Faculty Development News This Week:

CTL at Inver Hills


--Inver Hills Faculty Roundtable

"الانتصار من الظالم : أخذ الحق منه" is Arabic for "avenging oneself on the unjust." Come hear Doug Knapp address Al-Qaeda's rationale and motives at the first- of- the- academic- year Faculty Roundtable, October 2, Thursday, 12:30-1:30 PM. Location: Conference Room B, Student Center. A light luncheon will be served. Please R.S.V.P. by clicking Comments above.

Teaching Resources


--Active Learning


Active Learning in the College Classroom.


--Co-operative Learning


Co-operative Learning.


--Instructional Theory


Explorations in Learning & Instruction


--Problem Based Learning


Problem Based Learning: An Introduction


--The Future of Higher Education: The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Create It


This is the title of a CD-ROM from the National Educational Association (NEA). I acquired one copy for the college, which I shall pass on to Joan Costello. People interested in viewing the CD-ROM should make circulation arrangements with administration.


--Managing Disruptive Students


Disruptive student behavior is behavior that interferes with the educational process of other students or prevents faculty or staff from performing their professional responsibilities. Here is an ERIC article with some suggestions on how to manage disruptive behavior.


Managing Disruptive Student Behavior in Adult Basic Education.

Call for Articles


--The journal Community & Junior College Libraries is seeking articles about library and learning resource centers in the 21st century. Librarians, faculty, and administrators are encouraged to submit articles. Topics of interest: new research, literacy projects, and plagiarism.


Community and Junior College Libraries


--Journal of Civic Commitment


The Community College National Center for Community Engagement is accepting articles on service learning and civic engagement for the second issue of their
publication Journal of Civic Engagement. The theme for the second issue is "Geographic Perspectives on Service Learning." For more information, see
The Journal for Civic Engagement

The Blog Grab Bag


--A virtual collection of more than 2,000 volumes of mathematical material out of Cornell University. This archive is fully searchable:


Mathbooks


--National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15-October 15. Gale Research, an "information solutions company," is offering free access to Celebrating Hispanic Heritage.
Gale also is offering Spanish Community News, a bi-monthly E-mail newsletter
covering topics in Spanish-language studies and history, links to related news, and special features. You can sign up for the newsletter at E-Newsletter.


--Learning for the 21st Century Report


"The Learning for the 21st Century Report is the result of a lengthy and in-depth dialogue on improving education for the 21st century that was initiated by the Partnership. The Partnership reached out to hundreds of educators, academics, business leaders and employers to determine a vision for learning in the 21st century, to reach consensus on the definition of 21st century skills, and to develop tools to aid communities in its implementation. The model of learning outlined in the Report will help close the gap between what students learn today in school and the skills and knowledge required for success in 21st century communities and the workplace."


Learning for the 21st Century. Note: This link will take you to a PDF. File, 36 pages in length.


--Index of E-Books Available Online


An index for over 73,000 English-language book texts is available at Digital Book Index. This site requires
users to complete a simple registration form.


--"Faculty Development: The Hammer in Search of a Nail"


This online article argues for a targeted approach to faculty development.


Faculty Development.


--Online Resource for Journalists


Affiliated with the Columbia journalism Review, this site offers free research tools for journalists.


Power Reporting


--CowParade


Yes, that's right! A cow parade. Given the name of our blog, I could not resist sharing this site. CowParade.





Until next week!


Blog editor

Faculty Development News This Week:

CTL at Inver Hills


** Do you know Inver Hills has a CTL Active Learning Advocate?
Shannon Marting, Economics Department, is our CTL faculty resource person and peer consultant. Shannon, pictured below, has been teaching economics at Inver Hills for 14 (bravo!) years. In her new position as Active Learning Advocate, partially funded through the MNSCU Center For Teaching and Learning, she is helping to pilot initiatives such as the faculty-student mentoring program and a coordinated adjunct faculty training program. Contact her to offer suggestions on how she might use her new role to develop activities that contribute to student success in the Inver Hills community.

Shannon Marting, Office 303 Heritage Hall


**Inver Hills Faculty Roundtable

"الانتصار من الظالم : أخذ الحق منه" is Arabic for "avenging oneself on the unjust." Come hear Doug Knapp address Al-Qaeda's rationale and motives at the first- of- the- academic- year Faculty Roundtable, October 2, Thursday, 12:30-1:30 PM. Location: Conference Room B, Student Center. A light luncheon will be served. Please R.S.V.P. by clicking Comments above.

Education / Conferences


**A Learning-Centered Ph.D. for Community College Leaders

Terry O'Banion and Jonathan Kaplan think the time is right for a learning-centered Ph.D. designed for community college leaders. Read about this revolutionary idea: A Learning-Centered Ph.D. for Community College Leaders


**League for Innovation Conference

INNOVATIONS 2004 CONFERENCE
February 29 - March 3, 2004, Hilton San Francisco
For information, click
Innovations 2004 Conference

Grants


**MNSCU Grants

MNSCU Grants


**MNSCU Links to Federal Grants

Federal Grants


**American Association of Community Colleges

American Association of Community Colleges


**National Science Foundation Grants

National Science Foundation


**Council of North Central Two Year Colleges

Council of North Central Two Year Colleges


**Grant Writing Tutorial

This online tutorial, offered by PBS, is an easy guide to the basic elements of grant writing and is intended to assist applicants to Corporation for Public Broadcasting grants and to other funding sources. It offers guideposts to help you through each stage of the process. These guideposts are transferable to a variety of grant applications; however, you should carefully read the guidelines written for each grant you select.
Basic Elements of Grant Writing

Teaching


**Effective Teaching Practices, Normandale Community College

See what our colleagues at Normandale have come up with!
Effective Teaching Practices Handbook


**Teaching Tips

This teaching tips cornucopia is from the Honolulu Community College Web site.
Faculty Development Teaching Tips Index


**Difficult students or students with difficulties?

This article is from the University of Toledo.
Dealing with Difficult Students and Students with Difficulties


**Teaching gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students

This is a publication of ERIC, Educational Resources Information Center.
Adult Education and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Communities

Blog Grab Bag


**Technology and Organizational Engagement

"The technology in your organization is about being empowered, proactive, and successful. It's about setting your goals high, then using the right tool at the right time to not only meet that goal, but exceed it. It's about recruiting new constituents, really getting to know them, and building a relationship that will grow and last." If this quote tempts you, check out the Web site for TechRocks:
TechRocks


** Building Community

This site is for community-serving organizations, fundraisers, academics, and students who are using technology to improve their local communities. Active learning / service learning applications abound here.
Community Connector


**The Web as cultural icon

This is an interesting article published in D-Lib Magazine,April 2003
(Volume 9 Number 4). For a perspective on librarians / information specialists as the high priests/ priestesses of the 21st century, click here to read the article:
Trends in the Evolution of the Public Web


**Academic Resources Newsletter

This is a free, monthly newsletter for academics, students, engineers, scientists, and social scientists. Lots of goodies here, everyone!
Academic Resources


**Arts and creative industries Web site

Resources for the performing arts, fashion, design, architecture, and more.
Artifact


**Search Engine for pictures / images

Even if you are a confirmed Google user, give it a try!
Picsearch


**General search engine

Want to try out a new search engine that bypasses the commercial quagmire? Search Portfolio, a subscription based search engine, offers a free "lite" version to try out.
Search Portfolio Lite


**U.S. Department of Education

A database of thousands of organizations providing current, subject-specific resources on education-related topics. Organizations include regional education laboratories,
national research centers, professional research organizations, etc., offering assistance and/or information on a state, regional, or national level. Searchable, and
browsable by organization type and by state and territories (use the map and list icons).
United States Department of Education


**Biological and cultural diversity

The International Society for Ecology and Culture promotes locally based alternatives
to the global consumer culture. Resources offered on their Web site: books, reports, conferences and films; local, national and international networking; community initiatives; and campaigning.
Ecology and Culture


**Should We Celebrate Columbus Day?

The American Indian Movement (AIM)says: no!. For a new perspective on an old American holiday, click on
Say No to Columbus Day

Faculty Publications / Exhibitions


**Art instructor Wendy Olson is having an exhibition at the Northern Clay Center. The exhibition begins September 19th, with an opening reception from 6:00-8:00 PM. The exhibition will run September 19-Nov 1. The Northern Clay Center is located at 2425 Franklin Avenue East, Minneapolis. Congratulations, Wendy! Click on the link to see a PowerPoint presentation of Wendy's work. (Use arrows on right-side of your computer screen to move through the slides.)
NCCshow[1].ppt


**Announcing Martin Springborg 's new book Proof: Ruminations on the Everyday (Crotalus Publishing).
A release party for the book will be held at The Minnesota Center for Photography, 711 West Lake Street, Minneapolis, Saturday, October 4. Martin will be on hand to the party to sign copies of his books. In addition, select photographs from his book will be on exhibit at the gallery. Congratulations, Martin! Click on links to view an exhibition photo and a self-portrait.
Martin Springborg, Self Portrait.bmp
Maple Lake V.F.W..bmp

Until next week!


Blog editor

Faculty Development News This Week:


Faculty Development


--Web Site Resource
Educators today face many challenges in a changing world. What steps can they take to meet these challenges? Horizon is a site devoted to addressing this question. Check it out at Horizon. A free mailing list is also available.

--"Training Treasure Trove," St. Cloud Technical College
St. Cloud Technical College is offering a series of workshops for teachers and trainers.
Each workshop focuses on a specific topic and offers a variety of tips and techniques that can be immediately incorporated into any lesson plan. The topics include:


Workshop One: Assessment Strategies


Workshop Two: Techniques to Engage Learners


Workshop Three: Brain-compatible Learning


Workshop Four: Tapping the Other 90%.


More information about the seminars is available at St. Cloud Technical College. For those interested, I also have one copy of the "Training Treasure Trove" brochure to share.

--Campus CTL Event
The first campus CTL Faculty Roundtable, hosted by Shannon Marting and Colette Wanless-Sobel, is scheduled for Thursday, October 2, 12:30-1:30,Student Center, conference room B, and features Doug Knapp, philosophy, who will present a brief lecture and then conduct discussion. Doug's talk is on Al-Qaeda and is titled "A Critical Look at the 'No Purpose' and 'Omitted Purpose' Theories for Explaining Al-Qaeda's Motives." Come see faculty scholarship at its best! An abstract of Doug's talk is provided below.

For Explaining Al-Qaeda's Motives


Doug Knapp, Philosophy


Various causal factors have been offered to explain the motives behind the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks on 9/11 and at many other times and places throughout the world. Quite often the reasons or purposes are said to include political, economic, religious and ethnic factors. Often historical factors, such as colonialism and neo-colonialism, as well as nationalism, poverty, class divisions and modernization, are included. But some scholars and political figures, quite inconsistently at times, assert that there is no discernible purpose or purposes in these attacks. It is argued, for example, that the sheer magnitude of the death and carnage in the 9/11 attacks suggests no rational purpose in the minds of the perpetrators. The implication is that the Al Qaeda attacks are allegedly purely irrational. In contrast, I argue that there are flaws and inconsistencies with this No Purpose Theory, and that oil, moreover, should not be omitted (as it often is) from any plausible broad explanation of the complex mix of causal factors. Needless to say, to suggest that Al-Qaeda had reasons is not to suggest that the reasons are necessarily good or morally justifiable reasons. Then again, among these reasons it is necessary to sort out the goals from the violent tactics so as to discover why, in particular, many Arabs and Muslims sympathize with some of the goals.


This whole issue is important because, among other things, if the No Purpose Theory is assumed to be accurate, it would, at least for the problem at hand, eliminate from serious consideration in one fell swoop literally all of the other possible factors (political, religious, economic, etc.). This would be so in spite of the initial reasonableness of the notion that many of these factors have at least some weight or other. But if, contrary to what the No Purpose Theory says, items such as oil are shown to be actually causally important, and are consequently on the table for more extended and open discussion, then there at least would be a better opportunity for more successfully tackling these and ameliorating the risk of future terrorist attacks. At least so I will argue.

A light buffet luncheon will be served, so please R.S.V.P. ahead of time,so we can make sure there is enough food. R.S.V.P.-ing is as simple as clicking Comment at the top of the screen.

---

The Blog Grab Bag


--Critical Thinking
Current pedagogy stresses the importance of teaching critical thinking in all disciplines. For a annotated bibliography of the community college-critical thinking literature, click on
Critical Thinking and the Community College. For an article addressing critical thinking in the classroom, click here on Teaching Critical Thinking, which will take you to a pdf. file (20 pages).

--ESL
An interesting resource for teaching communication skills to non-English / English as a second language speakers: ESL

--Teaching Globalization
Free -market- spread or multiculturalism and democracy? For some classroom ideas,
check out
The Globalist. This is an interesting Web site.

--Teaching Tips
The National Teaching and Learning Forum addresses FAQs about college teaching and learning. Also available at this site are full-text materials and funding resources for teaching, learning, and education. Subscriptions are $49.00 a year, although you can accesssome free tid-bits of information on the Web site. National Teaching and Learning Forum


--Student-Centered Instruction
Some HOW TO advice, along with pitfalls to watch out for:
Navigating the Bumpy Road to Student-Centered Instruction

--Archiving the Internet


Browse through 30 billion web pages archived from 1996 to a few months ago.
This search engine now has the ability to do keyword searches. The new feature, currently in beta, offers the ability to search a portion of the Wayback archive database (about eleven billion pages.) Neat stuff, this!

Until next week!

Blog editor

Faculty Development News This Week:

Douglas Knapp, philosophy

Faculty Development News This Week:

Faculty Roundtable

---

The first CTL Faculty Roundtable, hosted by Shannon Marting and Colette Wanless-Sobel, is scheduled for Thursday, October 2, 12:30-1:30,Student Center, conference room B, and features Doug Knapp, philosophy, who will present a brief lecture and then conduct discussion. Doug's talk is on Al-Qaeda and is titled "A Critical Look at the 'No Purpose' and 'Omitted Purpose' Theories for Explaining Al-Quaeda's Motives." Come see faculty scholarship at its best!


Background reading


The Al Qaeda Training Manual, Abridged, The United States Department of Justice


A light buffet luncheon will be served, so please R.S.V.P. ahead of time,so we can make sure there is enough food. R.S.V.P.-ing is as simple as clicking Comment at the top of the screen.

CTL Conferences: Upcoming

---

--Conference on Information Technology, October 19-22, Midwest Airlines Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If you are interested in exploring model programs and services, learning new skills, and making connections with educators interested in the use of information technology, this conference is for you.


If you would like a brochure, let me know, and I shall post one to you by way of campus mail.


You may also register online at League for Innovation.


NOTE: If you travel to Milwaukee for this conference, you can allow yourself the pleasure of visiting the Milwaukee Art Museum to see and experience the museum's new expansion and renovation, which combines art, dramatic architecture and landscape design. The new Quadracci Pavilion, the first Santiago Calatrava-designed building in the United States, features a 90-foot high glass-walled reception hall enclosed by the Burke Brise Soleil, a sunscreen that can be raised or lowered, creating a unique moving sculpture. It is a breathtaking structure.


Give yourself an online tour at Milwaukee Art Museum.

CTL Seminars

---

--"Creating Significant Learning Experiences" by L. Dee Fink . This seminar is scheduled forOctober 4 at Central Lakes College in Brainard. Car pool, anyone?

For further information, click on CTL Web site .

--"Presentation Help for your Class" by Diana Rehling and Paula Tompkins, St. Cloud State University. This seminar is being held here at Inver Hills on October 25. Mark your calendars! For further information, click on CTL Web site.

Blog Grab Bag

---

--"Beloit College Releases the Mindset List for the Class of 2007"


A popular posting over the years has been the annual "Beloit College Mindset List,"
which looks at today's freshmen and lists what they have or have not experienced
in their lifetimes.



Beloit College Mindset List

--Books


Print:


Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses by L. Dee Fink (John Wiley & Sons, 2003). Shannon Marting
introduced me to this book,and I was so impressed with it, that I purchased a copy for myself. Two copies of the books are available in the CTL "lending library," and Shannon has more on order. For further information, click on Creating Significant Learning Experiences.


Electronic:


Did you know?


"The United States has carried on foreign intelligence activities since the days of George Washington but only since World War II have they been coordinated on a government-wide basis. Three programs have highlighted the development of coordinated basic intelligence since that time: (1) the Joint Army Navy Intelligence Studies (JANIS), (2) the National Intelligence Survey (NIS), and (3) The World Factbook."



The CIA 2003 World Factbook is now available at 2003 World Factbook

--Grant Writing Tutorial


Interested in writing a grant, but you do not know where to begin? Well, this Institute of Museum and Library Services grant writing tutorial is for you! Although the tutorial is designed for persons interested in applying for a "National Leadership Grant," the online tutorial is free and available to anyone thinking about the grant writing process.


Grant Writing Tutorial

--Diversity Toolbox


Do you want to broaden perspectives and voices in your classes? The Diversity Toolbox, a Web site offered by the Society of Professional Journalists, offers links and resources to underrepresented demographic groups.


Diversity Toolbox

--Article


An interesting article on knowledge construction and faculty development:


Professional Development Through Learning Communities

CTL Contact Information

---

CTL Web site

CTL E-mail

Fax: 651.649.5749

---

Until next week!

--Blog editor