Advancing the Culture of Teaching on Campus

"This book assists the reader in thinking more deeply about how to successfully navigate institutional organization, politics, and managing change at a campus where faculty have little discretionary time. The book also explains how the CRLT effectively manages the yearly changes of services based on institutional priorities. It is an excellent text for those considering entering a career in a teaching center."

- Teachers College Record

"Essays by the director and staff of the University of Michigan's Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, considered the first, and one of the largest such centers in American higher education."

- The Chronicle of Higher Ed

“A valuable contribution to the literature on institutional change. This book is full of lessons that CRLT has learned through the years. I hope that you find it as informative as I do.”

Lester P. Monts, Lester P. Monts is the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs - , University of Michigan

FOREWORD
Lester P. Monts

INTRODUCTION

CRLT and Its Role at the University of Michigan
Constance E. Cook

PART ONE: LEADERSHIP AND CORE FUNCTIONS

1. LEADING A TEACHING CENTER
Constance E. Cook

2. MEASURING A TEACHING CENTER’S EFFECTIVENESS
Mary C. Wright

3. FORGING RELATIONSHIPS WITH FACULTY AND ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATORS
Constance E. Cook and Deborah S. Meizlish

4. CONSULTATIONS ON TEACHING
Using Student Feedback for Instructional Improvement
Cynthia J. Finelli, Tershia Pinder-Grover, and Mary C. Wright

5. GRADUATE PEER TEACHING CONSULTANTS
Expanding the Center’s Reach
Tershia Pinder-Grover, Mary C. Wright, and Deborah S. Meizlish

6. APPROACHES TO PREPARING FUTURE FACULTY FOR TEACHING
Chad Hershock, Christopher R. Groscurth, and Stiliana Milkova

PART TWO: SPECIAL EMPHASES AT CRLT

7. THE ROLE OF A TEACHING CENTER IN CURRICULAR REFORM AND ASSESSMENT
Constance E. Cook, Deborah S. Meizlish, and Mary C. Wright

8. STRENGTHENING DIVERSITY THROUGH FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
Crisca Bierwert

9. ENGAGING FACULTY IN EFFECTIVE USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Erping Zhu, Matthew Kaplan, and Charles Dershimer

10. ACTION RESEARCH FOR INSTRUCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT
Chad Hershock, Constance E. Cook, Mary C. Wright, and Christopher O’Neal

11. ROLE-PLAY AND BEYOND
Strategies for Incorporating Theatre Into Faculty Development
Matthew Kaplan and Jeffrey Steiger

CONCLUSION
Responding to Challenges Faced by Teaching Centers at Research Universities
Matthew Kaplan with contributions from: Terry Aladjem, Lori Breslow, Susanna Calkins, Deborah DeZure, Robyn Dunbar, Jean C. Florman, Marne Helgesen, Alan Kalish, David Langley, Gregory Light, Angela Linse, Michele Marincovich, Joan Middendorf, Allison Pingree, William C. Rando, Mary Deane Sorcinelli, Kathy Takayama, Pratibha Varma-Nelson, Suzanne Weinstein, and Mary-Ann Winkelmes

REFERENCES

ABOUT THE EDITORS AND CONTRIBUTORS

INDEX

Constance Cook

Constance Cook has served as Executive Director of CRLT since 1993. She was named Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs in 2006. Prior to becoming the Director of CRLT, Connie was the executive assistant to the president of the University of Michigan and, from 1987-1990, Connie was coordinator of the FIPSE (Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education) Comprehensive Program at the U.S. Department of Education. Before going to Washington, Connie was an associate professor at Albion College, where she chaired the political science department. At CRLT, her focus is on institutional transformation (i.e., creating a culture of teaching at a research university), a topic on which she has been writing and lecturing for more than a decade. Her scholarship concerns strategies for pedagogical improvement (e.g., action research, the scholarship of teaching and learning, curricular reform, and multicultural teaching and learning). As Executive Director, Connie coordinates new initiatives at CRLT and represents both CRLT and the broader University community on issues of teaching and learning. She also coordinates professional development programs for international higher education leaders. Connie is Clinical Professor of Higher Education at the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, as well as adjunct associate professor of political science. She received her B.A. from Barnard College, her M.A. from The Pennsylvania State University, and her Ph.D. from Boston University—all in political science. Her two books concern American political interest groups: Lobbying for Higher Education: How Colleges and Universities Influence Federal Policy (Vanderbilt University Press, 1998), and Nuclear Power and Legal Advocacy: The Environmentalists and the Courts (D.C. Heath/Lexington Books, 1980).

Matthew Kaplan

Matthew Kaplan Kaplan is CRLT’s managing director. He focuses on university-wide initiatives (e.g., Provost’s Seminars on Teaching, assessment and re-accreditation, evaluation of teaching) and external projects, such as a Teagle Foundation grant to improve writing and critical thinking. He also co-directs the LSA Teaching Academy and oversees the Thurnau competition, the University’s highest undergraduate teaching award. He received his Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he worked at UNC’s Center for Teaching and Learning for three years before joining CRLT in 1994. Matt has published articles on the academic hiring process, the use of interactive theatre as a faculty development tool, and the evaluation of teaching, and he co-authored a chapter of McKeachie’s Teaching Tips on technology and teaching. He has co-edited a volume of New Directions for Teaching and Learning on The Scholarship of Multicultural Teaching and Learning (Jossey Bass, 2007) and edited two volumes of To Improve the Academy (New Forums Press, 1998, 1999). He was a member of POD’s Core Committee from 1998-2001.

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