Graduate Academic Council
2007 – 2008
Minutes of the Council meeting of April 17, 2008
Approved by the Council on May 1, 2008
In attendance:
J. Baronner (staff), J. Bartow (staff), F. Bolton (staff), S. Chinnam, L. Kranich (Chair),
A. Pomerantz, M. Pryse, S. Saleh, L. Scoville
Unable to attend: G. Denbeaux, S. Friedman, J. McLaughlin, C. Robbins, M. Tse
Guests:
C. Smith (Graduate Admissions)
I. Lurie from Public Administration and Policy;
S. Doellefeld and K. Van Orman from Institute from Teaching, Learning and Academic
Leadership (ITLAL)
1.
Minutes of the GAC meeting held 2/21/08 were considered, amended (Dean’s Report, CCI Report, Public
Admin & Policy Report), and unanimously approved.
2.
Dean’s Report – M. Pryse
Associate Dean Horton is unable to attend today’s meeting.
Three new ombudspersons have been secured in addition to Dave McCaffrey. The three new members are
Randall Craig (English), Ed Cupoli (College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering), and Glenna Spitze
(Sociology and Women’s Studies). Orientation commences in the Fall. The new members’ names will be
added to our website. Dean Pryse noted the need to promote more advertising for the availability of this
helpful student option.
We are at the mid-point of our doctoral recruiting. April 15th is traditionally the accept or reject date for
many doctoral programs. Many programs have been reporting back to Florie on their accepted doctoral
students. We will soon be able to ascertain where we are and if we have over-committed.
Dean Pryse stated she had no information to report for the budget.
The Diversity Teaching/Research Fellowship Program is doing well, and many offers have been made.
There is a University committee headed by Dr. Betty Shadrick with Florie Bolton handling the budget
aspect.
For the Masters program, offers will be made throughout the month of May. Offers for the Masters
program always occurs later than the doctoral offers.
Dean Pryse mentioned the Graduate Studies’ link to academic departments going down recently.
Unfortunately, this occurred in the middle of students applying for entry. The link to the website has been
restored.
3.
Chair’s Report – L. Kranich
Since GAC has had no action items before the Senate, there is nothing to report from the Senate meeting of
4/14/08. It was noted that new programs, changes to existing programs, and policy questions may require
Senate approval. The University Charter (Section X.4) specifies which Council actions require full
consideration by the Senate.
The Chair attempted to clear up some recent confusion over a UAC proposal concerning a joint B.S.
Business Administration/MBA program. Originally, the proposal referred to the creation of a new
Individual Concentration within the MBA program, which would have required GAC consideration.
However, the proposal was actually intended to create such a concentration in the B.S. program and thus
has been withdrawn from GAC. The Senate approved the proposal on Monday (4/14/08).
New York State has an Open Meetings Law requiring public access to certain meetings. A question was
raised whether the University Senate meetings fall under this ruling. The New York State Department of
State Committee on Open Government has issued an advisory opinion that the University Senate (and by
extension its Councils and Committees) is advisory and has “no authority to make policy or otherwise take
binding action.” As such, it does not constitute a public body and does not fall under the scope of the Open
Meetings Law.
4.
Committee Reports
Committee on
Curriculum & Instruction Report – S. Saleh
The Committee met April 10th with five items for discussion but was only able to completely finish two. The
other three items have been tabled for the next meeting.
Item #1: School of Education - The Division of Counseling Psychology’s request to amend its policy regarding
minimum grades required for core courses in the Ph.D. program.
Previously Counseling Psychology allowed students to balance a grade lower than a B if a student maintained
an A in another course. The new policy requires students to repeat any classes resulting in a minus B grade (or
S for S/U courses) as long as their overall GPA remains a 3.0. The Division of Counseling Psychology believes
its imperative for students to provide B grades for all core courses for successful completion of the practical and
research training in the doctoral program. The Committee voted unanimously to approve the proposal.
Item #2: The Institute for Teaching, Learning & Academic Leadership (ITLAL) is proposing a Certificate in
College Teaching in conjunction with the University at Albany Future Faculty Preparation Program.
The Committee had several concerns with the certificate program. Members were questioning why the new
courses and certificate were being reviewed by CCI given that the UNI 600 course was previously approved by
GAC without pre-CCI Committee review. The committee was concerned that UNI courses were not being
housed under an academic department. CCI further suggested that an oversight committee be established if
GAC gives approval for this program. The oversight committee would ensure that continuous high quality
instruction is provided for the certificate program. CCI also recommended that the oversight committee
comprise members from various schools across the University with at least one from the School of Education.
Also, CCI members believe the courses should be non-credit bearing requirements since the program is not
housed within an academic department.
Dean Pryse mentioned the reasoning behind proposing UNI 600 directly to GAC was due to timing with the
academic calendar. She also mentioned that Professor Doellefeld would benefit from GAC discussions for
future meetings with CCI to review UNI 601 and 602.
The Council voted unanimously to approve the Committee on Curriculum & Instruction’s report.
Committee on
Admissions & Academic Standing Report – L. Scoville
The Committee met four separate times during the academic year to consider two cases, with dates and
attendance as detailed in the report attached to the end of these minutes. Two confidential reports on individual
student petitions were presented and briefly discussed. It was noted that the “DRAFT” labels on each of the
reports should be removed.
In the matter of the Committee recommendation on GAC CAAS Case Number 0708-1, the GAC members
present voted to accept the report by a vote of 3-1-2 and in doing so approve the recommendation contained
therein.
In the matter of the Committee recommendation on GAC CAAS Case Number 0708-2, the GAC members
present voted to accept the report by a vote of 6-0-0 and in doing so approve the recommendation contained
therein.
5.
New Business
A.
BA & BS Economics/MA Public Affairs & Policy
Professor Irene Lurie from Public Administration and Policy discussed her department’s proposal a BA &
BS Economics/MA Public Affairs & Policy. These are standard combined programs. Since there is a
natural overlap between the discipline and Public Policy, the proposal would provide students with a
combined program conducive towards their educational career. A student is admitted in their junior year.
In the senior year, a student may take up to 12 credits to apply toward both credits required for the BS in
Economics and the 45 credits required for the MPP degree. The program gives a student the opportunity to
earn a BS in Economics and the MPP in approximately one less semester than what is normally required.
The program would not become costly since it mainly comprises student advisement. One program
combines a BA and an MA program, and the other combines a BS and MA program. Due to their
similarities, the BA was not discussed.
The Council passed the proposal 6-0-0, and it will now be forward to the Senate for their approval.
B.
Certificate in College Teaching Program
As context for the Course Action Forms for UNI 601 and 602, Professor Doellefeld and Kimberly Van
Orman from ITLAL distributed revised information on the Certificate in College Teaching Program, which
was edited (in blue) to reflect suggestions from the Committee on Curriculum & Instruction. (Course
Action for UNI 600 was approved on 12/19/07.) The University has no formal teaching training for
graduate students, and the certificate program will rectify the situation. This is an internal certificate that
will not appear on a student’s transcript because the Certificate is an internal program, not a registered
degree program. Only UNI 600, 601, and 602 would appear on the transcript. The Certificate consists of
six pieces: Coursework, Workshops, Formal Mentoring, Evaluation of Teaching, Service, and a Teaching
Portfolio (UNI 602). It was mentioned that the teaching portfolio committee would consist of a minimum
of three people with at least one being a teaching faculty member. The certificate would originate from
ITLAL working in collaboration with the Office of the Graduate Dean. It was pointed out that the
program would have a positive effect on the undergraduate population as well as on the graduate student
climate because current TA’s would strengthen their teaching while they are at UAlbany, as well as when
they begin their first job. At issue are not the workshops, evaluation of teaching, or other components of
the Certificate program—which are similar to ITLAL offerings at the present time. Steven Doellefeld
indicated that ITLAL already gives students who request it written statements of their completion of
various teaching components offered by the Institute. The difference between what ITLAL is currently
doing and the more formal internal Certificate program is the request for UNI courses that will appear on
the transcript.
Dean Pryse mentioned that the program will transform future faculty by helping advanced terminal degree
students explore different ways of teaching. Some students discover there is a useful connection between
teaching and scholarship. Further, doctoral students applying for their first teaching positions would have a
“value added” component to their application. It appeared that GAC was out of time to conclude its
discussion of the UNI courses. To possibly reduce discussion time, Dean Pryse requested Council
members carefully review the two pieces of the handouts (two UNI courses and the certificate program)
before the next meeting.
However, Chair Kranich then questioned GAC’s authority to approve credit-bearing courses by non-
academic units and graduate level UNI courses in particular, and suggested tabling discussion pending
consideration by the Senate University Planning and Policy Council (UPC). Dean Pryse mentioned that
undergraduate students are being provided UNI courses and that UNI courses are therefore not new. She
stressed that the certificate program is not a degree program but a professional development opportunity.
After some discussion concerning appropriate Senate procedure, it was suggested that the issue be brought
before the Senate Executive Committee, which could then decide whether to remand it to UPC for further
consideration or return it to GAC. Dean Pryse requested an invitation via Chair Kranich to the Senate
Executive Committee meeting to present the desirability of creating UNI 0-1 credit courses that would
support the new Certificate in College Teaching Program.
6.
Future Meetings
Due to the unfinished amount of Council business, Jon Bartow requested Council members keep both May 1 and
May 8 open on their calendars.
END OF GAC 4/17/08 MINUTES
**************************
Attachment #1
To:
Graduate Academic Council
From:
Shadi Saleh, Chair
GAC Committee on Curriculum & Instruction (CC&I)
Date:
April 10, 2008
Subject:
Report and Recommendations
CC&I Members Present: G. Denbeaux, A. Pomerantz, J. Rivera-Wilson, S. Saleh, B. Thiel, and F.
Bolton (staff).
Guest: Steven Doellefeld
Two of four scheduled items of business were considered.
1.
School of Education – Division of Counseling Psychology’s request to amend its
policy regarding minimum grades required for core courses in the PhD program
The Counseling Psychology’s present grading policy for courses required for the PhD program reads
that students must maintain a minimum B average across all courses. It allows students to balance a
grade lower than a B with an A in another course. The amended policy would require that student
must repeat any required course for which their grade drops below B (or S for S/U courses) provided
their overall GPA is at least a 3.0. As the Counseling Psychology faculty believed that doing at least B
work in the core, required courses was necessary for the successful completion of the practical and
research training in the doctoral program, the Committee voted unanimously (4-0) to approve the
policy amendment and move it forward to the GAC for further action.
2.
The Institute for Teaching, Learning & Academic Leadership (ITLAL) is proposing a Certificate in
College Teaching in conjunction with the University at Albany Future Faculty Preparation Program
The Institute for Teaching, Learning & Academic Leadership (ITLAL) has proposed the creation of an
internal Certificate in College Teaching in conjunction with the University at Albany Future Faculty
Preparation Program. The Certificate in College Teaching program proposal and the related course
action forms establishing two “UNI” courses were placed before the Committee on Curriculum and
Instruction for discussion. Steven Doellefeld, Assistant Director of ITLAL, attended the meeting to
present the program and answer questions.
CC&I members understood and were in agreement with the rationale for the program which is stated
to be “to fulfill a need to prepare graduate students for all aspects of their future roles as faculty
members”. A formalized internal certificate program was considered to be a good vehicle to provide
such training to students across disciplines within the University.
However, there were a number of concerns expressed by the members of the Committee. The two
principle concerns centered on 1) the establishment of University-wide “UNI” courses and 2) the
certificate’s residence in ITLAL.
1)
The Committee was unaware that “UNI” courses were available at the graduate level until this
proposal was presented and was also surprised to learn that one of the “UNI” courses
affiliated with the certificate had already received precedent setting GAC approval. Concern
was expressed about other outside agreements and programs becoming established in a
similar manner.
2)
The Committee was worried that the instruction for the proposed Certificate was not “housed”
in an academic department. There were two specific lines of argument related to this concern.
a.
First, the CC&I would like to see an oversight committee established for the program
should the program receive GAC approval. This oversight committee would have as its
charge overseeing the maintenance of continuous, high quality instruction appropriate for
the Certificate Program. The oversight committee should consist of faculty representing a
range of colleges with at least one representative from the School of Education, given that
pedagogy is at the core of this Certificate in College Teaching.
b.
Second, members of the Committee felt that there were a number of problems with
offering the instruction with the choice of either credit or no credit. Given that the
instruction for the Certificate was proposed to be housed within a non-academic unit, the
members of the Committee felt it would be more appropriate to have courses and/or
workshops required for the Certificate offered as non-credit-bearing requirements.
Attachment #2
To:
Graduate Academic Council (GAC)
From:
Linda Scoville, Chair
GAC Committee on Admissions & Academic Standing (CA&AS)
Date:
April 15, 2008
Re:
Report and Recommendations
The GAC CA&AS has met on four occasions this academic year in consideration of two petitions from former
students. Meeting dates and attendance are listed below. At the initial meeting on 12/7/07, University Counsel
John Reilly briefed the Committee on procedures to be followed to be fair and arrive at sound decisions.
Individual and confidential recommendations on the two petitions, 0708-1 & 0708-2 are attached (for Council
members only).
Meeting of 12/7/07
Attending: L. Scoville (Chair), S. Shahedipour, M.J. Brustman, S. Chinnam, A. Boehm, J. Bartow (staff) & J.
Reilly (guest)
Meeting of 12/18/07
Attending: L. Scoville (Chair), S. Shahedipour, M.J. Brustman, A. Boehm & J. Bartow (staff)
Meeting of 3/14/08
Attending: L. Scoville (Chair), S. Shahedipour, M.J. Brustman, S. Chinnam, A. Boehm & J. Bartow (staff)
Meeting of 4/2/08
Attending: L. Scoville (Chair), S. Shahedipour, M.J. Brustman, S. Chinnam, A. Boehm & J. Bartow (staff)
Attachment #3
University at Albany Future Faculty Preparation Program
Title of Program: Certificate in College Teaching
Introduction
This will be an internal certificate program (not one that is registered with the State Board of Education). We chose
to make it a certificate program because that will allow our graduates to quickly convey their training to potential
employers by saying that they fulfilled the requirements of this program (many other schools offer similar certificate
programs). We chose to create courses with actual course numbers (instead of only holding workshops on the topic)
so that students’ engagement with the certificate program would appear on their transcript. Indeed, even students
who do not complete the entire certificate program but choose to enroll in one of the courses will demonstrate to
prospective employers at least that much interest in their preparation as future faculty members. To enroll in the
certificate program, a student must already be enrolled in a terminal degree program (PhD, MFA, etc.) at the
University at Albany. This is the crucial feature that makes this an internal certificate, not a degree program.
Although this internal certificate would have a course of study, it is not a degree program in the usual sense.
We anticipate that this program would complement existing departmental professionalization programs that already
give us some “best practices” on campus, while at the same time make it possible for students in departments that do
not have such programs to prepare for the role of college or university faculty member. We are currently “piloting”
the first course in the sequence—UNI 600—and in this course, as in the other aspects of the planned certificate, we
are working closely with departmental faculty and have consulted with faculty in relevant disciplinary units. We
anticipate tapping into faculty expertise across campus for this “Preparing Future Faculty” program—whether this
will mean inviting faculty to address students within the context of the formally-offered courses or encouraging
them to share their expertise with students via the ITLAL workshop mechanism (or both) will evolve as the program
becomes established.
We understand that the Committee on Curriculum and Instruction of GAC will be addressing only the course action
forms for UNI 601 and UNI 602 (UNI 600 has already been approved by GAC), since CC&I does not have the
authority to approve the certificate itself. We also understand that there are some members of CC&I who are not
members of GAC and were not present for the initial discussion of UNI 600. We hope that CC&I will discuss the
course action forms within the context of the larger program and make a positive recommendation to GAC, so that
GAC can take up the question of the certificate approval informed by the CC&I discussion.
Rationale
The rationale for this program comes from the national Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program started in the early
1990s by the American Association of Colleges and Universities and the Council of Graduate Schools (funded by
the Pew Charitable Trusts). This program was designed to fulfill a need to prepare graduate students for all aspects
of their future roles as faculty members. Traditionally, departments have focused on preparing students as
researchers. While this is still an important part of a graduate student’s training, these organizations found that this
was often inadequate to fully prepare students to succeed in their faculty careers. In the early 2000s, a number of
reports assessing graduate student preparation were released. These studies found that while most students were still
not being prepared in the best practices of teaching and were not aware of the sorts of responsibilities that are typical
of faculty positions at different institutions, students graduating from PFF programs were reporting much better
experiences in getting jobs and proceeding toward tenure.
In light of the information provided by these reports, the Dean of Graduate Studies, working in conjunction with the
Institute for Teaching, Learning and Academic Leadership, has proposed a certificate program to prepare University
at Albany that was modeled on the original PFF program. The national PFF program shared three core features:
1. A “cluster” of institutions—collaborating institutions anchored by a doctoral-degree granting
institution.
2. The program is directed toward familiarizing graduate students with “the full scope of faculty
roles and responsibilities.”
3. Multiple mentors—each graduate student will have guidance “not only for their research
activities, but also for their teaching and service activities.”1
It is our intention to retain these parts of the program, but modified in a manner to best serve the needs of UAlbany
students with the resources available to us. In particular we intend to imbue students with a solid understanding of
the scholarship of teaching and learning.
1. Coursework
The coursework component is designed to give students a familiarity with important aspects of teaching and
learning, the profession, and to guide them in preparing the teaching portfolio.
The courses that make up the proposed certificate program carry variable credit—0-1 credit each. Our thinking
behind this variable credit is to allow students to work out, with their graduate program directors, what makes the
best sense. Some graduate programs might not want students to accrue actual credit for this program, but would
support the 0 credit model. Others might see an advantage for students to accrue a slight amount of elective credit.
We are also aware that, for students who have been advanced to candidacy and are required to take only a one-credit
“load” 899 course, the 0 credit model may work best for them. In any event, there are numerous precedents for 0
credit courses; this becomes a mechanism, above all, to grant students some kind of credit—even if 0 credit—if they
achieve a Satisfactory in course performance.
a) UNI 600: Seminar in College Teaching. 0-1 hr, variable
The course would be required of all participants in the certificate and closed to non-participants. This course
provides an overview of the scholarship of teaching and learning and emphasizes the skills and knowledge necessary
to design and teach a course that effectively facilitates student learning. Topics include: student learning styles,
encouraging critical thinking, assessing student learning, effective use of technology, designing assignments, active
learning & group work, course design, efficient grading, how to run a lecture, and the use of writing in the
classroom.
Topics:
Student Learning Styles
Encouraging Critical Thinking
Designing Assignments
Assessing Student Learning
Effective Use of Technology
Active Learning & Group Work
Course Design
Efficient Grading
How to Run a Lecture
The Use of Writing in the Classroom
Text:
Davis, Tools for Teaching
Handouts from Instructors, including
Bean, Engaging Ideas
Grasha, Teaching with Style
b) Proposed
UNI 601: Future Professoriate Seminar. 0-1 hr, variable
The course would be required of all participants and closed to participants Students will develop a working
knowledge of the American system of higher education, an understanding of what it means to be a professional
academic, and the processes common to tenure-track academic positions.
Topics:
Transitioning From Student to Professional
Understanding Institution Types
The Academic Job Market
What Successful New Faculty Know
Understanding the Tenure Process
Balancing Faculty Commitments: Research,
Teaching and Service
1 PFF Program Brochure.
Movements in Institutional Change to Improve
Learning
Department and Institutional Assessment
Texts:
DeNeef and Goodwin, The Academic’s Handbook
Schoenfeld & Magnan, Mentor in a Manual: Climbing the Academic Ladder to Tenure
Handouts from instructors, including:
Bok, Our Underperforming Colleges
Lang, Life on the Tenure Track
Toth, Ms. Mentor’s Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia (Toth)
Wulff, Austin, Paths to the Professoriate (Wulff, Austin)
c) Proposed
UNI 602: Becoming a Reflective Teacher: The Teaching Portfolio, 0-1 hr, variable
The course would be required of all participants and closed to participants. Students will develop a familiarity with
the scholarship and techniques to help them develop as reflective teachers. Students will learn how to construct a
teaching portfolio that can be used as part of a job search and as the foundation of a professional portfolio.
Topics:
The Teaching Portfolio and Teaching Statement as
Formative and Summative Document
Peer Evaluation Training
Designing Courses for Significant Learning
Teaching Materials—Activities and Assignments
Coaching Students as Learners
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Teaching Evaluations
From Teaching Portfolio to Tenure File
Texts:
Seldin, The Teaching Portfolio
Handouts from instructors, including:
2. Workshops
Attendance at eight hours of workshops on teaching, learning or the profession will be required for successful
completion of the certificate. This requirement can be fulfilled by such events as ITLAL workshops, Office of
Graduate Student Diversity Brown Bag lunch series, departmental seminars or workshops on teaching, the SKILL
(Sharing Knowledge, Insights and Lessons Learned) conference, the Professional and Organizational Developers
(POD) conference, the Lilly conferences, etc. (Events such as dissertation defenses, non-teaching related discipline-
specific colloquia will not count toward this requirement.) Students will be expected to fill out a reflection form for
their certificate file for each event they attend in order to fulfill this requirement. Workshops attended prior to
admission to program will not count toward requirement. No more than three hours of workshops should come from
the same topic area.
3. Formal Mentoring
The surveys of PFF graduates routinely note that one of the most useful aspects of PFF programs is the interaction
with faculty members at partner institutions. As part of the certificate program, we will pair students with mentors,
ideally at other institutions, who will help to teach them what faculty life is like, how to prepare their job search
materials and to give them feedback on their teaching. These people can mentor students about teaching, the
profession or both. The mentor allows student to shadow him or her—exposing the student to life balancing
teaching, research and service. As the program develops, we will provide guidance to the mentor pairs to encourage
fruitful exchange.
Some nearby colleges we hope to develop mentor relationships with include:
Saint Rose
Siena
Skidmore
Union
RPI (First-year Studies program)
Maria College
Empire State College (online only)
Excelsior
HVCC
SCCC
ACC
Bennington Coll. (VT)
Green Mountain College
(VT)
Bard College
Hartwick College
Simon’s Rock (MA, Jr-BA)
Smith College (MA)
Castleton State (VT)
Middlebury College (VT)
Southern VT College
4. Evaluation of Teaching
For completion of the certificate, the student will need to have a formal review of their teaching, e.g. videotape
consultation by ITLAL or in-person observation by mentor or departmental representative. For students in
programs in which they do not have an opportunity to have primary responsibility for teaching a course, alternate
means of fulfilling this requirement will be arranged. One option might be guest teaching in another’s course
(possibly their mentor’s course). Partnering with local institutions to provide teaching opportunities as adjunct
faculty could also provide fruitful professional experience.
5. Service
Since one of the aspects of faculty life that new faculty members struggle with is learning to balance research,
teaching and service duties, we believe that learning this balance early will be helpful. We will require that
students participate in some sort of service to their department or the university as part of their certificate
requirements. Students will be required to complete a minimum of ten hours’ commitment to serving their
department, other graduate students, or the university. Examples of acceptable service include: help in the
preparation of, or with presentations within the SKILL Conference, Graduate Student Orientation, or a similar
program within their department (Departmental Graduate Student Conference, Departmental colloquial series,
being a student representative on a search committee, etc.). Other service obligations will be considered on a
case-by-case basis.
6. Teaching Portfolio
In addition to successfully taking the course on the teaching portfolio (in which a draft of the portfolio will be
completed), students will need to have their portfolio approved by a committee consisting of ITLAL
representatives and qualified teaching faculty (ideally their teaching mentor will participate in this process).
This will count as the capstone experience of the program.
Conclusion of the Program
At the conclusion of the program, students will receive an internal document attesting to their successful
completion of the requirements for the certificate. The description of the program and its requirements will
appear on the ITLAL/Graduate Studies web sites. The primary evidence for successful completion of the
program will be the transcript notations for successful completion of UNI 600, UNI 601, and UNI 602 (teaching
portfolio).
Add:
(1) Course Action UNI 601
AND
(2) Course Action UNI 602
Note: Both Word documents that will NOT allow copy/paste.
UNI 601 (Section # TBD)
Seminar: Preparing for the Professoriate
Spring 2009
Class meets: TBD
Instructors:
Steven Doellefeld, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, ITLAL
Office: SS 251
Email: Steven@albany.edu
Phone: 442-3657
Office Hours: Tuesday, 2-3
and by appointment
Kimberly Van Orman
Future Faculty Fellow, ITLAL
Office: SS 251
Email: kv9081@albany.edu
Phone: 442-3667
Office Hours: Wednesday, 11-12
and by appointment
Course Objectives: Students will develop a working knowledge of the American system of higher education,
an understanding of what it means to be a professional academic, and the processes common to tenure-
track academic positions.
Texts: Mentor in a Manual (Schoenfeld & Magnan) [MM]
Handouts from instructors
Assignments/Evaluations:
This course is graded S/U, and there are five components to your grade in
this course, with each one being worth a total of 20% of your final grade.
1)
Annotated bibliography: Each student will contribute a minimum of five (5) entries to an
annotated bibliography of resources for teaching and learning. This will be a “living
document” which future course participants will learn from and add to.
2)
Microteaching: You will present a brief (15-20 minute) lesson on a topic related to
teaching. When you are finished presenting, you will receive feedback from your
classmates and your instructors.
3)
Short paper: On management in higher education, leadership, classroom management or
other topics approved by the instructor(s).
4)
Attendance at 2 departmental or institutional meetings: You will need to attend meetings
having to do with departmental, school or university-wide management. You will be
expected to write a short paper applying your discussion of management (in item #3 above)
to what you have witnessed in the meeting.
5)
Attendance/ participation: Your attendance in class is expected, as is your participation.
Participation is defined for the purposes of this course, as providing meaningful dialogue,
through comments, questions, and rebuttals, which are germane to the topic at hand.
Bi-Weekly Meetings:
Week 1 (1/29): Introduction to course, Transitioning from student to Professional
Assignment (due at class):
MM ch 1.
Boice, The New Faculty Member, ch 2 (Handout)
Week 2 (2/12): Understanding Institution Types
Assignment:
Gaff, “Faculty in the Variety of American Colleges and Universities” (Handout, from
The Academic’s Handbook, DeNeef and Goodwin)
Schuman, “Small is…Different: A Guide for Newcomers to Small Colleges.” (Handout, from
The Academic’s Handbook, DeNeef and Goodwin)
Week 3 (2/26): The Academic Job Market
Assignment: Heiberger & Vick, The Academic Job Search Handbook, pp22-41 (handout)
Shety, Sudhir, “The Job Market: An Overview” (Handout, from The Academic’s Handbook,
DeNeef and Goodwin)
Week 4 (3/11): What Successful New Faculty Know
Assignment:
Boice, The New Faculty Member, ch 7-8 (Handout)
MM ch 7 “The Teaching Challenge: Outside the Classroom”
Week 5 (4/8): Understanding the Tenure Process
Assignment: MM ch 3 “Grasping Generic Institutional Expectations” (excerpts, probably)
Goodwin, “Some Tips on Getting Tenure” (Handout, from The Academic’s Handbook,
DeNeef and Goodwin)
Optional: MM ch 4, “Appreciating the Practical Politics of Getting Promoted”
Week 6 (3/18): Balancing Faculty Commitments: Research, Teaching and Service
Assignment: Boice, The New Faculty Member, ch. 21 “Combine Self-Service with Service for Others”
(Handout).
MM ch 9, “The Service Syndrome”
Filene, The Joy of Teaching, ch 10, “Teaching and Not Perishing” (Handout)
Week 7 (4/22): Movements in Institutional Change to Improve Learning
Assignment: AAC&U, Liberal Education and America’s Promise (website)
National Survey of Student Engagement (website)
Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (website)
Service Learning (source TBD)
Week 8 (5/6): Department and Institutional Assessment
Assignment: Walvoord & Anderson, ch. 11, “Strengthening Departmental and Institutional Assessment”
Effective Grading. (Handout)
Middle States Commission on Higher Education Website: Mission, FAQ
UNI 602 (Section # TBD)
Becoming a Reflective Teacher: The Teaching Portfolio
Fall 2008
Class meets: TBD
Instructors:
Steven Doellefeld, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, ITLAL
Office: SS 251
Email: Steven@albany.edu
Phone: 442-3657
Office Hours: Tuesday, 2-3
and by appointment
Kimberly Van Orman
Future Faculty Fellow, ITLAL
Office: SS 251
Email: kv9081@albany.edu
Phone: 442-3667
Office Hours: Wednesday, 11-12
and by appointment
Course Objectives: Students will develop a familiarity with the scholarship and techniques to help them
develop as reflective teachers. Students will learn how to construct a teaching portfolio that can be used
as part of a job search and as the foundation of a professional portfolio.
Texts: The Teaching Portfolio (Peter Seldin), handouts from instructors.
Assignments/Evaluations:
This course is graded S/U, and there are five components to your grade in
this course, with each one being worth a total of 20% of your final grade.
6)
Weekly Drafts and Participation: You will be expected to bring reasonable drafts of the
portfolio components to class each week (see the meeting list below). Participation is
defined for the purposes of this course, as providing meaningful dialogue, thorough
comments, questions, and rebuttals, which are germane to the topic at hand.
7)
Mid-term survey: You will be expected to give a mid-term survey in your course, if you are
currently teaching. If you are not teaching this semester, you will have an alternate
assignment. Your performance on this survey does not affect your grade; this assignment is
pass/fail based solely on its completion.
8)
Peer Evaluation: You will be expected to provide a peer evaluation of another’s teaching.
This can be someone in UNI 602, a classmate, or a volunteer.
9)
Research review: You will need to review the scholarship of teaching and learning specific
to your field and write a short review (1-2 pages) of a problem related to teaching that is
specific to your discipline.
10)
Final Portfolio: you will be expected to complete a fair draft of your portfolio by the end of
the course.
Bi-Weekly Meetings: Assignments listed are due on the date listed (students will be contacted before the first
class meeting to ensure they are aware of the assignment).
Week 1: The Teaching Portfolio and Teaching Statement as Formative and Summative Document
This week we will focus on using the teaching portfolio both as a tool for our development as teachers, as
well as a document that can be used to demonstrate one’s strengths as a teacher.
Assignment: Bring copy of teaching statement from UNI 600 and a revision.
Seldin, Chapters 1-3, pp. 1-14, Appendices 1-2, pp. 29-33.
Chism, Nancy Van Note. “Developing a Philosophy of Teaching Statement.” Essays on
Teaching Excellence: Toward the Best in the Academy 9.3 (1997-98): 1-2.
Knapper, Christopher and A. Alan Wright. “Using Portfolios to Document Good Teaching:
Premises, Purposes, Practices.”
Montell, Gabriela. “What’s Your Philosophy on Teaching, and Does it Matter?”
Week 2: Peer Evaluation Training
We will learn the techniques of peer evaluation and discuss their value in the continuing development of
teaching skills.
Assignment:
ITLAL handouts on Peer Evaluation
Week 3: Designing Courses for Significant Learning
We will discuss how to design a course to ensure that our students are learning.
Assignment: Bring a draft of a course syllabus (make sure it includes the course description)
Rhem, James, “Deep/Surface Approaches To Learning: An Introduction”
Fink, Dee, IDEA Paper #42: “Integrated Course Design”
Week 4: Teaching Materials—activities and assignments
We will discuss how assignments and classroom activities can be used to increase student learning and how
to use them in your portfolio to demonstrate your strengths as a teacher.
Assignment: Bring copies of interesting or important assignments you use in your course, and a brief
statement of how these support your teaching philosophy.
Seldin, Chapters 4-5, pp.15-27.
Bean, Engaging Ideas, Ch. 7: “Designing Tasks for Active Thinking and Learning,” pp. 121-
32.
Week 5: Coaching Students as Learners
We will focus on how feedback given to students can affect their learning, as well as how to capture your
practice in narrative form for use in the portfolio.
Assignment: Bring copies of student work, with comments (if available)
Drummond, Tom, “A brief summary of the best practices in college teaching.”
Bean, Engaging Ideas, Ch. 14, “Writing Comments on Student Papers,” pp. 239-253
Week 6: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
We will examine sources of SoTL literature, and discuss how discipline-specific problems can inform our
teaching.
Assignment: Bring your research review and a page giving a brief description of each of the following
evaluating what you think its potential use would be to you and your teaching.
To Improve the Academy (Journal)
IDEA Papers (online resources)
College Teaching (Journal)
International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (Journal)
The National Teaching and Learning Forum (Journal)
Faculty Development Associates (online resources)
Find a resource in your discipline
o
You may want to use ITLAL’s Discipline-Specific Teaching Resources page
to find one.
Week 7: Teaching Evaluations
We will discuss how to use teaching evaluations to improve your teaching and how to capture the
information in them in narrative form for use in the portfolio.
Assignment: Bring copies of teaching evaluations and your peer evaluation.
Cashin, IDEA Paper No. 20:
Student Ratings of Teaching: A Summary of the Research
Marincovich, “Using Midterm Evaluations and Others Sources Of Student Feedback On
Teaching”
Kim, C., Damewood, E., & Hodge, N. (2000). Professor attitude: Its effect on teaching
evaluations. Journal of Management Education, 24(4), 458-473.
Week 8: From Teaching Portfolio to Tenure File
We will discuss how to broaden your teaching portfolio to include information about your research and service
to create a document that can be used beyond getting a job.
Assignment: Bring a draft of your teaching portfolio
Toth, Emily, “Slouching Toward Tenure”
Diamond, Robert M, “Preparing For Promotion, Tenure and Annual Review: Planning
Ahead,” Chapter one of Preparing for Promotion, Tenure, and Annual Review: A Faculty
Guide.
Attachment #4
Pdf files:
08-009 ECO BS & Public Affairs & Policy MA (OT).pdf
08-010 ECO BA & Public Affairs & Policy MA (OT).pdf
