Teaching Excellence Series Begins Sept. 19

Date: 9/8/06
Contact: Claire C. Lamonica, CTLT, 438-7695, or cclamon@ilstu.edu

The Teaching Excellence Series, which includes events focusing on two professional development themes, will begin at Sept. 19 at the Instructional Technology and Development Center, 301 S. Main, on the Illinois State University campus. The series is offered by ISU's Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology (CTLT) and is free and open to anyone who teaches in the community.

The first series, "Group Assignment Design and Implementation," is designed for those who are already incorporating or are considering incorporating small group assignments into their teaching. Claire Lamonica, assistant director of CTLT, will facilitate. Sessions are as follows:

Sept. 19, 8:30-10:00: "The Challenges of Collaborative Assignments"

Oct. 3, 8:30-10:00: "Designing Collaborative Assignments"

Oct. 24, 8:30-10:00: "Sharing Collaborative Assignments"

Nov. 14, 8:30-10:00: "Collaborating on Collaboration: Moving Toward Scholarship of Teaching and Learning" (Kathleen McKinney, Cross Chair, will co-facilitate.)

The second series, "Becoming a Reflective Practitioner," is designed for those who wish to reflect on their own teaching practices. John Bantham, Management and Quantitative Methods, will facilitate. Sessions are as follows:

Sept. 20, 3:00-4:30: "Reflection in Theory and Practice"

Oct. 4, 3:00-4:00: "Action Plans for Reflective Practice"

Nov. 1, 3:00-4:00: "Sharing Reflective Practices"

Nov. 15, 3:00-4:30: "Reflecting on Reflecting Practices: Moving Toward Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (Kathleen McKinney will co-facilitate.)

In addition to the four interactive sessions that constitute each series, CTLT will offer support for individual work between sessions and access to a selection of pre-screened, scholarly resources.

It is important to note that while these events are offered in a series, each event also functions separately, so participants can choose to attend anywhere from a single event to all the events in both series. Faculty who attend three or more sessions in a single series will earn a Certificate of Teaching Excellence.

To celebrate the outcomes of these events, a closing reception will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The University community is invited.

All sessions and the reception will be held in the new CTLT Faculty Resource Center in the Instructional Technology and Development Center, 301 S. Main. (just north of Jimmy John's).

For more information about the Teaching Excellence Series, go to http://www.teachtech.ilstu.edu, call Claire Lamonica at 438-7695 or e-mail her at cclamon@ilstu.edu