Announcements

Postpartum Depression Study
Roseanne Clark, Medical School, is conducting a National Institute of Mental Health-funded study comparing two therapeutic treatments for mothers with major depression during the postpartum period.

Major depression occurs in 10 to 15 percent of women during the first months following the birth of a baby. Symptoms include:

sad or depressed mood
decreased interest or pleasure in nearly all activities
difficulty falling or staying asleep
feelings of guilt or worthlessness
trouble concentrating
loss of energy
irritability or worry
feeling overwhelmed
concerns about your ability to care for or bond with your baby
thoughts of harming yourself or your baby

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions: Mother-Infant Therapy Group or Individual Interpersonal Psychotherapy. This study will examine which method is most effective for different women. Treatment is provided at no cost.

For information, contact Kathleen Hipke, program coordinator, at 263-5000 or visit http://ppd.psychiatry.wisc.edu.

Teaching Academy Accepting Nominations for Fellows
The Teaching Academy is seeking nominations to select scholar-teachers as fellows at UW–Madison. Fellowship in the Teaching Academy is an honor and an opportunity to become involved in the dynamic teaching and learning programming that occurs on campus.

Nominees may be any faculty or academic staff who are involved in teaching. Nominees should be outstanding educators who are concerned about teaching and enriching the learning environment. The academy welcomes individuals who have demonstrated excellence through classroom innovation, program development, grant funding, publications, presentations or committee work related to teaching or learning.

Nominations of persons to be Teaching Academy fellows in recognition of their excellence, and for participation in a spirited forum for discussion, debate and enhancement of teaching are welcomed. Individuals are encouraged to nominate themselves as well as their colleagues. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, Feb. 20. For information and nomination materials, visit the Teaching Academy Web site at http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/teaching-academy/ or contact Mary Jae Paul, Teaching Academy project assistant, mpaul@bascom.wisc.edu.

Summer Institute on Teaching and Learning Call for Applications
The Teaching Academy announces the fifth Summer Institute on Teaching and Learning, a four-day experience in faculty development and curriculum innovation. The institute will be held June 7-10 at the Saint Benedict Center in Middleton. The institute will offer faculty and instructional staff the opportunity to:

design a new course, either individually or collaboratively taught; or
rethink and redesign an existing course; and
reflect on teaching goals and methods through conversation with others.

Approximately 25 faculty members and/or instructional staff will be selected to participate in the institute, which will offer an opportunity for professional reflection and renewal in a collegial atmosphere. A team of five UW–Madison faculty/instructional staff who can provide skills and resources on teaching and learning will serve as facilitators.

The program will provide an environment in which faculty and instructional staff can reflect upon and revitalize their teaching, redesign the structure and content of their courses, and engage in conversations relevant to their concerns as educators and to the broader issues affecting higher education today. Large group sessions focused on specific aspects of course design, such as setting goals, selecting content, lecturing, leading discussion, using class time, evaluating students and evaluating the course, will be involved. Some sessions will focus on topics selected by the participants. Small group sessions, occurring at least twice per day, will focus on projects that participants bring to the institute. Each day will include some discretionary time. The focus of the institute is on instructional design and goals, and teaching and learning; it is not intended to provide training in the use of specific instructional technologies.

Interested persons are invited to submit a one-page (two-sided, if needed) proposal describing:

what you would like to accomplish, such as the revision of an existing course or the creation of a new course;
how you and/or your program or department will benefit from your involvement;
what resources you will need during the institute to accomplish your goal(s);
a separate statement of financial needs for course development (only if you are applying for a financial award).

The proposal must include a cover sheet containing name and title, department or program, and campus address, phone and e-mail.

Faculty and instructional staff who are new to teaching are especially encouraged to apply. Proposals from disciplinary or interdisciplinary teaching teams are welcome.

Each person selected to participate will be eligible to apply for awards of up to $800 to facilitate the implementation of the participant’s project through the purchase of relevant educational materials and/or services. To apply, include a separate statement outlining the financial needs of your new course with your application materials. The applications for financial awards will be reviewed once the participants have been selected.

Electronic applications will be accepted through 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 12. Early applications are encouraged. Applications should be submitted, via e-mail, to mpaul@bascom.wisc.edu.

For information and application materials, visit the Teaching Academy Summer Institute Web site: http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/teaching-academy/TASI/TASIindex.html or contact Mary Jae Paul, Summer Institute program coordinator, mpaul@bascom.wisc.edu. For additional information, contact Sandra Courter, institute director, 265-9767, courter@engr.wisc.edu.

Workshop Series: Creating Valid and Reliable Classroom Tests
Creating Valid and Reliable Classroom Tests is a four-week workshop developed by the Department of Testing and Evaluation Services in conjunction with the UW Teaching Academy to introduce essential information and skills necessary for writing high-quality classroom exams.

The workshop series will begin with a general introduction to educational measurement and testing, including discussions of reliability, validity, criterion-referenced vs.orm-referenced testing, test security, group vs. individual assignments, computerized testing and how to determine what material should be tested. The second session will concentrate on rules for writing multiple-choice items, including a discussion of common test-taking strategies and ways to write multiple-choice items so that such strategies are ineffective. The third session will focus on guidelines for writing constructed-response items, such as essay questions. Careful attention will be placed on rules for scoring constructed-response items in meaningful and consistent ways. The last session will emphasize the importance of evaluating the test and using test data to improve the items and future item development. This session will concentrate heavily on teaching participants how to read and interpret item analyses. The workshop series will include many practical examples and will offer participants the opportunity to write and revise multiple-choice and essay items, score essay items, review item analyses and participate in hands-on exercises.

The workshop, led by educational testing and measurement experts James Wollack, John Siegler, Taehoon Kang and Craig Wells from the Department of Testing and Evaluation Services, will meet four consecutive Tuesday afternoons from 2:30-4 p.m., Feb. 3 through Feb. 24, in the Tong Auditorium, Room 1003 Engineering Centers Building. To register for the workshop, contact Mary Jae Paul, Teaching Academy project assistant, mpaul@bascom.wisc.edu.

Teaching Academy Accepting Nominations for Future Faculty Partners
The nomination process is under way to become a future faculty partner of the Teaching Academy. Anyone with a continuing academic connection to UW–Madison who is engaged in graduate or professional study for a career in higher-education teaching (such as graduate students, teaching assistants, medical and veterinary residents and post-doctoral fellows) is eligible to be nominated. Future faculty partners enjoy the following opportunities:

To talk about teaching in a research-oriented environment;
To interact with graduate students across the sciences, social sciences and the humanities;
To learn from and discuss ideas with some of the most accomplished instructors on campus;
To discuss challenges that college instructors face and get feedback from others who face similar challenges;
To get practical advice on topics like designing courses, collaborating with another instructor on courses, assessment techniques, dealing with large classroom sizes, incorporating discussion in the classroom and applying for jobs at universities;
To help fellow TAs and improve the TA experience on campus; and
To document their commitment to teaching through fellowship in an organization devoted to teaching and learning.

Nominees should have a deep interest in and commitment to higher-education teaching and should be willing to commit to one year (preferably two years) of involvement. Future faculty partners meet once a month to discuss a topic relevant to higher-education teaching. They have guest speakers, participate in workshops, and discuss a variety of topics such as TA training, writing a teaching philosophy, writing a good syllabus and interviewing for higher-education jobs. They have recently begun creating a Web site that will act as a resource for other TAs on campus,. Monthly FFP meetings will serve as idea generators for new topics being to include in the Web site.

Completed nominations are due on Friday, March 5. For information and nomination materials, visit the Teaching Academy Web site at http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/teaching-academy/ or contact Mary Jae Paul, Teaching Academy project assistant, mpaul@bascom.wisc.edu.

Swim Stroke Analysis Offered
The UW Health Sports Medicine Center offers swim-stroke analysis to provide the tools needed to improve efficiency, prevent injuries and gain speed. The analysis is designed for advanced swimmers who want to make their strokes faster and is helpful for those training a sprint distance, Olympic distance or the Ironman distance triathlon.

Analysis sessions last one hour. Strokes are videotaped and analyzed. Corrective swim drills are given, along with a VHS copy and written analysis of your stroke. The written analysis consists of mechanical strengths and weaknesses, along with still photos of what is being described.

For individuals who would like additional technique work, the Sports Medicine Center also offers technique/swim lessons. Call Mark at 265-8350 to schedule appointments for both swim stroke analysis and private lessons.

Lectures Committee
The Lectures Committee is soliciting applications from departments, academic programs and registered student organizations for support of public lectures to be held during the 2003-04 academic year. As stated in Faculty Policies and Procedures, the function of the committee is to consider “requests for lectures of general interest that are not primarily supplementary to or extensions of programs of instruction provided by colleges, schools or departments.”

Potential applicants should read the document “Policies and Guidelines for Requesting Lectures Committee Support.” To be considered by the committee, applications must conform to specifications in this document and must be submitted on current (2003-04) forms. For the document and the support request form, visit: http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/secfac/lectures/lectcomm/General.htm. For paper copies, call 262-3956.

The committee will review new applications once each month. Refer to the schedule below for application deadlines. These dates are the latest date by which an application can be submitted for consideration; the committee urges applicants to submit applications well in advance of the deadline dates. When requesting support for an international speaker, additional preparation time may be needed to allow sufficient time for the visa application process.

Applications will be accepted as long as funds are available. For information, contact Joe Farrenkopf, farrenkopf@mail.bascom.wisc.edu, 262-3956.

For lecture date	Application deadline
April 1	Feb. 15
May 1	March 15
June 1	April 15

Radfest 2004 Call for Proposals
The Havens Center is accepting proposals for workshops and panels for RadFest 2004: Midwest Social Forum, June 4-6, an annual weekend conference organized by the A.E. Havens Center for the Study of Social Structure and Social Change. RadFest enables progressive activists and academics to come together to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern, strengthen networks, and devise strategies for progressive social, economic and political change. For a description of last year’s program, visit http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/havenscenter.

To propose a workshop or panel, submit a title and short description, the names and institutional affiliations of the proposed workshop or panel participants, as well as your own name, institutional affiliation and contact information. Subject matter should be timely, relevant and likely to interest progressive activists and academics. Send proposals or ideas to Patrick Barrett, havensce@ssc.wisc.edu or Havens Center, 8221 Social Science.

Stop-Smoking Medication Tested
The Medical School’s Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention is testing an investigational stop- smoking medication and is looking for smokers in the Madison area who want to quit. Approximately 100 people are being recruited to participate in the research study.

Participating smokers will receive individual counseling and may receive the experimental stop-smoking medication. Likely participants are daily smokers who want to quit, are 18 or older, and will follow the treatment procedures. They will be asked to attend several sessions at the CTRI clinic and then participate in follow up for seven months. Participants will receive a small payment to cover the time and expense of making clinic visits.

To volunteer, call (877) END-CIGS (363-2447) toll-free. The study is being conducted at CTRI offices at 1930 Monroe St., Suite 200.

Psychology Study Needs Participants
A study of cognitive and emotional functioning in adults between the ages of 25 and 60 is being conducted in the PATHS Lab at the psychology department. This study explores the ways in which individual differences in personality factors, such as impulsiveness and sociability, affect performance on behavioral tasks.

Participation involves completing questionnaires, performing computerized tasks and undergoing a confidential interview. A brief phone screening is required. Testing, which involves one session of two and a half to three hours, can take place evenings or weekends. Qualifying participants receive $35. Information: Christie Matts, 263-2791 or cwmatts@wisc.edu.

Seasonal Affective Disorder Study
John Marshall is recruiting men and women to participate in a medication research study for the prevention of seasonal affective disorder. Study participation involves visiting the clinic and taking the study medication on a daily basis. Symptoms are:

Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day
Decreased interest or pleasure in nearly all activities
Change in appetite or weight
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Fatigue or loss of energy
Feeling worthless or guilty nearly every day
Trouble concentrating or remembering, or being indecisive

These symptoms are present during the fall and/or winter months and come back every year around the same time. All study procedures are provided at no cost. Travel reimbursement is available. For information, visit http://www.psychiatry.wisc.edu/research/clinicaltrials.htm or contact Heather Botts at hlbotts@facstaff.wisc.edu.

Waisman Center Language Research Needs Participants
The Waisman Center is seeking individuals with cognitive disabilities that meet the following criteria: between the ages of 12 and 20; with a mild to moderate cognitive disability, whose cognitive disability is of unknown origin, not associated with Down syndrome, autistic spectrum disorder, fragile X syndrome, cerebral palsy or fetal alcohol syndrome; and who use spoken English to communicate.

Participation will involve one two-to-three hour visit to the Waisman Center, Monday through Saturday. Individuals will participate in activities that explore vocabulary, language, storytelling, memory and problem-solving. Families are paid $30 for their participation. Information: Heidi Sindberg, 263-1511 or sindberg@waisman.wisc.edu.

Caregivers Assessment Survey
The Center for Health Systems Research and Analysis is researching family caregiver needs during the course of cancer illness. Results will help develop a non-commercial, university-based computer information and support system. Individuals 18 or older who are or were the main people assisting in care and support of loved ones with cancer can participate. A one-time mailed survey is involved; it takes less than one hour to complete. Participants receive a reimbursement of $20. For information or to participate: 262-8441 or (866) STUDY-60; http://chess.chsra.wisc.edu/Chess/.