OPA Program

Guest Speaker(s): Julia Miyaoka, Professor, Decision Sciences at San Francisco State University and John Fox, Professor, Sociology at Foothill College

Join the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and SURPAS in celebrating Spring with your fellow postdocs!

Postdocs, postdoc partners and families are welcome!

We’ve invited Comet Corn popcorn - a whole party in a bag, along with Tin Pot ice cream, churros in many flavors, and drinks provided by SURPAS.

Bring yourselves, your families, and celebrate spring with sweet treats, drinks, and fun for everyone!

Topic: Concept Maps - Practicing Effective Ways to Organize and Assess Student Knowledge

Required Readings:

Allen, D., & Tanner, K. (2003). Approaches to Cell Biology Teaching: Mapping the Journey - Concept Maps as Signposts of Developing Knowledge Structures. Cell Biology Education,2(3); pp. 133-136. doi: 10.1187/cbe.03-07-0033 -- LINK

Guest Speaker: Debra Rosenfeld, Assistant Director, Counseling and Resources Careers (BioSci Careers)

Topic: Neuroeducation - Can Neuroscience Inform Education?

Required Readings:

Devonshire, I. M., & Dommett, E. J. (2010). Neuroscience: Viable Applications in Education? Neuroscientist,16(4); pp. 349–356. doi: 10.1177/1073858410370900 -- LINK

Recommended Readings:

Topic: Students with Learning Disabilities in Higher Education

Required Readings:

Molina, V. M., Perera Rodríguez, V. H., Melero Aguilar, N. , Cotán Fernández, A. and Moriña, A. (2016). The Role of Lecturers and Inclusive Education. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs,16; pp. 1046-1049. doi:10.1111/1471-3802.12361 -- LINK

Guest Speaker(s): Tiffany Lieuw, Associate Director, Student Technology, VPTL and Susan Stephens, Professor, Classics

Topic: Trigger Warnings: A Discussion of the Culture of Safety in Higher Education

Required Reading:

Lukianoff, G., & Haidt, J. (2015). The coddling of the American mind. The Atlantic.-- LINK

Topic: Travails of Compulsory Attendance in Teaching and Learning: Why Do Students Skip Class?

Required Reading:

Fryer, L. K., Ginns, P., Howarth, M., Anderson, C., & Ozono, S. (2018). Individual differences and course attendance: why do students skip class?. Educational Psychology, 38(4), 470-486. -- LINK

Topic: Ethical Dilemmas in Teaching

Required Reading:

Gunnel Colnerud (2006) Teacher ethics as a research problem: syntheses achieved and new issues, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 12:3, 365-385, DOI:10.1080/13450600500467704 -- LINK

Recommended Reading: