THE FIFTEENTH LEWIS M. TERMAN WESTERN REGIONAL TEACHER'S CONFERENCE
Portland, Oregon
April 22, 2009

Out of the Ivory Tower: Learning Opportunities Outside of the Classroom

THE FIFTEENTH LEWIS M. TERMAN
WESTERN REGIONAL TEACHERS' CONFERENCE
PRESENTERS AND PRESENTATIONS

Master Teachers tell of their approaches at creating a dynamic learning environment. Registration information can be obtained here.

TANYA L. BOONE, California State University, Bakersfield
MIKE BUTLER, California State University, Bakersfield
Putting Knowledge to Work

What is experiential learning and how can we use it to further out students' education? This talk will present a model of experiential learning, including service learning. We will provide a specific example of an experiential learning model, from design to assessment. Finally, we will offer suggestions for using such a model at your institution.
Tanya L. Boone is an assistant professor of Psychology at California State University, Bakersfield, where she also serves as the Coordinator of the M.A. Program in Psychology. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from The Pennsylvania State University in 2003.

Mike Butler is a graduate student in Psychology at California State University, Bakersfield. In addition, he coordinates student internships for the entire CSUB student body and acts as a liaison between the University and the community.

FELICIA FRIENDLY THOMAS, Cal Poly Pomona
The Digital Learning Community: Friend or Foe?
A misconception among college faculty and administrators who oppose completely online courses is that such offerings are not sufficiently rigorous to foster the depth of learning expected at higher educational levels. The historical stigma attached to "correspondence" courses continually contaminates approval processes for these courses and promotes students' belief that online classes are synonymous with "easy" classes - where little is expected and learning is incidental. Further complicating online course acceptance is some faculty members' discomfort with E-learning environments and hesitancy when embracing the technology involved in digital learning communities. Therefore, this presentation will outline and discuss specific structural mechanics and assessment strategies employed in a completely online course, including what seems to work and what seems to be less effective. Research findings on students' responses to and performance in this online introductory course also will be shared.

Felicia Friendly Thomas received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of South Carolina in 1974, and her M.A. in 1977 and Ph.D. in 1978 in Clinical Psychology from the University of Southern California. She is a Professor of Psychology at Cal Poly Pomona, where she has been a faculty member since 1982. In addition to teaching courses in clinical psychology, Dr. Friendly Thomas has had a life-long interest in multicultural psychology and research in social psychology. Recently Dr. Friendly Thomas has been involved in an ongoing research project designed to explore online teaching at the university level, especially as it relates to students' performance and attitudes toward online instruction. She has presented on this topic across various levels, e.g., regional (WPA), national (APS), state (CSU Teaching Conference), and international (Hong Kong conference) levels.

MARK LAUMAKIS, San Diego State University
Give 'Em What They Want: Blended Learning in a Large Introductory Psychology Course
In this presentation, Dr. Laumakis will discuss his efforts to incorporate blended learning (combining both face-to-face and online activities) into his 500-student section of Introductory Psychology. He will discuss the Millennial Generation of students and their preferences regarding technology, including data from the brand new 2008 EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR) survey of students and information technology. He will also share some techniques he uses to engage students both face-to-face and online.

Mark A. Laumakis is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at San Diego State University (SDSU). He also holds the position of Faculty in Residence in Instructional Technology Services at SDSU. In April, 2008, he was the recipient of an SDSU Top 25 Award, given to members of the SDSU community who have made transformational contributions to the mission of the University, for his innovative uses of technology in his 500-student sections of Introductory Psychology. He is a three-time (2006, 2007, and 2008) winner of the Division of Student Affairs Residential Education Favorite Faculty Award. He received his B.A. in psychology and sociology from Duke University and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Southern California.

JONATHAN MUELLER, North Central College
Bringing the world into the classroom: Finding and using online resources for learning

A variety of online resources (e.g., text, audio, video, interactive animations) which can be used in psychology courses will be shared. Additionally, effective and efficient methods for locating your own relevant resources will be detailed. Finally, the presentation will describe some approaches for incorporating these resources into teaching and learning in and out of the classroom.

Jonathan Mueller is professor of psychology at North Central College in Naperville, IL. He is the author of the online text, Authentic Assessment Toolbox, and of the recently published Assessing Critical Skills. Additionally, he created and maintains an online resource for instructors of social psychology and related courses entitled Resources for the Teaching of Social Psychology.

JORDAN RUDE, Bakersfield Community College
Flash Mobs: Social Influence in the 21st Century

A flash mob is a group of people, usually unknown to each other, who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform some unusual or notable activity according to predetermined instructions, and then quickly disperse. In the classroom, examples of flash mobs can be used to demonstrate a wide range of social influence concepts. This session will describe how to prepare and perform a flash mob activity, and suggest how to guide a follow-up discussion.

Jordan Rude is an adjunct professor of Psychology at Bakersfield Community College in Bakersfield California, where he teaches courses such as Introduction to Psychology, Social Psychology, Behavioral Statistics, and Child Psychology. He received his M.A. in Psychology from California State University, Bakersfield.

JUDY WILSON, Palomar College
Speed Mentoring

Early career teachers often wish they could "pick the brains" of their more experienced colleagues. Here's a chance to do just that. Based on the "speed dating" model of getting maximum information in minimum time, we will divide the conference participants into senior and junior members and then give opportunity to interact and learn. Think of your questions ahead of time, because you'll only have a few minutes before you have to move on to the next mentor!

Judy Wilson is an Assistant Professor at Palomar College in San Marcos, CA. She teaches Social Psychology, Introduction to Psychology and Psychology of Women. She is pursuing her interests in the scholarship of teaching and learning through the Ed.D. program at UCSD.

CONFERENCE COORDINATOR
Anne Duran, Associate Professor of Psychology
California State University, Bakersfield
(661) 654-2298 / aduran@csub.edu

CONFERENCE ASSISTANCE
Judy Wilson, Palomar College

TECHNICAL COORDINATOR
Luis Vega, Professor of Psychology
California State University, Bakersfield
lvega@csub.edu

Thank you for attending!
We hope to see you in 2010 at
The Sixteenth Lewis M. Terman Western Regional Teaching Conference
Cancun, Mexico
April 21, 2010

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