Basic Info About the Teaching and Learning Center
What We Do
- Mission
- Policy on Technology and Pedagogical
- Travel Grants
- Workshops Offered
- Awards
- Leahy Award
- Bright Idea
- Call for Nominations for Adjunct and Part-Time Faculty Awards
Grant Money Available for Educational, Travel, Instructional Technology , Innovations , Learning-Centered Teaching
Grants for Part-time, adjunct University of the Sciences faculty
- In an attempt to recognize and support long-standing adjunct and part- time USciences faculty, these instructors are now eligible to receive a travel grant from the Teaching and Learning Center provided they meet these special requirements (in addition to all that apply to full time faculty):
- The adjunct or part time faculty should have taught at USciences for at least the past three years and should be considered a likely candidate for continued employment.
- The department chair or program director will write a brief letter to support the travel grant. Included in this letter should be a description of the faculty’s roles in the department, overall teaching evaluations and why the director or chair supports this grant application.
- As is the case with full time faculty, an adjunct or part time faculty member who receives a travel award must share what (s)he has learned from attending the conference with the USciences campus at large. This person may be asked to present at a TableTalk discussion, a workshop for all faculty or a special workshop intended for adjunct or part time faculty or some other venue.
- All other aspects to the application and grant are the same as with full time University faculty
Teaching Learning grants of up to $500.00 will be available
for:
full time faculty
- attendance at a conference that focuses on teaching and learning
- the costs of learning about or integrating technology or other innovations into your courses (The money need not be spent at conferences. Grant money can also be spent on software or educational resources to be used by students.)
- a travel grant may also be used to visit another campus to observe learning-centered teaching, talk to faculty and students (The money also may be used to bring someone to USciences.)
Application Procedures
Please send electronically, to Mary Rafferty, m.raffer@usciences.edu, a one to two page letter of application describing each of the following points.
- The activity or resource that you wish considered for funding.
- The specific ways in which this activity or resource will enhance the teaching will enhance the teaching and learning process in your course(s).
- Amount of money requested.
- Specific plans for sharing with members of your department or other University faculty members the ideas and/or information that result from your participation in this activity.
- Your rank and status in the department concerning tenure; non-tenure faculty on tenure-track appointment.
Grant applications will be reviewed by the Teaching and Learning Center Advisory Committee, composed of your colleagues from across the University. Awards will be made on a rolling basis in accordance with the fiscal year cycle. Faculty may only receive 1 award per fiscal year of 500.00, which includes registration for conferences, etc.. Preference is given to non-tenure tract faculty, and faculty below the ranks of Associate Professor.
Workshops Offered
The Teaching and Learning Center is happy to offer workshops for your full time, part time or adjunct faculty, other groups of faculty, cross-disciplinary special interest groups (i.e., new faculty) and graduate teaching assistants. These workshops can be adapted to fit your purposes and can vary in length. We can develop new ones at your request, either using internal expertise or relying on external consultants. Please suggest additional topics for new workshops.
For more information on offering a workshop for your faculty, please contact Phyllis Blumberg, Director of the Teaching Learning Center, X 1167, or email: p.blumbe@usciences.edu
Sample Topics for Workshops that are currently available:
(for those workshops that have been given recently, a summary is
available, along with who participants were)
- Active Learning, increasing student participation in your classes
- Educational Program Evaluation
- Why should we conduct program evaluations
- How to start program evaluations
- An educational program evaluation framework
- Effective small group leadership
- Establishing a positive classroom climate - summary available
- Evaluating students on more than just their factual knowledge
- Getting started in your professional writing
- Giving constructive feedback to students -summary available
- Giving laboratory presentations to orient students for lab set-ups of apparatus - summary available
- How students learn: learning styles- summary available
- How to observe and respond to common student behaviors in the lab - summary available
- Identifying Multiple Outcomes for Educational Programs
- Making effective presentations
- Matching expected outcomes of our graduates to instruction and student evaluation
- Preparing our students to be life-long learners
- Problem-based learning
- Introduction to Problem-based learning - summary available
- Planning and implementing a problem-based learning course or program
- Self-directed learning
- Student assessment alternatives and techniques
- Time management
- Using electronic media effectively in your courses
The Center has many resources on these and other topics.
The Director is also available for individual consultation.
Awards
Call for Nominations for Adjunct and Part-Time Faculty Awards
Students, faculty members, or chairs may make nominations. Awards are made on an annual basis and if an adjunct faculty was nominated during the fall semester, that nomination is still being considered. Nominations should describe the person's
- Enthusiasm for teaching/content
- Organization/presentation
- Motivation/currentness
- Impact
- Accessibility
The list of eligible faculty and the submission form may be obtained from the Teaching and Learning Center and also on website called award
- Leahy Award
- Bright Idea