Lecturers’ Professional Development Fund: Deadline Approaching

The Lecturers' Professional Development Fund (LPDF) is a CRLT-sponsored grant specifically for U-M's Lecturers.  If you are a Lecturer on the Ann Arbor campus with a continuing appointment, you are eligible to apply for a grant of up to $2000 to fund professional development opportunities related to your teaching or scholarship.  For example, the funds could be used to support

  • attendance at a professional meeting
  • purchase of computer hardware or software
  • travel expenses associated with accessing resources at other institutions
  • subscriptions to professional journals
  • editorial, graduate student, or work-study assistance.  

Applications for the grant are due on September 25th at 4pm.  Details about how to apply can be found on our LPDF application page. Prospective applicants can also view the reports from previous LPDF recipients to get a sense of the range of projects that have been funded in the past.  

Every year, CRLT provides over $300,000 to U-M's instructors to support improvements to teaching and curriculum.  For more information about the range of grants available from CRLT, click here. 

Submitted by rkniemer on Thu, 09/06/2012 - 9:33pm
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CRLT Fall Seminars

CRLT is pleased to announce that its Fall Seminar Series is now open for registration. These seminars bring together faculty, graduate students, and postdocs from across campus to learn about topics in teaching and learning and share strategies with colleagues. CRLT seminars focus on innovative teaching methods, multiculturalism and diversity, incorporating instructional technology into teaching, and disseminating research results. Presenters are drawn from U-M faculty and experienced GSIs, CRLT professional staff, and visiting scholars.

This term's offerings include cutting edge topics, such as "flipped" classrooms and learning analytics at UM and beyond, as well as core areas of CRLT's mission, such as a six-session program on multicultural facilitation. In addition, CRLT in Engineering offers seminars that specifically target the needs of College of Engineering faculty and graduate students. 

To see the full list of seminars and to register, please visit the upcoming events page.

 

Submitted by mlkaplan on Tue, 09/04/2012 - 3:40pm
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CRLT Welcomes Chinese Teaching Center Colleagues

We are pleased to welcome four CRLT Fellows, instructional consultants working in new teaching centers at four Chinese research universities:

  • Dr. Guangbin Lin (Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing)
  • Dr. Junqi Wu (Central China Normal University, Wuhan)
  • Ms. Yi Zhang (Beijing Jiao Tong University)
  • Dr. Lin Zhang (Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications)

The Fellows will spend three weeks at U-M learning about CRLT’s programs and services, visiting classes and meeting U-M faculty, and developing program plans to take back to their home universities. We at CRLT also look forward to learning from our Chinese colleagues about how their centers are helping to enact educational reform efforts that are a top priority in China. The Fellows represent one of several collaborations with Chinese universities and the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China that CRLT has undertaken in support of President Coleman’s China Initiative. 

Submitted by mlkaplan on Thu, 08/23/2012 - 4:04pm
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Resources for the First Days of Teaching

What are effective ways to get to know students and create a positive learning environment from the very beginning of the term? How can you pique students' curiosity about the subject matter? How can you set student expectations for active engagement in the course?

These are common questions we hear about the first days of class, an important time for setting the tone for what is to come. CRLT offers a set of resources to help faculty and GSIs think carefully about getting the most out of the first days. The links in this section provide a wide range of resources, including tips on learning student names, activities for building community, and suggestions for ways to introduce course material and communicate expectations.

The sections on course design and syllabus design offer additional links to sites that can help with last minute course planning. CRLT consultants are also available to work one-on-one with instructors. If you have interesting activities or resources for the first days of your class, please share them in the comments section.

 

Submitted by mlkaplan on Mon, 08/20/2012 - 4:48pm
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Orientations for New Faculty and GSIs

To welcome new instructors to the University and help prepare them for their first teaching assignments at U-M, CRLT will be offering orientations for new faculty and new GSIs in the last week of August. These programs are all designed to help new instructors meet  colleagues from across the campus, learn about the resources available for teaching, and hit the ground running when the teaching term begins. Our work with U-M instructors has convinced us that when teaching is going well, other aspects of faculty or GSI work life are more likely to fall into place. Therefore, we take great care in designing orientations that will make the best possible use of time and cover the topics most salient to getting a good start in the classroom, lab, or studio.

All of us at CRLT are excited to welcome new instructors to campus and to help you get the tools you need to succeed. We look forward to meeting you!

Event Date Highlights
GSI Teaching Orientation August 27-28
  • Practice Teaching
  • CRLT Players Performance
  • Sessions on the First Days of Teaching 
  • Workshops on Teaching
New Faculty Orientation August 29
  • Welcoming Remarks from the Provost
  • CRLT Players Performance
  • Workshops on Teaching
  • Information Fair with 50 U-M Offices
Engineering GSI Teaching Orientation August 30
  • Engineering-Specific Teaching Workshops
  • Practice Teaching
  • CRLT Players Performance on Climate in the STEM Classroom

Read more »

Submitted by mlkaplan on Mon, 08/20/2012 - 4:32pm
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