at Armstrong Atlantic State University
The old Faculty Colloquia listserv has
been converted to the Scholarship of Teaching Round Table listserv. All members are
encouraged to subscribe at the following link: http://mailman.armstrong.edu/mailman/listinfo/
faculty-colloquia
The Round Table's second meeting was Wednesday, October 17, 2001, at noon in the Faculty Dining Room. The emphasis of this meeting was active learning strategies, revolving around Donna Qualters's "Do Students Want to be Active?" from Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. About twenty faculty attended the meeting, and the discussion of active learning was lively. Some members pointed out the problem of helping students to see the benefit of active learning strategies, especially since many students have come from mostly passive educational environments. Since active learning is a new concept to many students, faculty must not only incorporate active learning strategies into their courses; they must also explain to students the reasons behind such strategies and help students realize the benefits active learning will have not only in their current courses but future courses and eventual professional experiences. Faculty also discussed the issue of depth versus breadth in covering course content and the notion that active learning does not preclude coverage of factual knowledge; in fact, active learning facilitates simultaneous coverage of factual knowledge and application of concepts.
On November 13, 2001, the Round Table will welcome Professor Jane Barnard, from Armstrong's Department of Mathematics. A Regents' Distinguished Professor, Barnard will discuss her experiences in that role as well as her current scholarship of teaching activities. The meeting will be in the Faculty Dining Room. Lunch will be served.
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The December meeting of the Round Table will be an informal
gathering at Dr. Nancy Remler's house on Wednesday, December 12, 2001 at 5:00 p.m.
Round table members will receive invitations and maps soon. The event will
include a covered dish dinner. Also, round table subgroups
will report on the goals they have set for their scholarship of teaching activities.
Those members who have not joined subgroups are encouraged to do so by contacting Nancy Remler by e-mail or at extension 5568.
We've enjoyed some tasty meals at our round table meetings. Now recipes from those lunches are available via our web site! Browse these recipes and try them at home.
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To promote and support scholarship of teaching activities on Armstrong's campus
To provide peer review and feedback on scholarship of teaching projects
To support faculty in their efforts to balance teaching and scholarship responsibilities
To foster interdisciplinary collaboration and collegiality
At the first round table meeting, members proposed the following criterion for scholarship of teaching activities:
It requires the intent to enhance teaching and learning.
It involves identifying, acting upon, and reconsidering a challenge or question regarding teaching and learning.
It involves reflection on the question or challenge.
It requires an encounter with literature related to that challenge or question.
It follows a specific method and produces data, which are documented.
The documentation is submitted to the critique of peers.
It is assessed. Part of that assessment may include the critique of one's peers, listed above.
Although all members at the first meeting agreed on the above listed criteria, there was some discussion about other possible criteria of teaching scholarship. For instance, should scholarship of teaching produce empirical answers? What kind of data does scholarship of teaching require? Should it should develop new theory or apply existing theory? By the meeting's end particpants agreed that although there may be some differences of opinions as to the specific criteria of scholarship of teaching, the above listed general criteria provide a suitable framework.
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The Scholarship of Teaching Round Table had its first meeting of the 2001-2002 academic year on September 11, 2001. The theme of the meeting was "What's Your Problem," and the group discussed the notion of teaching and learning problems as opportunities for inquiry into teaching and learning. The group used as a guide Randy Bass's article, "The Scholarship of Teaching: What's the Problem" (the article is available online via the Faculty Development web site or via the Inventio web site). One recurrent comment during the focus of our group should really be the scholarship of learning rather than the scholarship of teaching. Our concern, after all, is expanding our knowledge as to how students learn as well as broadening our expertise in helping those students learn.
Back to Faculty Development Web Page
Site maintained by Nancy Remler
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Savannah, GA 31419
(912) 921-5568
last updated October 23, 2001
