WITS is the Chemistry Department's Teaching Circle - an informal, monthly, discussion amongst interested faculty, of current issues related to teaching Chemistry. The WITS program was initiated as a complement to the WINSS (Whats New in Science Seminar) program, which itself was designed to bring interested Chemistry faculty together to discuss current research in the department. WITS meets on the 2nd Monday of the Month (excepting August, December, and April), over lunch (liquid refreshments provided). In late Fall 2002, Chemistry Department graduate students interested in possible academic careers expressed interest in creating a WITS-like discussion group focused on their Professional Development needs and concerns. As part of that program, and if appropriate, at least one WITS per term will be organized around a topic of joint interest to faculty and future faculty, and open to both groups.

Academic Year 2003

Session	Date/Time	Location	Topic	Facilitator
31	July 14, 2003 12:00 noon to 1:00pm	Eberly Hall 325	Undergraduates Teaching Undergraduates Pay vs credit? How much or little do we ask the UTU's to do? Competition between grad instructors and UTUs: is it healthy?	George (5)
30	June 9, 2003 12:00 noon to 1:00pm	Eberly Hall 325	CQI - Continuous Quality Improvement - for Gen Chem Kogut, L.S., 1984, Quality Circles: A Japanese Management Technique for the Classroom. Improving College and University Teaching 32(3), 123-127.	Len (5)
29	May 12, 2003 12:00 noon to 1:00pm	Eberly Hall 325	Undergraduate Honors College + Chemistry = ?	Alec Stewart (8)
28	March 10, 2003 12:00 noon to 1:00pm	Eberly Hall 325	OEL and Other CAS Teaching/Learning Improvements	Associate Dean Patty Beeson (12+1)
27	February 10, 2003 12:00 noon to 1:00pm	Eberly Hall 325	Scientific Evaluation of: (i) Our Student's Understanding and (ii) Our Educational Experiments? Joint with the graduate student's SPICE Group. Evaluating Teaching Is Important, editorial in J. Chem. Ed., Feb. 2003. Tomorrow's Professor #448--Beyond Confusion: An Assessment Glossary. "Evaluating and Improving Undergraduate Teaching in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics", Committee on Recognizing, Evaluating, Rewarding, and Developing Excellence in Teaching of Undergraduate Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology, Marye Anne Fox and Norman Hackerman, Editors, National Research Council.	Steve (5+2+4)
26	January 13, 2003 12:00 noon to 1:00pm	Faculty/Staff Lounge, Room 245	Role of PChem in the Undergraduate Curriculum Posted in reponse to discussion at the Jan 13 meeting: Teaching with Molecular Modeling (CAChe Web site).	Pete S. (10)
25	November 11, 2002 12:00 noon to 1:00pm	Faculty/Staff Lounge, Room 245	Grading Policies at Pitt Curbing Grade Inflation (Tomorrow's Professor#444) The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation Grade INFLATION: Does Pitt have the problem others do? AAAS study finds clear evidence nationwide of inflated grades Harvard report details its own rising grade problem Provost Maher on grading at Pitt GRADE EXPECTATIONS: Students often have too high ... Reports of Grade Inflation May Be ..., Chronicle, July 12, 2002	Eric (6)
24	October 14, 2002 12:00 noon to 1:00pm	Faculty/Staff Lounge, Room 245	Can the Web Help Improve My Teaching A Surprising number of college students say they regularly use the Internet for academic purposes...[more]... Chronicle of Higher Ed, 9/27/02, p. A47. The Internet Goes to College: How students are living in the future with today’s technology, Pew Charitable Trusts' Pew Internet & Anmerican Life Project	George (11)
23	September 9, 2002 12:00 noon to 1:00pm	Faculty/Staff Lounge, Room 245	Factors that Impact the Level at Which a Course is Taught Pesterfield, Les L.; Henrickson, Charles H. Inorganic Chemistry at the Undergraduate Level: Are We All on the Same Page? J. Chem. Educ. 2001 78 677	Kay (12)

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Last Updated: 12/24/03