U N I V E R S I T Y
Tea
Vol. XII, Nº 2 A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching & learning at the University of Pittsburgh
Teaching Awardees Discuss Interacting with Students
S
ince student-faculty interaction
promotes lasting learning and
strengthens academic commitment,
instructors who recognize students as
individuals, as well as learners, have an
impact beyond the course. In this annual
Teaching Times, faculty recipients of major
University of Pittsburgh teaching awards
in 2006 share ways that they cultivate this
dynamic interaction.
Faculty-student interaction takes many
forms. Although feedback on assignments
can be provided in written notations,
face-to-face discussions of student work
have even more impact. Such discussions
motivate students to persevere through
challenging assignments.
Even within a large class, students are
energized when faculty interact by sharing
personal experiences to illustrate or clarify
course content. While individual students
benefit from personal conversations
with faculty about careers or research,
instructors’ anecdotes and insights
shared with an entire class have a similar
beneficial effect for all students.
Furthermore, student interactions with
one another also enhance learning. Faculty
who facilitate students’ sharing resources
and working collaboratively are promoting
thinking and interpersonal skills beyond
the course learning objectives.
Highlights of faculty reflections follow.
These are taken from full comments on
pages 3–8.
Inside More
This Teaching
Awards
Issue for 2006
O F P I T T S B U R G H
Award ching
s Issue
Center for Instructional Development
&& Distance
Distance Education
Education
Center for Instructional Development
November 2006
2006 Chancellorʼs Awards for Distinguished Teaching
Helen Cahalane, School of Social Work: “The norms we establish
from the outset, ranging from starting class on time to knowing who com-
prises the student group, convey not only respect, but the message that
what we are doing together over the next 15 weeks is a shared process and an important one.”
Richard Henker, School of Nursing: “When students observe me in a clinical
setting, they realize that my lectures are not only based on what is presented in
textbooks and the latest information from journal articles but also from hands-on
experience. I have the opportunity to help the students link what I have taught them in lecture
with the way a patient presents or responds to clinical therapies.”
Amy Seybert, School of Pharmacy: “I share my daily clinical experiences with stu-
dents to give them real-world perspectives on what they are learning. I foster learning
environments where students have open lines of communication with other students as
well as with me. This enables them to share their knowledge and develop confidence in their skills.”
Margaret Smith, School of Education: “We develop ideas by examining real
practice, and then we take ideas and apply them to our own practice. This practice-
based view of teacher education says that learning needs to be situated in the
actual work that teachers do.”
2006 Tina and David Bellet A&S Teaching Excellence Awards
Anthony Bledsoe, School of Arts and Sciences, Biological Sciences:
“There are concrete ways for an instructor to connect with students,
even in large classes. One is to make clear, through explicit and
frequent statements, that you are there to help them, that you are an ally for their
advancement, that you want them to succeed, and that you are willing to do
whatever you can to make that happen.”
Daniel Mossé, School of Arts and Sciences, Computer Science: “In addition to
making the material interactive, personal, and light, I have high expectations for
myself and for each student. I personally expect to engage the students through-
out the learning process, and I expect each student to think about the material both inside and
outside the classroom.”
Tips On How
Using Video SMART
in the Classroom Is Your
from TA Services Classroom?

Center for Instructional Development
& Distance Education (CIDDE)
Alumni Hall
4227 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Phone: 412-624-6596
Fax: 412-624-7220
E-mail: dearment@cidde.pitt.edu
Web: www.pitt.edu/~ciddeweb/teachingtimes
Editorial Staff
Editor: Carol DeArment
Graphic Design & Illustrations: Alec A. Sarkas
Copy Editor: Tim Kyle
Photography: CIDDE, Photography & Electronic Imaging
The Teaching Times, a newsletter devoted to the
support of teaching and learning, is distributed to
every faculty member and teaching assistant at
the University of Pittsburgh. It features interviews
with faculty who share teaching experiences,
strategies, and techniques 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 learning.
The Teaching Times is published by the Center 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
effective use of instructional technologies to meet
the University’s academic goals and priorities.
Diane J. 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
2
Ten Faculty Awarded CxC Fellowships
By Adam Roth, Communication, CxC Co-facilitator
T
he fall 2006 Faculty Seminar of the
Communication Across the Curriculum
Program (CxC) is well under way.
The program is sponsored by the Dean for
Undergraduate Studies Regina Schulte-Ladbeck,
and faculty who attend are awarded a stipend
of $1,000.
Offered every semester, the seminar is a
collaborative effort among the Department of
Communication, the Department of English,
the Center for Instructional Development
& Distance Education (CIDDE), and the
School of Arts and Sciences. Its goal is to
make oral and written communication part of
all classroom instruction. Attending faculty
meet biweekly to discuss strategies for
integrating oral and written communication
into their courses. On the weeks the seminar
is not held, participants meet with an
instructional designer from CIDDE to design
a syllabus or devise a substantial assignment
that incorporates a considerable component
of oral and written work.
During the past four years, the CxC
Faculty Seminar has been attended by
For more information about the CxC Faculty Seminar or to participate, please contact either of
the two co-facilitators of the seminar:
Beth Matway, English
E-mail: ebm12@pitt.edu
Space in the seminar is limited to 15 participants.
59 faculty members from across the
School of Arts and Sciences. Some of the
departments represented include Africana
Studies, Biological Sciences, Chemistry,
Communication, French and Italian
Languages and Literatures, Geology and
Planetary Sciences, Hispanic Languages
and Literatures, History, History of Art and
Architecture, History and Philosophy of
Science, Linguistics, Music, Physics and
Astronomy, Psychology, Sociology, and
Studio Arts.
This semester’s seminar participants are:
Elayne Arrington, Mathematics
David Barker, Political Science
Yu Cheng, Statistics
Hannah Johnson, English
Margaret Judd, Anthropology
Alexander Matros, Economics
Emily McEwan-Fujita, Anthropology
Scott Morgenstern, Political Science
Taeyoung Park, Statistics
Burcu Savun, Political Science
Photos by Jim Burke, CIDDE
Adam Roth, Communication
E-mail: adamroth@pitt.edu
CIDDE Photography
& Electronic Imaging Services
provides full-service location and studio
photography in digital and film formats
as well as a full range of photo lab
services. For further information, contact
Jim Burke by telephone, 412-648-9870,
or e-mail, jburke@pitt.edu.

Helen Cahalane , School of Social Work
A Winner of the Chancellorʼs Award for Distinguished Teaching
Modeling Professional Roles
O
ne of the most important responsi-
bilities of a university teacher is being
a role model. As professors, we repre-
sent the embodiment of our profession to
students developing their own sense of self
in a given field. If we want them to value
their class experience and to contribute to
it actively and to the best of their ability,
we must model those same attributes. The
norms we establish from the outset, rang-
ing from starting class on time to knowing
who comprises the student group, convey
not only respect but that what we are do-
ing together over the next 15 weeks is a
shared process and an important one.
Knowing Names
For example, at the risk of appear-
ing autocratic, I ask students to select a
seat and to stick with it for the first few
weeks—this allows me to learn everyone’s
name. It works so well that I can usually
recall where a student sat for many years
after he or she has graduated. I would
imagine that it’s pretty striking to have one
of your instructors recall exactly where
you sat—it really mattered if you were
there! And it’s not about just learning
someone’s name or compiling attendance
statistics; it’s the acknowledgement that
each student’s presence makes a difference.
Demonstrating that each student matters
can be as simple as making eye contact, an
informal conversation during a class break,
or following up on a point made in a previ-
ous class. However, if we find ourselves
interacting with the same individuals, and
not being sure who others in the class are,
we’re not casting our net wide enough.
Facilitating Student Expertise
Most of us know a good deal about
what we teach. However, the real key to
excellent teaching is to guide the process in
the classroom but not to take it over. Pro-
viding the structure and the guidance, we
don’t have to be the expert on every topic
of discussion. Sometimes this can be diffi-
cult, especially if we’ve practiced for many
years, written on the topic, done numerous
expert consultations, or provided count-
less guest lectures. The knee-jerk reaction
is often to demonstrate our knowledge, as
if not expounding upon it might indicate
that we’re not on top of our game. Here’s
the point at which we can adopt one of
the most powerful teaching strategies
of all: become the orchestra conductor
Teaching Awards Issue November 2006
Photo by Jim Burke, CIDDE
instead of the lead singer. Our greatest gift
to our students is to facilitate their exper-
tise. It’s the difference between standing in
front of someone (and blocking the view)
or walking alongside someone as a mentor.
Taking Risks
We must encourage discussions that in-
clude alternative viewpoints, critical think-
ing about social issues, and an exploration
of unanswered questions. How will our
students transfer classroom instruction into
their professional lives unless they are able
to practice the skills we’re trying so hard to
develop? Practicing begins by taking a risk,
trying things on for size, getting feedback
from one’s peers, evaluating whether
something worked, and learning from
mistakes or challenges along the way. At
the beginning of the term, I ask students
to write out why they are taking the class
and what they’d like to learn during the se-
mester. During the final exam, I ask them
to review their responses and to determine
whether they’ve achieved their goals. This
is really what good teaching is supposed to
be about, isn’t it?
3

Richard Henker , School of Nursing
A Winner of the Chancellorʼs Award for Distinguished Teaching
Linking Lectures to Experiences
T
eaching in a clinical discipline
such as nursing, I have found that
maintaining my clinical expertise
has enriched my teaching. When I
apply a particular concept to a clinical
scenario, students invariably are more
engaged. Because they go into nursing
to care for people, students are much
more interested in what I have to say
when I provide a clinical example
during a lecture. Ideally they would
receive lecture content that matches
the patients they care for that week,
but, unfortunately, it is not easy to
have a large class all care for a patient
with a particular disease. Therefore,
providing clinical examples of how
to apply a concept starts integrating
classroom learning with clinical
application.
Clinical Teaching
I enjoy lecturing and it is an
efficient method to provide content
to many students, but critical
thinking and application of content
occur at a higher level when I work
with students in the clinical setting.
Spending time in the clinical area
4
helps support my teaching several
ways. First, it validates my lecture.
When students observe me in a
clinical setting, they realize that
my lectures are not only based on
what is presented in textbooks and
the latest information from journal
articles but also from hands-on
experience. The other benefit of
working in the clinical area is that
I have the opportunity to help the
students link what I have taught
them in lecture with the way a
patient presents or responds to
clinical therapies.
In the Nurse Anesthesia Program,
students often work with nurse
anesthetists and anesthesiologists who
are clinically proficient but may not
always know what is expected of
individual students at a particular
point in their curriculum. One of
the advantages that I have when
working in the clinical setting is that
I have accurate understanding of the
students’ preparation. This allows me
to set realistic goals for knowledge
and performance within the context
of the clinical day.
Photo by Jason Blair, CIDDE
Simulation Teaching
Of all the methods that I use, I
enjoy simulation the most. Simulation
teaching combines key aspects of
classroom teaching while incorporating
the “feel” or emotion that permeates
the clinical environment. The
Winter Institute for Simulation
and Education Research (WISER)
provides an excellent setting for high
fidelity human simulation. One of
the simulation rooms at WISER
has been modified to replicate one
of the operating rooms at UPMC-
Presbyterian Hospital. Simulation
mannequins incorporate many
physiologic functions (e.g., pulses,
breath sounds, blood pressure, and
airway changes). The voice of the
mannequin is fed into the room from
a control room; physiologic functions
are controlled by a software program.
Five or six students assume various
roles during a scenario (e.g., circulating
nurse, scrub tech, or surgeon).
Typically two students are assigned as
the nurse anesthetists for the scenario.
See Henker on Page 14

Amy Seybert , School of Pharmacy
A Winner of the Chancellorʼs Award for Distinguished Teaching
Fostering Open Lines of Communication
B
ecause I also practice clinical pharmacy
on cardiology services within UPMC
and perform research through the
School of Pharmacy, during my classroom
lectures I can share my daily clinical experi-
ences with students to give them real-world
perspectives on what they are learning. For
example, if we are talking about someone
with myocardial infarction, I might discuss a
recent patient whom I have cared for in the
coronary unit. Another advantage of sharing
these real-life experiences is that it establishes
an environment where students feel more
comfortable about asking questions.
Sharing Knowledge
I am convinced that until students actually
perform or verbalize what they are learning,
they do not master the information. There-
fore, I foster learning environments where
students have open lines of communication
with other students as well as with me. This
enables them to share their knowledge and
develop confidence in their skills. For ex-
ample, my students learn to perform assess-
ments of blood pressure and other vital signs
at the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simula-
tion Education and Research (WISER) Cen-
ter. Here, simulation-based learning using
advanced patient mannequins facilitates a
safe educational environment where students
can be as close to a real patient scenario
as technology will allow. As a group, they
perform patient assessments and recommend
appropriate pharmacotherapeutic manage-
ment plans. This enables them not only to
apply the material covered in class but also to
develop confidence when they discuss their
thoughts about a drug treatment.
Another type of interaction fostered dur-
ing my class is student assessments of one
another. Using an objective rubric, students
have the opportunity to grade classmates,
thereby providing both positive and nega-
tive feedback. This helps them to learn what
they may be doing wrong, while, at the same
time, learning new skills and techniques by
observing others. Finally, simulation-based
education allows my students to interact with
the course content while also interacting with
their own performances. They put their new
knowledge to work and obtain immediate
feedback in a safe nonthreatening environ-
ment.
Research on Attitudes
I research my teaching methodologies
and have conducted objective experiments
Teaching Awards Issue November 2006
Photo courtesy of Amy Seybert
to see if comprehension improves as a result
of these active learning techniques. Based on
pre- and post-testing after each simulation
exercise, there was a significant improve-
ment in knowledge and performance within
the class. I have also shown that students
undergoing simulation learning demonstrate
much greater retention than those who do
not. Finally, I have done research showing
how attitudes are linked to learning and am
working on a project measuring students’
retention in different learning environments.
During the experiential part of my teach-
ing, I spend one-on-one time to help students
evaluate different job openings, prepare
for interviews, and decide if they want to
complete a residency. I also devote time to
advising students, both informally before and
after class or formally through the student
advisor program. They often ask me to
describe what my day is like, and I encour-
age them to “shadow” me for a day because
I love interaction with students. One of the
most rewarding parts of my job is when I see
students learning or forging a career path
because of something that I was able to help
them discover.
5

Photo by Joe Kapelewski, CIDDE
Margaret S. Smith
A Winner of the Chancellorʼs Award for Distinguished Teaching
Learning is Situated in Actual Practice
I
have a practice-based view of teacher
education, maintaining that learning must
be situated in the actual work of teachers.
My students begin by examining artifacts of
practice and use those artifacts to generate
theories and principles. Using examples from
real teaching practice as a basis for in-class
work, we then make bridges to the actual
work my students are doing in K-12 class-
rooms. Thus, we develop ideas by examining
real practice, and then we take ideas and
apply them to our own practice.
Thinking about Teachers’ Work
The activities in which I engage pre-
teachers involve thinking about teachers’
6
, School of Education
work: Teachers plan, teach, reflect, and
then start the cycle over again. For ex-
ample, teachers themselves should engage
as learners in solving mathematical tasks
from curriculum materials and then step
back from the experience and talk about
what they want their students to learn and
how they, as teachers, should go about
facilitating that learning. My students also
critique video or narrative cases of teach-
ing and analyze actual classroom situations
to better understand how teachers support
learning through their actions and interac-
tions in class.
My graduate students often work in
small groups. I give them an actual math
problem or ask them to analyze an authen-
tic piece of work by a child. My goal is to
help them develop insights along several
dimensions. For example, typical errors
or work that looks indecipherable may
actually show thinking by K-12 students.
This enables the teachers to become good
evaluators and readers of K-12 students’
varied representations of mathematical
concepts.
Exploring Alternatives
The kinds of problems and tasks I give
pre-teachers are not those for which there
is an immediate answer; rather, I develop
problems and questions requiring them
to explore alternatives. A small group is
likely to recognize various approaches.
Most classes culminate in a whole-group
discussion where ideas from all groups are
shared. I expect my students to challenge
and to build on others’ ideas. The class
then tries to come to a consensus.
I see myself as a discussion facilitator,
pressing people to think harder about what
it is we’re discussing. Through the process
we try to establish some general principles
or ideas. Even though one lesson may
focus on a particular situation, the goal is
to end up with ideas that are applicable to
other teaching situations. All assignments
are designed to make connections between
the work we do in my classroom and the
work they are doing in a K-12 classroom.
For example, if we had discussed student
thinking as related to a particular type of
algebra problem, I might ask my students
to interview three of their public school
students using such problems. They would
then analyze solution strategies we use
and relate them to our reading on student
thinking.
Key Questions
The kinds of questions I ask are a key
to the success of this strategy. For example,
rather than simply giving the answer to a
problem, I press them to explain what they
mean and why it’s a reasonable solution.
I invite other students’ comments, so
everyone in the room is held accountable
See Smith on Page 14

Anthony Bledsoe , School of Arts and Sciences, Biological Sciences
A Winner of the Tina and David Bellet Arts & Sciences Teaching Excellence Award
Connecting with Students as Active Participants in Learning
T
he engagement of students (i.e., draw-
ing them into active, analytical, and
interrelational consideration of material
within and across topics) forms a central and
essential component of effective teaching.
In a real sense, instructors do not “teach.”
Instead, through meticulously crafted activi-
ties, they facilitate learning, done by the hard
work of the students—learning is always an
active process. The challenge then becomes
how to develop such activities that draw stu-
dents into the material, into using a critical
habit of mind, and into viewing the informa-
tion as their own.
Expressing Desire to Help
Many instructors believe that the
antithesis of engagement—an uncomfort-
able student-instructor distance—increases
as class size increases. At its worst, that
distance can spawn an atmosphere where
students view instructors as enemies, not
allies. Fortunately, there are concrete ways
to connect with students, even in large
classes. One is to make clear, through
explicit and frequent statements, that you
are there to help them, that you are an ally
for their advancement, that you want them
to succeed, and that you are willing to do
whatever you can to make that happen.
Regular and heartfelt expression of the
desire to help can do marvels for a class.
Almost reflexively, students start to adopt
the material as their own and recognize
that their active participation and interac-
tion with the instructor are essential for
learning.
Presentations that are forceful, or-
ganized, integrative, and progressive in
development are essential for drawing
students into the material. If presentations
are in some sense compelling, students will
want to follow, understand, and apply the
material. The material I teach, biology, is
so remarkable and fascinating that, if I do
a good job in presentation, many students
are motivated to become active in their ap-
proach to their own education. The same
is true of all topics, not just those I teach.
Draw out the remarkable aspects of a
topic, and you will draw in the students.
Socratic Method
For many students, that alone will not
be enough. A good approach in conjunc-
tion with a well-presented lecture is the
Socratic method. I question students
frequently during lecture. If the tone is
Teaching Awards Issue November 2006
Photo by Jason Blair, CIDDE
right (because I have set it by being open
about wanting to help them understand),
students will answer. This approach is just
one way of making formative assessment,
but there are others. Student response
systems (SRS) or even paper-based anony-
mous surveys allow instructors to get stu-
dents actively thinking while providing the
instructor’s feedback on class comprehen-
sion. Devising other activities that engage
students is limited only by one’s imagina-
tion. Contrary to what many instructors
may think, they do not take that much
time. With experience, an instructor can
develop and use formative assessments in a
time- and student-effective manner.
Although none of these ideas is that
earth-shattering, they work. When such
interactive activities are applied, students
want to understand and participate; and
they enjoy the material and feel a sense of
fulfillment. And enjoyment and fulfillment
are themselves great motivators toward a
broader and deeper comprehension of the
world around us.
7

Daniel Mossé
, School of Arts and Sciences, Computer Science
A Winner of the Tina and David Bellet Arts & Sciences Teaching Excellence Award
Learning is Situated in Actual Practice
I
have three tenets in teaching, in addition
to knowing and transmitting the technical
material: ensure a personal atmosphere,
stimulate thinking, and use the “surprise
factor.”
Because computer science is often
considered dry and boring, I use humor as
a technique for transmitting the material.
I’m known for my sense of humor; I love
to make puns, tell jokes, and use funny
analogies. For example, I might illustrate
operating system controls of resources by
equating it to how parents intervene to
make equitable allocation of toys among
siblings. Students remember things like
that. I do these things to bring a level of
8
Photo by Jim Burke, CIDDE
comfort and interest to the class—intuition
comes first; formulas come later.
As another example of bringing a level
of comfort and interest to the class, I put
students at ease by learning their names—
calling on Johanna beats asking “the young
lady with glasses in the third row,” or
simply “you.” To further relax the atmo-
sphere, I introduce myself on a personal as
well as academic level—I always tell stu-
dents my origin and my path: I was born
in Brazil, got a BS in math there, and PhD
in computer science at Maryland; I have
a wife and child. Occasionally, when I see
students becoming bored, I even interrupt
a lecture to teach them a Portuguese word.
High Expectations
In addition to making the material
interactive, personal, and light, I have
high expectations for myself and for each
student. I expect to engage the students
throughout the learning process and I ex-
pect each student to think about the mate-
rial both inside and outside the classroom.
I try to stimulate all students to think and
participate. For example, I sometimes give
them the answer and ask them to give me
the question. I then whistle the tune from
Jeopardy. It’s fun and it works! If I ask a
question that seems too difficult, I step
back and ask why the question is so dif-
ficult. I continue stepping back as I call on
individuals, while assuring them that it is
all right to be incorrect. What is important
is that they try to answer articulately and
intelligently; because the goal is to keep
students thinking, I also encourage them to
ask questions. I further encourage partici-
pation by awarding bonus points.
Interactive Lecturing
My classes are lecture based, but I
rarely lecture more than five minutes with-
out asking a question. I ask all students to
vote on answers as we analyze the ques-
tion. This enables even the shiest students
to participate. Once in a while, I ask every
other student to give a three-minute sum-
mary of what he or she has learned so far
that day to the person next to him or her.
This, of course, keeps them attentive and
thinking.
Although much of the classroom mate-
rial is theoretical, but students need prac-
tice, I always give them complex program-
ming projects; I schedule weekend lab
sessions to observe students programming
and to give them feedback. I remind them
of the theory behind the practice, because
as a wise man once said “the difference be-
tween theory and practice is much bigger
in practice than in theory.” I show students
that they must painstakingly analyze and
consider all aspects of a problem before
implementing anything. They ask me
questions, I answer with more questions
and hints, encouraging hands-on, interac-
tive problem solving.

Photos by Jim Burke, CIDDE
Using Video
in the Classroom
By Kathleen Gray,
CIDDE Teaching Assistant Services
“Video can supplement
the course texts, helping
integrate ʻreal worldʼ
material into the
classroom.”
A
s graduate teaching assistants, we
need ways to motivate our students and
renew their attention spans. Often we
try to use videos to accomplish these goals.
Besides adding interest to our courses, video
can supplement the course texts, helping
us integrate “real world” material into the
classroom. Most important, every use of video
should help students meet course objectives!
To help you use video as a teaching tool, here
are some guidelines on what to do before,
during, and after using a video clip:
Before starting the video,
• Prepare the room. Arrange the chairs so
that all students can clearly see and hear
the video. Set up all technology in advance
and practice with remote controls so you can
easily start/stop the film as desired.
• Pretest students. A short questionnaire
can introduce students to the material and
indicate what they will be expected to learn
while watching and discussing the video.
• Give students background information.
Since you will rarely show a complete film,
tell students enough about what they missed
to enable them to understand the part they
are about to see. Also, students may assume
everything they see in the video is correct/
factual so be sure to tell them whether the
video represents opinions or facts.
• Explain why you have chosen this video.
Be certain to explain how the video clip
relates to the course objectives! Consider
giving students an outline of the main points
presented in the film as a guide.
During the video,
• Give students an “assignment.” For
instance, you could instruct students to list
the course concepts used in the video or
note how the content in the video connects
to or differs from information presented in the
course text.
• Provide adequate light and time for stu-
dents to take notes.
• Interrupt the video when it’s useful to clarify
Teaching Awards Issue November 2006
content, check student comprehension, or
make connections to course content.
• Restart the clip by providing a brief sum-
mary of what has been covered so far
and adding new information specific to the
remaining material.
• Monitor student attention. Sit where you
can see if students are watching the film and
taking notes. As needed, quietly move to
stand near students who are trying to sleep,
text message, or talk to their neighbors.
If students seem particularly inattentive,
consider ending the media early and moving
on to the next part of your lesson.
After the video,
• Turn off the media with as little disruption as
possible.
• In advance, prepare the FIRST thing you
will say to reengage students in class
participation. Try these approaches: repeat
a short provocative quote and ask students
what they thought about it; ask a specific
straightforward question about the content;
ask for volunteers to share what they wrote
for their “assignment” during the video.
• Explain what you would like to do with
the rest of the class time. Building from
your initial question, let students know what
will happen next and what is expected of
them now that the film is over. For instance,
will you lecture, take questions, or break into
small group work? Remind students which
course objectives are relevant to the day’s
discussion.
• Follow through. Refer to the video in
future discussions and exams to aid student
memory and help them make connections
among concepts.
Actively engaging our students before,
during, and after using video in the classroom
helps us encourage and monitor learning. If we
continuously link the video clip to the course
objectives, texts, lectures, and discussions,
students will quickly see that our video use is
not just entertainment—it’s education!
9
 How SMART Is Your Classroom?
By Nick Laudato, CIDDE Associate Director
The University recently acquired new software and hardware solutions
from SMART Technologies that can help you prepare for class, engage
your students, and capture your “chalk” board writings.
T
ouch sensitive computing options are
evolving at a rapid pace and promise
to dramatically change the way we
make classroom presentations and interact
with our students.
You have probably already heard about
“Janus,” the University of Pittsburgh’s
term for a combination of hardware
and software technologies named after
the Roman god of portals, who can see
in opposite directions simultaneously.
Janus allows you to face your class while
making drawings and annotations on
a touch-sensitive LCD graphics pad so
your students can view them on a screen
behind you via a data/video projector.
(See TeachingTimes Vol. VIII No. 1 at
www.pitt.edu/~ciddeweb/teachingtimes/
SEP2002/it_update.html for a description
of Janus.)
This fall term, Janus has been given a
new face with the addition of hardware
and software from SMART Technologies,
the Canadian-based company that created
the original SMART boards. On the hard-
ware side is the new Sympodium DT770
interactive pen display. The DT770 is
larger than its predecessors (17 inches
diagonal) and can respond to either touch
or to a tethered pen. The touch capabil-
ity allows you to quickly use your finger
to make simple annotations (such as using
“digital ink” in PowerPoint). If you pick
up the pen and place it close to the screen,
the touch sensitivity will be automatically
turned off and you can use the pen for
finer annotations at sharper resolutions.
The Sympodium series also provides a
set of hardware buttons at the top of the
panel that allow you to switch between
10
Photo by Jim Burke, CIDDE
pen and mouse modes, select different pen needs to be erased to make room for a
colors, and invoke a software keyboard. new page.
• Insert backgrounds and illustrations
(including Flash programs) into your
Photo by Nick Laudato, CIDDE
presentation from discipline-specific
galleries of objects.
• Display and save classroom annotations
in popular formats such as Adobe
Acrobat (PDF), and post them to
CourseWeb (Blackboard) for later
SMART Sympodium in WWPH 1700 review by your students.
• Prepare illustrations and notes
On the software side, the University in advance and then modify or
now has a site license that allows all fac- supplement them in the classroom.
ulty, students, and staff to run the SMART • Capture whatever is displayed on the
software, particularly the SMART computer screen, make annotations on
Notebook. The software is available it using the pen, and save it as a graphic
through Computing Services and Systems image.
Development’s (CSSD) electronic software
distribution service <software.pitt.edu> The “Gallery” feature is particularly
and can be installed on your desktop or interesting, providing a rich array of back-
laptop computer so you can learn the grounds and graphics that can dramati-
software, prepare classroom presentation cally enhance your presentations.
components in advance, or edit previously
saved notebooks.
The SMART Notebook software is
characterized by its ease of use, rich
instructional toolset, useful output op-
tions, and consistent user interface. Among
many other things, it allows you to:
• Annotate over the slides of a
SMART Notebook – Background from the Gallery
PowerPoint presentation during class
with the pen, highlighting important The Provost’s Classroom Management
information or making ad hoc Team (CMT) has equipped three newly
drawings to illustrate a concept. renovated classrooms in Posvar Hall (1500,
• Create a virtual whiteboard (an 1501, and 1700) with the new Sympodium
effectively unlimited chalkboard space). DT770. The Sympodium panels can be
It is easy to move back and forth
between whiteboard pages and nothing See IT Update: SMART on Page 14

The Scholarship of Engagement: What Is It?
By David N. Cox, Executive Assistant to the President of The University of Memphis
C
entral to a discussion of a “new kind of
university” is the meaning of scholarship.
As Boyer (1990) observed in discussing
the role of undergraduate higher education in
society, “One of the most crucial issues—the
one that goes to the core of academic
life—relates to the meaning of scholarship
itself. Scholarship is not an esoteric append-
age; it is at the heart of what the profession
is all about” (p.1). If something is “new” about
universities, that newness has to include
changes in the understanding of scholarship.
As the title of this chapter suggests, a form
of that newness may be found in the concept
of the scholarship of engagement: what it is,
how it is different, and what issues it raises for
engaging faculty in meaningful scholarship
across all disciplines.
The American Heritage Dictionary (2000)
identifies scholarship as the methods, disci-
pline, or attainments of a scholar; knowledge
resulting from study and research; or financial
aid for education. Focusing on its meaning
related to contributions to knowledge, Boyer’s
(1990) Scholarship Reconsidered has broad-
ened the understanding of the term to include
four dimensions—discovery, integration,
application, and teaching. Discovery involves
adding to the stock of human knowledge.
Integration involves making connections across
disciplines that lead to new understandings.
Application involves the work of the academy
toward more humane ends. Contact, of course,
can take many forms. It can be incidental
and passive, or it can be regular and active.
It can be one-directional or interactive, formal
or informal. More recently, the notion of the
scholarship of engagement builds on Boyer’s
definition by including active and interactive
contact between people inside and external to
the academy across the range of actions in-
volved in scholarship—from setting goals, and
selecting and applying means and methods, to
reflection and dissemination. It is that interac-
tion across the range of scholarship activities
that distinguishes the contact involved in the
scholarship of engagement.
Using the definition of the dynamic interac-
tion inherent in the scholarship of engagement,
it is possible to determine what is engagement
and what is not. For example, Louis Pasteur’s
making the connection between sewage and
disease while walking city streets in the 1800s
led to scholarship in the form of discovery and
application. His resulting search for an interven-
tion to treat a real-world problem shaped the
questions he asked leading to the discovery
of the germ theory of disease (Strokes, 1997).
There is also a long history of contact with
persons and places outside the academy in
the form of dissemination through the transfer
of technical expertise by agricultural agents
connected to land grant universities. In neither
of these cases, however, were persons outside
of the academy actively involved in any of the
scholarship activities. They were not involved
Teaching Awards Issue November 2006
Photos by CIDDE
in shaping the questions, choosing or execut-
ing the means, or reflecting on the results.
Moreover, dissemination was one directional,
i.e., knowledge transferred from expert to
client. Thus while connected in one sense of
the term, absent interaction in the processes of
scholarship, these examples do not represent
the scholarship of engagement.
In contrast, Chicago residents of the Re-
nacer West Side neighborhood and faculty and
students at the University of Illinois-Chicago
worked together in designing the means to
increase employment opportunities for the resi-
dents. They did not accomplish their short-term
goal of increased employment, but collective
reflection by residents, faculty, and students led
to discovery and development of a longer-term
application that expanded employment op-
portunities beyond the neighborhood (Mayfield
& Lucas, 2000). Residents of colonias in south
Texas—rural communities and neighborhoods
bordering Mexico, which require sufficient
infrastructure and other basic services (U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment, 2000)—participated as partners with
faculty members and students at the University
of Texas-Austin in implementing and reflect-
ing on the impact of a plan for enhancing
public service infrastructure for colonias in the
area (Wilson & Guajardo, 2000). Community
residents in East Saint Louis, Illinois, in the
1990s were instrumental in reframing discovery
and application questions being pursued by
See Scholarship of Engagement on Page 14
11
 2006 Teaching Awards
Numerous schools and departments at the University of Pittsburgh present annual teaching awards. Recipients of 2006 awards that
are known to the Teaching Times are listed below. The Teaching Times prints an annual list of award recipients and welcomes informa-
tion about awards. Please contact Jo Rosol with this information: rosol@cidde.pitt.edu

College of Business Administration Graduate Student/Fellowship Teaching Awards

CBA Teacher of the Year Elizabeth Baranger Excellence in Teaching Award
Rob Gilbert Luciano Martinez
Distinguished Teaching Award Arts and Sciences
Madeleine Carlin Alessandra Beasley
Vicky Hoffman Peter A. Bell
Ray Jones Kathleen A. Bulger
Rick Winter Jonathan Gaffney
Darrick Gross
Seung-Hoon Hong
College of General Studies Cassie J. Majetic
Studentsʼ Choice Award for Teaching Excellence Virginie Masson
Sherry Miller Brown Joseph Mitala
Ellen Cohn Christopher W. Morgan
David Defazio Paul M. Morgan
David Korman Phillip J. Morgan
Joanne Meldon Davlyn K. Nauman
Stephen Pellathy
Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business Nicholas M. Rosenfeld
Katz School Outstanding Teacher of the Year Katrina Steers-Wentzell
Prakash Mirchandani
G. Richard Patton Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
Executive MBA Outstanding Teacher of the Year Teacher of the Year Award
Frederik Schlingemann Donald Goldstein
Nuno Themudo
School of Law Annual Teaching Awards
David Cercone
Student Bar Association Excellence in Teaching Award Siddharth Chandra
Lu-in Wang
Ernest Fullerton
Anthony Giunta
School of Engineering Donald Goldstein
Beitle-Veltri Memorial Award Kevin P. Kearns
Jeffrey S.Vipperman, Mechanical Engineering William Keller
Outstanding TA Awards David Korman
Obadamilola Aluko Rajendranath Mookerjee
Peter J. Mandeville Edward Strimlan
Kristie A. Henchir Martha Terry
Stephen C. Kanick Nuno Themudo
Jyh-Pang Lai
Peng Yuan
Zhiwei Shan

2006 Teaching Awards continue on next page

12
 Teaching Awards Issue November 2006
Continued from previous page

2006 Teaching Awards

School of Medicine School of Nursing

Kenneth E. Schuit Award Deanʼs Distinguished Teaching Award
Julie A. DeLoia Yvette Conley
James R. Johnston Marilyn Hravnak
Donald S. Fraley Award Valerie Swigart
Elmer J. Holzinger
Sheldon Adler Award School of Pharmacy
Clifton W. Callaway
Teacher of the Year Award
Excellence in Clinical Precepting
Rowena Schwartz
James R. Jarvis
Michael E. Wald Faculty Member of the Year Award
Altoona Family Physicians Medical Group: Christine Schonder
Donald Beckstead
Sherry Dehaas University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
Terry Ruhl Excellence in Teaching Award
Jennifer Good Nancy G. McCabe
Kathy Sweeney
Alumni Association Teaching Excellence Award
Elyssa Palmer
Isabelle A. Champlin
Clinical Preceptor of the Year Awards
Franklyn P. Cladis
Hollis D. Day University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg
Antoine B. Douaihy Distinguished Teaching Award
Amber M. Hoffman Shu-Jiang Lu
Elmer J. Holzinger Alumni Association Award
Sanjay Lambore Mary Grace O’Donnell
William McIvor
Paul E. Phrampus
Samuel A. Tesherman University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Evan L. Waxman Presidentʼs Award for Excellence in Teaching
Curriculum Service Award David Willey
Laurel Milberg
Student Award to a Senior Mentor
Vincent Cuddy
Excellence in Education Awards
John W. Kreit
James R. Johnston
Allen L. Humphrey
Gregory J. Naus
David L. Paterson
Donald B. Middleton
Georgia K. Duker

13
 Continued from Page 4
Henker
An advantage of simulation teaching
is that scenarios can be developed
based upon lecture content during the
past term or from actual clinical events.
For example, if students received a
section of lecture content on anesthesia
care of the trauma patient, one of
the simulation scenarios might involve
caring for an injured motorcyclist.
Elements of real trauma cases can also
be added, and students reaffirm that
simulation sessions are more effective than
lecture alone.
Another benefit of simulation is that
students learn how to care for a patient
who has an unusual clinical event. Rare
anesthetic emergencies such as malignant
hyperthermia can be realistically presented
with a patient scenario. Students are
expected to assess the situation, go through
differential diagnosis, identify a plan of
care, implement the plan, and evaluate
the plan. Consequently, management of a
rare event is more likely to be retained with
simulation teaching.
Interprofessional Communication
Although management of the patient
is an important piece of how a student
responds during the scenario, appropri-
Continued from Page 11
Scholarship of Engagement
faculty members and students at the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The result was
the creation of knowledge more relevant to the
problems of the community (Reardon, 2000).
And in a West Philadelphia neighborhood,
community residents, public school and city of-
ficials, and faculty members and students at the
University of Pennsylvania worked together to
redesign K-12 school curricula, pedagogy, and
social service programming, improving student
outcomes and adding to knowledge about ad-
vancing urban school systems (Harkavy, 1999).
In summary, the scholarship or engagement
is a set of activities. At its core are four dimen-
sions of scholarship—discovery, integration,
application, and teaching. It becomes the
14
ate interprofessional communication is
emphasized during the debriefing of the
simulation. Debriefing often occurs in a
conference room following the simulation
and typically includes review of a video of
the session and a log of events and treat-
ments. Led by faculty, debriefings include
the students involved in the scenario. They
are asked to critique themselves and en-
couraged to reflect and describe how they
might revise their performance.
In program evaluations, nurse anesthe-
sia program students frequently ask for
more simulation teaching. Simulation is
an effective and exciting way to teach but
it does require a great deal of faculty time
and energy. The faculty in our Nurse An-
esthesia Program fully support simulation
and have become experts in the field. The
staff at WISER have been supportive and
have contributed to both the quality and
quantity of the simulation teaching within
the Nurse Anesthesia Program.
scholarship of engagement through its active
and interactive connection with people and
places outside of the university in the activities
of scholarship, setting goals, selecting means
and methods, applying means and methods,
reflecting on results, and disseminating results.
Given the range of these dimensions and activi-
ties, the depth of connections may vary. At a
less engaged level, the interaction may involve
only one dimension of scholarship or one of a
limited set of scholarship activities. At the deep-
est level, the interactions carry through multiple
dimensions and across all of the scholarship
activities. In each case, however, it is the pres-
ence of that interaction that distinguishes the
scholarship of engagement.
Continued from Page 6
Smith
for understanding. Sometimes I ask
students to paraphrase what’s been said
to gauge whether the information is being
processed. Also, I ask questions to help
people see relationships across ideas that
initially may seem unrelated. I might ask
how a solution relates to that offered by a
previous group or how one idea relates to
another.
Continued from Page 10
IT Update: SMART
used from the built-in computer (you can
login with your University of Pittsburgh
account) or from a personal laptop (once
you’ve loaded the SMART software).
Instructional Media Services (IMS) can
also deliver similar LCD panels and
laptops to any classroom location on
campus.
Instructional Media Services can
deliver this technology solution to any
classroom <www.pitt.edu/~ciddeweb/
ims/media_request_form.htm> and the
Faculty Instructional Development Lab
(FIDL) can provide training in its use
<www.pitt.edu/~ciddeweb/fidl/janus_
training.htm>.
This is an excerpt from Chapter 8, “The How
and Why of the Scholarship of Engagement,”
by David N. Cox, executive assistant to the
president of The University of Memphis., in Cre-
ating a New Kind of University ; Institutionalizing
Community-University Engagement, edited
by Stephen L. Percy, University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukee; Nancy L. Zimpher, University of
Cincinnati; and Mary Jane Brukardt; Eastern
Washington University. Copyright © 2006 by
Anker Publishing Company, Inc. Reprinted with
permission.
 Teaching Awards Issue November 2006

January Calendar of
Thursday, January 25, noon to 1:30 p.m.
Upcoming
Events for
“Facilitating Effective Online Discussions” · 815 Alumni Hall
Presenter: Carol DeArment, Senior Instructional Designer, CIDDE

Spring
Tuesday, January 30, 12:30 p.m.
Instructional Design Webcast (IDmCast*) · Tune in live to “Bloom’s Taxonomy.”
Presenter: Joanne M. Nicoll, Associate Director for Instructional Design, CIDDE
Term
2007
Every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in January tune in live to Blackboard Webcasts (BbmCasts)**
Every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in January tune in live to Instructional Technology Webcasts (ITmCasts)***

February
Friday, February 9, noon to 1:30 p.m. To access these Webcasts online, go to www.pitt.edu/~ciddeweb
“Interactive Teaching and Learning” · 815 Alumni Hall and under “Quick Links” choose “Instructional Technology mCast.”
Presenter: Carol DeArment, Senior Instructional Designer, CIDDE
Tuesday, February 27, 12:30 p.m.
Instructional Design Webcast (IDmCast*) · Tune in live to “Developing Outcomes” with Gary Stoehr, School of Pharmacy.
Every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in February tune in live to Blackboard Webcasts (BbmCasts)**
Every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in February tune in live to Instructional Technology Webcasts (ITmCasts)***

March
Friday, March 16, noon to 1:30 p.m.
Watch for flyers on the spring term Faculty Book
Discussions on “The Art of Changing the Brain:
Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring
“Developing Teaching Portfolios” · 815 Alumni Hall the Biology of Learning” by James Zull. The
Presenter: Carol Washburn, Senior Instructional Designer, CIDDE sessions will be scheduled for March 2007.
Friday, March 23, noon to 1:30 p.m. Please contact Melanie Fox for more information
“Creating a Learning-Centered Syllabus” · 815 Alumni Hall at fox@cidde.pitt.edu or 412-624-2896.
Presenter: Carol Washburn, Senior Instructional Designer, CIDDE
Tuesday, March 27, 12:30 p.m.
Instructional Design Webcast (IDmCast*) · Tune in live to “Thinking About Putting Your Class Online?” with Tony Novosel,
Department of History.
Every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in March tune in live to Blackboard Webcasts (BbmCasts)**
Every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in March tune in live to Instructional Technology Webcasts (ITmCasts)***

April
Friday, April 6, noon to 1:30 p.m.
“Developing a Course” · 815 Alumni Hall

s!
Presenter: Joanne M. Nicoll, Associate Director for Instructional Design, CIDDE ue
Friday, April 20, noon to 1:30 p.m.
ag
le

“Wikis as a Teaching Tool” · 815 Alumni Hall

ol

Presenter: Carol DeArment, Senior Instructional Designer, CIDDE

rc

Tuesday, April 24, 12:30 p.m.

u
yo

Instructional Design Webcast (IDmCast*) · Tune in live to “Survival Strategies for Teaching Six-Week Summer Classes”
in

with Lydia Daniels, Department of Biological Sciences.

jo

Every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in April tune in live to Blackboard Webcasts (BbmCasts)**
e
om

Every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in April tune in live to Instructional Technology Webcasts (ITmCasts)***
C

To enroll in workshops, please contact Melanie Fox at fox@cidde.pitt.edu or 412-624-2896.

* The IDmCast provides a series of short presentations on teaching/learning topics in a synchronous Webcast (using Mediasite) followed by asynchronous
“copies” in various multimedia formats, including streaming video, podcasts, and Flash.
** The BbmCast provides a series of short presentations about the use of the Blackboard course management system. A variety of audio and video formats
are provided for ease of access. These sessions are available both “live” at the noon hour and captured for future review on the Web site.
*** The ITmCast provides a series of short presentations on instructional technology available to Pitt faculty. A variety of audio and video formats are provided
for ease of access. These sessions are available both “live” at the noon hour and captured for future review on the Web site.

15
 Dear Faculty,

Are you planning to develop

a new course or revise an exi
The Center for Instructiona sting one?
l Development & Distance Ed
provides services to faculty uca tio n (CIDDE)
in support of University tea
Instructional Development ser ching and learning.
vices include assisting instru
develop and revise courses, ctors as they
learning activities, course ma
techniques to assess studen terials, and
t learning. A CIDDE instructi
work directly with you, accord ona l designer will
ing to your schedule, to help
components of a new course you create the basic
or to reengineer an existing
and effective teaching and lea one , using current
rning strategies. In the pas
provided these support servic t year alone, CIDDE
es to over 100 faculty memb
ers.
To get more information or
to schedule an appointment
at 412-624-7372 or nicoll@p , please contact me
itt.edu.

All the best,

Joanne M. Nicoll
Associate Director of Instru
ctional Design
and Faculty Development
CIDDE

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
Alec A. Sarkas, Graphic Design & Illustrations; sarkas@cidde.pitt.edu