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VITAL - the Villanova Institute for Teaching and Learning -- is continuing to
offer brown-bag lunch discussions during the Fall 2008 semester. Each month’s topic
will be offered on two different days so that you have a choice that will accommodate
your teaching schedule. As always, there will be no structured presentations or
“experts.” Instead, you will be able to exchange ideas with colleagues from across
the campus.
Bring your lunch, your experiences, your ideas, and your problems. VITAL will
provide the venue, dessert, and beverages. Come any time between 11:30 and 1:30,
and stay as long as you wish. If you have questions or would like an emailed reminder
for each session, please contact VITAL at Ext. 9-5627 or email
elaine.halford@villanova.edu.
Schedule for Fall 2008
CONNELLY CENTER – Rosemont Room (except Oct. 30)
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
| Tuesday, September
23 |
or |
Wednesday, September 24 |
LAPTOPS IN OUR CLASSROOMS: BOON OR BANE?
– Is that keyboard clicking in your classroom related to your class, or
are your students checking their email? Now that all Villanova students
have laptops, faculty members are experiencing both the advantages and disadvantages
of this ubiquitous technology. Come share your perspectives on the implications
of laptops for our classrooms and for our students’ learning.
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| Wednesday, October
29 |
or |
Thursday, October
30
(Bryn Mawr Room) |
| ARE “THE TWO CULTURES” STILL RELEVANT?
- Fifty years ago, physicist and novelist C.P. Snow’s book of this title
expressed concern about the widening chasm of misunderstanding between scientists
and non-scientists. Discussions around university campuses 50 years later
suggest that the issues he raised are still with us. Parallel concerns also
could be raised about the relationships between the liberal arts and sciences
on the one hand and the professional disciplines on the other. Join us for
a conversation about how we can address these issues at Villanova. |
| Wednesday, November 18 |
or |
Thursday, November
19 |
| CROSS-COLLEGE COURSE AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT – Related
to the October “Two Cultures” session is the challenge of creating the cross-college
courses and curricula so necessary to preparing our students for today’s
complex world. Unless we understand the vocabulary, assumptions, research
protocols, and teaching/evaluation conventions of other disciplines, we
run the risk of finding ourselves in a state of intellectual and academic
gridlock, despite our best intentions. Come explore strategies for building
respectful and productive curricular collaborations with colleagues from
other disciplines and colleges. |
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