The University of Delaware Center for the Teaching and Assessment of Learning is hosting the first spring semester First Friday Roundtable on “Documenting Teaching for Promotion,” from 3:30-5 p.m., Friday, Feb. 9, in 208 Gore Hall.
Faculty from across the University will share their insights and experiences from the promotion and tenure process and discuss the elements of a successful teaching portfolio. Each panelist has recently received a promotion or been elevated to tenure. Participants will learn how to craft a narrative about their teaching to accompany their student evaluations of teaching and consider what teaching effectiveness means in the context of their courses and their disciplines.
This roundtable will allow faculty at all ranks to ask questions about issues such as:
- writing a teaching philosophy,
- elements of a portfolio,
- disciplinary conventions and
- concerns about student evaluations of teaching.
Michael McCamley, associate professor of English, serves on the Faculty Senate Promotion and Tenure Committee, and, as a panelist at last year’s event, he offered this important advice to attendees: “I think the one thing that faculty should do is approach writing their narratives/statements like any academic argument – have a strong, clear thesis and clearly articulated evidence; this is not the time for subtlety or humility. Using the criteria for promotion as detailed in the promotion and tenure documents is a good starting place. And revise, revise, revise.”
This year’s panelists include Barry Joyce, professor of history, Olga Gorbachev, associate professor of economics, Deb Jaisi, associate professor of plant and soil sciences, and Chrystalla Mouza, professor of education. Matthew Kinservik, vice provost for faculty affairs, will chair the panel.
A reception, sponsored by the Office for the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, will follow the roundtable. Instructors at all levels, and graduate teaching assistants, are welcomed.
Follow us on Twitter to keep up with our First Friday Roundtable discussions: @UD_CTAL #FFR
