Resources

CTL Newsletter Archive

Volume 4, Number 1, 1998

Coming Activities--Faculty Development Announcements

Time/Date: 9-10 am Monday, November 9
Place: Room 206 Classroom South Building

Also plan for

Talk About Teaching

The Center for Teaching and Learning has established an email discussion list which all GSU faculty are invited to join. It is anticipated that discussion will be provoked by our Faculty Enrichment Forums, but discussion is invited on any topic having to do with improving teaching or enhancing learning.

To subscribe to the list, send an email to: majordomo@gsulaw.gsu.edu with no subject or signature, and with the following message: subscribe ctl-talk

You will receive an email asking you to confirm your subscription. If you have any difficulty subscribing, please forward any error messages received to: owner-ctl-talk@gsulaw.gsu.edu. (This is a new list for academic year 1998-99; even if you subscribed last year, you will need to re-subscribe.)  We plan to use ctl-talk as a forum for faculty, part-time faculty and graduate teaching assistants to exchange information and concerns about teaching at Georgia State.

Visit the Center for Teaching and Learning

The best way to visit the Center for Teaching and Learning at our web site-- http://education.gsu.edu/ctl/. We have reorganized the site to help you find news about conferences, meetings and Faculty Enrichment Forums, access to teaching resources, easy access to the tools for infusing technology into your classes and information about funding opportunities, and on-line classes. We have been compiling a listing of Georgia State University faculty teaching web sites that you may want to visit to see some of the work of your colleagues (and we invite you to add your web site to the list).

The CTL also provides assistance with respect to students' learning. Check out the Resources for Academic Success that Murphy has catalogued: http://www.gsu.edu/~esljmm/studyskills/Studyweb.htm.  The CTL is trying to increase the availability of information about faculty development programs at GSU. Check our special website for the latest information on who is speaking, when and where: http://ul451.gsu.edu/wwwebbb/ctl/workshops/

The Center for Teaching and Learning now has a physical location in Room 248 of the College of Education building.

Preparing Future Faculty:

Academic Foundations Responds To Arts And Sciences' New Requirement

A central feature of the College of Arts and Science's mission is to provide excellent education and professional development to its graduate students within a stimulating, academic, learning-centered culture. To this aim, the college is now requiring completion of a course in postsecondary teaching for employment as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA). In response to this new requirement, the Department of Academic Foundations is offering LSPG 8600: Seminar in Post-Secondary Teaching, a course designed for graduate students who are preparing to teach as a GTA or as a Graduate Lab Assistant (GLA) at the post-secondary level. Seminar in Post-Secondary Teaching systematically reviews many of the major aspects of successful college and university teaching including sessions on adult learning, diversity, assessment, course preparation (including building a syllabus), teaching strategies and their appropriate uses, instructional technologies, peer review, and preparing a teaching portfolio. In addition, the course includes discussion concerning legal, political and historical issues surrounding higher education. This course informs graduate students about teaching effectively and provides them with the necessary skills and experiences for doing so. LSPG 8600 is opened to all graduate students in the university. Call Dr. Sheryl Gowen at (404) 651-0462 for further information.

New Student Orientation Course In High Demand

GSU 1010, New Student Orientation, is designed to introduce students to the academic life of the university and to help them make a smooth transition from high school to college. The course consists of three components: an interdisciplinary study of urban Atlanta and the Georgia State University community; an introduction to the academic demands, learning resources, and rules and procedures of the institution; and a community service learning project. Each course is taught by a full-time, tenured professor. Class size is limited to 25, which allows students to participate in hands-on activities, group discussions, team projects, presentations and small-group conferences with their professor. Close to 300 students are currently enrolled in GSU 1010 with additional sections planned for Spring Semester. This course is offered by the Department of Academic Foundations as part of its new mission to enhance retention. At institutions across the nation, students who participate in freshman orientation courses like GSU 1010 generally earn higher grades, make greater use of campus services and resources, and tend to persist to graduation in higher numbers. Call Dr. Brenda Smith at (404) 651-0459 for further information.

Did You Know?

There are about 80 faculty at GSU who have had a WebCT course established in their name and a total of nearly 150 WebCT courses. Learn more about WebCT on December 1, from 12-1 in Room 246, COE.

Center for Teaching and Learning