If you have never heard the term "Web 2.0" before, this session is for you. If you've read about Web 2.0 and want to brainstorm on how to integrate it into your teaching, this session is also for you. This second generation of Web-based communities and hosted services like social networking sites, wikis, and collaborative applications can enhance creativity and promote learning in traditional as well as online classrooms. Brett Phares, assistant professor of media arts; Mark Van Dyke, associate professor of communication; and Kevin Gaugler, associate professor of Spanish, will introduce Web 2.0 and show how they use these new Web services to enhance the teaching and learning process.

Wednesday, January 30, 11:00 am -12:30 pm, Lowell Thomas 125

Critical thinking can be defined as the disciplined process of actively conceptualizing, analyzing, and applying information as a guide to action or as a complex set of cognitive skills employed in problem-solving, intellectual consideration and innovation. No matter how you slice it, critical thinking is a skill we want to foster and develop in all of our students. This workshop will focus on the efforts of two faculty members and how they teach their students to think critically.

Wednesday, February 13, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm, Lowell Thomas 125

What can you expect students to know after they have completed College Writing I and II? College Writing is part of the core curriculum at Marist College. Its purpose is to help students use and develop their writing to not only express what they know and think but also to discover what they know and think. This workshop will present information to faculty to familiarize them with various methods of instruction and assignments in the College Writing classroom, as well as expected outcomes. It will also discuss useful ways in which writing can be used across the disciplines.

Wednesday, February 27, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm, Lowell Thomas 125

Collaborative Learning - Tips for Classroom Group Work: Through hands-on activities and discussion, opportunities for incorporating group work in the classroom will be explored. General activities will need to be tailored by each academic field but will serve as a starting point for course group work ideas.

March 8, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Donnelly Hall 236 & 236A

Running a Productive Class: There are a number of ways to make the classroom a more productive and dynamic learning environment. In this session, strategies for running an effective class discussion and creatively using in-class assignments will be presented.

March 8, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Donnelly Hall 236 & 236A

This session will offer examples of the meaningful use of assessment of student learning outcomes to improve student learning.

Wednesday, April 16, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm, Lowell Thomas 125

Held on three different Friday afternoons from 4 – 5 PM during the fall semester, the social/lecture series provides faculty with a chance to meet in an informal setting. Each social will be centered on a 30-minute talk given by a faculty member on a topic in her/his field of interest. Some of the talks will be based on work done while on sabbatical. Refreshments will be served.

Friday, February 8, 4:00 – 5:00 pm

Held on three different Friday afternoons from 4 – 5 PM during the fall semester, the social/lecture series provides faculty with a chance to meet in an informal setting. Each social will be centered on a 30-minute talk given by a faculty member on a topic in her/his field of interest. Some of the talks will be based on work done while on sabbatical. Refreshments will be served.