U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H
Volume X, Number 2
In This Issue. . .
Chancellor’s Distinguished
Teaching Awards
Elmer J. Holzinger ............... 3
Paul Kameen ....................... 4
S. J. Murabito ..................... 5
Lauren Yaich ...................... 6
Instructional Technology:
Electronic Response
Systems ........................... 7
Bellet Teaching Excellence
Awards
Geeta Kothari ................... 8
Ericka Cederstrom-Huston 9
Marla Ripoll ....................... 10
Pete Simonson ................... 11
University-wide Teaching
Awards ...................... 12-13
TA Services: Training
Needs ............................ 14
Communication-across-the-
Curriculum Seminar ...... 16
A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh
Outstanding teaching
promotes engagement,
critical thinking
F
or this annual awards issue
of the Teaching Times, faculty
who have won major Univer-
sity teaching awards share ways
they apply two concepts related to
excellent teaching: Winners of the
School of Arts & Sciences Bellet
awards discuss ways to actively en-
gage students in the learning pro-
cess, and winners of the Chan-
cellor’s Distinguished Teaching
Award reflect on ways they teach
students to think critically.
Faculty members play a critical
role in student learning. Para-
mount among indicators of en-
gagement that directly influence
the quality of students’ learning
are faculty who communicate high
expectations and encourage coop-
eration, active learning, and stu-
dent-faculty contact.1
The act of engaging students as
active learners is connected to an
overarching goal of higher educa-
tion: to foster the kinds of higher
level thinking skills that students
will use in other courses and be-
yond college. This complex think-
ing is often referred to as critical
thinking, a disciplined process that
requires conceptualizing, applying,
November 2004
analyzing, synthesizing, and/or
evaluating information.2 Terms
used synonymously with critical
thinking include problem solving
and decision making.
Critical thinking takes root in
the learner’s engagement with
problems, when faculty encourage
inquiry, discussion, and debate.
At the same time, students acquire
skills in complex thinking from
faculty who model thought pro-
cesses valued in their particular
disciplines.3
Beyond the classroom, critical
thinking is “a powerful resource
in one’s personal and civic life.
Educating good critical thinkers
yields insights which are the basis
of a rational and democratic soci-
ety.”4
In addition to high-profile
teaching awards, this issue fea-
tures a comprehensive list of
awards recognizing teaching excel-
lence throughout the University
in the past year. The Teaching
Times staff compiles this informa-
tion through the year, and up-
dates can be e-mailed to Jo Rosol,
rosol@cidde.pitt.edu.
see “Critical Thinking” page 2
 Teaching Times
Center for Instructional
Development & Distance Education
(CIDDE)
University of Pittsburgh
Room 820
4227 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Phone: 412-624-6596
Fax: 412-624-7220
E-mail: dearment@cidde.pitt.edu
Web site: www.pitt.edu/~ciddeweb/
FACULTYDEVELOPMENT
Editorial Staff:
Carol DeArment, editor
Joyce Walsh, production
Tim Kyle, copy editor
Autumn Koerbel, asst. copy editor
Photographs by CIDDE
Photography & Electronic Imaging
The Teaching Times, a newsletter devoted to
the support of teaching and learning, is dis-
tributed to every faculty member and teach-
ing assistant at the University of Pittsburgh.
It features interviews with faculty who share
teaching experiences, strategies, and tech-
niques that can be applied in classrooms
across the University.
The Teaching Times welcomes letters and
articles from faculty and staff about any
topic affecting University teaching and learn-
ing.
The Teaching Times is published by the Cen-
ter for Instructional Development
& Distance Education (CIDDE), which
provides a wide range of services to faculty in
support of University teaching and learning.
The central mission of CIDDE is to support
excellence in University instruction. CIDDE
also is responsible for maximizing the effec-
tive use of instructional technologies to meet
the University’s academic goals and priori-
ties.
Diane Davis, Director
djdavis@pitt.edu
Joanne M. Nicoll, Associate Director for
Instructional Design and Faculty
Development nicoll@pitt.edu
Nick Laudato, Associate Director,
Instructional Technology, laudato@pitt.edu
Chancellor’s teaching
awardees press students
to think at complex levels
I
n interviews on the following pages, 2004 winners of the
Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award share ways they
encourage their students to think at higher levels.
This teaching award has been conferred since 1984 as a way to
recognize excellence in teaching and inspire colleagues through
shared insights. The most broadly based teaching award at the
University, it has been bestowed upon 118 faculty, representing a
range of schools within the University and its regional campuses.
Candidates for the award can be nominated by students, faculty
colleagues, department chairs, or deans. A committee of faculty
and students recommends selections to the Chancellor for his
approval. Any full-time faculty member who has been active as a
teacher for at least five years and has not previously won is eligible.
In addition to a $2,000 cash award and a $3,000 grant to be
used to support teaching activities, winners are honored at an
annual Honors Convocation and have their names inscribed on a
permanent plaque in the William Pitt Union. The awards are
funded by an endowment from unrestricted 1980 Capital
Campaign funds. !
“Critical Thinking” from page 1
References
1. Chickering, Arthur and Zelda F. Gamson, “Seven Principles for Good Practice in
Undergraduate Education,” AAHE Bulletin, American Association of Higher
Education, March 1987.
2. Scriven, Michael and Richard Paul, “Defining Critical Thinking, “ (Draft
Statement for the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking):
www.criticalthinking.org/University/univclass/Defining.html.
3. Bean, John C. , Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical
Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 1966.
4. Facione, Peter A., “Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts,” California
Academic Press, 1998. !
Correction: Michael Spring, Information
Sciences, pictured at right, was misidentified
in a photo in the September 2004 issue of the
Teaching Times. Spring was awarded an
Innovation in Education grant with Marlin
Mickle, Engineering, for Active Learning with
Writing, Experimenting, and Simulation (ALWES).
Michael Spring
TeachingTimes 2
 Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award
Elmer J. Holzinger, Medicine
I emphasize the need to be able to listen carefully and interpret
appropriately and also to know which questions to ask in order
to obtain the most information.
M
y teaching of medical stu-
dents involves students at
all four years of the medical
school curriculum. However, the
major portion is in the third and
fourth years, and the
teaching at this level is
predominantly centered
on patient care. It is at
this time when the stu-
dents have the opportu-
nity to apply their basic
science knowledge to
the care of patients in
the clinical setting. The
students must be able to
accurately assess the
clinical picture of each
patient and this begins
with a detailed history
and physical examina-
tion. Students must
develop the appropriate Photo by Patricia Nagle, CIDDE
techniques of obtaining
Elmer J. Holzinger with medical student Spring McCann
a good history and must
be able to interpret the
symptoms. I emphasize the need to
be able to listen carefully and inter-
pret appropriately and also to know
which questions to ask in order to
obtain the most information and to
not inappropriately interrupt. This
is followed by a detailed physical
examination during which the
student’s proficiency is assessed. On
the basis of this initial information
the student then must decide on a
differential diagnosis and appropri-
ate laboratory investigation in order
to make an accurate diagnosis and
proceed with appropriate therapy.
The students are uniformly excited
about applying their basic science
knowledge to patient care in a ter is, therefore, a very dynamic expe-
thoughtful and precise manner. In rience that varies with each patient
addition to the scientific aspect of and it is intriguing to see how the
patient care, it is certainly impor- students quickly adjust to the vari-
tant that the student understand ability in patient presentation, both
from the psycho-social
aspect and the presenta-
tion of various disease
processes. The effective-
ness of this method is
evident in the excitement
that the students demon-
strate while delivering
patient care. The stu-
dents many times return
the following day after
having reviewed current
literature regarding the
patients that they had
seen the day before, and
now each experience from
a patient encounter repre-
sents a tremendous
amount of gain in medi-
cal knowledge.
The opportunity to
the psycho-social aspect of each be involved in the education of
patient in the clinical setting. medical students in clinical medicine
It is exciting for me to watch has given me a great deal of satisfac-
the students carefully approach tion, and this is particularly so when
these many aspects of patient care I observe the competence that the
and then develop a reasonable dif- students have gained at the end of
ferential diagnosis and list the rea- their medical school training. It is
sons for their choices. It is in this during these clinical years of teaching
manner that the students gain expe- that students are able to experience
rience and thought processes in the enormous responsibilities and
connecting their basic science great satisfaction in being a physi-
knowledge to the clinical aspect of cian. It is also at this time that the
patient care. During this time I importance of remaining curious is
gently challenge them so that even emphasized along with the need for
the relatively simple clinical prob- constant, almost daily, continuing
lems become a teaching experience. education in order to remain a good
The entire student-patient encoun- physician. !
TeachingTimes 3
 Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award

Paul Kameen, English

It’s in this “between” stage of reading or moderating classroom
discussion where I feel I can make my most significant contribution
as a teacher.

W
hen I think about my teaching, I like to start bution as a teacher. I try hard to receive what is be-
with the more fundamental questions and ing offered and then to lend my resources to eliciting
work my way up to matters of technique. its greater possibilities. At some point in the term,
One set of those questions pertains to what I call my and it varies widely from student to student, I see the
“idea of the university.” Basically, I believe that the uni- light go on: “Oh, now I see what writing can allow
versity is an arena for the pursuit of intellectual work, me to do. This is something I really do want to do
the purpose of which is the production of knowledge, well.” Right then, the student becomes a writer in
and the nature of which is intrinsically collaborative. the same manner—if not on the same scale—as we
I have given some thought to what each of these are, because, like us, s/he has an investment in the
terms means to me, but they are to some degree always process and stake in the outcome. !
in play, evolving and changing over time. And I can
imagine having very contentious arguments among my
colleagues about my definitions. Fixity and agreement
are not the point. What is non-negotiable for me,
though, is that the classroom is a site for the pursuit of
those ambitions. So, course to course, year to year, I am
looking for ways to translate the imperative of my cur-
rent “idea” into terms that are applicable to the course
I am teaching and pertinent to the students I expect to
engage there.
In freshman composition, for example, I ask students
to do the same kinds of things I do when I write for a
public audience: Establish a position and make an in-
vestment in it; locate that position in an ongoing con-
versation by making use of (not just quoting from) the
text(s); use enough detail to develop a distinctive, even
“original,” position in that conversation; invite others
to read the text and decide how to use their advice.
When I read a student’s work, I am always thinking:
“What is the next step for this writer to be taking right
now with this essay? How can I get her to see that, and
do that?” Then I look at the result and try to find a way
to facilitate the next step. I follow the same pattern in
class discussion: I listen to what a student offers, and I
try to say something back that will help her take the
next step, and the next one, in support of the expecta- Photo by Joe Kapelewski, CIDDE
tions I have laid out. To be honest, it’s in this “be-
tween” stage of reading or moderating classroom discus- Paul Kameen
sion where I feel I can make my most significant contri-

TeachingTimes 4
 Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award

S.J. Murabito, English

University of Pittsburgh—Greensburg

I
am a teaching writer and a writ-
ing teacher, a person who infi-
nitely tries to make connections,
Critical thinking has to do with staking out con-
discover contexts, and entertain criti- nections, contexts, and possibilities. Ultimately, it
cal, cultural, and intellectual possi- has to do with generating one’s own individual
bilities for meaning in what I read
and in what I write. This process of point of view.
seeing, understand-
ing, and applying is
writing toward
the critical thinking
the end of my
that I try to teach to
basic composi-
my students. For
tion course be-
example, in a com-
cause it is very
position course, the
multi-layered and
class might examine
is best read after
different strategies
the students have
that writers use for
gained the most
opening their essays.
confidence pos-
Subsequent to that,
sible.
the students will
In the essay,
either write re-
Photo courtesy of Pitt-Greensburg
Orwell employs
sponses to these
several levels of
different openings S. J. Murabito with student
irony to convey
or compose critical
his anti-imperial-
commentaries on the openings of
ment; it is the opposite of the easy- ist theme. Having the class study
their own essays. In a fiction writing
answer culture of the shoulder- these ironies and then either respond
course, the class might study the ef-
fectiveness of the dialogues in selected shrugged, “Whatever.” Critical think- to them or to the ironies in their
ing has to do with staking out con- own essays helps the students im-
short stories. Then the students will
nections, contexts, and possibilities; prove as thinkers, readers, and writ-
compose short stories, highlight im-
it has to do with thinking, reading, ers—in this case, seers of irony,
portant dialogues, and separately ex-
and writing; and, ultimately, it has understanders of irony, and appliers
plain how those dialogues are func-
to do with generating one’s own of irony, which is, after all, a funda-
tioning. In a literature course, the
individual point of view. mental building block in all intellec-
class might make note of the various
In terms of a specific assignment tual discourse. It is in this way that
punishments in Dante’s Inferno. Next,
that many of my colleagues could composition joins writing and litera-
the students will create journals or
adapt to their own teaching, let me ture courses in preparing students not
longer essays that discuss these pun-
discuss teaching the concept of irony only for further study in these specific
ishments, either in and of themselves
in George Orwell’s classic essay, areas but also for more confident
or in broader contexts.
“Shooting an Elephant.” I teach this study in other university courses as
Critical thinking, then, is born of
masterpiece of personal and political well. !
close reading and careful discern-

TeachingTimes 5
 Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award

Lauren Yaich, Natural Sciences

University of Pittsburgh—Bradford

The development and refinement of this rigorous, truth-seeking skill is

perhaps the essence of a higher education, creating a habit that will be
retained long after the student has left the college classroom.

C
ritical thinking is integral to the scientific pro-
cess, and explaining how this scientific process is
used to answer questions about living organisms
is the common denominator in my various biology
classes. As budding scientists, students are taught to
make observations about a phenomenon, create a hy-
pothesis about some aspect of this phenomenon, and
then carry out experiments that will either prove or dis-
prove the hypothesis.
To make this process a bit more concrete for my stu-
dents, who are often fans of TV shows like CSI and Law
and Order, I often use the analogy of lawyers who are
working on a murder case, because in the end, the ulti-
Photo courtesy of Pitt-Bradford
Lauren Yaich
mate goal of science and the criminal justice system is
the same—to determine the “truth” about a particular
situation. If the lawyer is a prosecutor, he will build a
case by collecting as much incriminating evidence as pos-
sible (e.g., blood samples, bullet fragments, testimony
from witnesses). The scientist essentially carries out a
similar process, performing numerous experiments to
study different aspects of the phenomenon in order to
build up a body of evidence that supports her hypoth-
esis.
In the criminal justice system, there is also a lawyer
whose job is to defend the accused. He must force the
jury to take a very hard look at the validity of the evi-
dence. Was the evidence collected and processed
correctly? Is there another possible explanation for
why that drop of blood was found on the carpet?
The scientist must play this role as well, and it is
here where critical thinking really comes into play—
she must take a hard look at the evidence she has
collected to verify that it really supports the hypoth-
esis. Is there more than one possible explanation for
the results obtained? Were the controls appropriate
for that particular experiment? Were enough data
points collected to make the results statistically sig-
nificant? What other experiments should be carried
out that might either strengthen the hypothesis or
refute it? The development and refinement of this
rigorous, truth-seeking skill is perhaps the essence of
a higher education, creating a habit that will be re-
tained long after the student has left the college
classroom. !

TeachingTimes 6
 Instructional Technology
Electronic Response Systems
Available from Media Services
By Barbara Frey & Dan Wilson
CIDDE
S
tudent response systems, also known as classroom,
electronic, and interactive audience response sys-
tems, provide students with a wireless, hand-held
pad that allows them to electronically reply to classroom
questions and receive immediate feedback. Faculty can
thereby engage students in course material through inter-
active question and answer sessions. The SRS software
quickly polls students, tabulates the results, and graphi-
cally presents the findings. The types of questions pro-
grammed into the SRS are multiple choice, true/false,
and rank order items.
Student polling systems are made up of two general
parts, hardware and software. The software is similar to
presentation software that displays a question. The stu-
dents respond with devices similar to television remote
controls that send infrared signals to a receiver attached
to a computer. The computer records and displays the
response.
The SRS quickly summaries student responses to an in-
class question.
The SRS can help faculty achieve the following goals:
1. Engage students in course material through survey,
pretest, practice, or review questions. The resultant
interactive classroom encourages students to come to
class prepared. However, to achieve this interaction
and maintain learners’ attention, questions must be
challenging, thought provoking, and/or stimulating.
2. Promote collaboration with group exercises that re-
quire students to discuss and come to a consensus or
TeachingTimes 7
to answer quiz questions that create a healthy competi-
tion.
3. Provide instant feedback to students regarding an is-
sue, question, or calculation.
4. Increase communication by discussing the answers
and opinions revealed in the SRS results. The SRS
provides all students with an equal opportunity to re-
spond, and faculty can take advantage of their re-
sponses to generate dialogue. Because the system can
allow for anonymous responses, it is effective for sensi-
tive questions, such as ethical, legal, and moral issues.
5. Collect data for research or formative/summative
evaluation. The SRS can be used for classroom assess-
ments to measure students’ preparation, understand-
ing, and/or satisfaction. Some instructors administer
pre- and post-tests.
Faculty integrate the SRS into their teaching at vari-
ous levels. At the most basic level, faculty deliver the re-
sponse question orally or in a PowerPoint presentation
and view a summary of the students’ responses. At the
more advanced level, the software can be used to show
response histograms or charts and to calculate statistical
analyses. It is also possible to export the response data
to an Excel spreadsheet.
What are faculty saying about the SRS?
Associate Professor Ellen Cohn in the School of
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences says, “I find that the
Student Response System engages the most reticent of
students. It introduces an element of personal responsi-
bility and interactivity that is otherwise difficult to
achieve within a large class.”
In the Department of Chemistry, Associate Profes-
sor Joseph Grabowski uses the SRS in large lecture class-
rooms. He values “the ability to get 100% of the stu-
dents to respond to a question; the distribution of an-
swers gives me a good handle on where the class is at
that moment.” Grabowski believes that students like
the activity because it “gives them immediate feedback,
in a non-threatening manner, about their current level of
understanding.”
Nick Laudato, CIDDE associate director of instruc-
tional technology, states that he is “most excited about
the pre-test/post-test applications. The pretest can help
See “Electronic Response” page 15
 Bellet Teaching Excellence Awards

Bellet award winners discuss ways to

actively engage students
E
stablished in 1998, the annual Bellet Teaching Excellence Awards recognize outstanding and innovative teaching in the
undergraduate School of Arts and Sciences. This year’s winners are Ericka Cederstrom-Huston, Chemistry; Geeta
Kothari, English; Marla Ripoll, Economics; and Peter Simonson, Communication. Through an endowment from alumnus
David Bellet and his wife, Tina, winners receive a $2,000 stipend and a $3,000 grant for the support of teaching.

Geeta Kothari, English

The drive to write has to come from within. I spend considerable
class time teaching students how to identify and question their
own writing process.

M
y primary interest as a teacher is in writing, create a classroom space where someone can ask a
which is a central focus in all my classes. My seemingly obvious question: “Did you have to learn how
goals and to revise or did you just
approach in the classroom do it? How does that
have been influenced by my happen?”
work as a tutor. When I My composition and
tutored, I wanted students creative writing classes
to learn how to rely on integrate regular reading
themselves and draw on and writing. Published
their own resources, as well writing provides models
as on learned strategies, that teach students what
when writing a paper. The to read for in terms of
idea was to avoid creating a narrative, language, style
situation in which students and elements of craft. As
came to depend on the they become better
Writing Center. Similarly, readers of literature, they
in my classes, I want become better readers for
students to learn how to Photo by Joe Kapelewski, CIDDE each other and for
rely on themselves as Geeta Kothari themselves. I have also
critical readers and writers. found that in literature
Thus, I am wary of teaching students, especially at and writing classes the discussions are more productive
the introductory and intermediate levels of fiction and interesting when we focus on issues of form before
writing, to depend on feedback from their classmates or content. This is a challenge, in both classroom settings,
me. The drive to write has to come from within, because students often do not have time to read closely
especially for the writing majors. While I can’t create or more than once; the texts I assign often require a
this drive in students, I can teach them practices and second reading. Therefore, I try to ask questions that
strategies that will help them to write beyond the will encourage them to explore and examine the readings
classroom while also preparing them for the next class. I again. Other effective techniques I use are open-book
spend considerable class time teaching students how to quizzes in writing classes, and in-class writing exercises in
identify and question their own writing process. I try to literature classes. !
TeachingTimes 8
 Bellet Teaching Excellence Awards

Ericka Cederstrom-Huston, Chemistry

A thread ties much of organic chemistry together. I share this
connection with students, so they realize the importance of continuing
to build upon everything they have learned so far.

M
y enthusiasm about what I classes I provide a list of bulleted
teach is very apparent and learning objectives for them to assess
rubs off on many of my whether they have mastered the
students. I loved organic chemistry course material. Many classes average
as soon as I started taking courses 150 students (I have had as many as
in it—I actually got “warm fuzzies” 240); so opportunities for one-to-
from my first textbook. When I one interactions during lecture are
share this story with my students limited. Thus, I believe it is espe-
many of them laugh (and I’m sure cially important for students to feel
roll their eyes!). I tell them can- comfortable enough to ask ques-
didly that, whether they think this tions that address their misconcep-
class is as exciting as I do, they will tions. Consequently, I am very
have to do a lot of work to suc- friendly during and outside of class.
ceed. I tell them I will do every- I encourage students to ask ques-
thing I can to help them but in the tions and let them know that they
end their success will be due to their need not feel inadequate or intimi-
own effort, discipline, and natural dated.
ability. While my lectures are quite tra-
In order to help my students ditional, most students stay engaged
do well I am very transparent about (even in my intense four-week sum-
my expectations. In my organic mer organic courses where there is
Photo by Joe Kapelewski, CIDDE
Ericka Cederstrom-Huston
TeachingTimes 9
no time for classroom breaks) be-
cause my lectures are very animated
(aerobic for me!), deliberate (I
choose examples very carefully), and
organized. Before each class, I refer
to what was talked about last time
and then link it to what will be dis-
cussed. If we are starting in a new
direction and have to change gears, I
tell them so. The value I place on
clarity contributes to the way I orga-
nize my lectures. I continually try
to show my students how a thread
ties much of organic chemistry to-
gether. I think it is important to
share this connection with students
so they realize the importance of
continuing to build upon every-
thing they have learned so far. I fre-
quently repeat important principles
and do everything I can to make
sure that students comprehend—not
memorize—as we apply them over
and over. I tell them when particu-
lar topics are not going to “go
away.” In organic chemistry, I draw
pictures on the board, explaining
that each arrangement of atoms has
a personality that can be used to
make predictions. After presenting
a general concept, we do examples
that encourage students to use their
knowledge to predict what’s going
to happen. Rather than memoriz-
ing a rule, an understanding of the
underlying principles and meaning
is crucial for figuring out a problem.
I believe the problem-solving skills
students learn in their chemistry
courses can be applied to situations
they will encounter in their chosen
careers. !
 Bellet Teaching Excellence Awards
Marla Ripoll, Economics
It is important for knowledge to be meaningful to me, the
teacher, as well as to the students. I pose questions
designed to clearly connect concepts discussed in class
with real-world examples.
O
ne of the most effective
techniques for faculty to
engage students is to
devote some time reflecting about
why they are engaged with the
subjects they teach. My own
courses include topics such as the
unemployment rate, credit
constraints, poverty, and per capita
income differences across countries;
this knowledge I share with my
Photo by Patty Nagle, CIDDE
Marla Ripoll
students on these topics is
meaningful also to me because I
constantly strive to understand the
economic difficulties of my native
country, Colombia. Clearly, the
knowledge we share with our
students not only sheds light on
the reality outside of the classroom
but also helps us more fully
understand who we are as teachers.
Another method for engaging
students is to make this shared
knowledge meaningful to them.
Ultimately, students will become
interested in content that allows
them to understand questions
that remain fixed in their minds.
One way I do this is by
providing plenty of
opportunities to see the
connections between the
concepts learned in class and the
reality I want students to
understand. Consequently, I am
forever searching for relevant
news clips, historic episodes, or
videos on case studies. But
before I show any of these, I
usually question my students.
For instance, I may ask: “What
do you know about the extent of
poverty in the world today?” I
then pose additional questions
for them to consider while they
watch the video, listen to the
TeachingTimes 10
tape, or read the news clip. These
questions are designed to clearly
connect the concepts discussed in
class with real-world examples.
Finally, I conclude with a brief,
general discussion in which they
share their answers with their
classmates.
Another effective technique I
use is allowing students some
latitude in how they engage with the
course material. When they write
term papers, give presentations, or
even do certain homework
assignments, I give them some
freedom to select material that
interests them. I am always amazed
by how the quality of students’
work improves when they do
something they have chosen.
Similarly, faculty themselves are
often better teachers when they
choose and design courses they
want to teach.
When I read student papers or
homework assignments after having
used these three techniques, I can
perceive their passion for learning;
it becomes clear that their work
means something to them. As a
result, I can see who they are—in
the same way I can see myself
through what I teach. And that is
a wonderful feeling which makes
teaching rewarding to me. !
 Bellet Teaching Excellence Awards

Pete Simonson, Communication

I Making
use Learning Active for You
various techniques in
and Your Students
the context of the big
lecture to reach diverse
students representing all
strata of the University
community.

L
ike most required courses, my large, introductory-
level Rhetorical Process course attracts a diversity
of students representing all strata of the University
community. Therefore, to reach as many students as
possible, my goal is to offer something for all of them.
So what do I do in the context of the big lecture, where
it is easy for students to tune out and more difficult for
faculty to monitor their progress? While some of my
techniques are specifically tied to teaching the art of
rhetoric, others are “transportable” to practically any
other field.
1. Use “teams” or learning groups. In their first
meeting, recitation leaders (being careful to separate
close friends) assign students to semester-long, four- or
five-person teams. Teams work toward a culminating
project—a “public campaign” that applies principles
discussed in class. Weekly assignments build toward
that project and require all students to complete work
on their own and then to discuss individual responses as
a team. With instruction and monitoring, teams learn
the material together and apply higher-level concepts to
practical problems. Those who are tempted to
“disappear” in lecture have peer pressure to participate,
while the best students can help teach teammates and
thus learn the material better themselves.
2. Mix the conceptual or “purely intellectual” with the
practical. Throughout the semester, I discuss the history
and key concepts from the classical rhetorical tradition.
I present Greek terms like kairos (the opportune
moment) or dissoi logoi (countervailing arguments), talk
about the cultural contexts in which they arose,
illustrate them through everyday examples, and then give
TeachingTimes 11
Photo by Mike Drazdzinski, CIDDE
Pete Simonson
students frequent opportunities to apply them. My aim
is to broaden the horizons of the practically oriented
student and to nurture the intellect of the budding
scholar; the application phase gives everyone practice “to
think like a rhetorician.”
3. Use active learning techniques during lecture. To
keep everyone involved and motivated, I give frequent
quizzes and graded informal writing opportunities
during lecture, typically based on questions I had
distributed previously. I also pose questions designed to
elicit oral responses and to generate brief, structured
discussions (the responses are worth 1 to 3 points). I
make a point of posing questions of varying difficulty—
simple factual queries; middle-range application
questions; and higher level queries requiring
comparison, evaluation, or conceptualization. Self-
reports indicate that speaking and hearing peers speak
keep students of different levels involved and learning
from one another.
My overall aim is to make the large lecture work
more like a small discussion class, with lots of active
learning by the students, significant potential for peer
teaching, and a multi-viscosity conceptual approach that
mixes strange ideas with familiar experiences. !
 University-wide Teaching Awards

2004 Teaching Awards

Numerous schools and departments at the University of Pittsburgh present annual teaching awards. Recipients of 2004 awards
that are known to the Teaching Times are listed below. The Teaching Times prints an annual list of award recipients and welcomes
information about awards. Please contact Jo Rosol with this information: rosol@cidde.pitt.edu.

School of Arts and Sciences (A&S) School of Engineering

Student Choice Awards Beitle-Veltri Memorial Award
Trudy Bayer, A&S, Communication Mary Besterfield-Sacre, Industrial Engineering
Jan Beatty, A&S, English Jayant Rajgopal, Industrial Engineering
Ana Paula Carvalho, A&S, Hispanic Languages & Literatures Faculty Honor Roll
Thomas W. Crock, A&S, Mathematics George Stetten, Bioengineering
Toi Derricotte, A&S, English Robert Parker, Chemical & Petroleum Engineering
Barun Dhar, A&S, Physics & Astronomy John Oyler, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Kimberly Ellis, A&S, Africana Studies Peter Miller, Electrical Engineering
Bob Gilbert, College of Business Administration Mike McCloud, Electrical Engineering
Michael Golde, A&S, Chemistry Andrew Klimas, A&S, Mathematics
Cynthia Golzman, A&S, Hispanic Languages & Literatures Bryan Norman, Industrial Engineering
Raymond Jones, College of Business Administration Ian Nettleship, Materials Science & Engineering
Jennifer Lee, A&S, English William Clark, Mechanical Engineering
Audrey Murrell, College of Business Administration Outstanding TA Awards
Lisa S. Nelson, Graduate School of Public Erik. H. Lindsley, Bioengineering
& International Affairs Jeffry A. Florian, Chemical & Petroleum Engineering
Laurel Roberts, A&S, Biology Owen K. Silbaugh, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Julia Romero, A&S, Hispanic Languages & Literatures Nicholas V. Zorn, Electrical Engineering
Susan Shaiman, A&S, Communication Science & Disorders Adaeze F. Nwaigwe, Industrial Engineering
Jonathan Sterne, A&S, Communication Jose E. Garcia-Gonzalez, Materials Science & Engineering
Liann Tsoukas, A&S, History Roxana Cisloiu, Mechanical Engineering
Stefan Wheelock, A&S, English TA of the Year
Chad Zutter, College of Business Administration Joshua Lucas, Computer/Electrical Engineering
College of Business Administration College of General Studies
CBA Teacher of the Year Student Choice Awards
Raymond Jones David J. Defazio, Graduate School of Public &
CBA Teacher of the Year Finalists International Affairs
Robert Atkin Edward Strimlan, Graduate School of Public &
Robert Gilbert International Affairs
Jocelyn Kauffunger Sandra Collins, A&S, Religious Studies
Jay Sukits Howard B. Slaughter, Graduate School of Public &
International Affairs
Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business Cathy L. Misko, Graduate School of Public &
Executive MBA Outstanding Teacher of the Year International Affairs
Frederik-Paul Schlingemann John B. Lyon, A&S, Germanic Languages & Litera-
Katz School Outstanding Teacher of the Year tures
Prakash Mirchandani Ernest Fullerton, Graduate School of Public &
International Affairs
School of Nursing Gordon, J. Weinberg, A&S, Statistics
Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award School of Dental Medicine
Jason J. Dechant, Health Promotion & Development Faculty Award of Excellence
Rosemary Hoffmann, Acute/Tertiary Care Kenneth Etzel, Microbiology/Biochemisty

TeachingTimes 12
 University-wide Teaching Awards
School of Medicine
Excellence in Education Awards
James R. Johnston, Renal-Electrolyte
John W. Kreit, Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care
William P. Follansbee, Cardiovascular Institute
Joseph A. Kithas, Psychiatry
Gregory J. Naus, Pathology
David L. Paterson, Infectious Diseases
Jonathon Erlen, Behavioral and Community Health
Sciences
Ashok J. Bharucha, Psychiatry
Andrea R. Fox, Geriatric Medicine
Kenneth E. Schuit Award
David E. Eibling, Otolaryngology
Cynthia Lance-Jones, Neurobiology
Golden Apple Award
Paul Rogers, Critical Care
Spiro Papas, Edward McClain III, Jeff Baum,
Carl Hasselman and Paul Resnick,
Three Rivers Orthopaedic Group
Departmental Awards
Helene Finegold, Theresa Gelzinis, Jeffrey Astbury,
Bruce Ben-David, Catalin Ezaru, Richard McHugh, Li
Meng, Stephen Mosier, Steven Orebaugh, Nashaat
Rizk, Manuel Vallejo, James Krugh and Barry K. Ray,
Anesthesiology
Joe Darby, Critical Care Medicine
Tracey Conti, Family Medicine
Richard P. Brenner, Neurology
A. Leland Albright, Neurological Surgery
Mitchell Creinin, W. Allen Hogge, Kathleen Moore,
Hyagriv Simhan, Arundhathi Jeyabalan, Mary Ann
Portman, Elizabeth Roberts and Justin Chura,
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Barton Branstetter, Otolaryngology
Ira Bergman, Michael Mortiz, John Peters, Nader
Shaikh, Leslie Borsett-Kanter, Melanie Gold, Lee
Beerman, and Heidi Feldman, Pediatrics
Joseph E. Losee, Kenneth C. Shestak, Michael J.
White, and Joseph Darby, Plastic Surgery
Carl Fuhrman, Radiology
Graduate School of Public Health
Dean’s Distinguished Public Health Service Award
Karen S. Peterson, Nutritional Services
TeachingTimes 13
Graduate Student/Fellow Teaching Awards
Arts and Sciences
Janette A. Steets, Biological Sciences
Robbyn Berenda, Demetra Chengelis,
Adam Keller, Pamela Meadows Diane Mitchell,
Joseph Noroski, Scott Quivey, and Tiffany Turner,
Chemistry
Aimee Marie Dorsten, Communication
Yadwiga Semikolenova, Economics
Petra Dierkes-Thrun, English
Noemie I. Parrat, French & Italian Languages & Literatures
Craig Thomas Marin, History
Marilyn S. Feke and Marjorie Zambrano,
Hispanic Languages & Literatures
Kevin Scharp, Philosophy
Emily L. Chapman, Suchetana Chatterjee, and Sandeep
Tyagi, Physics & Astronomy
Heather Elko, Stephanie McLean, and Nils Ringer,
Political Science
Joyce Giovannelli and Elizabeth Claire Holt, Psychology
School of Pharmacy
Teacher of the Year Award
Denise Howrie, Pharmacy and Therapeutics
Faculty Member of the Year Award
Samuel M. Poloyac, Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
Excellence in Teaching Award
Donald I. Ulin, A&S, English
Alumni Association Teaching Excellence Award
Jeffrey C. Guterman, A&S, Communications
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg
Distinguished Teaching Award
Randi Koeske, Psychology
Alumni Association Award
Sayre Greenfield, English
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
William Brice, Geology
Phi Eta Sigma Teacher of the Year Award
Katherine Reist, History
 Teaching Assistance Services
Responding to TA
training needs
By Vanessa Sterling
TA Services, CIDDE
L
ast winter, TA Services conducted a survey
for the Advisory Council on Instructional
Excellence (ACIE) about how each depart-
ment trains its TAs. The results were quite interest-
ing and varied. We are now designing workshops
for the fall term to address some of the needs ex-
pressed by survey respondents and those of the
broader University community.
The survey addressed how each department
oversees the orientation, training, mentoring and
evaluation of graduate student instructors. The re-
sults showed a range of ways of training TAs. Some
departments do everything “in house,” from orien-
tations and teaching seminars to evaluations, while
others rely on University-wide programs, such as
New TA Orientation and the University Teaching
Practicum, a graduate seminar designed for teach-
ing assistants and teaching fellows who will be
teaching a class independently for the first time.
Graduate student instructors across depart-
ments share some common concerns. For ex-
ample, many are unsure how to strike a proper bal-
ance in dealing with undergraduates, as many are
closer in age to their students than their faculty.
Others feel that undergraduates rely on their help
too much or are unfocused in their dealings with
TAs, which can be time consuming. Some interna-
tional TAs still feel disconnected from the Univer-
sity community (for a variety of cultural reasons)
and thus find it more difficult to work with stu-
dents.
New workshops to address these issues are be-
ing designed by CIDDE’s TA Services. One new
offering later this term will be Conferring with Stu-
dents. This workshop will examine the dos and
don’ts for conferencing with students including
techniques demonstrating student advocacy, estab-
TeachingTimes 14
lishing safe/nonthreatening environments during
conferencing, talking with low-achieving students,
and managing office hours. This workshop will
help TAs feel more confident in their outside-of-
class meetings with students and help with time
management.
To address the needs of specific international
student communities, we are building workshops
that address cultural issues. The first workshop is
being designed for TAs from China, who comprise
the largest cohort of international TAs. (In the re-
cent New TA Orientation, of 208 registered partici-
pants, 33 were Chinese. The second largest group
of 11 students came from India.) In following
terms we will offer workshops for South Asians,
Latin Americans, Africans, and Europeans, in coop-
eration with advanced graduate student instructors
from these various parts of the world.
Of course, we will continue to host our regular
seminars, including those on using technology in
the classroom, developing a teaching portfolio,
dealing with cheating and plagiarism, and managing
the classroom. And we are available for one-on-one
consultation about any teaching-related issue. How-
ever, we want to continue to develop new work-
shops, especially those that address the ever-chang-
ing needs of the Pitt community. If you have a spe-
cific idea or concern that you would like to see us
create a workshop around (for your department or
the larger University community), give us a call at
412-624-6671. We are eager to help! !
“Electronic Response” from page 7
students assess their entry knowledge of course topics
and motivate them to resolve any deficiencies it identi-
fies. It also helps the instructor adjust where to place
emphasis or additional examples. The post-test can rein-
force that students effectively mastered course content or
alert the instructor that additional work may be re-
quired.”
This graphic display allows instructors and students to
quickly review the range of responses submitted by the
class.
Faculty can obtain further information and arrange
to use an SRS by contacting Michael Arenth,
arenth@cidde.pitt.edu or 412-648-7236 in CIDDE Me-
dia Services.
Media Services offers six sets of 32 hand-held key
pad units, six receiver units, and the SRS software serv-
ing a maximum of 128 students. Faculty can request the
system be set up prior to class time, which takes about
30 minutes. One receiver is required for every 32 key
pads.
When using the SRS from Media Services, faculty
find it beneficial to have assistants help distribute and
collect the hand-held keypad units. In order to lessen
their responsibility, instructors may require students to
purchase the units (about $25 each). Some publishers
package the response units along with textbooks. To
activate their units, students must register at the
publisher’s Web site which requires an additional fee.
Additional information:
The article “Effective Use of the Audience Response
System” from the Center for Education Research and
Evaluation at Columbia University presents guidelines
for using an SRS in classroom instruction.
www.library.cpmc.columbia.edu/cere/web/facultyDev/
ARS_handout_2004_tipsheet.pdf
The Teaching Exchange from Brown University in-
terviews two professors on how they use the SRS in “As-
sessment and Student Response System.”
www.brown.edu/Administration/Sheridan_Center/
pubs/teachingExchange/sept2002/assessment.shtml. !
TeachingTimes 15
Surfing the Cyber Library:
A Great New Resource
A
major academic challenge facing students
across all disciplines is how to best utilize the
over whelming amount of information avail-
able via the World Wide Web. This issue is ad-
dressed in Surfing the Cyber Library, a Web site hosted
by the University of Pittsburgh Library System
(ULS) Web Pages.
Produced and designed by CIDDE in collabora-
tion with ULS, this fully interactive, creatively de-
signed Web site with embedded video clips provides
a dynamic, upgradeable source of information. Its
four chapters consist of a series of Web pages de-
voted to teaching the fundamentals of Web research:
Chapter 1 “Using Search Engines”; Chapter 2 “Scan-
ning URLs and Web Pages”; Chapter 3 “Evaluating
Web Information Using the Five W’s; and Chapter
4 “Citing Web Information in Research.”
The site originated with an Innovation in Educa-
tion project, “Becoming an Information Critic: A
Video Providing Students with the Fundamentals of
Information Evaluation.” It was renamed and
evolved into a new form as Project Director Marian
C. Hampton, School of Information Sciences (SIS)
and ULS, worked with video producer Len Jendrey,
graphic designer Alec Sarkas, and other CIDDE staff
to crate a tool to facilitate the evaluation of online
resource materials.
Surfing the Cyber Library can be found at:
www.library.pitt.edu/guides/eval/.
Faculty Diversity Seminar Luncheon
The 10th anniversary of the Faculty Diversity Seminar was
celebrated with a luncheon meeting on October 15. In the past 10
years, 91 University of Pittsburgh faculty have participated in the
seminar, sharing the experience of working with their colleagues to
increase awareness of diversity issues and transform courses to
address issues of diversity.
Photo by Cindy Lu, CIDDE
Ogla Duff, Education, past director; Valire
Carr Copeland, Social Work, past fellow
and director; and Susan Albrecht,
Nursing, past fellow
 Faculty seminar promotes writing & speaking
across disciplines

C
ommunication-across-the Curriculum Seminar pro-
vides an opportunity for faculty to redesign one of
their undergraduate courses to better use writing
and speaking to promote student learning in their disci-
plines. Offered each term by the School of Arts & Sci-
ences, the seminar is in its second year. The Seminar is
designed to enable fellows to:
• Use written assignments to promote student learn-
ing in their disciplines.
• Improve the quality of student presentations.
• Help students develop their ability to write and
speak with eloquence.
During the term, 15 participants meet every other
Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. to discuss the relevant
literature, talk about their own courses, and draw on the
intellectual and practical resources of speakers, selected
readings, and local experts. In the off week, participants
meet individually with CIDDE instructional designers to
implement these ideas into new or existing courses. The
end results are enhanced undergraduate courses that not
only meet the rigor and standards of the relevant field of
study, but also provide students the opportunity to de-
velop their written and oral communication skills.
This fall term’s seminar is co-directed by Beth
Matway, from the English Department, and Peter
Simonson, from the Communication Department. For
more information, please contact Lisa Murphy at
lmurphy@fcas.pitt.edu or 412-624-6480 and go to the
Web site at www.wac.pitt.edu/faculty/seminar.asp.

Lara Putman, History Ligia Aldana, Hispanic

Languages & Literatures

Dennis Looney,
French & Italian
Languages &
Literatures

Beth Matway, English Pete Simonson,

Co-director Photos by Mike Drazdzinski, CIDDE Communication, Co-director
Teaching Times
University of Pittsburgh
Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education
4227 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Phone: 412-624-6596, Fax: 412-624-7220
Editorial staff: Carol DeArment, editor, dearment@cidde.pitt.edu
Joyce Walsh, production, walsh@cidde.pitt.edu

TeachingTimes 16