Thinking about Cause and Effect

Good reasoning about causality is important to the study of the natural sciences, but it is also crucial for clear thinking in the social sciences, arts, and humanities. Students and scholars frequently make claims about the causes of wars, economic and social trends, artistic movements, and so on, yet they do not always support them with careful reasoning. Students who learn to distinguish good from bad arguments about causality will have skills that will serve them well in scholarly and scientific pursuits, not to mention getting through their everyday lives.

This workshop takes place in two sessions a week apart. The first session is devoted to thinking about causality, the kinds of arguments that are offered to establish causal claims, common mistakes that are made in such reasoning, and methods for discovering genuine causal relationships. The second session gives participants a chance to share ideas they develop in the intervening week about how to incorporate the teaching of these skills into their courses.

Teaching with Case Studies

Case studies have long been a staple in law, business, and medical education. Recently, they have become popular in teaching subjects across the curriculum. When used well, they can promote more intellectual engagement and critical thinking. This workshop deals with the questions: What makes a case a good one? How can cases be used effectively? Participants share their teaching experiences and learn from others’ successes and near misses.

Teaching Decision-Making Skills

Good decision-making is important to work in subjects across the curriculum and can be taught in a variety of ways. Many of our students will find themselves in careers that will require them to be decision makers and they will need to reason their way through various dilemmas in an uncertain and complex world. A number of thinking skills, including the abilities to consider options, predict consequences, determine the reliability of information, and think about causality, are crucial to reasoning one’s way to a good decision.

This workshop has two sessions a week apart. The first session is devoted to thinking about the skills required for good decision making and exploring the ways in which we can teach this ability in the context of our courses. We look at some of the systematic work that has been done on decision-making and some classical decision problems. The second session gives participants a chance to share and discuss the ideas they develop in the intervening week about how to incorporate the teaching of this ability into their courses.

Teaching with Films

Film is an engaging medium that can be used to enhance traditional methods of teaching. Many members of the faculty from across the curriculum either are currently using film or are considering doing so. This workshop, which has two sessions, is open to those who already incorporate film into their courses and to those who are interested in exploring this possibility. We will discuss the various uses of film in teaching, the practical and technical obstacles, different approaches to using film effectively, and how to teach a student to “read” film.

During the first session, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using film. This will include a “how to” demonstration of the available technology, and reports from experienced faculty members. The second session provides an opportunity for participants to present their ideas and to devise ways of using film most effectively in their teaching.

The Experienced Teacher

This one session workshop explores issues and concerns of interest to instructors who have been teaching for five, ten, fifteen, or more years. Questions for discussion may include: Have you found new approaches to teaching that have been successful? Would you like to experiment more in class? Do you ever wonder if you should change your teaching methods or materials? How do you maintain intellectual vitality? Have students changed since you began your teaching career? Do these changes require rethinking what goes in the classroom? Do you ever worry about becoming stale? Bored? Unmotivated?

This workshop provides participants with an opportunity to share their experience with colleagues and to develop some new ideas and strategies for teaching.