Faculty Lunch on Learning with John Johnson, Professor of Astronomy and Director of Graduate Studies.

Recreating the Culture of Science in the Classroom

How can you design a science course in which all students feel like they belong and that they have the capacity to succeed? How can you integrate a strong sense of ethics and accountability into your courses? How can you make your teaching both intentional and explicit? In an ideal world, science would be all of these things: communal, ethical, and transparent. Professor John Johnson will describe his approach to creating a positive culture of science in his introductory astronomy courses - which are centered around small group problem-solving activities - and the impact this has had on increasing diversity in the astronomy concentration.

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Faculty Lunch on Learning with Nicole Mills, Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures and Coordinator of the French language program.

Virtual reality: Fostering cultural understanding, empathy, and critical engagement in the language classroom

The integration of emerging technologies into foreign language learning and teaching can engage, motivate, empower, and optimize the language learning experience. They may offer new opportunities for interpersonal communication as well as more authentic immersion into the target culture(s)’ practices, products, and perspectives and offer direct connections to cultural sites and historical experiences. This presentation will describe the affordances of virtual reality in language learning. Parallels between developing effective virtual reality experiences and effective language and culture pedagogy will be highlighted. Participants will be provided with key principles and tips on developing interactive, engaging, and culturally rich lessons using virtual reality. 

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Faculty Lunch on Learning with Jane Kamensky, Professor of History and Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation Director of the Schlesinger Library.

The Research Paper and its Discontents

Is it time to retire the research paper? Professor Jane Kamensky will lead a discussion of the strengths and shortcomings of the undergraduate research paper, reflecting on the strategies she used in her lecture course on the American Revolution to get beyond the research paper, and sharing  examples and student feedback.

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Faculty Lunch on Learning in the Sciences and SEAS with Margo Seltzer, Herchel Smith Professor of Computer Science, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applies Sciences. 

Professor Seltzer's presentation will focus on Flipping at Scale: What happens when you take a 125-person introductory level course and flip it? Though still a work in progress, but after trying two different versions: a full-flip with...

Faculty Lunch on Learning in the Arts and Humanities with Ruth Lingford, Senior Lecturer on Visual and Environmental Studies.

Professor Lingford will discuss her experiences using hands- on animation techniques to help students think about science. 

Faculty Lunch on Learning in Social Science with Robert Sampson, Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences, Department of Sociology. 

Professor Sampson will share strategies that he uses in his Gen Ed course, “Reinventing (and Reimagining) Boston: The Changing American City,” to encourage civic responsibility, help students interpret and produce data on the diverse environments beyond the Harvard...

Faculty Lunch on Active Learning in the Social Science with Ann Blair, Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor, Department of History. 

Faculty Lunch on Active Learning in Sciences and SEAS with John Huth, Department of Physics. 

Faculty Lunch on Active Learning in the Arts and Humanities with Caroline Light, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Lecturer on Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, and Phyllis Thompson, Lecturer on Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality.