New Faculty Programs and Resources

* Funded by the John P Ellbogen Foundation.

Teaching and Learning Seminar Series - Fall 2018*

All sessions are held in Coe Library 506 and a catered lunch is provided for sessions over the noon hour. Click here to register.

Wednesday, September 26th | 12:00-1:30 pm - Teaching Critical Thinking
In this workshop we will learn about a system for helping students to think critically, based on information for The Critical Thinking Initiative.

From The Critical Thinking Initiative website:
"All teachers are interested in improving their students' ability to think critically, yet while most textbooks discuss the topic, few offer real direction on how to accomplish this primary pedagogical goal. The Critical Thinking Initiative is far more successful in two regards: First, it grounds itself (for faculty) in contemporary research on critical thinking from fields such as composition, neuroscience, psychology, education, and others. Second, it translates that research into a pragmatic system that students and faculty in any field can put to immediate use for improving thinking skills." -- Gian Pagnucci, Ph.D., Chair of IUP Department of English, Distinguished University Professor, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Tuesday, October 16th | 12:00-1:30 pm - Working with International Students
As experts in our fields, creating meaningful and effective curriculum for non-experts can sometimes be challenging. When considering curriculum that engages international students as well, there are additional cultural and language considerations. A panel of international students and advisors will share insights, ideas and suggestions for creating an inclusive, engaging and effective course that welcomes international students and perspectives.

Tuesday, November 13th (rescheduled from November 8th) | 4:00-5:00 pm - The Race Between Education and Catastrophe
In 1920, H.G. Wells wrote: “Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.” Perhaps no other quote better sums up why teaching is so important, and why so many of us focus our lives on promoting education. In this talk, Dr. Jeff Bennett (CU Boulder) will discuss a few strategies, with examples, that can help us “win” this race by improving our teaching success at almost any level, and especially for the teaching of math and science. 

Dr. Bennett has developed many innovative strategies for teaching science to non-science majors and has written leading textbooks in both astronomy and astrobiology. As a result, he has spoken about strategies for teaching science to faculty at many colleges and universities, including the University of Kentucky, UCLA, San Diego State, Emory University, BYU-Idaho, SUNY-Stonybrook, Rice University, Charleston College, Indiana/Purdue, and many more.

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Tenure, Promotion, and Reappointment Session - Q&A Session

Wednesday, September 26th, 3:10-5:00 pm, Coe Library Room 506
The Office of Academic Affairs is hosting a drop-in Question and Answer session for any faculty member who has questions about the Tenure, Promotion, and Reappointment Process.

 

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New Faculty Book Bags*

Each year, the ECTL provides new faculty with book bags at new faculty orientation containing books on teaching and learning as well as some items that promote the center. This year's books are: Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning (Lang) and Assessing and Improving Your Teaching: Strategies and Rubrics for Faculty Growth and Student Learning (Blumberg).

Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning Cognitive psychologists, neuroscientists, and biologists all have produced a revealing body of research over the past several decades on how human beings learn, but often translating these findings into the classroom is overwhelming for busy instructors. Small Teaching bridges the gap between research and practice by providing a fully developed strategy for making deliberate, structured, and incremental steps towards tuning into how your students are hardwired to learn.

Assessing and Improving Your Teaching: Strategies and Rubrics for Faculty Growth and Student Learning This practical, evidence-based guide promotes excellence in teaching and improving student learning through self-reflection and self-assessment of one's teaching. Faculty developer Phyllis Blumberg starts by reviewing the current approaches to instructor evaluation and describes their inadequacies. She then presents a new model of assessing teaching that builds on a broader base of evidence and sources of support.

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New Faculty Consultations

As a new faculty member, you have a lot to think about and we are here to help you think about teaching. In Spring 2019, we invite new faculty to schedule a 15-minute consultation as you consider teaching methodologies, technology in the classroom, writing a syllabus, course design or anything else related to teaching and learning. Come with a question, thought or idea in mind, and we will think together with you. As a bonus, faculty who schedule one of these consultations will receive an additional book.  We will send an announcement out at the beginning of the spring semester with information about how to sign up for consultations. 

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New Faculty Peer Mentoring Groups*

This faculty learning community will help you develop valuable relationships with your peers as you continue to support one another throughout the year. Groups of 4-6 will meet regularly with dates and times determined by the group. If you are interested, fill out a form at New Faculty Orientation or email Janel Seeley (jseeley1@uwyo.edu) by Friday, August 31^st with the names and email addresses of group members, including one lead contact. We can also assign you to a group.

Additional Resources

The ECTL has a wealth of resources that promote “best-practice” pedagogies in support of the active pursuit of teaching and learning excellence. We encourage all instructors to browse our website for more information about the ECTL and the resources we make available to UW’s teaching community.

For more information, please contact Janel Seeley at: jseeley1@uwyo.edu or call (307) 766-4814.