Are you interested in teaching with objects, but don’t know where to start? Do you need a “refresher” on object-based teaching practices? Are you curious about the CultureLab, a hands-on space in Brown University’s Haffenreffer Museum, and how to visit with your students? Join Leah Burgin, Haffenraffer’s Manager of Museum Education & Programs, for this back-to-basics workshop. Participants will engage with objects from the collection and help the Museum develop a new object-based teaching kit. Space is limited. Please register.

This weekly reading and conversation group uses articles from the Brown Daily Herald as launching points for discussions about US culture, idiomatic language, and English vocabulary. All are welcome. Pizza provided! Registration required.

Want to turn your interest into a class? Don’t quite know how to start designing a syllabus? We’ll help you learn how to plan and successfully complete your (G)ISP/AI proposal! You will learn how to draft your course objectives, come up with creative assessments, and plan activities. Registration is strongly encouraged so we know how many to plan for and to provide you with resources following the workshop. There will be snacks! Please register for this event.

A variety of proposals require STEM faculty to write about their educational work in addition to their laboratory research. These include the NSF CAREER Proposals, Cottrell Scholar Awards, and the Camille-Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. In this workshop, facilitated by Dr. Andrew Feig from The Research Corporation for Science Advancement, we will discuss how to use needs assessment, logic models, and backwards design to create synergy between research and educational components of proposals. Please register for this event.

While the Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) pedagogy can be used at different places within the undergraduate curriculum, the research expectations and student learning outcomes can vary dramatically between foundational and upper-division courses. In this workshop, facilitated by Dr. Andrew Feig from The Research Corporation for Science Advancement, we will evaluate realistic expectations for your CUREs for both student development as well as research productivity. We will also explore types of learning assessments that are appropriate for students at each level and across different disciplines. Please register for this event.

This weekly reading and conversation group uses articles from the Brown Daily Herald as launching points for discussions about US culture, idiomatic language, and English vocabulary. All are welcome. Pizza provided! Please register.

This four-part series aims to help participants write clearly and effectively when using English for academic purposes. The workshops will be held on 9/27, 10/4, 10/11, and 10/18. Topics include cohesive writing, concise expression, and paraphrasing. Register on the Sheridan Center website or email [email protected] with questions.

The majority student population in US higher education is increasingly diverse and instructors must provide equitable educational opportunities for a broad variety of learners. Transparent instruction shows great promise for increasing the confidence, sense of belonging, persistence, and success of non-traditional and underserved students. In this workshop facilitated by Dr. Mary-Ann Winkelmes, we will apply the Transparent Framework to the design of your own in-class activities and assignments to help you provide equitable learning experiences for your students. We’ll also consider the framework as a tool for discussing course design ideas with mentors and faculty–even when you are not the primary designer of the course.
Please register for this event.

Transparent assignment design has been shown to increase students’ success with greater gains for historically underserved students. In this interactive presentation, Dr. Mary-Ann Winkelmes will discuss the concept of transparent teaching and learning (which involves faculty/student discussion about the relevant knowledge, skills to be practiced, required tasks, expected criteria and examples before students begin working), share data from an AAC&U study of students’ learning at seven Minority-Serving Institutions that identifies transparent assignment design as a replicable teaching intervention, and discuss examples. Participants will leave with a concise set of strategies for designing transparent and equitable assignments that promote students’ learning. Please register for this event.

In this workshop led by Anastasia Tsylina, an international Ph.D. student and a Sheridan Center Proctor, participants will discuss international perspectives on teaching at Brown and explore effective, evidence-based strategies for classroom management, assessment, and grading. This workshop is designed to enable international TAs to navigate Brown classrooms and build their confidence in teaching. Registration required.

Curious about open educational resources? Interested in finding, modifying, or creating OER? Open educational resources (OER) include textbooks, lesson plans, video content, and other media that are free, openly licensed, and adaptable for instructional use. Join Sarah Evelyn, the Library’s Director of Academic Engagement, for a conversation about openly licensed educational materials that can be used for teaching and learning. Topics will include adaption of materials to the individual needs of students, evaluation of the quality and currency of resources, and the accessibility of learning materials. Please register for this event.

This four-part series aims to help participants write clearly and effectively when using English for academic purposes. The workshops will be held on 9/27, 10/4, 10/11, and 10/18. Topics include cohesive writing, concise expression, and paraphrasing. Register on the Sheridan Center website or email [email protected] with questions.

In this session facilitated by Christina Smith, Sheridan Center Assistant Director and Adjunct Lecturer in Engineering, participants will explore strategies for teaching problem solving skills through using art and objects in their courses. Participants will learn ways to help students develop observational and reflective skills. Space is limited. Please register. 

You’ve created your Group Independent Study Project (GISP) and things have been going well! But discussions are becoming strained and you’re not sure if you are effectively learning. This workshop focuses on class activities that will keep you engaged with the material. Students will practice lesson planning skills and be able to identify resources and activities they can use in the classroom. This workshop series is for undergraduate students and faculty sponsors who are currently participating in a GISP as well as any other undergraduate students who are interested in knowing how to facilitate productive discussions.
Please register for this event.

Equitable grading in the arts involves providing support and opportunities to help students from all backgrounds meet course goals and demonstrate the scope of their learning. In this research-based interactive workshop, Sheridan Center Senior Associate Director Jessica Metzler discusses ways to approach the evaluation of student learning in art and studio-based courses through a framework that values high standards and individual development. This workshop is open to Brown and RISD faculty and is offered in conjunction with the Center for Social Equity & Inclusion at RISD. Space is limited, please register.

This weekly reading and conversation group uses articles from the Brown Daily Herald as launching points for discussions about US culture, idiomatic language, and English vocabulary. All are welcome. Pizza provided! Please register.

Please join us for a lunch to celebrate the end of Open Classroom Weeks.  Please register for this event.