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Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Symposium, Monday, March 11, 2019

Thank you for attending the Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Symposium. We hope you enjoyed the program, activities, and the networking opportunities. Be on the lookout for information about the 2020 Symposium later this year.

Organized by the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education, or PCHE, please join us for the second annual Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Symposium hosted by the University of Pittsburgh. The symposium is a day-long conference for faculty, teaching assistants, and faculty support specialists from colleges and universities in Pennsylvania and its adjacent states.

Supported by Colleagues in Connection (a regional professional development collaborative), the event hopes to build on the success of last year’s inaugural symposium at Duquesne University by inviting current and aspiring educators to spend a day together to share resources, insights, and information that will energize and spark learning in higher education.

Founded in 1966, PCHE is a multi-purpose consortium of ten accredited colleges and universities in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. To learn more about PCHE and its member schools, visit their homepage.

2019 PRFS Planning Committee:

  • Karina Chavez, Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education
  • Jessica Diehl, Community College of Beaver County
  • Valery Keibler, Community College of Allegheny County
  • Lauren Panton, Chatham University
  • Erin Rentschler, Duquesne University
  • Laurel Willingham-McLain, Duquesne University
  • University of Pittsburgh University Center for Teaching and Learning

We’d like to acknowledge the sponsors and donors of the 2019 Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Symposium:

PRFS 2019 sponsor: U Store of 5th
PRFS 2019 sponsor: WVU Press
PRFS 2019 sponsor: eXplorance
PRFS 2019 Sponsor - Duquesne university Center for Teaching Excellence
PRFS 2019 sponsor: UPMC

The symposium brings together current and aspiring educators with four goals in mind:

  1. To building regional faculty collaboration and community
  2. To showcase teaching practices that help students learn via posters and presentations
  3. To discover new practices to use in their own contexts
  4. To become founding members of the Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Collaboration
PRFS 2019 - Sponsors

The University of Pittsburgh will host the 2019 symposium, with activities occurring in both David Lawrence and Wesley W. Posvar Halls. The buildings are connected by a walkable bridge, so you will not need to exit the building after arrival.

2019 Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Symposium map

Download a PDF of the map (1MB).

The day-long symposium will be held on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus on Monday, March 11, 2019. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Below you will find the agenda, timeline, and details about the individual interactive activities.

Programmatic Change: Affinity groups will assemble at 1:15 p.m. [rather than during lunch] and Dr. Cavanagh will visit select groups for 10 minutes. Affinity groups should work together to maximize the 10-minute personal group interaction with Dr. Cavanagh and prepare at least one question for question-and-answer. We will post specific locations for each affinity group prior to the symposium.

Symposium Timeline

8:30 – 9 a.m. Registration and Breakfast David Lawrence Hall lobby
9 – 10 a.m. Welcome & Keynote Address

  • The Spark of Learning: Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanagh
David Lawrence Hall 120
10 – 10:30 a.m. Coffee Break David Lawrence Hall lobby
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Interactive Workshops

  • Environments
  • Energizing Learning
David Lawrence Hall Classrooms
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Lunch Wesley W. Posvar Hall lobby
Noon – 1 p.m. Lunch Activities

  • Poster Session
  • Recipes for Success
 

  • 1501 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
  • 1502 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
1:15 – 2:15 p.m. * Affinity Groups and Q&A With Dr. Cavanagh
David Lawrence Hall Classrooms
2:30 – 3:15 p.m. Lightning Rounds (6 rounds, 5 minutes each) David Lawrence Hall 120
3:15 – 3:30 p.m. Book Giveaway and Closing Remarks David Lawrence Hall 120

Interactive Workshops (10:30 – 11:30 a.m.)

All workshops will occur in David Lawrence Hall classrooms. Specific locations will be determined prior to the symposium.

Theme I: Energizing Learning

Discussion Teams: Pinks, Greens, and Oranges – “Oh My!” – 232 David Lawrence Hall
Stacey Cederbloom, Mathematics Instructor, University of Mount Union
Are you interested in building camaraderie among students and showing students that you truly care about their homework questions?  Try using discussion teams!  If used in conjunction with guided notes and discussion threads, you can also motivate students to read their textbooks and to wrestle with material before coming to class, know what questions students have on homework before class starts, and keep students engaged during class.  During this interactive workshop, participants will experience how discussion teams can be designed and used.  Participants will also brainstorm and collaborate with colleagues regarding implementing such a technique in their own courses.

Engaging Students Using Collaborative Quizzing – 106 David Lawrence Hall
Theresa Jackson, Associate Professor, University of Charleston – Beckley
Nursing students report themselves as being less engaged in interactive or student-centered pedagogies. It has been recommended that nurse educators utilize new approaches to engage students in the classroom. The goal is to use collaborative quizzing and technology in the classroom to increase levels of student engagement. The educational theory used to guide this investigation is Bandura’s social cognitive theory, which combines both behavioral and cognitive orientations.

Gamifying Grading: Student Play, Student Engagement – 203 David Lawrence Hall
Dr. Brandon Galm, Adjunct Instructor, Westmoreland County Community College
This interactive workshop seeks to engage participants in rethinking their approach to grading systems in their classrooms by exploring play- and game-based grading systems. By setting up grading systems in this way, our students have more control over their entire learning experience, which allows them the freedom to craft their own approach to their courses in ways that best suit their own learning styles and limitations. Additionally, play-based grading systems have been shown to increase student engagement and assignment completion, as well as establish positive work and study habits beyond the play-based classroom.

Humor as a Pedagogical Teaching Strategy – 209 David Lawrence Hall
Michelle Doas, Nursing Faculty, Chatham University
Meigan Robb, Assistant Professor, Chatham University
Decades worth of research have validated that humor and laughter can have desirable psychological and physiological effects on learners.  Psychologically, effects can be manifested in decreased stress and anxiety levels and increased motivation. Physiologically, effects can be manifested in lowering of heart rate and blood pressure, increased oxygenation of blood, and the release of endorphins into the bloodstream.  Collectively, appropriate use of humor can be a catalyst for fostering a conducive learning environment, including facilitation of cognitive breaks that can assist in processing content. This interactive workshop will guide attendees through the prudent selection of appropriate types of classroom humor.

Off Scaffolding and Into the Deep End – 233 David Lawrence Hall
Nick Marsellas, University of Pittsburgh
Teachers can feel beholden to the well-worn advice to “meet students where they are.” However,  especially  in  conversations  where marginalized students have life experiences and wisdom to draw from, this means that we ask them to perform some remedial education for their privileged classmates or to wait for special topics courses before they can find a space to talk meaningfully about race, gender, etc. What might it mean to divorce mastery of content from the ability to handle topics with care? This session explores deep-end teaching–-the risks, the opportunities, and the potential rewards of trusting students to be kind.

Theme II: Environments

Active Learning Classrooms: Get Your Students Moving and Thinking – 231 David Lawrence Hall
Thomas Dececchi, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Pittsburgh – Johnstown
Dr. Bernadette Dececchi, Staff Officer, Research and Development, MILPERSGEN, Department of National Defence, Canada
The traditional lecture in post secondary education is a standard method of transmitting knowledge and content, but this method has been termed inefficient promoting passive or superficial learning. Active learning been touted as a new way to counter act the passive effects of the lecture. In our workshop we will introduce some active learning techniques that have been utilized successfully at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) and Queen’s University in Kingston. We will describe how these techniques are being introduced to introductory science classes at Pittsburgh University – Johnstown.

Invoking Emotion in the Flipped Classroom to Promote Interaction and Memory – 105 David Lawrence Hall
Cristina D’Imperio, General Education Faculty, Pittsburgh Technical College
Adam R. Vrabel, General Education Faculty, Pittsburgh Technical College
Additional Contributors from Pittsburgh Technical College: Jessica Cooper, Marisa Haney
In the session, we plan to illustrate a cross-disciplinary approach to the flipped classroom, involving math, business, and the humanities and illustrating “small teaching” ideas that can immediately be used in a variety of contexts. Much like a flipped classroom, our speaking will be limited, and we will focus instead on imparting information through activities, intending to invoke a variety of emotions such as joy/humor, sadness, fear, anger, and even disgust. Each activity will be prefaced with a brief explanation of what students would have been asked to do prior to coming to class.

Mapping your Classroom: Making Space for Student Engagement – 207 David Lawrence Hall
Laura Cruz, Associate Research Professor, Penn State University
If you are looking to find ways to energize student engagement in your classroom (and with your subject matter), classroom maps are visual representations of the interactions between you and your students, students with each other;  and students and their environment (Abbot, Cook-Sather, & Hein, 2014). In this interactive session, we will explore the process of both making classroom maps and using them as formative assessment tools for developing the desired patterns of interaction and more ‘democratic’ engagement among your students (Brookfield & Prescott, 2005).  Participants will leave the session with the ability to create and evaluate their own classroom maps (for themselves or others).

Sparking Legislative Advocacy and Community Action in Generation Z Learners: A Guided Discovery – 205 David Lawrence Hall
Meghan Blaskowitz, Assistant Professor, Duquesne University
Ann Stuart, Clinical Assistant Professor, Duquesne University
While recent studies suggest that Generation Z youth are more politically engaged than prior generations, their civic engagement and legislative advocacy is still low. According to a national poll by Harvard’s Institute of Politics, only 20% of 18-29 year olds felt they were “politically engaged and active” and only 49% of eligible voters participated in the 2016 election. Through the use of guided reflection, brainstorming, and polling technologies, this session will introduce active learning strategies that spark students’ interest in legislative advocacy.

Recipes for Success (noon – 1 p.m.)

Recipes for Success are strategies using in teaching that go beyond mainstream instructional methods and result in other faculty responding, “WOW, that is a GREAT idea!”

Flipgrid: Engaging Students Through Video
Lora Walter, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Chatham University

Maximizing Engagement in Gender and Historical Theory Using Graphic Novels
Jehnie Burns, Associate Professor, Point Park University
Sera Mathew, Assistant Professor, Point Park University

Opening the Lines of Communication with YouTube Capture
Jennifer Lape, Assistant Professor, Chatham University

Peer Facilitation and Grading
Ingrid Provident, Associate Professor, Chatham University

Personalizing Learning with Less Tech and Time
Lindsay Onufer, Teaching and Learning Consultant, University of Pittsburgh

R.I.W: Reflection of Identity and Worldview
Yihhsing Liu, Clinical Assistant Professor, Duquesne University

Squashing E.G.O.s, Creating Heroes
Marisa Haney, Business and Hospitality Management Faculty, Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator, Pittsburgh Technical College
Additional Contributors from Pittsburgh Technical College: Jessica Cooper, Cristina D’Imperio, Adam Vrabel

Posters (noon – 1 p.m.)

1 Achieving Intellectual Humility through Perspective Consciousness: “Crossing the Line”
Jessica Cooper, Communications Faculty, Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator, Pittsburgh Technical College
Additional Contributors from Pittsburgh Technical College: Cristina D’Imperio, Marisa Haney,
Adam Vrabel
2 Building Community Across Recitations
Lauren Herckis, Simon Initiative Research Faculty, Carnegie Mellon University
3 Engaging Senior Peers in Teaching Cultural Competency to Dental Students
Zsuzsa Horvath, Director of Faculty Development and Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh
Saniya Kamran, Resident, Dayton VA Medical Center
Hira Akbar, Predoctoral Student, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
Miranda L. Fabrega, Predoctoral Student, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
Ashley Lazar, Intern, Medical College of Wisconsin
Christine Wankiiri-Hale, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
4 Fundraising Plan with Community Nonprofit Organizations
Robin Albright, Instructional Designer, University of Pittsburgh
5 The Course Incubator: Academic Transformation in Large Enrollment Courses
Lorna Kearns, Director of Next Gen Learning Initiatives, University of Pittsburgh
6 Interprofessional Education: Moving the Classroom Abroad
Sarah Manspeaker, Faculty, Duquesne University
Sarah Wallace, Associate Professor, Duquesne University
7 Lightboard: A tool for creating educational videos with minimal post-processing
Sera Thornton, Learning Scientist and Teaching Consultant, University of Pittsburgh 
8 Post-Graduate Plans: Faculty-Career Center Collaborations
Mary Shuttlesworth, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Laroche College
Kristy Magee, Director, Career Services, Mount Aloysius College
Laura Rose, Lecturer, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County 
9 Supporting Students’ Lived Experiences in Service-Learning
Sera Mathew, Assistant Professor, Point Park University
Meggan Lloyd, Graduate Student, Point Park University
10 Theatrical Elements for Engaged Thermofluids Education
Shehla Arif, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mount Union
11 Using Expert Interviews to Enhance Classroom-to-Practice Connections
Rachel Schles, Doctoral Student, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Frances Mary D’Andrea; School of Education Faculty, University of Pittsburgh

Affinity Groups (1:15 - 2:15 p.m.)

  • Community Colleges: 105 David Lawrence Hall
  • Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity: 203 David Lawrence Hall
  • Online Learning: 206 David Lawrence Hall
  • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: 104 David Lawrence Hall
  • Small Colleges: 209 David Lawrence Hall
  • Teaching with Technology: 205 David Lawrence Hall

Lightning Rounds (2:30 – 3:15 p.m.)

Hosting Office Hours in Sweats: Using Real-Time Video Study Sessions
Olivia Long, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, University of Pittsburgh – Greensburg

Pay Attention To The Man Behind the Curtain
Jarrett Chapman, Associate Professor of Education, Grove City College

POGIL in Chemistry: No Size Requirement
Clinton Johnson, Graduate Student, University of Pittsburgh

Sparking Emotion Through an Interactive Video Lesson
Julie Slade, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Chatham University

Students Design 3D Brain Models to Learn and Teach Neuroanatomy
Erika Fanselow, Faculty of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh
Sera Thornton, Learning Scientist and Teaching Consultant, University of Pittsburgh

Using Digital Posters for Assessing Students’ Presentation Skills
Olga Klimova, Faculty of Slavic Language and Literature, University of Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Symposium is a professional networking opportunity for educators from the entire mid-Atlantic region who are shaping the landscape of teaching and learning in higher education. There are various support levels available to help the Colleagues in Connection host a successful event, and we welcome all support to ensure that the event provides a valuable forum for faculty, teaching assistants, and faculty support specialists. Your support will allow us to welcome our keynote speaker (whose book is the inspiration for the symposium’s theme), provide breakfast, lunch, and coffee breaks to all guests, and host approximately 250 educators from as many as 60 schools to share resources, insights, and information that will energize and spark learning in college students.

2019 Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Symposium Support Levels

Support Level Amount Level Includes:
Symposium Level $5,000 Your name/logo on all signage (digital and print); registration for six attendees to the symposium (includes breakfast, lunch, and coffee); table at the vendor expo
Gold Level $2,000 Your name/logo on all signage (digital and print); registration for four attendees to the symposium (includes breakfast, lunch, and coffee); table at the vendor expo
Silver Level $1,000 Directed contribution. Your name/logo will appear on all signage (digital and print). Supports your choice of the following symposium activities (please circle):
  • Breakfast
  • Coffee Break
  • Lunch
  • Poster Session
  • Recipes for Success
Bronze Level $500 Your name/logo on all signage (digital and print); contribution will support the general fund
Open Level Your Determination Contribution will support the general fund and be acknowledged online

If you would like to support the Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Symposium, please contact Erik Arroyo at pghregionalfacultysymposium@gmail.com for more details. Thank you for your support.

Registration for the 2019 Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Symposium has closed. Attendees will receive additional information and details via email during the week of March 4, 2019.

This section contains general information that might be helpful as you prepare for the symposium. Is something missing that might be helpful? Let us know at PghRegionalFacultySymposium@gmail.com.

Content Proposals

The proposal submission period has ended but you can find information about the symposium’s interactive workshops and collaborative activities on the When/Agenda tab. Please note that this information will be updated as additional details are confirmed. The symposium will consist of two themes, Energizing Learning and Environments, each with multiple tracks. Click the image to view a larger version.

PRFS 2019 Proposals - Theme 1 graphic

PRFS 2019 Proposals - Theme 2 graphic

You can also download the themes as a PDF.

Hotels

All hotels are within walking distance of the symposium.

Hampton Inn Pittsburgh University/Medical Center
3315 Hamlet Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

The Hampton Inn Pittsburgh University Medical Center has a discounted rate in place for symposium attendees at $109/night + tax. This includes a free hot breakfast buffet daily, discounted parking, and free shuttle service to and from the symposium (based on availability). Reservations can be made using the Hampton Inn-Symposium Reservation Link or by calling the hotel directly at 412-681-1000. Mention “Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Symposium” for the discounted rate. Last day to make reservations is March 4, 2019.

Hilton Garden Inn University Place
3454 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

The Hilton Garden Inn University Place has a discounted rate in place for symposium attendees at $149/night + tax. Use code 2765350 when registering online or by phone.

Residence Inn Pittsburgh Oakland/University Place
3341 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

The Residence Inn Pittsburgh Oakland/University Place has a discounted rate in place for symposium attendees at $139/night + tax. Use rate code UPT when registering online or by phone. You can view more about the hotel amenities on this Residence Inn flyer.

Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center
100 Lytton Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

The Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center has a discounted rate in place for symposium attendees at $119/night + tax. Reservations can be made using the Wyndham Online Group Reservation Form. If you plan to arrive or depart outside of the group dates, please contact the hotel directly at 800-864-8287.

Parking

Pitt has several available parking lots on campus (fees apply). See the University of Pittsburgh Visitor Parking brochure (.pdf) for details.

Flying In?

Pittsburgh International Airport is located approximately 45 minutes from the University of Pittsburgh campus (during weekday traffic). See flypittsburgh.com for more information.

Public Transportation

The University of Pittsburgh is located in the Oakland region of Pittsburgh. Consider using Port Authority of Pittsburgh for public transportation needs, or ride-sharing options as an alternative.

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