GEOG 6160, Geography in Higher Education

Dr. Kenneth E. Foote, Instructor

Office Hours: 1-2 MWF or by appt. in Guggenheim 108, Phone: (303) 492-8310, E-mail: k.foote@colorado.edu

Overview

This seminar is part of the Geography Faculty Development Alliance, a long-term, broad-based project to improve the learning and teaching of geography in higher education. The aim is to provide early career faculty and advanced graduate students with the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to excel in the lecture hall, seminar room, and laboratory. Key objectives of the project are to foster a culture of support and success for early career faculty, to help them understand the fundamental interconnections between their teaching and research, and to advance the scholarship of teaching and learning across the entire discipline.

This overall project involves several components: summer workshops, follow-up seminars, panel discussions, and paper sessions at the annual meetings of the Association of American Geographers and the National Council for Geographic Education. There is also a longitudinal evaluation and research component to consider the value of the training to early career faculty during the tenure review process. One of the most important components is the project is to develop seminar and workshop materials that can be used to increase professional development training in graduate geography curriculum throughout the United States. GEOG 6160 is being developed as one of several prototypes of such seminars. This semester will focus on a wide range of topics including how to:

1) Develop good practice in designing and using learning materials by:

Learning about and evaluating a range of approaches, methods and resources for teaching, learning and assessment in geography and share good practice.
Understanding how general training in teaching, learning and assessment in higher education needs to be interpreted, adapted and supplemented for effective use in geography.
Appreciating key connections between educational theory and practice
Becoming critical, reflective teachers and scholars who plan for continued professional growth
Improving lecturing, small-group and seminar skills
Expanding one's repertoire of teaching and learning strategies including active pedagogy, inquiry based and resource-based learning, small-group learning

2) Refine research and writing skills by:

Focusing on some of the nuts-and-bolts issues of publishing and grant-getting
Developing writing and reviewing skills
Understanding the publishing and grant award processes
Considering the fundamental interconnections between teaching and research and that the scholarship of teaching encompasses both.

3) Prepare for the job hunt and the first years for a faculty career, including:

Understanding the job-search and hiring processes
Understanding the tenure and promotion process
Formulating a professional development plan
Documenting accomplishments in a portfolio
Dealing with stress & maintaining balance in work and life
Addressing ethics & values in teaching and professional life
Managing time and priorities effectively

4) Network and share experiences and concerns so as to foster a culture of support and success.

Projects and Assignments

Your course grade will be based on a portfolio of work designed to help you get started as a professional. Included (tentatively) will be:

A course syllabus for a new or existing course you have or plan to teach (15%)
A well-planned instructional lecture or learning activity you might use as a demonostration during an interview (15%)
One new learning activity using principles of active pedagogy; inquiry or problem-based learning; resource-based learning; or small-group learning (15%)
Prepare a cover letter and statements on research and teaching for job applications (15%)
Research the tenure and promotion practices at one college or university where you would like to work (15%)
Prepare a professional development plan (10%)
Prepare or improve one manuscript or grant proposal (15%)

Textbooks

We will be using a variety of paper and digital sources in class. You will be using the following books which I recommend purchasing directly from the publishers or through online book sellers.

Angelo, Thomas A. and K. Patricia Cross. 1993. Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Bligh, Donald A. 2000. What's the Use of Lectures? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Boice, Robert. 2000. Advice for New Faculty Members. Needham Heights, Mass.: Allyn and Bacon.

Fink, L. Dee. 2003. Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

McKeachie, Wilbert J. and others. 2002. McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers, 11th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

I will try to make articles available to you in paper or digital format.

Disabilities Assistance

Any student eligible for and needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a disability is requested to speak to Professor Foote no later than the end of the second full week of classes.

The College will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students should notify the Counselor for Students with Disabilities, Disability Services Office, located in Willard 322 (phone 303-492-8671) and their instructors of any special needs. If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office in Willard 322 (phone 303-492-8671).

This University abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which stipulates that no student shall be denied the benefits of an education "solely by reason of a handicap." Disabilities covered by law include but are not limited to learning disabilities and hearing, sight or mobility impairments. If you have a disability that may have some impact on your work in this class and for which you may require accommodations, please see me or the Coordinator of Services to students with disabilities in the Disability Services Office, Willard 322 (phone 303-492-8671), so that such accommodations may be arranged.

I encourage students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury and attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, psychiatric disabilities, to discuss with me, after class or during my office hours, appropriate accommodations.

Religious Observances

If conflicts arise between class meetings, assignment deadlines, or examinations and holidays or celebrations observed by your religion, please notify me, Professor Foote, during the first two weeks of the semester so that suitable schedule accommodations can be made.

CU Sexual Harassment Policy

The Office of Sexual Harassment requests that all faculty include this information in their syllabi for every course.

The University of Colorado Policy on Sexual Harassment applies to all students, staff and faculty. Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual attention. It can involve intimidation, threats, coercion, or promises or create an environment that is hostile or offensive. Harassment may occur between members of the same or opposite gender and between any combination of members in the campus community: students, faculty, staff, and administrators. Harassment can occur anywhere on campus, including the classroom, the workplace, or a residence hall. Any student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been sexually harassed should contact the Office of Sexual Harassment (OSH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information about the OSH and the campus resources available to assist individuals who believe they have been sexually harassed can be obtained at: http://www.colorado.edu/sexualharassment/

Last revised 2005.1.10. k.foote@colorado.edu.