GEOG 6160, Geography in Higher Education

Seminar meetings: F, 9:00-10:50 in GUGG 108 or GUGG 201E

Schedule (subject to change). Any changes of assignment and assignment deadlines will be announced in class and posted here.


This page contains the class schedule: | January 14 | January 21 | January 28 | February 4 | February 11 | February 18 | February 25 | March 4 | March 11 | March 18 | March 25 (Break) | April 1 | April 8 | April 15 | April 22 | April 29 |
Related pages: General Information | Lecture and Discussion Notes | Projects | GEOG 6160 Homepage | CU Geography Homepage |

January 14: Introduction: Setting Priorities and Seminar Topics

Topics and tasks: Overview of the seminar and the Geography Faculty Development Alliance Project.  Discuss individual interests of participants and develop topics and projects for semester.

Background reading:

Boyer, Ernest L.  1990. Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate.  Princeton, N.J.: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Kennedy, Donald.  1997. Academic Duty.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Kerr, Clark.  2001.  The Uses of the University, 5th ed. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

January 21: Creating Significant Learning Experiences I

Topics and tasks: Focus on the course-planning process and Fink's method of integrated course design.  Discuss Fink's taxonomy of significant learning, Chickering and Gamson's seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education, and other systems employed to articulate learning objectives. Consider how objectives can be aligned with activities and assessment by focusing on a fieldstudy activity.

Readings from:

Chickering, Arthur W.  and Zelda F. Gamson. 1991. Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. In Applying the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education, ed. A. W. Chickering and Z. F. Gamson, 63-69. Jossey-Bass. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 47.

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

Solem, Michael N. and Kenneth E. Foote. 2004. Concerns, Attitudes, and Abilities of Early Career Geography Faculty. Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 94 (4): 889-912.

Supplemental reading:

Gold, John R., Alan Jenkins, Roger Lee, Janice Monk, Judith Riley, Ifan Shepherd, and David Unwin. 1991. Teaching Geography in Higher Education: A Manual of Good Practice. Oxford: Blackwell. URL: http://www.chelt.ac.uk/gdn/gold/index.htm

 January 28: Creating Significant Learning Experiences II

Topics and tasks:  Continue to study Fink's method of integrated course design, particularly the initial and intermediate phases--building strong primary components and assembling the components into a coherent whole.  Apply the process to one course you have or are planning to teach.  Compare and contrast Fink's approach to other works addressing the course planning process.

Readings from:

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

Angelo, Thomas A. and K. Patricia Cross.  1993.  Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers.   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.

February 4: Insights of Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

Topics and tasks:  Much is known about how people learn and this knowledge should inform our approaches to designing learning experiences, teaching, and work with students.  We will focus on range of recent findings and theories and their implications for good practice in learning and teaching.

Readings from:

Bransford, John D., Ann L. Brown, and Rodney R. Cocking, eds.  1999.  How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School.  Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press.

Available online through Chinook or by going to http://books.nap.edu/html/howpeople1/  Skim the table of contents and chapters that you find interesting.  Read:

Dweck, Carol S. 1999. Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.

Healey, Mick and Alan Jenkins. 2000. Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and Its Application in Geography in Higher Education. Journal of Geography 99: 185-195.

View videorecording:

February 11: Active Pedagogy and the Use Inquiry-based, Resource-based, and Problem-based Learning Strategies

Topics and tasks:
 
Readings from: 

Eric Fournier's Problem-based Learning Site, http://www.samford.edu/pbl

Moser, Susanne and Susan Hanson. 1996. Notes on Active Pedagogy. Washington, DC: Association of American Geographers. URL: www.colorado.edu/geography/virtdept/library/activeped/activeped.html

The Talessi Project: Teaching And Learning at the Environment-Science-Society Interface, http://www.greenwich.ac.uk/~bj61/talessi/

February 18: Leadership Strategies in Lectures, Discussion, Seminars, and Advising

Topics and tasks: Compare and contrast the different styles and skills needed to lead lecture, laboratory, discussion, and seminar classes.  Focus on some of the underlying principles and strategies that can be employed in these different settings.   Also consider the important issues of advising, mentoring, and self-mentoring.

Readings from: 

Bligh, Donald A.   1999.  What's the Point in Discussion?  Portland, OR: Intellect Books. 

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

García, Mildred, ed.  2000. Succeeding in an Academic Career: A Guide for Faculty of Color.  Westport, Conn.:  Greenwood Press.

Lim, Shirley Geok-lin and Maria Herrera-Sobek, eds.  2000.  Power, Race, and Gender in Academe: Strangers in the Tower?  New York: Modern Language Association.

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.

Moss, Pamela, Altha Cravey, Jennifer Hyndman, Katherine K. Hirschboeck, and Michele Masucci.  1999. Towards Mentoring as Feminist Practice: Strategies for  Ourselves and Others. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 23 (3):  413-427.

Vargas, Lucila, ed.  2002.  Women Faculty of Color in the White Classroom: Narratives on the Pedagogical Implications of Teacher Diversity.  New York : P. Lang.

February 25: Publishing Articles and Books: The Writing Process

Topics and tasks: Examine the writing process, particular problems and questions raised by seminar participants, and various strategies advocated by a range of writing coaches.

Readings from: 

Ken Foote, Geography Faculty Development Alliance, Sources on Scholarly and Scientific Writing, http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gfda/resources/writing.html 

March 4: Publishing Articles and Books: From Submission to Publication

Topics and tasks: Study the procedures for manuscript submission, review, and revision employed by a range of geography journals.  Study one sample manuscript from submission to final publication. 

Readings from: 

Rob Kitchin and Duncan Fuller Geo-publishing.org: A Publishing Resource for Geographers, http://www.nuim.ie/nirsa/geo-pub/geo-pub.html

March 11: Applying for Grants and Fellowships: Researching Sources

Topics and tasks: Research grant and funding sources in your area of research and teaching.  Identify at least three prospects and study their grant submission and review guidelines.

Readings from: 

Dissertation Proposal Writing Workshop UC - Berkeley,  http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/DissPropWorkshop/

Grants Information Collection, U Wisconsin-Madison, http://grants.library.wisc.edu/

March 18: Applying for Grants and Fellowships: Preparing Proposals

Topics and tasks: Drafting a proposal for one grant or fellowship opportunity.

Readings from: TBA

March 25: Spring Break

April 1: Preparing for and Persevering in the Job Hunt

Topics and tasks:  Address the process of searching for academic jobs, researching prospects, preparing the letter of application and supporting materials, and preparing for the job interview. 

Readings from: TBA

April 8: AAG, Denver.

Topics and tasks: Participate AAG annual meeting and attend at least one professional development session at the meeting.
 

April 15: The Promotion and Tenure Process: Understanding and Planning for Professional Reviews

Topics and tasks: Performance reviews are a regular part of academic life, including those for reappointment, promotion, and tenure.  The process and standards do vary from university to university.  It is important to understand the standards and schedule of review at the institution where you teach so that you can prepare for these reviews. 

Readings from:

Dawson, Teresa, Teaching Portfolios, A Guide for Faculty, Lecturers, Librarians, and Graduate Students, University of Toronto at Scarborough, http://tls.utsc.utoronto.ca/about/reports/Teaching_portfolios.pdf

Edgerton, Russell, Patricia Hutchings, and Kathleen Quinlan.  1991.  The Teaching Portfolio: Capturing the Scholarship in Teaching.  Washington, DC: American Association for Higher Education.

U of Colorado, Department of Geography, Departmental Policies for Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure, http://ww.colorado.edu/geography/documents/milestones.doc

U of Colorado, College of Arts and Sciences, The Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Process, http://www.colorado.edu/ArtsSciences/facultystaff/administration/reapptpromoten.html

April 22: Professional Ethics, Values, and Perspectives

Topics and tasks: "Members of the Association of American Geographers recognize that the conduct of geographic research and analysis, as well as the transmission of geographic theories, concepts, and information, involves a wide variety of ethical considerations. Careful, active examination of those considerations is likely to promote professionalism and courtesy in interactions among geographers and to enhance the positive impacts of the research, teaching, and service undertaken by geographers. The strength of this statement rests on the discussion and reflection it generates, and the careful approach to professional activities it encourages" (AAG, Statement of Professional Ethics, 1998).  We will consider this (and other statements) and its implications for teaching, research, and service.

Readings from:

Association of American Geographers, Statement of Professional Ethics, http://www.aag.org/Publications/Other%20Pubs/EthicsStatement.html

Bartlett, Thomas and Scott Smallwood.  2004.  Four Academic Plagiarists You've Never Heard Of: How Many More Are Out There? Chronicle of Higher Education 51 (Issue 17, 17 December): A8. http://chronicle.com/free/v51/i17/17a00802.htm

Lynton, Ernest A.  1995.  Making the Case for Professional Service.  Washington, DC: American Association for Higher Education.

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.

Moody, JoAnn. 2004.  Faculty Diversity: Problems and Solutions.  New York, N.Y.: RoutledgeFalmer.

Turner, Caroline S. V. and Samuel L. Myers, Jr.  2000.  Faculty of Color in Academe: Bittersweet Success.  Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

U of Colorado System, Misconduct in Research and Authorship, http://www.cu.edu/policies/Academic/misconduct.html

U of Colorado System, Faculty Handbook, Academic Principles, Professional Rights and Responsibilities, and Related Policies, http://www.cu.edu/faculty/fac_handbook/06/Six-III.html

U of Colorado, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, Office of Research Integrity, Standing Committee on Research Misconduct, Research Misconduct Rules: Operating Rules and Procedures of the Standing Committee on Research Misconduct, http://www.colorado.edu/Academics/research_misconduct_rules.html

April 29: Stress, Balance, Time Management, and Professional Growth

Topics and tasks: This seminar has stressed Boice's ideas about moderation in academic life and the importance of reducing stress, working toward balance in work and personal life.  This session will focus on these issues in more detail and look ahead to the idea of planning for lifelong professional growth and development.

Readings from:

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

Coiner, Constance and Diana H. George, eds.  1998.  The Family Track: Keeping Your Faculties While You Mentor, Nurture, Teach, and Serve.  Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

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.

Last revised 2005.1.13. k.foote@colorado.edu