Upcoming Events

This calendar displays open events that are relevant to the Caltech Project for Effective Teaching (CPET) and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach (CTLO) at Caltech.

Additional information, such as the location and description of an event, can be viewed by clicking on the event. 

The CPET Programs calendar can be added to your gmail account by clicking the "Google Calendar" link in the bottom right-hand corner. This will allow you to see up-to-date events through your own gmail account! 

Research Engagement: The Key to Transforming Laboratory Education in STEM

Dr. Erin Sanders (UCLA)
Thursday, June 15th, 11:00AM, Noyes 147

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) and apprentice-based research experiences (AREs) represent inclusive, student-centered instructional strategies that engage large numbers of students in authentic research. Come and learn about a laboratory curriculum that was created as a framework for immersing Life Science students into an assortment of CUREs and AREs, wide-ranging enough to accommodate the diverse research interests of over 250 undergraduates per year, yet tailored to the unique motivations and competencies of individual students. Assessment of this curriculum indicates that both CUREs and AREs promote student learning and inspire student interest in biology.  

Dr. Amanda Holton (UC Irvine)
Monday, June 5th, 11:AM, BBB B180

Flipped classrooms offer many unique opportunities.  In this seminar, Amanda will share her experience flipping large classes (300+), describing technological solutions for pre-work accountability and in-class participation, as well as suggestions for those just starting out. Quantitative and qualitative results of both fully flipped and partially flipped classroom implementations will be discussed. These will include quantitative discussions on learning outcomes, motivation, perceived class quality and a qualitative analysis of students opinions.  All studies were done with direct comparison to control classrooms, taught by the same instructor, with isomorphic exams. Results were compared in authentic long term settings.

Bailey Farrell (Ransom Everglades School)
Monday, February 13th, 11:00AM, CTLO

After graduating from Stanford University with a BS in Chemistry in 2013, Ms. Bailey Farrell began her career as a high school chemistry teacher at an underserved high school in The Bronx as Teach for America corps member. Currently, she is teaching in Miami, FL at Ransom Everglades School, a nationally-ranked private day school.In this CPET seminar, Ms. Farrell will share her experiences in these two vastly different environments and provide insights on how to be an effective educator and make a meaningful impact in any context.

Professor Amy Vollmer (Swarthmore) 
Monday, January 30, 3:00pm, Crellin 151

Dr. Amy Vollmer is a Professor of Biology at Swarthmore College, where she was recently Chair of the Department of Biology. Professor Vollmer studies prokaryotes in her research group, and she committed to increasing awareness about the contributions of bacteria and archaea to the history of the earth and their impact on humans. In the classroom and the laboratory, she engages students in active learning activities and turns teaching difficulties into learning opportunities to address the needs of her students. Please join us for an informal Discussion and Q&A with Professor Vollmer. Coffee and refreshments will be provided!

Grant Hosford and Joe Shochet (Co-Founders of codeSpark)
Tuesday, November 29, 11:00 am, Noyes 153

In this CPET seminar, codeSpark co-founders Grant Hosford and Joe Shochet will introduce us to the world of learning gamification. codeSpark's first game, The Foos, teaches young children about computer science concepts by allowing them to program characters in a virtual world. The game is self-directed and the interface is 100% visual so anyone, anywhere can play. Thus far, over 4.5 million kids in 201 countries have played The Foos! Most recently, The Foos won the American Association of School Librarians' 2016 Best App for Learning and Teaching. 

Mr. Hosford and Mr. Schochet founded codeSpark in 2014 because they believe all kids are natural builders, and programming is one of the most rewarding and powerful ways to build. Their goal is to teach all kids programming everywhere by igniting interest in computer science and turning programming into play. The codeSpark team is based here in Pasadena at IdeaLab, and their work has already been featured in The Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, and The Washington Post.