Many thanks to all who attended! View photos from the conference here.

 

Guide to Sessions

To help minimize scheduling conflicts and to assist you in identifying sessions of interests, the presentations have been organized into four thematic “tracks,” each of which has a designated room number.

Track 1: The Honors Experience (Capitol 1)

Track 2: Pedagogical Approaches (Capitol 2)

Track 3: Instructional Strategies (Capitol 3)

Track 4: The American Honors Program (Capitol 4)

Some presentation materials are available - click on the session name to download them. 

 

Session A: 9:15-10:15 am

Session A-1:

The “H Factor” Across the Disciplines: What Makes an Honors Class Different? And How Does That Play out in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and STEM? [Panel discussion]

Organizer: Gianna Durso-Finley, Mercer County Community College

Panelists:                

  • Laura Blinderman, Mercer County Community College
  • Carol Bork, Mercer County Community College
  • Ed Carmien, Mercer County Community College
  • Gianna Durso-Finley, Mercer County Community College
  • Richard Porter, Mercer County Community College
  • Linda Scherr, Mercer County Community College                              
  • Helen Tanzini, Mercer County Community College

 

This panel will be an opportunity for faculty who have taught Honors courses for several years to reflect on the ways in which best practices in Honors pedagogy play out in different disciplines. The “old” model of Honors – “more/faster/harder” – is no longer truly relevant.  This panel will tap collective wisdom about the best ways to challenge Honors students appropriately, without diverting too far from institutional learning outcomes. It is recommended for faculty new to Honors teaching and for faculty who have ever asked themselves, “Am I assigning Honors students coursework with a purpose?”

 

Session A-2:

The 10 Worst Listening Habits [Workshop]

Presenter: Michael Z Murphy, Union County College

The study of listening (as opposed to hearing) began in 1926 when the majority of Americans were primarily rural and technology as we know it did not exist. The opportunities for oral/aural communication have increased exponentially, but the human efficiency at this skill has remained the same. The focus is no longer on students listening to lectures, but on peer-to-peer listening, the various types of listening, and techniques to improve human efficiency at this fundamental skill. Rare is the job description that does not include some variation of “excellent communication skills” as a requirement. This workshop will focus on a brief overview of listening, the ten habits that prevent listening effectiveness, and will be presented with some pedagogical techniques that increase listening efficiency.

 

Session A-3:

Augmenting Reality:  Engaging Students with Aurasma  [Workshop]

Presenter: Beth Ritter-Guth, Union County College

Learn to build cool interactive “Auras” in this hands-on teaching and learning lab.  Students learn best by doing, and Aurasma combines hands-on practice with augmented reality.  Learn how to use this cutting-edge teaching technique in any discipline. Participants must download the free Aurasma app before the session and should have a tablet, smartphone, or iDevice for the session.

 

Session A-4:

Overview of Quad Platform and Roadmap for 2014-2015 [Presentation]

Presenters: Katrina Daiga and Dan Preiss, Quad Learning/American Honors

In this presentation we will provide a sneak peek into some of the visual and functional updates to the Quad Learning Platform for the upcoming year, including some enhanced social and advising tools. Includes a visual walk-through followed by opportunities for Q&A.

 

Session B: 10:30-11:30 am

Session B-1:

American Honors at Ivy Tech Community College: Styles and Strategies for Success [Panel discussion]

Organizer: Carmon Weaver Hicks, Ivy Tech Community College

Panelists:                

 

  • Brianna Pike, Ivy Tech Community College
  • Emily Watson, Ivy Tech Community College
  • Carmon Weaver Hicks, Ivy Tech Community College

 

Each panel member will briefly describe her course objectives and methodology using Quad and synchronous class sessions in Adobe Connect or traditional classrooms.  We will highlight how we have made modifications over time to improve our outcomes. We will provide course assignments that have been effective (and/or surprising) as well as websites and other tools that help make course content and discussions come alive.  Some teaching strategies such as “flipping” the classroom will be addressed as well as technology issues for specific courses.  And finally, we will show how all of our courses work together for student success and the rapid growth of a thriving academic community.

 

Session B-2: Spotlight on Service Learning

Flipping for Service! [Presentation 1]

Presenter: Cynthia Roemer, Union County College

Flipping for Service is an innovative integration of highly compatible pedagogies. The flipped classroom model allows students to discuss and share their experiences, ask questions, make interdisciplinary connections, collaborate to solve real problems, and meaningfully engage to deepen their understanding of course content during class time, effectively supporting the service-learning experience. This presentation will provide an overview of service-learning and the flipped classroom models, addressing key elements of each approach and how they complement each other to optimize their individual benefits.  The value in implementing this approach in American Honors will be discussed. Finally, a sample outline of this approach being developed for a general education elementary statistics course will be shared, and resources on these pedagogies will be provided. The session will conclude with a “Q & A” format.

 

Campus-Oriented Service Learning: Opportunity for Honors Accomplishment [Presentation 2]

Presenter: Ed Carmien, Mercer County Community College             

The phrase "service learning" conjures images of vans and buses, cars and trains, of the movement of students off campus to the site where service (and learning) will occur. This is a great model for effective education. However, it is time-intensive and presents individual professors and institutions with logistical and monetary challenges. This presentation offers model service learning activities that are campus-oriented and modular, that do not require the entire course be oriented toward them, and that have the salutary benefit of aiding the local institution. These campus-oriented service projects provide much the same chance for "learning by doing" as traditional, large-scale service learning, but within the context of a subset of the semester. Each activity can be tailored to reflect the demands of the academic discipline in which it is housed.

 

Session B-3:

Composing Honors Students: Strategies for Honors Writing Curricula [Panel discussion]

Panelists:                

 

At Mercer County Community College, we have offered entry-level and second-semester Honors composition courses since spring 2007. We find that these courses are crucial in setting the tone and creating a foundation for successful work throughout the Honors curriculum. We will discuss the strategies that have worked for our students along with our own learning experiences. Our approaches to teaching writing can be adapted to varying formats for composition, and to any course that includes writing assignments. Along with sharing our experiences, we hope to learn from others in the discussion following our presentations. Instructors from all disciplines are welcome to participate.

 

Session B-4: Spotlight on Instructional Technologies

Mastering Adobe Connect for the Virtual Classroom [Presentation 1]

Presenters:  Katrina Daiga and Jessica Gregg, American Honors

We will present and discuss some of the challenges, strengths, and strategies for effectively using Adobe Connect to host live classroom meetings online.

 

Enhancing Your Course with Web 2.0 Tools [Presentation 2]

Presenter: Kimber Moler, American Honors        

Learn how to harness the power of Web 2.0 tools!  This session will empower you to start presenting your course content in new, engaging ways and enhance student learning through creative, product-based assignments.

 

LUNCH BREAK: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

A buffet lunch will be served in the Capitol Gallery, 2nd floor

 

 

Session C: 12:45-1:45 pm

Session C-1:

Creating Learning Experiences That Invite Reflection and Critical Thinking: Student Choice = Student Engagement [Workshop]

Presenter: Toby Marx, Union County College

We all support active learning. However, not all active learning is created equal. One important aspect of active learning comes before students actually begin their work. If students are given a variety of options of how they do their assignments, they are more likely to be committed to the process and the learning experience, and to employ more critical thinking. This workshop will focus on incorporating choice into the learning experience. Feel free to bring your own examples of topics from your discipline that could benefit from more student buy-in, or ways that you have incorporated choice into assignments.

 

Session C-2:

Collaborative Project-Based Learning and Problem-Based Learning [Workshop]

Presenters:  

  • Krystyl Dumas, Ivy Tech Community College
  • Patricia Kemerer, Ivy Tech Community College

This session will cover four aspects to Collaborative Project-Based Learning and Collaborative Problem-Based Learning. Part 1: differences and similarities among the different types of PBL’s and the difference between a collaboration and Individualism. Part 2: the importance and appropriate uses of the Collaborative PBL’s. Part 3: How to structure and apply the PBL in the American Honors platform and classrooms. Part 4: Examples of current PBL’s in use. The session will conclude with questions and answers.

 

Session C-3:

Bridging the Math Gap over the Summer: American Honors Summer Math Series [Presentation]

Presenters:             

  • Ms. Kissler, Ivy Tech Community College
  • Cody House, American Honors

With 60% of students entering community colleges at a less-than "Math-Ready" status, the American Honors program saw an immediate need to help assist students with improving their math skills before entering the program. Enter the Summer Math Series. By utilizing the powerful Khan Academy platform, the Summer Math Series offers a self-paced, instructor-facilitated learning experience that allows students to take their learning into their own hands while closely following specially designed math curricula.

 

Session C-4:

Reinventing an Established Quad Course [Presentation]

Presenters:             

  • Emily Watson, Ivy Tech Community College
  • Kathy Zellers, American Honors

Assistant Professor Emily Watson has developed two composition courses for American Honors at Ivy Tech.  English 111 offers an introduction to college writing with a focus on food-related issues.  English 112 offers a closer look at rhetoric and research-based writing through the lens of literature. These courses have been built to facilitate an easy customization process so that diverse professors can quickly adapt a course to draw on individual strengths and interests.  In this workshop, Emily will demonstrate the process of taking English 111, a food-themed course, and changing key resources and readings to support a new course new theme, perhaps a new issue like technology in the classroom or student debt, or even a core reading, like Jean Twenge's Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before.

Session D: 2:00-3:00 pm

Session D-1:

PechaKucha Session: Snapshots of Innovations in Honors Teaching and Learning [Presentations]

Organizer:               Marianne Sheldon, American Honors

Presenters:             

Join us for a fun, fast-paced hour of “lightning talks” highlighting best practices and creative learning strategies employed by American Honors faculty. The presentations will be structured in the PechaKucha style – a timed series of 20 slides visible for 20 seconds apiece for a total of six minutes and 40 seconds per speaker. In addition to providing a glimpse of what your American Honors colleagues have been up to in the classroom, this session will introduce you to a unique presentation style that you might want to try with your students.

 

Session D-2:

Best Practices in Facilitating American Honors Courses with Labs [Roundtable discussion]

Organizer:  B. Ivan Strom, Union County College

This roundtable discussion will be led by a faculty member preparing to teach an American Honors course for the first time and an experienced instructional designer. Together, they will facilitate a conversation about best practices in designing and developing American Honors courses that have a lab component (e.g., STEM classes). Participants will share effective ways of delivering a flipped classroom experience in face-to-face, synchronous, and asynchronous environments and brainstorm new strategies for using the Quad platform for science and lab-based courses.

 

Session D-3: Spotlight on Discipline-Specific Strategies

Mercer Honors Precalc and Calculus: The Rise and Fall of Lady GaGa [Presentation 1]

Presenter: Richard Porter, Mercer County Community College

MCCC has had an honors program for years, but this is our first attempt at honors precalculus and calculus. Some may not see the critical thinking possibilities of these courses, but mathematics is a language and lends itself well to the arts of persuasion. What students do in our courses is begin with current and interesting data, use technology every day to connect the data to the daily lesson, then to try to present or argue a point. I give one example myself: I track the success of Lady GaGa. With precalculus we will answer the question: how will she do next year? With Calculus I ask: how is her success changing now?

 

Creating an Education Pathway In Cybersecurity from Two-Year to Four-Year Degree Programs [Presentation 2]

Presenters:             

  • Elizabeth K. Hawthorne, Union County College                 
  • Cynthia Roemer, Union County College

Given the urgent national workforce need in cybersecurity, Union County College applied for and received a capacity-building grant from the National Science Foundation to create an education pathway in cybersecurity starting from a two-year, associate degree matriculating with junior status into a four-year, baccalaureate degree. This pilot project involved Union County College students studying mathematics and computer science who transferred seamlessly into the cybersecurity degree program at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. This presentation will focus on the student selection process, the development of the transfer curriculum, bridge and mentoring program, as well as lessons learned and future directions, such as serving as a national model for other community colleges. Additionally, the presentation will discuss articulation agreements with other interested four-year institutions.

 

Session D-4:

From Honors Readiness to Honors Success: Supporting Students at Community College and Beyond [Workshop]

Presenters:             

  • Klara Markus, American Honors
  • Angelica Ruvarac, Ivy Tech Community College

As community college stakeholders, we have the opportunity to develop students and provide them with tools to craft their own success. The purpose of this workshop will be to engage faculty, student services staff, and community stakeholders around a discussion of what “honors readiness” means and identifying pathways towards honors success. The focus of the conversation is to explore how we can support the majority of students in developing their cognitive and noncognitive skills to bridge the gap between honors readiness and honors success, and the role each stakeholder can play in this process.

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