Friday @ the Center
October 24, 2008
Midterm Course Evaluations: Wise Move
As we reach midterms (so soon!), doing a midterm evaluation is one of the best formative teaching strategies around. A simple five-minute evaluation can give you lots of information about how the class is going. Simply ask students to write brief anonymous responses to two questions: 1) what are some things that have helped you learn the most in this class? and, 2) what kind of things are interfering with or keeping you from learning? Reading through their responses can give you valuable input for midcourse corrections. It’s also useful to take a few minutes in class to respond to the evaluations, noting where there seem to be common problems or successes (i.e., “I’m happy to hear that your small group discussions have been lively”). If students complain about some aspect of the course that you believe is crucial, you can explain the rationale for the activity or discuss why they are having difficulty with it (i.e. “you need to write weekly reflection papers so that you can be sure to understand the reading assignments”). But if two-thirds of the class reports that they can’t follow your lectures or understand the reading, it’s time to do something different.
SPU Fulbright Nominees
Congratulations to SPU doctoral student Renee Gibbs and SPU alum Meghann Belka, who were both nominated as SPU Fulbright applicants this past week. Renee, who is in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, is proposing to do her dissertation research in Turkey, on “The Psychological and Sociocultural Adjustment of International Students in Turkey.” Meghann, a 2008 graduate in European Studies: Spanish, has applied to be an English Teaching Assistant in Spain. We will receive word on the status of their applications from the national Fulbright office by the beginning of February. A special thanks to those who served on the SPU Fulbright Interview teams: Lylje Klein, Spanish; Patrick McDonald, Philosophy; Bryce Nelson, Library Director; Luke Reinsma, English and University Scholars; and Karen Quek, Marriage and Family Therapy.
CFP: The Pietist Impulse in Christianity
The 2009 Lilly Fellows Program Regional Research Conference will be held at Bethel University on March 19-21, 2009, and will focus on pietism. Speakers include Donald W. Dayton, Emilie Griffin, Shirley Mullen, Roger Olson, and Jonathan Strom. Scholars from all traditions are invited to explore the many dimensions of the influential pietist heritage, with a view to understanding the ongoing relevance of the “pietist impulse” for contemporary problems and questions across disciplines. For the full Call for Papers and more information, please visit pietist.bethel.edu. Deadline for paper submissions: Nov. 1, 2008.
Pumpkin days are here...
Susan
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