James Lang, author of “Cheating Lessons: Learning from Academic Dishonesty,” will visit Syracuse University on Friday, April 21, to lead faculty workshops and give a keynote lecture. His visit is hosted by the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s Best Practices Committee, and it is made possible through the National Science Foundation-funded “Enhancing the Climate for Persistence and Success in Engineering (ECLiPSE)” grant, which aims to increase the retention and graduation rate of engineering and computer science undergraduates.
James Lang
Lang is a professor of English and the director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. His book reviews and public scholarship on higher education have appeared in a wide variety of newspapers and magazines, including the Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune and TIME magazine. He has conducted workshops on teaching for faculty at more than 75 colleges and universities. Lang received a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree in English from St. Louis University and a Ph.D. in English from Northwestern University.
Workshop I: “Small Teaching: From Minor Changes to Major Learning”
9 to 10:30 a.m., Bowne 414. Registration is required by e-mailing cestokes@syr.edu. Space is limited.
Research from the learning sciences and from a variety of educational settings suggests that a small number of key principles can improve learning in almost any type of college or university course, from traditional lectures to flipped classrooms. This workshop will introduce some of those principles, offer practical suggestions for how they might foster positive change in higher education teaching and learning, and guide faculty participants to consider how these principles might manifest themselves in their current and upcoming courses.
Workshop II: “Small Teaching: Building Motivation, Mastery, and Mindset”
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Bowne 414. Registration is required by e-mailing cestokes@syr.edu. Space is limited.
This session offers practical strategies that will enable faculty to tap into the deepest sources of motivation in their students, help those students take a mastery orientation toward their learning, and gain the confidence and commitment they need to tackle difficult learning challenges. Drawing from research in motivation, mastery learning and the growth mindset, this session will introduce both small- and large-course design strategies that can produce powerful learning results.
Keynote: “Cheating Lessons: Learning from Academic Dishonesty”
2:30 to 3:45 p.m., Life Sciences Complex 001. All faculty are welcome, and no registration is required. A reception will immediately follow the presentation.
This lecture will provide an overview of the various pressures that push students toward academic dishonesty, propose solutions for helping students learn how to do their work with integrity, and invite discussion about how to build a campus culture of academic integrity.
