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Inside Moravian Faculty News 3-18

FACULTY NEWS & NOTES

Letter from the Editor

Dear Faculty:

I trust you’ve rebounded from springing forward and are settling into your post-spring-break routines with your students. I confess that I seem to still be chasing that lost hour….

This edition of IM brings the second installment in our whimsical series “The Other Hounds of Moravian,” featuring the delightful personalities of our staff and faculty on-campus canine companions. Today we introduce you to Po Panda Madrid, mutt of Liliana Madrid, assistant director of intercultural advancement. Po’s reveals are sure to bring a smile, which likely won’t be said of the predicted snow should it arrive on the first day of spring. If it does, however, we might take a cue from Katie Desiderio--who graces this issue’s faculty spotlight--and dance in the falling flakes.

Wishing you a happy first day of spring no matter what the weather brings.

All best,

Claire

P.S. Write to me at kowalchik@moravian.edu.

Favorite Teaching Practices

As you may recall, in the May 2 edition of IM, I asked you to send me a teaching method or tip that you find effective in helping students learn. Here, the responses:

“As I tell students all the time, the best way to truly learn something is to use it. To that end, I assign weekly problem sets in my Genetics class that students struggle mightily with, but that I am confident helps (okay, “forces” — to-may-toe, to-mah-toe) them to master the material. Old school, but sometimes old school is the effective school.”—Chris Jones, associate professor of biology

“We have four debates throughout the semester, and the students love it. Officially, I pick students for each side “randomly,” but secretly I make sure those who have strong views on the subject have the opportunity to argue for the opposite position. Given the pure random selection, however, almost always 50 percent of students happen to argue against their own personal view. The value is in seeing things from a different perspective. It creates sympathy and fairness and is the foundation of civil tolerance. Students can learn that despite differences, they can and should respect each other’s opinions while engaged in a critical discussion.”—Arash Naraghi, associate professor, religion and philosophy

“I’d like to share counterintuitive findings. Here are two. First, although generations of students have relied on markers to highlight or underline important information for later study, controlled research demonstrates this practice is ineffective. Why?  Primarily because it prevents students from adopting other, more practical techniques that actually help people learn, such as spacing study across time (Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, & Willingham, 2013).

“Second, the ubiquity of smartphones, tablets and laptops is changing classroom behavior. Students no longer tote traditional paper notebooks to class; instead, they type their notes into their preferred device. However, psychologists and neuroscientists find that, unlike typing, handwriting is intimately tied to deeper learning, the generation of ideas, and information retention (Konnikova, 2014). The bottom line (as it were): Writing—not typing—is linked with better information retention.—Dana Dunn, professor of psychology

For next issue’s share, let’s try something a little lighter. The spring growing season bursts with fresh greens: spinach, kale, lettuces. Send us your favorite way to prepare and serve greens, whether that’s in a salad or hot out of the saute pan.

Reverand Jane Williams Pens Essay

Chair of MACC and Associate Professor of Clinical Counseling, Reverand Jane Williams contributed an essay to the book Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil: Stories about the Challenges of Young Pastors. The book was featured in the February 26 edition of the Huffington Post in a blog written by Reverand James Ellis, III.

The Artists Among Us

Payne Gallery will present the Biennial Moravian University Faculty Show from March 17 to April 17, featuring the work of the Art Department faculty members. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, March 17, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., and an artist talk is scheduled for Monday, March 21 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. All are open to the public and admission is free of charge.
 
Among the faculty members exhibiting works are the very talented: Natessa Amin, Josh Azzsarella, Kristin Baxter, Jan Ciganick, Ted Colegrove, Renzo Faggioli, Angela Fraleigh, Jeff Hurwitz, Kristine Kotsch, Elizabeth Krenos, Ashley Kuhn, Camille Murphy, Luke Wynne, and Doug Zucco.

Joseph Shosh Co-Edits Special Issue of Education Journal

Chair of the Department of Education, Joseph Shosh served as co-editor of the current issue of Educational Action Research, exploring the prospects and challenges of greater global connectivity through action research networks. He is also lead author of “The CARN/ARNA inaugural Study Day inquiry: what happens to action research after the master’s degree?,” which includes profiles of Moravian teacher education alumni Ali Tannous, Nathan Snyder and Kevin Horn.

On the Road: Dana Dunn Speaks at Symposia

Dana S. Dunn, Professor of Psychology, recently spoke in two symposia at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association in New York City. Dunn organized a symposium on "Using APA's Guidelines 2.0 and a Benchmarking Approach to Examine Program Quality." His co-presenters were Jane S. Halonen of the University of West Florida and Suzanne C. Baker of James Madison University. The three spoke on current resources for evaluating undergraduate psychology programs, including updates to the influential benchmarking approach they developed in 2007.

Dunn was an invited speaker in the second symposium, which was titled "Engaging Psychology Students in Research: Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why." Dunn presented with colleagues from East Stroudsburg, Lafayette, Seton Hall, and The College of New Jersey. Dunn spoke on "The Importance of Undergraduate Research in Psychology: Needs and Wants."

Dunn was also recently invited to write an evaluative review of the assessment practices being conducted in the Department of Psychology at the University of Central Oklahoma, which is in Edmond, OK.

Mark Harris Presents on Natural Burial

Adjunct instructor of writing, Mark Harris, recently gave presentations on natural burial at Susquehanna University and to the New York City chapter of the Sierra Club. His presentation at LVAIC’s Sustainability Conference last month explored how institutions of higher education can – and are -- using natural cemeteries to preserve land and bolster curricula.

John D Rossi III Volunteers for Tax Hotline

John D Rossi III, associate professor of accounting, volunteered for the tax hotline on WFMZ-TV 69 on Wednesday, March 2. This annual event allows people to phone in or text tax questions and have them answered by tax experts.