Communities of Teachers & Learners Spring 2018 · Volume II · Issue I
A Note from the Director The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is delighted to present TeachingWISE, a publication on teaching and learning. Our goal is to create community by centering conversations about innovative practices happening at KSU. We aim to feature remarkable educators and students in their own words, sharing what motivates them. Too often teaching becomes a private act, but sharing our stories opens the door to dialogue upon which ongoing enhancement is founded. My heartfelt thanks goes to the educators, CETL staff, and our student writers and designers involved in producing the newsletter.
Michele DiPietro, Executive Director
Table of Contents Yumin Ao: Lecturer of Chinese Personal Narratives Outstanding Teaching Award 11th Annual SAS Analytics Day Maya Heritage Community Project Problem-Based Learing Thank-a-Teacher
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Yumin Ao: Lecturer of Chinese
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by Taylor Power
extends, the learning does not stop. Active learning strategies allow for students to interact and enjoy the material being taught beyond the classroom.
t can be difficult to comprehend foreign language concepts, and that is why Yumin Ao, a Lecturer of Chinese, implements a variety of classroom techniques that cater to diverse learning needs. This method allows students to approach the Chinese language from multiple angles.
Ao implements these active learning strategies to prevent students from getting lost in a foreign language. Ao’s classroom is very interactive because students must communicate through group projects, audio assignments, film assignments, and creative writing assignments. Ao is always looking for ways to deliver content in innovative ways. The classroom is a creative approach to making sure that Chinese is being spoken, listened to, and written every day.
Ao approaches her course in a way that allows students, who learn in different ways, to understand the concepts with assignments that include film, audio, and writing. “My PowerPoints are always six slides,” Ao says. She keeps the lectures short because she wants students to be able to discuss, talk, and write in Chinese. By keeping lectures concise, Ao is able to implement a writing-tolearn strategy, which includes writing tasks integrated with vocabulary and grammar.
"My PowerPoints are always six slides"
In Ao’s course, students end the semester with a portfolio of ten projects using the writing-to-learn strategy. The projects provide multiple angles to learning Chinese. For one of the projects, the students write and produce a Chinese play. Each group of students must read a chapter in Peter Hessler’s novel, River Town. Then, the groups adapt the chapter into a script and film. Through writing, speaking, and responding in Chinese, the projects help the students immerse themselves in the Chinese language.
One way that Ao implements her writing-to-learn strategy is through an application called WeChat. This application allows students to write and read in Chinese. It is similar to any texting application. The students are in a group chat with all their classmates. In some cases, Ao initiates the conversation by asking a question and the students respond. The students are reading and typing Chinese. The students get to use the application in class, but the conversations carry on outside of the classroom. “WeChat extends the classroom,” says Ao. WeChat allows students a place where they can constantly interact with Chinese. When the classroom
These active learning strategies allow for proficiency in the language. While the projects relate to the textbook, Ao is careful to keep lectures short and application apparent. Ao’s class stands out because she allows for creativity within her discipline that makes students want to engage with the material even outside the classroom doors.
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Nyasha GurumatunhuCooper by Taylor Power
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“Narratives give us a way or language to personalize theories and concepts in a way that makes sense to use and our experiences," said GuramatunhuCooper.
hen asked how to pronounce her last name, Nyasha GuramatunhuCooper, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies, jumped right into a story. She is from Zimbabwe, so Guramatunhu is a Shona phrase. Guramatunhu means to “travel across lands.” The name seems intimidating at first, but in Shona the consonants are married to vowels and pronounced as one sound. Her last name provides a narrative for the students to understand. Names can provide context into people’s lives.
"Narratives give us a way to personalize theories and concepts"
On the first day of class, GuramatunhuCopper asks her students to talk about the historical, cultural, social, and political contexts of their names. This builds a sense of community in the classroom and helps students dive into critical thinking. This exercise allows the students to share pieces of their narrative, and it helps GuramatunhuCooper know them beyond their student ID number. Teaching theory can be an arduous task, but GuramatunhuCooper uses personal narratives to bring theory down to a recognizable and applicable form.
GuramatunhuCooper offers her own personal narratives that connect to certain theories in LDRS 3200, Leadership in a Global Society. For example, she uses her own narrative to break down the theories of Collectivism versus Individualism:
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This personal narrative connects two theories to real-life, allowing students to see how theories apply to leadership. It is an invitation for them to enter the discussion. GuramatunhuCooper not only inserts her own narratives into the classroom, but she invites students’ stories to help them make connections with theory in their own lives.
I was born and raised in Zimbabwe. In fact, I identify as Zimbabwean American. In that particular order. I go back to Zimbabwe very often, in fact twice a year because my cultural bearings are still very much Zimbabwean.
In one situation, a student shared that he did not see the connection between leadership in a global society and coaching football. GuramatunhuCooper helped the student by showing the connection. Many NFL players are from different countries, and the NFL is marketed globally. This created relevance and a point of reference for the student. GuramatunhuCooper strives for these connections in her classroom.
In Zimbabwe, we are a collectivist society. In a collectivist society, it is about the community versus the individual. The individual does not exist outside of the community. I, as the individual, exist to serve the community. In any decision that I make, I think of the impact on my community, am I fulfilling my communal obligation, and I am not just thinking about myself. Any major life decisions are not just about me. I have to think about how they are going to impact people around me. In the U.S., we enjoy personal freedoms. I have agency. I can decide what I want to do, who I want to do it with, and when. Individualism is part of the American narrative and Collectivism is part of the Zimbabwean fabric.
The narratives and exercises are intentional and reflect the content. Teaching requires changes sometimes, and GuramatunhuCooper is aware of that. She reflects on her teaching and wants to make sure that every lesson is clear, interesting, and engaging. There is nothing like seeing a student make a connection between ideas. “If I do my job impactfully, I create the space for students to make connections.” GuramatunhuCooper allows narratives to drive her course, which breaks down complex theories and gives agency to the students.
There is nothing right or wrong about either one of them, that’s just how societies are structured.
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Outstanding Teaching Award
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by Taylor Power
aura Davis, Associate Professor of English and Interdisciplinary Studies, was awarded the 2017 Outstanding Teaching Award for her investment in student education through the implementation of successful online courses. She was also awarded the 2017 Outstanding Diversity Advocate Award. Davis teaches in four different academic programs which include Asian Studies, Gender and Women Studies, American Studies, and English Studies. Although she teaches many different courses, Davis is acknowledged for excelling in all of them. What’s more, she teaches fully online. There are many assumptions that come with online teaching, like the fact that students are more likely to drop out of online classes rather than face-to-face classes. With this in mind, Davis’ main goal is keeping students engaged in online classes.
Motivation is key to keeping students engaged, and it is no easy task in an online setting. If you can keep students engaged, then you can keep students in the class. In order to change the assumptions about online classes and create a welcoming presence online, Davis started researching motivation. She also took a class on visual rhetoric at Georgia State University, which helped her brand herself through her online courses. She found that voice change can be recognized by changing fonts, increasing student motivation, and participation. Even a small design change makes classes more personable and interactive, which helps students stay involved in online classes. For example, she uses a friendly font for a short introduction then goes into Times New Roman for more serious information. The friendly font allows students space to ease into the material. She noticed that students recognized the change of tone because she changed the fonts. “The design choices in my class are all intentional,” Davis said. Her enthusiasm for teaching is marked in her attention to design, word choice, and each branded online class.
"The design choices in my class are all intentional."
As someone who only teaches online, it is an achievement to be given this Outstanding Teaching Award. When she arrived at Kennesaw State University, Davis was given the task of teaching some of the first online courses in her department. Since then, she has pioneered the way in online teaching in multiple departments. Davis said, “I started seeing how you could keep students motivated in an environment where they never saw you physically.”
Davis’ passion is shown in the effort she puts into each of her courses, and it is this effort that led her to being the recipient of both the 2017 Outstanding Teaching Award and 2017 Diversity Advocate Award. She enjoys her work and encourages her students to leave her class with confidence in their knowledge of the course material. If the students keep the books from her course, Davis knows that she has done her job well.
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11th Annual SAS Analytics Day by Taylor Power
APRIL 20, 2018 KSU CENTER/ Kennesaw, GA
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ennifer Priestley, Associate Dean of the Graduate College and Executive Director of Analytics & Data Science Institute, is in charge of SAS Analytics Day and has been involved since the beginning. The purpose of the event is multifold: it serves to connect KSU students to the business community and a celebration of analytics across the university. SAS is a leading program in statistical analysis, and many companies rely on this program for data collection. SAS Analytics Day is broadening its window this year to reach more students on the university. Students are able to submit projects done in R, Scala, Python, and Spark as well. This expansion allows more students the opportunity to get connected to companies and showcase their skills. The event is structured like a reverse job fair, in which students set-up posters and businesses come around to the students. Students meet around 250 people outside of KSU and up to 50-75 different companies. The event gives students the opportunity to showcase their work in analytics for companies across metro Atlanta and the region. Companies come from North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama and they come to seek talent for their company. As a result, students get job
offers on the SAS Analytics Day. It is a great space for students to network and build connections. Furthermore, SAS Analytics Day is also a way for students to present their research in the fields of ap plied statistics and data analyses. It allows students a platform to share their research, collaborate with other students, and gain connections. This year the event is held on Friday, April 20th at the KSU Center. The event runs from 8:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. The two guest speakers this year are Scott Askins, Chief Legal Counsel at Kabbage and Coty Rosenblath, Director of Data Systems at MailChimp. Students are exposed to thought leaders in analytics each year. This exposure connects students to real-world careers that are available to them in analytics. The event is a great space for students to learn from leaders in analytics, showcase their work, share their research, and receive job offers. In order to be a participant in Analytics day, students must submit their research poster two weeks before the event at http://ccpe.kennesaw.edu/sasday/registration/ Like mentioned above, the project can be done in SAS, Spark, R, Scala, Python, and others.
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Maya Heritage Community Project
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by Micheal Jones
n the summer of 1973, Alan Lebaron, Director of the Maya Heritage Community Project (MHCP) and Professor of History, and a college friend embarked on a road trip across the country. They spent the whole summer driving and camping out across Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador. It was not a typical trip for some students from Boise, Idaho. They had no idea what they were getting into and went into the experience with open eyes, ready to learn about the culture of these new places.
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The last place Lebaron and his friend stopped on this road trip was Guatemala and what they found was astonishing. They discovered the ancient sites of Maya civilization. The land was tropical and rich in agriculture and many of the inhabitants wore traditional Maya clothes. While they were in Guatemala, they dove further into Maya culture. While Lebaron was teaching here at Kennesaw State University, he met Maya residents who moved to
Georgia. He felt a kinship with them and was interested in staying connected. Lebaron has made frequent trips to Guatemala to visit to the Maya people since 1973. The Maya people have survived hundreds of years of Spanish oppression and now they are trying to survive in the United States. From his past experience and knowledge with the Maya people, Lebaron felt he needed to be involved with the local Maya community. Thus, he developed the Maya Heritage Community Project to work alongside people of Maya heritage both locally and throughout the United States. Being formally approved by the United States Peace Corps Fellows programs, the MHPC has directed 6 conferences at KSU since 2002. The conference brings students and local Maya immigrants together for discussions on Maya history, language and culture. Since 2008, the Maya Project has helped direct annual Maya National conferences in states across the country, by creating a network of Maya language interpreters and a tool kit for health care providers. The goal is to better understand the Maya and develop trust with the community.
Lebaron has grown to be one of the central figures of the Maya community and wants others in our community to be involved in this project. The Maya Heritage Community Project exists to partner with the Maya people. To learn more about the project, visit and Like the Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/KSUMHCP/
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Charles Wynn: Problem-Based Learing by Micheal Jones
For example, instead of lecturing about the events that led up to the annexation of the Philippines after the Spanish American War, he places students on both sides of the issue and gives them a reason to argue for and against U.S. colonial expansion. After the students have reached their own decision about how to proceed, they compare their decision on U.S. expansion with what actually happened. Students also learn to recognize and practice more advanced cognitive/problem-solving systems, which will benefit them outside the classroom.
“Students come out of my class with better problemsolving skills,” says Charles Wynn, Associate Professor of History Education and History, because they are guided to develop solution alternatives to historical issues and to developing solutions to current issues. In Wynn’s classroom, students examine issues from multiple perspectives and learn how complex historical problems were and how complex current issues can be. He guides students to recognize and utilize advanced cognitive skills to debate and make decisions on key turning point issues in U.S. history (1877 to the present). He uses a problem-based learning (PBL) approach to immerse his students into these issues and to think their way out. He started using PBL while teaching history/social studies at the secondary level in Carrollton, Georgia. He developed a PBL approach to actively engage his students and to make content more relevant.
"When students are so involved, they do not want to leave; that is a great sign for a professor."
Wynn also prompts students to use the problem-solving skills practiced on historical issues to address current issues. Students develop solution alternatives to such issues as health care reform, immigration reform, federal tax/spending policy, energy policy (climate change), and minimum wage. Engaging students in this process promotes more interest and engagement in the political and social dynamics that surround them. Wynn has found that students often linger after class to talk about a PBL activity and to continue the deliberative process. He says, “When students are so involved that they do not want to leave (class) that is a great sign for a professor.”
His approach guides students to accurately contextualize historical issues and prompts them to understand and argue opposing perspectives. After this argumentative phase, he facilitates a problem-solving phase through which students use contradictions among opposing perspectives as a catalyst to develop solution alternatives. Students then deliberate to select a “best” solution and compare it to what actually happened and evaluate the consequences. To contextualize key turning points, Wynn asks students to analyze primary documents like letters, newspapers, editorials, etc. From these documents and other sources, students construct an applicable understanding of opposing perspectives. His approach challenges students to go beyond memorization to promote a more enduring and applicable understanding of the past. “History can often become just remembering things for a test” and Wynn does not want to teach the traditional history class where you only remember what you need to pass the test. PBL engages and challenges students to become stakeholders in past problems and issues.
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Thank - aTeacher “Professor Fallon, This should have been said a long time ago, but thank you for being such a professional. When I think of what an Engineering Professor should be, you fit that description perfectly; not only do you know the material through and through but you also know how to teach it and make your students more knowledgeable and interested in the topics you present. You are one of the most thorough and involved professors I have ever had in my scholastic life and I have had quite a few. I just wanted to say keep up the good work and do not change how you teach. You make learning the hard stuff enjoyable.”
“Dr. Achar did an amazing job teaching intro microbiology! I am very impressed with her teaching style and what she had to offer to the course. I currently work in the medical field, and to this day I still impress my colleagues with the information I obtained during my course with her. Thank you so much for an awesome learning experience!
“Dr. Fein, You are so genuine with your class and that has made all the difference. Your topics are fabulous and the way you present them, guide discussions and make us dig a little deeper in every conversation makes this class absolutely worthy of taking and essential to real-world scenarios. As a plus, you’re hilarious. Your time and effort for this course is greatly appreciated!”
I couldn’t have been happier than learning with you!”
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How to Get Involved in Our Next Issue
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eachingWISE features teaching and learning stories across disciplines, campuses, and communities at Kennesaw State University. We are interested in campus events, places, projects, and people who are engaged in scholarly teaching and learning. This publication is dedicated to sharing stories, pedagogies, and strategies that improve teaching and learning for all faculty and students at KSU. We invite your suggestions to improve the scope and impact of this publication. Please visit cetl.kennesaw.edu to learn more.
Contributing Staff Writers
Micheal Jones Taylor Power
Designer/Editor Katie Brackett Photographer
Taylor Power
CETL Assistant Director of Graduate Students/ Advisor to Students
Linda Stewart
CETL 3211 Campus Loop Road, MD 5400 Kennesaw, GA 30144 Phone: 470-578-6410 CETL@kennesaw.edu cetl.kennesaw.edu