NISOD

2nd Annual Virtual Conference

Archived recordings of the full conference are available here. 

Best Practices for Engaging 21st-Century Learners
This fun and interactive session is designed for educators who want to connect with the next wave of 21st-century students. We examine the struggles our students face moving from an interactive culture to a one-size-fits-all classroom, after which participants learn about best practices for promoting active learning. Because the classroom is always evolving, the remainder of the presentation focuses on predicting the dynamics of the future classroom.
Linda Schmidt, Chair, Mathematics; Amy Moore, Professor, Mathematics, Spartanburg Community College

Using The Five Languages of Appreciation to Strengthen Student Engagement
"Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Discover secrets for tapping into your students' motivation in the classroom. Learn how to use The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace in a classroom setting. Session participants leave with concrete strategies and techniques that use the languages of appreciation and motivational theory in and out of the classroom to enhance student engagement and success.
Jeff Johannigman, Coordinator, Faculty Development; Chelsea Biggerstaff, Coordinator, Faculty Development, Austin Community College

The Power of Hope
Hope is the belief that tomorrow will be better than today and that you have the power to make it so. Research has concluded that increasing hope in students leads to a 12 percent gain in academic performance. During this session, participants explore how to help students develop the core competencies of hope, goals, agency, and pathways. Best practices for developing hope in others are shared.
Scott Geddis, Faculty, Health Professions and Wellness, Phoenix College

New Wine in Old Wine Skins: The Impact of Mobile Devices in the Classroom
Mobile devices can detract from the traditional lecture format, but they also present opportunities for greater student engagement. Participants examine the lessons one instructor, accustomed to the traditional lecture format, acquired as a result of a mobile devices initiative at his college. These lessons include using online tools and apps to assess in-class student learning of course content, collaborative learning to foster student engagement, and empirical observation of best practices.
David Toye, Professor, History, Northeast State Community College

Get on Up! Increasing Student Movement and Engagement in Class

Do you want to get students more engaged in your lectures? Following a quick review of Multiple Intelligence Theory, participants explore collaborative-learning exercises that increase your classroom's energy level. Be more student-centered in your approach to teaching. Attend this session to learn easy-to-execute college teaching techniques!Sean Glassberg, Director, Faculty Development, Horry Georgetown Technical College

Invisible Man: How to Effectively Deal With Mental Health Issues in the Classroom
This session helps identify triggers and healthy de-escalation models that can be used in the classroom. Discussed are students' psychological well-being and how to effectively deal with crisis in the classroom. Participants gain knowledge that can be used to provide support and aid in removing the stigma of mental illness in the classroom.
Kamara Taylor, Faculty Lecturer, Cognitive and Learning Sciences, Michigan Technological University

Using Socratic Teaching: Engaging Adult Students to Think Critically
Traditional methods of teaching are mainly centered on the foundational underpinnings of pedagogical theory. Socratic teaching is the most powerful teaching tactic for fostering critical thinking when teaching adults; student engagement is paramount in andragogy. The focus of this session is on simple progressive methods used to teach adult students how to think instead of what to think, which increases students' ability to apply subject matter and enhances their overall learning experience.
Preston Rich, Associate Professor, Business, Collin College

Engaging Teaching Strategies 101
Have you ever sat through an endless faculty meeting that seemed to have no real purpose? Don't put your students through the same suffering! Engaging students in the learning process increases their focus, improves their critical-thinking skills, and helps them become invested in their learning. They (and you) will also have a lot more fun. Join this session to build your arsenal of engaging teaching strategies.
Farrell Jenab, Coordinator, Faculty Development, Johnson County Community College

Innovation Abstracts

This Week’s Issue

In this week's Innovation Abstracts, "Three Teaching Strategies to Use Today," Kristen Zaborski, Associate Professor, Economics, State College of Florida (FL), introduces three strategies she uses to engage students with course content.

Access the article here. Username: daytonastate.edu | Password: nisod102.

Past Issues

• Our Students' Soft Skills Scarcity: Why Academics Affairs Should Lead the Effort
• Large Scale Faculty Development: A Taxonomy of Faculty Perspectives on Teaching Men of Color
• Using QR Codes as Communication and Documentation Tools in Higher Education
• Tests Are Not Enough
• Don't Tell Me I'm Not College Ready
• Striving for Enhanced Understanding and Retention (Contextualized Learning)
• Making the Transition to Teaching at a Community College: Perspectives and Insights
• The "Renga" Exercise: A Group Writing Lesson
• On Giving Students the Gift of Time
• Roll Out the Welcome Mat: Using Hope, Hospitality, and Humor to Create a Comfortable Classroom
• The First Day of Class: People Before Paper 
• Doing Literature: Using the Cognitive Learning Strategy of Elaborating to Help Students Interpret Texts
• Getting Under the Hood: How and for Whom Does Increasing Course Structure Work
• Reading Aloud to Break the Ice
• Strategies to Increase Confidence in the Classroom: A Problem Solver
• No Professional Development Funds: What to Do While Doing Without
• Measuring General Education Learning: A Faculty Driven, Distributed Network Approach
• Rethinking Honors Programs for Community Colleges
• The Chef and His Accountant: A Collaborative Venture Into Progressive Thinking
• Return to the Playground: Truly Active Learning in the College Classroom
• Using Library Programming to Improve Student Success
• Engaging and Empowering Students to Discuss Literature
• Redesigning Mathematics for Student Success
• Credit Cards for College Students…Let Me Explain
• Making the Third Section of English Composition as Interesting as the First

NISOD maintains an open call for Innovation Abstracts authors. Share your best programs, projects, and strategies that improve students' higher education experiences as you build your own professional development profile. Innovation Abstracts authors receive a $50 discount to NISOD’s annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence! Review the author guidelines today. 

NISOD Conference

May 25-28, 2019

NISOD’s annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence is a content-rich professional development experience that brings community and technical college educators together to exchange techniques and strategies for teaching, learning, and administrative success.

Conference Registration Is Now Open

Get the best discount available for your most effective professional development opportunity this year! Early registration ends April 15.  Register now.

Conference Call for Proposals is Now Open

NISOD is currently accepting presentation proposals that address important issues facing today's community and technical colleges. Find details here. 

Conference Housing Is Now Open

Special official conference hotel rates are now available. Book your conference lodging here for the best rates.

NISOD Conference Scholarship

Faculty members from NISOD member colleges can apply for a scholarship to attend our annual conference. See details here.

Austin, Texas

What you hear about Austin, Texas is true. Home to more than 250 music venues, fun and inspiring cuisine, the Congress Avenue Bridge Bats, and stunning outdoor settings, the Live Music Capital of the World lets you create a soundtrack all your own!

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