Sharon M. Borowicz, Ph.D.
Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois
sborowicz@ben.edu
Modern organizations are continually turning to technology to maximize performance, expand into the global marketplace and to bring the best and brightest together to support product innovations. Virtual teams offer organizations low-cost, high-impact solutions to complex organizational problems. An estimated 8.4 million employees are members of corporate virtual teams. This is perhaps one of the largest, unprecedented changes that managers have faced in the last fifty years. Unfortunately, evidence increasingly suggests virtual teams fail more often than they succeed. This paper presents findings regarding trends in high-performing virtual teams in an MBA program, focusing on communication and how relationships are established in high-performing teams.
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by Dr. Salim M. Diab
Professor of Chemistry
University of St. Francis
Joliet, Illinois 60435
For many years, Organic Chemistry was taught as a body of chemical reactions with little or no conceptual connectivity. Professors and students alike struggle to make some sense out of literally tens of thousands of organic compounds within traditional classroom lectures.
This presentation will focus on the conceptual framework called “the seven pillars of organic chemistry”. I have used this approach for many years which led to a greater student comprehension and enjoyment of the subject matter. The approach is not intended to cover all the concepts needed for a second-year organic chemistry but rather to promote a teaching methodology that appeals to students and appears to be in harmony with many ideas concerning the teaching of organic chemistry. Hence, these seven pillars should serve as a vehicle for answering the most nagging questions in the synthesis and mechanisms of many organic reactions.
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by Joseph Gaziano and Laurette Liesen, Lewis University
This paper is an examination of student opinions about online classes. A questionnaire was administered to 168 students in the introductory class in political science and a sociology class. Students were given a 20 item inventory designed to rate online and traditional classes. The questionnaire also contained information about student demographics and learning styles. Both of these were correlated with student attitudes. The results show strong support for the classroom over online learning. The most favorable attitudes toward online classes were found among students who had taken three or more classes online. Demographic differences did not reach statistical significance suggesting that the newest generation of students do not have the same problems with computers that previous students encountered.
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by Tom Nachtrab and Nathan Dunlap, Elmhurst College
Textual analysis of student writing suggests that students conceive themselves as passive ‘knowers’ who are acted upon by generic forces in a uniform world of knowledge. Tentative implications for teaching include expecting students to take responsibility for building their own knowledge, and for dealing with the dimly-realized middle sphere of their social reality.
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by Kathy Sexton-Radek, Ph.D.
Dr. Sexton-Radek describes her presentation this way:
My presentation involves an examination of two methods of assignnments-posting to an online board or written/word processed as part of general course assignment. Literature in this area of pedagogy identifies both suportive and critical views of each method. Elements such as the style of writing, use of grammar and clarity of theme expressed have been presented in the literature. The comparison of two course levels (entry level and upper level courses) indicated some qualitative difference. This comparison represents more of a interesting exploration and a controlled study in this area would be considered the next step.
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In this presentation, Richard B. Schultz of Elmhurst College discusses the importance of learning styles in the online setting. Various learning styles assessment instruments are offered and a case study of an online introductory meteorology course, licensed through the American Meteorological Society (AMS), is presented as an example of how the learning style instruments are applied and used successfully to present scientific content and accommodate students with various learning styles.
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by Curtis Sartor, Judson University.
The premise of this paper, entitled “A Critique of Multicultural Art and Architecture Education from a Sustainable Afro-Centric Perspective”, is the adaptability and sustainability of Art and Architectural Education from a multicultural curriculum. From the author:
Specifically, we will narrow our critique to the African American culture in hopes of bringing awareness to the sustainability of a traditionally marginalized population. Our proposal highlights how properly designed art and architectural education programs can meet the specific requirements of an Afro-centric curriculum. The identified strategies can also be applied to other under-represented communities.
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In this presentation, Jonathan F. Lewis of Benedictine University describes a project designed to teach students cartography in a highly visual and intuitive way. The original idea for this presentation came from http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupDownloadFile.asp?file=60389&Groupid=5315.
Download the presentation here.
Tim Moran
Assistant Professor of Accounting
Aurora University
Doctoral Student in Adult and Higher Education
Northern Illinois University
This presentation offers a professional perspective emphasizing the importance of teaching cultural effectiveness to business students and challenging business educators to embrace short term study abroad programs as an effective alternative to traditional study abroad programs. In addition this presentation provides practical guidelines for business educators who wish to establish a short term study abroad program that is rich in content and utilizes sound principles of learning theory.
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Pamela M. Schwer
Associate Professor, Graham School of Management, Saint Xavier University
John E. Eber, Ed.D.
Dean and Professor, Graham School of Management, Saint Xavier University
This paper describes an exercise that has been highly effective in teaching basic cost concepts and cost/volume /profit relationships.
The exercise has been highly effective in both a classroom and a corporate training environment. The example deals with planning and cost analysis for a wedding. While the focus is on cost/volume/profit relationships, social and cultural norms play a part in identifying and analyzing variables.
The fact that all age groups have experience with weddings helps engage participants and further conceptual understanding of the CVP issues.
Participants identify costs, cost drivers, and volume based cost behavior patterns. Fixed and variable revenues and the concept of relevant range are demonstrated in a very concrete manner.
The example can be expanded to include issues related to product mix and sensitivity analysis. Quantitative goals can be break even, loss limits, or target profits. The key to making this an excellent learning experience is that all of the information and assumptions come form the group and everyone gets involved. Qualitative goals are easily addressed as the discussion unfolds.
Too often students and corporate learners lose the point in CVP analysis because they are dealing with artificial information about “widgets”. Simplicity and reality are the keys to learning.
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by Patricia L. Powell, Ph.D.
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, IL 60463
With Trinity Christian College students, Kelly Barnes, Betsy Dyk, Sarah Engbers, Kate McLaurin, Kimberly Monsma, and Jessica Slama
What do an adolescent self-esteem workshop for African-American girls, a food and clothing pantry, a Young Authors event in Montego Bay, Jamaica, an HIV/AIDS awareness brochure for a Chicago health care facility, an after school program for low income students, and an international student awareness survey have in common? Each was an idea, birthed in a passion that sprouted into a semester long service-learning project for six Honors students at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois.
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The purpose of this journal is to showcase the teaching styles and strategies of faculty at the schools of the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (ACCA). These faculty have or will present this work at the ACCA Symposium on Pedagogy, which is held each Fall. The ACCA Symposium on Pedagogy brings ACCA faculty together to share classroom experiences and effective approaches for improving the quality of their teaching.
The 2008 ACCA Symposium on Pedagogy will be held on Saturday, October 18, at Lewis University. If you are a faculty member from an ACCA school and would like to present at the 2008 ACCA Symposium on Pedagogy, please register by clicking here.
If you have already registered to present and would like to share a paper related to your presentation on this site, please email your paper to acca@lewisu.edu. The paper must be fully cited and adhere to the standards of your discipline. Papers may be submitted in .doc, .docx, or .pdf formats.
Feel free to comment on the papers posted on this site. This journal is meant to extend the exchange of ideas that occurs at the annual symposium. Sharing insights, experiences, and perspectives can help all of us improve what we offer our students.
