GMS 5905:  Special Topics in Biomedical Science

new course number: GMS 7001
Fundamentals of Biomedical Science Education

Course Director:  Wayne T. McCormack, Ph.D.
E-mail:  mccormac@pathology.ufl.edu
Phone:  392-7413
Office:  R1-102

 

Spring 2006
Mondays & Wednesdays, 2:00-3:00 pm, room R1-106
 

Catalog Description:  GMS 6xxx - Fundamentals of Biomedical Science Education (2) - Overview of educational issues faced by biomedical scientists teaching at the undergraduate, graduate, and/or professional level. Practical guidelines most relevant for beginning biomedical science educators, e.g. teaching skills & strategies and the underlying theory of learning & teaching.

Course Overview: Biomedical scientists are trained during graduate school and postdoctoral studies to be researchers. However, those who pursue academic career tracks are also expected to teach, and are often not well prepared for this faculty assignment. This IDP elective course provides an overview of educational issues faced by biomedical scientists teaching at the undergraduate, graduate, and/or professional level. The goal of the course is to familiarize biomedical science graduate students interested in pursuing academic career tracks with techniques that are the most relevant for beginning teachers, e.g. teaching skills & strategies and the underlying theory of learning and teaching. The course will use a variety of teaching formats modeling teaching behaviors, and will provide practical guidelines for a variety of teaching skills.

Registration:  The new course number is not available yet.  Please register for GMS 5905 "Special Topics in Biomedical Science" for 2 credits (contact Susan Gardner for section number).  If the new course number is approved in time, the Office of Graduate Education will do the drop/add for you.

Tentative Syllabus:

Date Session Title Instructor

1

Mon, Jan 9 Introduction to Principles of Adult Education   Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

2

Wed, Jan 11

Teaching vs. Learning / Models of Learning

Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

Mon, Jan 16

no class - Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

3

Wed, Jan 18

History of Medical Education

Kyle Rarey, Ph.D.

4

Mon, Jan 23

Teaching & Assessing Medical Students

Kyle Rarey, Ph.D.

5

Wed, Jan 25

Adapting Teaching to Clinical Learning Environments

Kyle Rarey, Ph.D.

6

Mon, Jan 30

Countdown for Course Preparation

Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

7

Wed, Feb 1

Meeting a Class For the First Time

Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

8

Mon, Feb 6

How to Make Lectures More Effective

Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

9

Wed, Feb 8

Peer/Collaborative/Cooperative Learning

Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

10

Mon, Feb 13

Small-Group Teaching (2 hours)

Parker Small, M.D. & Natalie Small, Ph.D.

11

Wed, Feb 15

Team-Based Learning (2 hours)

Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

12

Mon, Feb 20

Using Information Technologies Effectively

Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

13

Wed, Feb 22

Lifelong Learning (For the Teacher, Too!)

Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

14

Mon, Feb 27

Teaching by Distance Education

Ian Tebbett, Ph.D.

15

Wed, Mar 1

Assessing, Testing, & Evaluation

Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

16

Mon, Mar 6

The ABC’s of Grading

Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

17

Wed, Mar 8

The Power & Perils of Powerpoint

Richard Rathe, M.D.

 

Mar 13 & 15

no class - UF Spring Break  

18

Mon, Mar 20

Teaching as Scholarship

Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

19

Wed, Mar 22

Mentoring

Susan Semple-Rowland, Ph.D.

20

Mon, Mar 27

Learning Styles

Paul Wright

Riding the Adult Learning Cycle Ellen Bishai

21

Wed, Mar 29

Grade Inflation:  Everyone is Above Average

Allyn Spear

Experiential Learning in the Lab Christina Norris

22

Mon, Apr 3

Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

Kelly Jackman

Women and Science Education Grace Ha

23

Wed, Apr 5

Problem Students (There's Almost Always at Least One!)

Jason Weinstein

Problem-Based Learning - The Case Method Kindra Kelly

24

Mon, Apr 10

What To Do About Cheating

Amar Singh

Motivation in the College Classroom WD Brazelle

Wed, Apr 12

no class

25

Mon, Apr 17

Learning Through Writing Matt Peterson
Teaching Thinking

Ning Jiang

26

Wed, Apr 19

Teaching with WebCT Pui Lee
Teaching Outside the Classroom

Robert Lyons

27

Mon, Apr 24

The Ethics of Teaching and The Teaching of Ethics Tolga Barker
Science & Religion in the Classroom - Do They Mix?

Peter Chen
28 Wed, Apr 26 Debriefing Session Wayne McCormack, Ph.D.

Sample topics for student presentations:                                    (please select a topic by Wednesday, March 8)

  1. Problem-Based Learning - The Case Method

  2. Ethics in Teaching - The Teacher's Responsibilities

  3. What to Do About Cheating

  4. Problem Students (There's Almost Always at Least One!)

  5. Learning Through Writing (High Stakes & Low Stakes)

  6. Motivating Students To Learn

  7. Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

  8. Laboratory Instruction

  9. Teaching Values: Should We? Can We?

  10. WebCT Vista

  11. Application of learning theories or learning styles

Assessment:

30% Attendance
20% Peer evaluation of your contributions to Sessions 1-20
50% Student presentations (to be assessed by peers & faculty)
Maximum cut-offs for letter grades:  90, A;  85, B+;  80, B;  75, C+;  70, C.

Required text: 

“McKeachie’s Teaching Tips - Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers” by Wilbert J. McKeachie, 12th edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.

Other resources:

“Tools for Teaching” by Barbara Gross Davis, 1st edition, Jossey-Bass Inc., 1993.

“Designing & Assessing Courses & Curricula: A Practical Guide” by Robert M. Diamond, The Jossey-Bass Higher & Adult Education Series, John Wiley & Sons, 1998.

“Curriculum Development for Medical Education: A Six-Step Approach” by David E. Kern et al., The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.

3/17/06