The Craf T RIGHTATTHECENTEROFITALL

OCTOBER 2015 The Craf T RIGHTATTHECENTEROFITALL We are t hrilled t o announce t hat t he Cent er f or Teachings new space is open! We are locat ed on t he 2nd f loor of dupont Library. Sewanee f acult y st af f have access at any t ime by swiping t heir Universit y ID at one of t he key card access point s. The space is perf ect f or quiet work or f or conversat ions wit h colleagues. We have a couch comf ort able chairs, cof f ee t ea always available, lot s of t ables chairs on wheels t hat can be reconf igured in various ways, many out let s f or your lapt ops. If you are int erest ed in reserving t he room f or a meet ing, simply cont act one of t he co-direct ors (Deon or Bet sy). Ot herwise, f eel f ree t o drop in during our BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch) hours f or collegial conversat ion, our Un-of f ice hours (f or quiet work like writ ing, research, or grading), or any t ime t here is not an event scheduled. For inf ormat ion about t he availabilit y of t he space, please check our Google Calendar HERE. We would like t o ext end a sincere " Thank You!" t o some of t he people who were inst rument al in t he development renovat ion of t his space. They include: John Swallow, Execut ive Vice-President Provost Terr y Papillon, Dean of t he College Vicki Sells, Associat e Provost f or Inf ormat ion Technology Ser vices Michael Ost rowski, Academic Technology Ser vices Michael Gardner, Direct or of Physical Pl ant Ser vices Mart y Hawkins, Physical Pl ant Ser vices The Cent er f or Teaching Task Force The Former Direct ors of t he Cent er f or Teaching

Ken Bain Visit s Campus! In conjunct ion wit h his visit t o discuss t he f irst-year st udent book, What the Best College Students Do, we will welcome aut hor Ken Bain t o campus. He will of f er t wo sessions f or f acult y t o discuss What the Best College Teachers Do. The f irst session will be on Tuesday, Sept ember 22nd f rom 4:30-5:30 pm (wit h light ref reshment s being served). The second session will be on Wednesday, Sept ember 23rd f rom 12:00-1:00 pm (lunch will be served; sign up f or lunch wit h Bet sy). These will be t wo ident ical sessions. We especially encourage our colleagues who part icipat ed in last semest ers book group ( t hose who didn't ) t o at t end! The Cent er f or Teaching is planning on having anot her book group t his year t o discuss What the Best College Teachers Do. So come by hear what t he aut hor's perspect ive is on t his excit ing t ext. Open House 20t h Anniversar y Celebrat ion! Please join us f or our of f icial open house 20t h anniversary celebrat ion f or t he Cent er f or Teaching on Friday, Sept. 25t h f rom 4:00-6:00 p.m. Enjoy drinks light ref reshment s as we celebrat e t he hist ory of t he Cf T t he opening of our new space. Prof essor Emerit us Sherwood Ebey, who f ounded t he Cent er in 1995, will be in at t endance along wit h ot her past direct ors. Please st op by visit f or as much or as lit t le t ime as youd like.

Bal ancing Teaching Research: A Discussion Our t each & t ell lunch series st art ed t his year wit h Balancing Teaching Research: A Discussion, led by Reinhard Zachau (German), Kelly Whit mer (Hist ory) Rob Bachman (Chemist ry). The session f ocused on t he art of balancing t eaching wit h t he pursuit of an act ive research agenda publishing. Panelist s addressed t he dif f erences in research approaches expect at ions in t heir part icular disciplines; t hey also f ocused on t heir own st rat egies f or balancing high qualit y t eaching wit h research. If you did not get a chance t o at t end, t he video f rom t his discussion is available HERE. Finally, in t he near f ut ure, Kelly will make anot her appearance t o speak on t his subject. Is Good Writ ing Universal Writ ing Across t he Curriculum A dozen f acult y f rom various disciplines part icipat ed in t he f irst of several event s we will co-sponsor wit h Writ ing Across t he Curriculum t his semest er. Virginia Craighill, Direct or of WAC, led us in a conversat ion on Thursday, Sept. 9 on t he t opic, "Is Good Writ ing Universal: How do we recognize it, more import ant ly, how do we t each it The next discussion wit h WAC will be at 4:30 pm on Thursday, Oct ober 22nd. As request ed by part icipant s of t he f irst session, t he t opic will be t iered assignment s. Please f eel f ree t o join us, even if you did not at t end t he f irst session. UPCOMINGCO- SPONSOREDEVENT On Tuesday, Sept ember 29t h f rom 12:30-1:30 pm, we will co-sponsor a discussion wit h Don Asher ent it led "Writ ing Great Let t ers of Recommendat ion". This event is in collaborat ion wit h Career & Leadership Development. Lunch will be provided! More inf ormat ion about t hese event s will be sent via email. As a reminder, t he Cent er f or Teaching is always happy t o co-sponsor event s relat ed t o t eaching.

Somet hing New! Facult y Learning Communit ies Team Obser ving Peers (TOP) Program Just a reminder, we are f acilit at ing t he f ormat ion of Facult y Learning Communit ies (FLCs) or discussion circles of 5-15 colleagues t hat are f ocused on specif ic issues. While we are beginning t o mat ch people wit h similar int erest s, as indicat ed on our recent programming poll, we are also happy t o help you put t oget her your own groups. When put t ing t oget her an FLC, t hese t wo quest ions should be considered: The Cent er f or Teaching is happy t o announce a new program f or f acult y development. The Team Observing Peers (TOP) program enables f acult y members t o learn f rom each ot her t hrough mut ual observat ion. The goal is t o gain new ideas, st rat egies, t echniques f or classroom t eaching t o share goals common concerns. This program is f ormat ive, not evaluat ive; it is an avenue f or f acult y development. It will not be a part of anyones t enure or promot ion review process. In short, t eams of t hree f acult y members will be creat ed based on similar disciplines t eaching st yles/ met hods. Each of t he t eam members will visit each ot her's classrooms t o provide const ruct ive ef f ect ive f eedback on t he classroom experience. Mat erials t o f acilit at e t he classroom observat ions f eedback sessions will be provided. There will be approximat ely six t eams in t he f all semest er. We will have anot her round of t eams f ormed in t he spring semest er, so if you didn't get a chance t o join a t eam t his semest er, you will have anot her chance. What t eaching (or campus) issues are you passionat e about What issues would you like t o know more about Then, you f ind a hf ul of ot her int erest ed colleagues, let Bet sy know. For inst ance, an FLC has f ormed about beginning language inst ruct ion, an idea t hat came out of conversat ions shared f rust rat ions in t he hallways of Gailor. Bet sy can help you f ind mat erials t o read ot her resources if desired. The Cent er will provide t he space, cof f ee/ t ea, snacks t o f acilit at e your discussions. We assume FLCs will meet every f ew weeks, but it will be up t o each group t o det ermine what works best f or t hem. If you would like t o lead an FLC on a cert ain t opic, just drop Bet sy a line.

OUTSIDETHEGATES upcoming oppor t unit ies The Teaching Prof essor Technology Conf erence Oct ober 2-4, 2015 New Orleans, LA At The Teaching Prof essor Technology Conf erence, you'll t ake a close look at t he diverse t echnologies t hat are inf luencing t he ways t eachers t each st udent s learn t oday, at t he same t ime, discover pedagogically ef f ect ive ways t o int egrat e t hese new t echnologies in your courses on your campus. At t his t hree-day conf erence, Oct ober 2-4, 2015, you'll join f acult y, inst ruct ional designers, f acult y developers, educat ional t echnology leaders, ot her higher educat ion prof essionals curious about new ways t hat t echnology is alt ering t he learning environment. The 2015 Teaching Prof essor Technology Conf erence will include sessions on: - Facult y Development Course Design Legal Issues Policy Grading Feedback St udent Engagement Cont ent Delivery Global Learning in College Oct ober 8-10, 2015 Fort Lauderdale, FL The f oods we eat, t he product s we buy, t he medicines medical procedures we use, t he energy resources t echnologies t hat guard our healt h saf et y bring us comf ort, are art if act s of t he int erconnect ed syst ems t hat link people, places, t hings around t he globe. The new underst ings t hat we gain f rom living learning wit h t hose who are unlike us are essent ial f or f lourishing in t his int erconnect ed environment. But embedded in t hese same syst ems are deep enduring risks conf lict s t hat resist resolut ion, public healt h issues t hat def y cont ainment, environment al degradat ion t hat af f ect s our qualit y of lif e at home, at work, in local, nat ional, int ernat ional arenas. As diverse peoples, cult ures, religions, ideas move around t he world, - How are colleges universit ies preparing st udent s to meaningf ully const ruct ively underst engage dif f erence - How can new educat ional research f ost er great er appreciat ion f or t he prof ound nat ure complexit ies of ident it y including how deeply root ed in cult ure, religion, power, privilege, place ones sense of ident it y can be - How can syst ems t hinking help us bet t er underst global int erdependencies more ef f ect ively navigat e a complex world - How are educat ors collaborat ing across disciplines, campuses, communit ies t o seize global learning t o invest igat e t he world f rom mult iple perspect ives t o share knowledge in ways t hat more ef f ect ively prepare st udent s t o address real-world issues make t he world a bet t er place f or all Ready t o Learn: How t o Get Your St udent s t o Come t o Cl ass Prepared Oct ober 23, 2015 At lant a, GA Get t ing st udent s t o come t o class prepared is a const ant bat t le. Exasperat ed inst ruct ors of t en f all int o t he t rap of using valuable class t ime t o summarize key point s of t he readings, inst ead of get t ing st udent s t o apply, analyze, examine what t hey learned. It s t ime f or a new approach. In t his one-day workshop, you'll learn how you can get your st udent s t o come t o class prepared t hrough a unique course design. Af t er t his workshop, youll be able t o: - Design a course using an int eract ive t eaching model in which st udent s come t o class prepared class t ime is used f or higher-level t hinking skill development. - Writ e class preparat ion assignment s t o guide st udent s in t heir readings t o inf orm st imulat e class discussion. - Design a def init ional grading syst em f or any course (one of t he cat egories should be class preparat ion). - Avoid t he common pit f alls of using class preparat ion assignment s. - Incorporat e st udent writ ing assignment s wit hout creat ing a heavy grading burden. - Design an int eract ive course t hat allows space t ime f or st udent voices shows respect f or st udent sint ellect ual abilit ies

An Updat e on Our Funding Opport unit ies The Cent er f or Teaching receives an annual budget t o f und project s t hat are f ocused on enhancing t he qualit y of t eaching at t he Universit y. Our grant s program is divided int o t wo cat egories: - Mini-grant s (less t han $500) - Grant s (less t han $3000) MINI-GRANTS Mini-grants should be used for an activity directly related to a class you are teaching. Examples of what the mini-grants can support include the following: - honoraria for guest presenters, - food travel expenses for off-campus class visits (e.g., travel to an exhibit, performance, or site), - classroom materials that may not be covered by regular departmental funds. Mini-grants are reviewed on a rolling basis by the co-directors of the Center for Teaching. All University faculty are eligible. Preference will be given to those who have not received past grants for new course offerings. Only one application per faculty member per semester. GRANTS Grant s are geared t owards project s t hat promise a long-t erm impact on t eaching learning. Our f unding priorit ies are: - Support ing pedagogical development t eaching innovat ions. - Developing or signif icant ly enhancing t eaching or courses which [a] connect f acult ys research, writ ing, or creat ive expression more closely t o t eaching, or [b] meet pressing curricular needs. - Prof essional enhancement or programs t hat cont ribut e t o ef f ect ive t eaching. - Signif icant course development or revision act ivit ies ot her t han t hose list ed above. In general, Cent er f or Teaching f unds will not be used f or mat erials or project s which are more appropriat ely support ed by ot her Universit y budget s (e.g., Research Grant s, depart ment al budget s). In addit ion, we cannot f und equipment purchases, make any individual awards t hat exceed $3000 (approximat ely 10% of our f iscal year budget ), support an individual's progress t oward an advanced degree, or provide f urt her support f or awardees who do not f ile f inal report s. For work t o be carried out during t he remainder of t he 2015-2016 academic year (i.e., prior t o Commencement 2016), applicat ions must be received by Friday, November 6, 2015. For work t o be carried out in t he summer of 2016 or during t he 2016-2017 academic year, applicat ions must be received by Tuesday, Februar y 16, 2016. Only one application per faculty member per semester. Innovation grants are reviewed post-deadline by the Advisory Board (Rae Manacsa, Tam Parker, Emily Puckette, Heidi Syler, Jeff Thompson, Jordan Troisi).

THEADVISORYBOARD what do t hey do f or t hecent er The Cent er f or Teaching Advisory Board f or t he 2015-2016 academic year has been est ablished. The f ollowing f acult y st af f are on t he Advisory Board: Board Member Af f iliat ion Rank Term Lengt h Tam Parker Religion Full 1 year Jef f Thompson Art Art Hist ory Associat e 2 years Heidi Syler Library ITS Rae Manacsa Polit ics Associat e 4 years Jordan Troisi Psychology Assist ant 5 years Emily Pucket t e Mat hemat ics CS Full 5 years Assist wit h programming ideas implement at ion Assessment of programming St rat egic planning Budget ary planning Grant proposal review Serve as a liaison bet ween t he Cent er his/ her home allied depart ment (s) program(s) The Advisory Board meet s bi-weekly t o discuss t he af orement ioned t opics, as well as ot her areas pert inent t o t he running of t he Cent er. Please f eel f ree t o cont act any member of t he Advisory Board wit h any quest ions or concerns about t he Cent er f or Teaching. bet sy sl in Co-Direct or, Cf T Associat e Prof essor, Spanish bslin@sewanee.edu DEONMILES Co-Direct or, Cf T Prof essor, Chemist ry dmiles@sewanee.edu JEFF THOMPSON HEIDI SYLER RAE MANACSA JORDAN TROISI EMILY PUCKETTE 3 years The Advisory Board has t he f ollowing responsibilit ies: - TAM PARKER OURWEBSITEANDCALENDAR! The Cent er f or Teaching has a websit e a Google Calendar. We are ver y grat ef ul t o Denise Davis Walker Adams f or t heir assist ance. www.sewanee.edu/ of f ices/ cent er-f or-t eaching/ Please t ake a look, let us know if you have any suggest ions. Keep checking back f or new cont ent updat es! CENTER FOR TEACHING GOOGLE CALENDAR Phot o Credit s: Phot o by Ken Bain. Phot o f rom Amazon.com.