion (all facilitators), Mon. Apr. 27-Mon. May 4 (online)
  

All sessions will provide practical examples and takeaways for active learning that you can apply to your own classes.

HOW DO I GET SELECTED TO ATTEND?

This workshop is open to both full-time faculty AND good faith offer adjunct faculty. You must be able to attend AT LEAST workshop 1 and workshop 4 to be considered, with preference going to those who can attend all sessions.  We will be selecting the 30 participants on a first-come, first-serve basis, but also trying to make sure we have a well-rounded representation from all academic divisions.  *NOTE: If you attended any of the previous Title V Active Learning sessions with Dr. Eison, you are STILL eligible to participate!

STIPEND PAY

Please be aware that this is a Title V grant-funded opportunity and not  TLETC credit.  Therefore, the stipend received would be above and beyond any current TLETC credit you may have.  As part of having participated in the workshops AND developing/using Active Learning in your class this semester, each will receive up to a $420 stipend (for participation in all 4 workshops; pro-rated pay is $105/session).

EXPECTATIONS

The workshop series will consist of two on-campus and two online (Blackboard) sessions.  In addition to attending the sessions, you will be expected to apply and use some of the active learning strategies that you have learned.  IEPR will be collecting data afterward on student success in the classes where you used active learning strategies. 

RSVP

Please RSVP by email to Page Wolf by Fri. 2/27/15 if you are interested in attending these workshops, and indicate the following information:

1. Name/Dept:
   
2. Full time or Adjunct (if adjunct, how long have you taught):
   
3. Which workshops you are able to attend:
   
4. Workshop 1:  Fri. 3/13, 9am-noon
   
5. Workshop 2: online
   
6. Workshop 3: Fri. 4/10, noon-3
   
7. Workshop 4: online