2024 Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference: Full Schedule

George Mason University faculty and staff to present their teaching-focused research at the 16th annual ITL Conference

9:30am EDT

Welcome

Thursday September 19, 2024 9:30am - 9:50am EDT

Via Zoom

Thursday September 19, 2024 9:30am - 9:50am EDT
Via Zoom

10:00am EDT

Dynamic Classroom Activities for Engaged Learning Experiences

Thursday September 19, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Via Zoom

Dynamic Classroom Activities for Engaged Learning Experiences
Teaching Talks include:

"Figure Facts": An Activity to Help Students' Understanding of Primary Literature - Jennifer Brielmaier -Learning to interpret data from primary research articles is essential for understanding and critically evaluating scientific literature. Undergraduates usually have little experience interpreting figures from research articles. This can hinder their understanding of the research and lead to frustration. This session will describe the use of an activity called Figure Facts, originally developed by Round and Campbell (2013), to enhance students' understanding of research articles. The Figure Facts template requires students to carefully examine each figure in the primary research article that has been assigned for discussion in the next class meeting. This session will explain how Figure Facts has been implemented in an upper-level, writing-intensive neuroscience seminar course in which primary research articles were assigned for reading and discussion. Changes in students' assignment scores over the semester, their attitudes toward Figure Facts, and their self-reported feelings of competency in interpreting data will also be discussed. This session will be beneficial to faculty and graduate student instructors of courses that require students to read and/or write about scientific research.
Bringing Key Decision Makers into the Classroom - Lynette Leonard - This presentation will share a strategy to enrich a class assignment by engaging key decision makers from campus. The strategy can be a good place to start for faculty interested in increasing engagement in their classroom especially those courses that fulfill a general education requirement. We will describe how faculty at Mason Korea engage the campus leadership and staff in the final presentations for the COMM 101 courses. In addition to providing specifics on the process of identifying key decision makers and scheduling, we will detail the external outcomes and reactions from students, faculty, and leadership/staff. This presentation will benefit instructors wanting to enhance the learning opportunities in their course, but may be constrained by resources, experience, or curriculum. From attending this presentation, participants will learn how providing opportunities to make class assignments feel more “real” can improve student performance and motivation as well as result in tangible external outcomes.
From Curiosity to Inquiry: “This is about Skyrim?” - Part 1 - Stephanie Grimm - This talk—the first of a two-part series—outlines an approach to undergraduate scholarship that focuses on exploration and expansiveness in research instruction. (Each session presents a concept independently and participants can attend either or both.) Developed collaboratively with a faculty member in Computer Game studies and a subject librarian, this activity was piloted over two semesters in 2023 and 2024. Students begin with a basic question about a well-known video game: “What do scholars talk about when they talk about Skyrim (Bethesda Softworks, 2011)?” Designed as an intentional contrast to the typical research question-to-thesis setup, this activity helps students to become more comfortable and resourceful with library search tools and academic literature while opening their eyes to the broad possibilities of scholarship.
Audience: Instructors and librarians looking to get a sense of students’ struggles with literature searches and to re-energize their engagement with academic research beyond “find X number of peer-reviewed sources” will find this approach useful. Given the focus on digital, real-time collaboration, it is well-suited for delivery in face-to-face and synchronous online courses. This approach can be adapted for any instructors who want their students to value exploration and inquiry, regardless of discipline.
Takeaway:
Instructors will leave this first session with ideas on how they can build library resources into classroom assignments (whether in a library instruction session or otherwise), and to scaffold students’ work with/introduction to /instruction/investigation of subject-specific/disciplinary research sources.

Speakers

Stephanie Grimm

Art and Art History Librarian, George Mason University

Thursday September 19, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Via Zoom

Teaching Talks, Teaching Talks Session

10:00am EDT

Harnessing Technology to Ignite Student Engagement

Thursday September 19, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Via Zoom

Harnessing Technology to Ignite Student Engagement
Featuring the following Teaching Talks:

Leveraging the Anatomage Table as a Dynamic Teaching Strategy - Andrea Landis - This presentation will introduce the Anatomage Table, a cutting-edge educational tool that offers a highly interactive and immersive experience for teaching anatomy and health assessment. Its utilization in the School of Nursing provides high-resolution 3D visualizations of anatomical structures, allowing students to explore the human body in great detail. This visual approach enhances comprehension and retention compared to traditional 2D images. The Table can simulate various clinical scenarios, allowing undergraduate and graduate nurses to practice diagnostic reasoning and treatment planning in a risk-free environment. This prepares them for real-life clinical situations and improves their clinical reasoning skills. With a live virtual demonstration participants will be introduced to the function and usability of the Anatomage Table and learn how this interactive tool promotes active learning and engagement (case studies). This Table can be utilized outside of nursing, opening up possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.
Learning to Program with a “See, Learn, Do, Show” Approach - Gene Shuman - Creating good software (i.e. programming) is a skill that must be learned through repetition in its early stages. Only after the skill is developed can the student/novice programmer join a software development team, similar to a musician only joining a band or orchestra after their abilities are sufficient. The challenge is getting students to practice – to get the reps. Problems are (1) ensuring students are ready to perform the activity with the necessary information before starting, (2) incentivizing them to engage in the activity, and (3) evaluating their progress only after sufficient practice. “See, Learn, Do, Show” is a method of organizing a course so that instruction is given first (lecture) – the “See” part. Next, in “Learn”, the student is given practice problems to work with the support of a coach to help them solve the problem. “Do” involves the student solving an assigned problem on their own. Finally, “Show” is the evaluation step, conducted throughout the semester, in which students demonstrate mastery of the activity, usually by completing a quiz or exam. Instructors of first or second courses in computer programming plus other courses in which a specific individual skill is to be learned and demonstrated.
Prototype and vision of game-based mathematics curriculum - Jacob Enfield - This presentation will discuss PaizoMath, a suite of web-based games designed to promote learning of mathematics. PaizoMath is intended to change the negative feelings that so many kids have towards mathematics by challenging them in an engaging (fun) manner where stakes of failing are low and learners are encouraged to experiment in their learning. The platform currently consists of 6 games including Mental Math which focuses on math vocabulary and mental arithmetic; Pirate’s Life which focuses on number lines and coordinate planes; The Song of Cibola which focuses on solving linear equations; Zombie Line Defense which focuses on graphing points, linear equations, and linear inequalities. Beyond sharing the existing PaizoMath platform, a future vision for the platform will be described. Those interested in game-based learning, online learning, math education, or working with the VSGI to design and develop their own serious games may benefit from attending.

Speakers

Jacob Enfield

Computer Game Design, Virginia Serious Game Institute, George Mason University

Thursday September 19, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Via Zoom

Teaching Talks, Teaching Talks Session

10:00am EDT

Innovative Methods to Enhance Student Engagement

Thursday September 19, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Via Zoom

Innovative Methods to Enhance Student Engagement
Teaching Talks include:

Incorporating Photovoice in Classroom Learning: An Undergraduate Psychopathology Course Example - Alison Hundertmark - This presentation will share evidence from an undergraduate Psychopathology course on practices for incorporating Photovoice methods into class activities and learning. Photovoice is a community-based participatory action research (PAR) method using photojournalism techniques. The purpose of this method is to promote involvement in research that is proactive and empowering for the participant while retaining the analytical powers of a formal inquiry (Wang & Burris, 1994). This presentation will include (1) the theoretical framing of Photovoice for students, (2) the materials and implementation procedures used for the lesson (presented in an interactive demonstration), and (3) feedback and examples from students’ work. Lessons incorporating Photovoice can be implemented with students who meet in person or virtually (synchronously or asynchronously). Furthermore, while Photovoice methodologies have gained wider use and applications primarily in educational and social sciences, Photovoice techniques are not limited to these domains nor courses in these departments.
Peer-Led Team Learning - Amanda Brooks - This presentation aims to explore how structured peer-led team learning (PLTL) can enhance students’ engagement, academic performance, and leadership skills. The PLTL approach involves introducing structured PLTL to both teaching team members and students. It encompasses the development of case scenarios, problem-solving questions, questionnaires, reflection documents, and pre-post briefings for group leaders. To ensure equal opportunities, students are randomly assigned to groups of 5-6 students per group, and group leaders are collaboratively chosen within each group using a rotation system. All students will be introduced to PLTL during the first week, and group leaders will provide reflections on group activities after each session. By attending this presentation, participants will gain insights into implementing structured PLTL throughout a 15-week course. During the presentation, we will share our experiences regarding what has worked well and what hasn’t and students’ reflection results. In addition, the outcomes related to cultural competency, self-efficacy, stress levels, and overall satisfaction will be discussed.

Speakers

Alison Hundertmark

ITL Hundertmark Presentation vshare pdf

Thursday September 19, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Via Zoom

Teaching Talks, Teaching Talks Session

11:00am EDT

Implementing Inclusive Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners

Thursday September 19, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Via Zoom

Implementing Inclusive Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners
Teaching Talks include:

Promoting Classroom Inclusion for Military Family Learners - Amy Page - Military-affiliated family members include spouses, children, and partners of military service members. This presentation will provide background information about students who are military-affiliated family members as well as the significance to George Mason University of promoting inclusion for this group. Presenters will discuss the unique strengths of these learners in the academic environment along with specific challenges faced by this community which necessitate tailored engagement and inclusion strategies. Presenters will offer strategies for facilitating classroom inclusion (including in-person and online courses) in the short-term as well as recommendations for promoting long-term professional development that address this community’s specific circumstances. Particular focus will be given to strengthening mentoring relationships, building social capital, promoting belonging, and enacting cultural responsiveness. Audience may include all faculty, University administrators, all classroom modalities, graduate and undergraduate.
How I manage deadline extensions to model and practice inclusiveness - Colleen Reynolds - The presenter will share a system that allows students to request extensions to assignment due dates. The solution prioritizes fairness by being transparent and open to all students. It prioritizes teacher sanity by using the LMS for documentation. The attendees who would be most likely to consider this approach are undergraduate instructors who assign and evaluate written assignments in any modality. Participants will take away a plan to either 1) help them manage their existing extension practices or 2) to make their courses more equitable by offering increased flexibility to students.
An Interactive Tool to Promote a Positive Class Atmosphere - Joyce Johnston - Five years of data collection have revealed that the quality students most crave from classmates is respect. Over and over, respondents to a civility survey revealed that they felt that almost any topic could be fruitfully discussed if only respect were present. The tool is a survey asking students to choose the three positive behaviors they most value from others from a list generated by previous classes. The survey creates a basis for the class to generate its own code of classroom civility. This activity is suitable for any position involving contact with student or adult groups; participants can be in grade 9 through adult. Besides norming groups towards positive interpersonal behaviors, the survey/discussion activity provides participants with a tool they can use in group participation in or outside of academia.

Speakers

Amy Page

Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, College of Public Health

Dr. Amy Preston Page is Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work. Page’s research interests are military spouses and families, behavioral health education, and children’s behavioral health. Page’s combination of practice and research experience provides her with... Read More →

Colleen Reynolds

Assistant Professor, George Mason University

Colleen teaches professional writing courses to undergraduate students studying computer science, psychology, and English. She has been affiliated with GMU since 2013 and is proud to be the first graduate from GMU’s Writing and Rhetoric PhD program. As assistant and adjunct professor... Read More →

Joyce Johnston

Adjunct Professor, George Mason University

Over my many years at Mason, I have developed three major focus areas: teaching advanced undergraduate research and composition to science and technical students in the English Department, becoming a specialist in digital intellectual property and studying changes in online civility... Read More →

CIVILITY SURVEY QUESTIONS docx

Thursday September 19, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Via Zoom

Teaching Talks, Teaching Talks Session

11:00am EDT

Integrating VR and Game Design for Transformative Learning

Thursday September 19, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Via Zoom

Integrating VR and Game Design for Transformative Learning
Teaching Talks include:

Collaborating with the VSGI to develop a VR crime scene - Jacob Enfield - This presentation will describe a virtual reality learning experience imagined by Steven Burmeister, Assistant Professor of the Forensics Science Department, and developed by students working with GMU’s Virginia Serious Game Institute (VSGI). A demo of the existing prototype will be shared and a vision of how the project will evolve and be used will be discussed. From attending this presentation, participants will see how VR can provide an immersive and highly interactive learning experience; develop an understanding of how faculty could utilize the VSGI as a production studio to progress their own game-based learning endeavors; and try out the immersive experience using the Meta Quest.
Solving the Mystery of How to Engage Learners - Sherif Abdelhamid - This presentation will discuss the implementation of a murder mystery game developed to promote learning of SQL (Structured Query Language). The project was funded by the 4VA grant as a collaboration between Virginia Military Institute where the game will soon be implemented and GMU’s Virginia Serious Game Institute (VSGI) where the game is currently being developed. The initiative underscores a novel approach to engaging undergraduate students in mastering SQL by integrating game-based learning within the curriculum. The study will be completed in time to share the results during the presentation, including student perceptions of the game and the impact it has on their performance on subsequent assignments. From attending this presentation, participants will learn how to engage students in the revision process, which can result in improved student performance. Those interested in game-based learning, online learning, data science, or working with the VSGI to design and develop their own serious games may benefit from attending.
Improving Game Programming Reading Comprehension with AI Generated Code - Nathaniel Hahn - This session will describe an approach to integrate AI generated code into a game programming course for the goal of improving code reading comprehension of students. While many programming courses focus on teaching students how to write code, when many students enter their careers they will spend more time reading code than writing code. Students without experience reading code may struggle early on in their careers, but it can be hard to provide opportunities for students to practice code reading comprehension. By using AI generated code, students can practice their code reading comprehension skills and prepare for when AI code generation tools become more mainstream in the industry. This talk's audience is educators in computer science, programming, and other tech-focused disciplines at the undergraduate level.

Speakers

Teaching Talks, Teaching Talks Session

11:00am EDT

Pedagogical Support for Various Learners

Thursday September 19, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Via Zoom

Pedagogical Support for Various Learners

Inclusive professional development strategies for Military Family Learners - Glynita Bell - Building on the content from the “Promoting Classroom Inclusion for Military Family Learners” teaching talk, this teaching talk will expand on actionable strategies that faculty and mentors can use to promote inclusive, culturally response professional development. Attendees will also learn ways to strengthen social capital among military family learners.
From Curiosity to Inquiry: “This is about Skyrim?” Part 2 - Seth Hudson - This talk—the second of a two-part series—follows the coursework students engage after completing the “What do scholars talk about when they talk about Skyrim?” outlined in Part 1. Departing from the traditional final paper that often expects students to write in an unfamiliar genre (as ‘Game Studies’ includes scholars and writers from a range of disciplines), this project challenged students to create an entry for Fifty Key Video Games (Perron et al, 2022). Armed with the experience (and co-created slide decks) from our collaborative library session, students move forward with agency to explore their chosen “51st Key Video Game” and see what scholars have to say about it, across disciplines and (when appropriate) beyond the academy. This talk will review the series of related exercises developed to provide significant instruction and operationalize the lessons learned in our initial Skyrim session, as well as address issues encountered—by students and instructors alike—in the process.
Audience: Instructors interested in reframing student writing as a communication of informed inquiry, rather than a detailed imitation of existing work by established scholars will find this session—and its companion talk in Part 1—useful. Additionally, instructors looking to provide significant instruction in writing and related research activities will leave with new strategies on building coursework around student engagement, rather than a target product.
Takeaway: Instructors will leave this session with new ideas for building assignments/exercises to enhance student agency in research, transforming their curiosity into inquiry.
Writing Respectfully about Race and Racism: Using the Writing Center's Resources - Courtney Massie - This teaching talk orients viewers to the Writing Center's guide to writing respectfully about race and racism and its companion resource for Mason faculty that provides strategies for using the guide in their courses. Created and revised in 2022 and piloted in select courses in 2023-24 through a series of Stearns Center ARIE grants, the guide is designed to foster a process of personal reflection, self-education, and structural thinking for students undertaking writing assignments related to race and racism in the United States. The companion resource offers concrete suggestions for how to assign and discuss the guide, use it when designing writing assignments, and tailor use of the guide to different student audiences.

Speakers

12:00pm EDT

Cultivating Professional Growth for Faculty and Graduate Students

Thursday September 19, 2024 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Via Zoom

Cultivating Professional Growth for Faculty and Graduate Students
Teaching Talks include:

Scaffolding intercultural development/civic engagement goals across Mason’s undergraduate international pathways - Mohamed Mohamed - This presentation will report on a Curriculum Improvement Grant-funded collaboration between faculty from INTO Mason, CHSS, and Mason Korea. The project aimed 1) To integrate and align civic engagement and antiracist and inclusive excellence (ARIE) learning goals throughout the Undergraduate Pathways curriculum and 2) To redesign key courses to ensure that they suit the linguistic and cultural needs of International Pathways students and direct entry international students at both Fairfax and Mason Korea campuses. This presentation will demonstrate how we developed anti-racist Learning Outcomes and integrated content on racism, equity, and inclusion as well as civic engagement in the undergraduate international pathways curriculum. We will share a curriculum map of revised Learning Outcomes along with sample assessments and discuss how we selected materials and designed activities tailored to the needs of international and multilingual students. Our redesigned courses help international pathway students engage in campus conversations around racism, equity, and inclusion, and civic life, and develop a sense of belonging to the Mason community. This presentation will benefit all ranks of instructors redesigning their curricula, course syllabi, and Learning Outcomes to meet the new Global Contexts or Just Societies requirements for Mason Core and any instructors teaching to diverse backgrounds of students in a multi-cultural environment.
Professional Development Programs For Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) Across Three STEM Disciplines - Nishchal Thapa Magar - Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are often the lead instructors in recitations and undergraduate labs. Universities have adopted different strategies to prepare their GTAs for the course content, class management, and teaching methodologies needed to run an effective class. Some of these approaches include pre-semester workshops, academic year workshops, regular meetings with course coordinators, pedagogy courses, learning communities, and apprentice teaching. These different approaches have a range of goals from content knowledge to understanding research-based teaching methods, to practice in the classroom with feedback. In this talk, we present a framework for understanding the range of GTA professional development models and our approach to GTA training across three departments - Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science (CS) - at George Mason University. The GTA professional development presented here evolved from local practices to meet the needs of a project that worked to embed more active and collaborative learning in large introductory courses.

Speakers

Mohamed Mohamed

Nishchal Thapa Magar

Thursday September 19, 2024 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Via Zoom

Teaching Talks, Teaching Talks Session

12:00pm EDT

Expanding Horizons in Online Educational Environments

Thursday September 19, 2024 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Via Zoom

Expanding Horizons in Online Educational Environments
Teaching Talks include:

Using Simulation to Promote Experiential Learning - Avinash Mainkar - To enhance real-life learning, I use an online simulation in my class. Students, in teams and in individual capacity, run an athletic footwear company in head-to-head competition against companies run by other class members. With more than 50 decisions in multiple functional areas, the simulation is complex. But it gives students a hands-on exposure to formulating and implementing a sustainable business strategy. By drawing on this experience, this proposal will describe in detail how I have used this simulation in my class. To make it useful to a wider community, the emphasis will be on the generic principles and processes rather than on the specific decisions in the simulation that I use.
Transitioning from Respondus LockDown Browser to Honorlock - Avinash Mainkar - The aim of the upcoming ITL conference is to “highlight strategies for thriving in an ever-shifting educational landscape.” One shift for Mason faculty going forward, among others, will be the use of Honorlock instead of Respondus LockDown Browser. The Stearns Center has offered workshops to educate faculty about Honorlock. I attended one such workshop during 2023. In spite of being an experienced Respondus user, I struggled with the hands-on Honorlock activity. This proposal will show a side-by-side comparison of the steps required to implement Respondus and Honorlock. Because most Mason faculty are familiar with Respondus, the steps will be anchored in how we implemented Respondus in our prior courses. This could potentially make the transition to Honorlock more seamless and efficient. Honorlock need not be limited to asynchronous, online courses. It could be used in face-to-face courses as well.

Speakers

Avinash Mainkar

Thursday September 19, 2024 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Via Zoom

Teaching Talks, Teaching Talks Session

12:00pm EDT

Navigating Curriculum Development for Impactful Learning

Thursday September 19, 2024 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Via Zoom

Navigating Curriculum Development for Impactful Learning
Teaching Talks include:

Curriculum Mapping -- A Multi-Dimensional Approach - Steve Brown - This presentation will share how curriculum maps can be used for purposes beyond the traditional approach of meeting requirements of external accreditors. We currently experience a wide variety of formats used with little articulation what would be considered best practice. And, as most maps focus only on meeting accreditor requirements at a program level, they miss the opportunity to address other issues that individual instructors face at the course level. Well-constructed maps can serve as an excellent tool in improving connections between faculty members that leads to developing courses and instructors that have better connection to the curriculum as a whole. All faculty members, program administrators, and course design staff, in all programs will benefit from this session.
Promoting Diversity Across the Curriculum: The Carter School Experience - Leslie Dwyer - In 2023, the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution began an initiative encouraging faculty to diversify the range of perspectives offered on their syllabi and to dialogue about how to engage with students with diverse backgrounds. The initiative included a baseline survey of select core course syllabi, a series of "Syllabus Jams" and "Pedagogy Jams" for faculty to collaborate; and workshops devoted to promoting more inclusive approaches to teaching peace and conflict resolution. This talk will discuss challenges and lessons learned from this initiative. Participants who will benefit from this talk include all teaching faculty interested in issues of diversity and inclusion, especially those working on curricular initiatives in their own units.
Infusing KEEN's Entrepreneurially Minded Learning (EML) at Mason - Girum Urgessa - The Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) is a nationwide partnership of undergraduate engineering and computing programs whose mission is “to graduate engineers with an entrepreneurial mindset so they can create personal, economic, and societal value through a lifetime of meaningful work.” George Mason University became a KEEN partner institution at the end of 2023. KEEN partner institutions amplify the teaching of technical engineering and computing skills by incorporating the 3Cs (curiosity, connections, and creating value) of an Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM). The mindset is considered to include “a set of attitudes, dispositions, habits, and behaviors that shape a unique approach to problem-solving, innovation, and value creation.” This presentation will cover how the College of Engineering (CEC) faculty at George Mason University are incorporating Entrepreneurially Minded Learning (EML) in the classroom and participating in nationwide KEEN faculty development workshops.

Speakers

Teaching Talks, Teaching Talks Session

2024 Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference

9:30am EDT

10:00am EDT

Jennifer Brielmaier

Lynnette Grace Leonard

Stephanie Grimm

10:00am EDT

Andrea Landis

Gene Shuman

Jacob Enfield

10:00am EDT

Amanda Brooks

Alison Hundertmark

11:00am EDT

Amy Page

Colleen Reynolds

Joyce Johnston

11:00am EDT

Jacob Enfield

Sherif Abdelhamid

Nathan Hahn

11:00am EDT

Glynita Bell

Courtney Massie

Seth Hudson

12:00pm EDT

Mohamed Mohamed

Nishchal Thapa Magar

12:00pm EDT

Avinash Mainkar

12:00pm EDT

Steve Brown

Leslie Dwyer

Girum Urgessa