Teaching and Learning Advisory Council (TLAC)
2009-2010 Annual Report to the Academic Senate
Introduction
The Academic Senate has charged the Teaching and Learning Advisory Council (TLAC) with stimulating the creation of a campus culture that truly values, promotes, recognizes, and rewards excellence in teaching and learning in proportion to its stated significance in the university mission. TLAC is interested in:
1. Engaging the university community in dialogue about what constitutes excellence in teaching and learning
2. Serving as a resource to the university concerning teaching and learning information, including philosophy, methodology, technology, science of learning information, etc.
3. Determining the needs of faculty members in their quest to achieve teaching and learning outcomes and assisting them to meet those needs
4. Recommending policies for promoting and improving the impetus for teaching and learning excellence
5. Networking with other committees (where appropriate) to meet shared goals
6. Recognizing teaching and learning excellence on campus
7. Providing faculty with opportunities to encounter varied teaching and learning practices and to share its expertise.
8. Supporting faculty in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and dispositions for teaching and learning in a culturally diverse campus community.
This report contains a summary of TLAC activities during beginning fall 2009 through winter 2010.
Report of Activities for 2009-2010
TLAC held meetings on:
Friday September 11, 2009
Friday October 16, 2009
Friday November 13, 2009
Friday December 4, 2009 Meeting cancelled
Friday January 15, 2010
Friday February 12, 2010
Friday March 12, 2010
Friday April 9, 2010
TLAC spent much of 2009-2010 on planning and conducting the following activities.
1. TLAC & New Faculty Orientation: TLAC participated with an informational table for New Faculty Orientation in August 2009.
2. TLAC Conference Grant Awards ($3200): (See attached description and evaluation criteria.) The evaluation criteria allows for grant availability to all levels of faculty.
- Fall Semester 2009 Conference Grant Awards: TLAC funded two competitive Conference Grant Awards of $800 each. Award winning proposals can be found on the TLAC website under Announcements. The following persons each received one conference grant award.
1. Christine Flavin
2. Faith Edwards
b. Winter Semester 2010 Conference Grant Awards: TLAC funded two $800 Conference Grant Awards. Award winning proposals are posted on the TLAC website under Announcements. The following persons each received one conference grant award:
1. Ruth Watry
2. Kia Jan Richmond
3. NMU’s Excellence in Teaching Awards: Two NMU faculty members received NMU’s Excellence in Teaching Awards for 2009-2010 ($1000 each). Two representatives from TLAC had input in this decision.
- Katherine Hanson – English
- Suzanne Standerford – Education
4. TLAC Website – Being updated with many thanks to TLAC’s own Tom Gillespie.
5. TLAC Teaching Engagements: TLAC engaged in collaborative university wide efforts to offer Teaching Engagements throughout 2009-2010.
- The following are Teaching Engagements Offered 2009-2010
1. February 5, 2010 Abhi Jain: "Enhancing Classroom-Group Collaboration -- Promising New Tools and Technologies"
2. March 10, 2010 Jeff Bernstein: Expert speaker from EMU provided two 2 hour sessions
- Why Engage in the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning
- Making the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Part of Your Professional Agenda
3. March 22, 2010 Magna Recorded Seminar: Managing Expectations and Handling Difficult Students Online hosted by Tom Gillespie
4. April 9, 2010 Keith Ellis: Strategies for Developing Legible Presentations and Materials
6. TLAC's Goals: TLAC addressed all eight goals under its charge and is expanding the committee’s work in the following areas:
1. TLAC continues to record all sessions and provide them for later viewing via MediaSite
2. TLAC has renewed its membership to SOTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning). This purchase will allow for networking, increased resources as well as discounted conference rates for NMU attendees.
3. TLAC has renewed our subscription to two online publications: “The Teaching Professor” and “The Online Classroom”. These are available to all faculty via a university log in.
7. TLAC's 2009-2010 Budget: $8,500 – Listed below are Magna Sessions on CD that were purchased. See the attached budget expenditures for non-tangible items with special thanks to Kerry Mohr of Academic Affairs and James Phegan, TLAC Treasurer.
The following recorded Magna Sessions were purchased on CD for faculty use:
How Flexible Should I Be with Non-Traditional Students?
Presented by: Brian Van Brunt
Item #: ZOC3
How Do I Assign Students to Groups?
Presented by: Ike Shibley
Item #: ZOC6
How Do I Create Engaging Threaded Discussion Questions?
Presented by: John Orlando
Item #: ZOC10
Cell Phones, Laptops and Facebook®: What Can I Do About Them?
Presented by: W. Scott Lewis
Item #: ZOC19
How Do I Get More Students to Participate in Class?
Presented by: Maryellen Weimer
Item #: ZOC22
Learner-Centered Teaching -- Where Should I Start?
Presented by: Maryellen Weimer
Item #: ZOC23
How Should I Respond to Wrong (or Not Very Good) Student Answers?
Presented by: Maryellen Weimer
Item #: ZOC25
What Can I Learn From Student Ratings?
Presented by: Ike Shibley
Item #: ZOC8
8. TLAC representation on other committees: Rachel Nye represented TLAC on the committee addressing the AQIP/Laptop Initiative project. Carol Bell represented TLAC on a committee to address student retention.
Looking ahead to 2010-2011
TLAC has networked with Jeff Bernstein and in collaboration with Dr. Susan Koch, explored the possibility of hosting a SOTL conference at NMU. Talks re’ this are ongoing. TLAC is considering sponsorship of Discrimination & Harassment as they relate to the classroom.
Goals for the 2010-2011 academic year include maintaining existing programs, keeping our website current, sending a representative to the SOTL conference at EMU as well as increasing contacts within the education department to further advance the charge of the committee. TLAC with strive to identify other units and programs of the university whose missions are similar and seek connections and collaborations
Members of TLAC look forward to another great year of excellence in teaching for learning at NMU in 2010-2011.
Respectfully submitted,
Alan Beauchamp, Psychology, Secretary
Carol Bell, Mathematics, Grants Subcommittee
Douglas Black, Library
Dave Bonsall, Center for Student Enrichment Logistical Arrangements
Lisa Flood, Nursing, Grants Subcommittee
Tom Gillespie, CITE
Rachel Nye, Practical Nursing, Chair Fall 2009, Co-Chair 2010
James Phegan, Art & Design, Treasurer
June Schaefer, School of Education, Grants Subcommittee
Jon Sherman, History
Gary Stark, School of business, Co-Chair Winter 2010