Block 3 Session Descriptions and Presenter Bios

Below is a description of all Block 3 sessions, as well as a short bio of each presenter.
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Canvas 3  |  Tips & Tricks

Canvas 3 (Concurrent Session Block 3 – 1:50 – 2:50)

Session Description and Learning Objectives

Full Session Description and Resources are available here
This third Canvas session will prepare participants to teach more effectively using the following Canvas strategies and tools:

  • Managing your grading work with the To Do list
  • Dividing grading work with other course TAs
  • Effectively marking missing work in the gradebook
  • Posting/hiding grades
  • Arranging columns in Gradebook
  • Assigning extra credit
  • Updating & replacing course files
  • Understanding course size limits
  • Validating links in your course
  • Recovering deleted material
  • Changing all assignment dates for a class on one page
  • Messaging students through Gradebook and Analytics
  • And more

Presenter  |  Kathy Pinkowsky

Kathy Pinkowsky comes to the College of Letters and Science with a background in instructional technology, curriculum design, software training, usability/accessibility, and technical writing. Kathy holds a B.A. in English from Western Illinois University and an M.A. in Instructional Technology from Alverno College. In Kathy’s previous job roles, she was a senior technical writer for a software company, a supervisor of the Web and Technology group at Assurant Health, and most recently, the manager of the Instructional Technology Department at Alverno College. Throughout her career, Kathy has focused on integrating technology with teaching and learning. Kathy Pinkowsky

Effective Communication: the key to enhancing student learning

Teaching Focus 5 (Concurrent Session Block 3 – 1:50 – 2:50 pm)

Session Description and Learning Objectives

Effective communication plays a critical role in the learning process.  In this interactive session, we will discuss the various ways in which Teaching Assistants communicate with students and how Teaching Assistants can enhance their communication skills to better reach their students.  We will begin by discussing effective strategies to enhance the attention of students in a world that is more filled with distractions than ever.  Next, we will dive into the topic of feedback and discuss the characteristics of feedback that help contribute to increased student learning.  Finally, we will discuss communication via email, both how to communicate with students in a professional manner and strategies to keep email correspondence from becoming an overwhelming burden distracting you from other aspects of being a successful graduate student.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

  • Explain strategies that can be used to cultivate the attention of students, such as how to create a sense of community and how to foster student curiosity
  • Understand how to provide students beneficial feedback that can be used to improve future student work
  • Describe how to communicate with students via email in a professional and efficient manner

Presenter  |  Jeff Peterson

Jeff Peterson is a Teaching Assistant and Lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology.  He has a BS in Exercise and Sport Science and an MS in Kinesiology.  Jeff is currently a PhD student in the Department of Kinesiology studying the neurophysiological changes that occur with aging that contribute to increased falls risk in older adults.  He has presented twice at UWM’s annual Teaching and Learning Symposium.  Upon completion of his PhD, Jeff plans to pursue a teaching focused career. Leah Johnson

“Why Students ‘Can’t Read’…and What You Can Do About It

Teach Your Students to Read 1 (Concurrent Session Block 3 – 1:50 – 2:50 pm)

Session Description and Learning Objectives

Full Session Description and Resources are available here

In this workshop (identical to that found in concurrent session block 4 – 3:00 – 4:00 pm), instructors will learn about the challenges students face with reading comprehension and explore useful strategies to foster a “mindful” reading practice. Informed by recent research on reading practices of disciplinary experts across the curriculum, this session investigates various educational and cultural obstacles to mindful reading, suggests an approach toward coaching student readers, and provides practical guidelines in effective assignment design.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

  • Recognize the challenges facing student readers across multiple disciplines and the resulting effects on classroom performance
  • Define strategies to foster mindful reading
  • Identify methods to design effective assignments to support reading comprehension

Presenter  |  Stephanie Guedet

Stephanie is the newest Teaching, Learning, and Technology Consultant in CETL. Prior to joining the CETL staff in May, Stephanie was an associate professor and writing program administrator at Concordia University-Wisconsin. Throughout her career, Stephanie has worked with students from middle school to graduate school and brings this expertise to support UWM instructors in the teaching of reading and writing skills. Stephanie earned a Ph.D. in English Studies from Illinois State University, with a concentration in Rhetoric/Composition. She also holds an M.A. in English from Bradley University.

As a writing specialist, Stephanie is currently developing CETL’s workshop series “Writing for Teaching and Learning,” which will launch in Spring 2023.

Leah Johnson

Teaching Assistant Q&A

(Concurrent Session Block 3 – 1:50 – 2:50)

Session Description and Learning Objectives

Moderated by Sarah MacDonald (Teaching, Learning, and Technology Consultant, CETL)

Curious what your first semester of teaching at UW-Milwaukee will be like? Looking for some tips and tricks from experienced teaching assistants? Have a question, but just not sure to ask?

Attend this Q&A session to hear from experienced UW-Milwaukee teaching assistants as they share their best practices for new teaching assistants and take your questions about teaching, UW-Milwaukee, and balancing life and grad school.

This session features presenters from Sociology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Mathematical Sciences

Presenters

  • Emily Dorshorst (Sociology)
  • Gabrielle Grimes (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
  • Mark Schauf (Mathematical Sciences)

All sessions will be recorded

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