Good Teaching at UWB

Notes for a GFO Conversation Jane Van Galen & Becky Reed Rosenberg May 1, 2003

Some elements in … effective teaching include

 the ability to organize and conduct a course of study appropriate to the level of instruction and the nature of the subject matter;  the consistency with which the teacher brings to the students the latest research findings and professional debates within the discipline;  the ability to stimulate intellectual inquiry so that students develop the skills to examine and evaluate ideas and arguments; UW Faculty Handbook

Some elements in … effective teaching include

   the extent to which the teacher encourages discussion and debate which enables the students to articulate the ideas they are exploring; the availability of the teacher to the student beyond the classroom environment; and the regularity with which the teacher examines or reexamines the organization and readings for a course of study and explores new approaches to effective educational methods.  UW Faculty Handbook

Effective teaching at UWB

 Are there elements of effective teaching distinctive to UWB?

 How does our mission/vision statement inform our thinking about what “effective teaching” entails?

 How do we create space to talk about the strong teaching we do by making the multiple, scholarly dimensions of teaching explicit, to facilitate reflection, collegial discussion, and review?

Teaching in UWB Mission Statement

 “UWB holds the student-faculty relationship to be paramount. We provide access to excellence in higher education through innovative and creative curricula, interdisciplinary teaching and research, and a dynamic community of multicultural learning”.

Teaching in the UWB Vision Statement

 “We value engaging our students in transformational learning experiences that challenge their expectations, broaden their horizons, and stimulate their ambitions.”

From the mission statement…

 “Emphasize and develop critical thinking, writing, and information literacy, in order to graduate students with life long learning skills”.

 “Build an inclusive and supportive community of learning and incorporate multicultural content and diverse perspectives on ethnic and racial groups, gender, sexual orientation, social class, and special needs”.

Informing our thinking about teaching …

Assessment

 Student learning is at the center of our teaching goals and therefore at the center of assessing teaching  Good assessment creates a feedback loop to practice. Compare assessment of student performance: good assignments help us identify what more students need.

Evaluating Teaching

 Defining student learning outcomes  Using student work to track learning outcomes  Reflection on the gap between desired and actual outcomes  Identifying teaching approaches that better serve student success at outcomes  Using formative feedback from students and peers  Analyzing summative feedback for future course revision and redesign

Resources

 Colleagues  Teaching circles  Reflection & research (scholarship of teaching)  Students —  Formative & summative evaluations  Course product  CIDR & TLC  Consultations  Workshops  SGIDs