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Rackham-CRLT Seminar on College:
Preparing Future Faculty (PFF)
May, 2008 Syllabus

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Syllaus in .pdf format: (2008syllabus.pdf) or
MSWord format: (2008syllabus.doc)

Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Breakfast at 8:30.
Location: Koessler Room, 3rd Floor, Michigan League
C-Tools Site : https://ctools.umich.edu/portal: login; select “PFF Seminar 2008 tab at top of page.

The purpose of the Rackham-CRLT Seminar: Preparing Future Faculty is to prepare a select group of advanced graduate students from a variety of disciplines for their first faculty jobs. The Seminar focuses on three major themes. First, participants learn about the aspects of the higher education enterprise most relevant to the lives of future faculty members, e.g., differences in culture and expectations among types of colleges and universities, the nature of today's students, and other forces affecting faculty work. Second, participants read about and discuss a number of pedagogical topics, e.g., multicultural teaching, instructional technology, and the research on teaching and learning. Finally, participants prepare two documents to help with the job search: a statement of teaching philosophy and a syllabus.

INSTRUCTORS

Chad Hershock
Coordinator of Science Faculty and GSI Initiatives, CRLT
1071 Palmer Commons; Phone: (734) 615-8060;  Uniqname:  chersh

Tershia Pinder
Coordinator of Engineering GSI Initiatives, CRLT
1071 Palmer Commons; Phone: (734) 615-9263;   Uniqname:  tpinder

Mary Wright
Assistant Research Scientist and Coordinator of GSI Initiatives, CRLT
1071 Palmer Commons; Phone: (734) 936-1135;  Uniqname: mcwright

OFFICE HOURS: Tershia is available Mondays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.  Chad is available Wednesdays from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Mary is available Fridays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Seminar participants can make arrangements to talk with Chad, Mary or Tershia at other times as well. 

SEMINAR OBJECTIVES:

When you have completed this Seminar, you should be able to:

  1. Apply principles of course design to a specific course you could teach at U-M or another institution;
  2. Apply the research on selected topics in teaching and learning to your own teaching;
  3. Reflect on your own practice and explain your approach to teaching to colleagues and future employers, both in writing and orally;
  4. Assess the various institutional contexts in American higher education and evaluate their implications for your career as a faculty member;
  5. Apply to your role as an emerging academic professional your understanding of the changing student population, the structure of American higher education, and governance and accountability issues;
  6. Analyze and evaluate issues that will face you as a new faculty member in your first academic job and assess their implication for the progress of your faculty career;
  7. Identify and use resources to help you adjust to and succeed in your first faculty position.

MICHIGAN TEACHING FELLOW DOCUMENTATION

The following activities are either required or suggested for Seminar participants who wish to receive documentation that they are a Michigan Teaching Fellow:

Required activities:

  • On time attendance at all ten sessions of the Seminar, including luncheons
  • Completion of required reading and other assignments in advance of each class session
  • Completion of a syllabus for a new course
  • Completion of a statement of teaching philosophy
  • Online feedback to your triad members on their syllabi and teaching philosophies

    Readings: (All are distributed free of charge.)

  • McKeachie, W. J. (2002). Teaching tips (11th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
  • There is also a coursepack which includes the required readings, except website explorations and references to the course books.

SUMMARY OF ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES
(All assignments are due by 8:30 A.M. on the day listed.)

4/02/08   Submit photo and biosketch to CRLT and complete on line survey
4/29/08   Bring to the seminar a job posting from your discipline
5/06/08   First paragraph of teaching philosophy due at session
5/08/08   Submit draft of teaching philosophy to C-Tools website
5/13/08   Provide feedback on triad/quad members’ teaching philosophies through                 C-Tools website;
                Bring completed syllabus reflection sheet to the seminar
5/20/08   Submit draft of syllabus to C-Tools website
5/22/08   Provide feedback on triad/quad members’ syllabi through C-Tools website
5/27/08   Teaching documents fair – bring three copies of your revised teaching                 documents to the session.  One will be submitted to CRLT as fulfillment of                 the Seminar’s requirements.
5/29/08   Watch Randy Bass video and participate in online discussion.
                Post final version of syllabus and teaching philosophy to CTools website.

WEBSITE

The CTools website is an integral part of the Seminar. Use the site to:

  • find out more about your colleagues and instructors;
  • find some of the readings for the Seminar;
  • find resources on the teaching philosophy, portfolio, higher education, site visits;
  • post your philosophy and syllabus;
  • give feedback to triad members on their philosophy and syllabus;
  • discuss Seminar topics.

SEMINAR CALENDAR

DAY ONE: Tuesday, April 29- Koessler Room, 3rd Floor, Michigan League

  • Overview of the seminar
  • Higher education as your future employer
    – Aspects of the American higher education system
    – Types of American colleges and universities
  • Research on effective college teaching and learning
  • Faculty job postings

Assignments Due Today: (1) Bring to the Seminar a faculty job posting from your discipline. Once place to search is http://chronicle.com/jobs/

Readings:

American Council on Education. (2001). A brief guide to U.S. Higher Education, (pp. 1-17). Washington, DC: American Council on Education. (Available on CTools site)

Visit Carnegie Classification Main Page: <http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/classifications/>

Read the short paragraphs on this main page.

The Carnegie Foundation made drastic changes in the classification scheme in 2005. At the top of the page you will see a “Classification Descriptions” button with a drop down menu. From the drop-down menu, choose “Basic Classification.” Read this page.

Next, click on the “Lookup & Listings” button and click on the drop-down item entitled “Institution Lookup” and search for:

  • Your undergraduate institution(s)
  • Other institutions of interest to you, including the campus you hope to visit on the campus visit day (May 20) in this Seminar
  • U - M
  • Institutions where you would like to have your first faculty job.

DAY TWO: Thursday, May 1 – Koessler Room, 3rd Floor, Michigan League

Key Topics Addressed Today:

  • Today’s college students
    - How have our students and institutions become so diverse?
    - Demographic data on today’s college students and their implications for higher education
  • Examining our definition of teaching and learning
  • Getting started on the teaching philosophy
    - The purpose of a statement of teaching philosophy
    - Examining fundamental assumptions about teaching, learning, and students

Assignments Due Today: We will be relying heavily on the “Who are our students?” readings in class. Please make sure to read Nidiffer (2001), as well as the UM student profile (2007), Hoover (2006), Levine (2005), Lewis (2004), and Swail (2002) before class.

Readings:

I. Who are our students?

University of Michigan student profile: Comparison with other highly selective public institutions. (2006). Unpublished manuscript, Division of Student Affairs, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Hoover, Eric (2006, February 3).  Freshman Survey: More Students Plan to Lend a Hand. The Chronicle of Higher Education, A37.  Retrieved March 31, 2006, from http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i22/22a04001.htm

*Look at the electronic version of this article on The Chronicle of Higher Education website. A user name and password have been sent to you in a separate e-mail message. Please click the confirmation link in that message. This ensures your user name and password will remain active. Your user name and password are case sensitive. Enter each exactly as given in your e-mail.

Once you get to the article, note the box on the right-hand side of the page. Click the link to “Facts and Figures from the 2005-2006 Survey.” Explore these data.

Levine, A. (1997). How the academic profession is changing. The American academic profession. [Special issue.] In Daedalus, 126, (4) 6-7.

Lewis, E. (2004). Why history remains a factor in the search for racial equality. In P. Gurin, J. S. Lehman, & E. Lewis (Eds.), Defending diversity: Affirmative action at the University of Michigan (pp. 17-59, 198-205). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Nidiffer, J. (2001). Timeline for the history of higher education. Unpublished manuscript, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Adapted by V. Hamori-Ota, 2008.

Swail, W. S. (2002, July/August). Higher education and the new demographics: Questions for policy. Change 34(4), 15‑23.

II. Getting started on the teaching philosophy

O’Neal, C., Meizlish, D., & Kaplan, M. (2007). Writing a statement of teaching philosophy for the academic job search. CRLT Occasional Paper, 23. Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

DAY THREE: Tuesday, May 6 – Koessler Room, 3rd Floor, Michigan League

Key Topics Addressed Today:

  • Key issues in higher education for faculty

Assignments Due Today: (1) Bring (at least) the first paragraph of your teaching philosophy statement to the Seminar. (2) In the reading, please focus especially on Stark & Lattuca (1996a) and Academic freedom and educational responsibility (2006).

Readings:

Academic freedom and educational responsibility. (2006, Spring). Liberal Education.  92(2), 6-8.

Spellings, M. (2006). A test of leadership: Charting the future of U.S. higher education. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, pp. 1-5.Available: http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports.html

Bok, D. (2003). The roots of commercialization. In Universities in the marketplace: The commercialization of higher education (pp. 1-17). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Egan, P. [Electronic Version]. (2006, March 12). Professors paid not to teach. The Detroit News.

Wadsworth, D. (2005). Ready or not? Where the public stands on higher education reform. In R. H. Hersh & J. Merrow(Eds.) Declining by degrees: Higher education at risk (pp. 24-38). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Stark, J., & Lattuca, L. (1996a). Calls for curriculum reform.  In Shaping the college curriculum, academic plans in action (pp. 88-89). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Stark, J., & Lattuca, L. (1996b). Defining curriculum: An academic plan.  In Shaping the college curriculum, academic plans in action (pp.7-15). Boston: Allyn & Bacon

Zernicke, K. (2002, August 4). Tests are not just for kids. The New York Times, Section 4A, p. 27. Retrieved March 24, 2003, from http://www.nytimes.com

DAY FOUR: Thursday, May 8 – Koessler Room, 3rd Floor, Michigan League

  • Student diversity and the learning environment
    - Learning outcomes of diverse classrooms
    - Instructor influence of classroom climate

Assignments Due Today: (1) Your teaching philosophy should be posted to CTools before class today. (2) Please complete readings that were assigned to you in class on Tuesday. These will be the basis for an in-class activity.

Readings:

Alger, J.R. (1997, January/February). The educational value of diversity.  Academe, 1, 20-23.

Bonwell, C.C. (1996) Enhancing the lecture: revitalizing a traditional format.  In T.E. Sutherland & C.C. Bonwell (Eds.), Using active learning for college classes: A range of options for faculty.  New Directions in Teaching and Learning (67, pp. 31-44).  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Davis, B.G. (1993).  Diversity and complexity in the classroom: Considerations of race, ethnicity, and gender.  In Tools for Teaching, (pp. 39-51).  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Felder, R.M. & Brent, R. (1996).  Navigating the bumpy road to student- centered instruction.  College Teaching, 44, 43-47.

Gurin, P. (2003). Expert report of Patricia Gurin: Gratz, et al. v. Bollinger, et al., No. 97-75321 (E.D. Mich.); Grutter, et al. v. Bollinger, et al., No. 97-75928 (E.D. Mich.) [Electronic version]: http://www.vpcomm.umich.edu/admissions/legal/expert/gurintoc.html
http://www.vpcomm.umich.edu/admissions/legal/expert/summ.html
http://www.vpcomm.umich.edu/admissions/legal/expert/empir.html

Russ, T.L., Simonds, C.J., and Hunt, S.K. (2002).  Coming out in the classroom ... an occupational hazard?  The influence of sexual orientation on teacher credibility and perceived student learning.  Communication Education, 51(3), 311-324.

Saunders, S., & Kardia, D. (2000, April). Inclusive classrooms: Part one of a two part series: Choosing course content/Increasing awareness of problematic content. Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, 10(15), 21-23.

Saunders, S., & Kardia, D. (2000, May). Inclusive classrooms: Part two of a two-part series: Planning considerations, getting to know the students, and decisions, comments, & behaviors during the teaching process. Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, 10(16), 45-48.

Sharp, J.E., Harb, J.N., Terry, R.E. (1997, April). Combining Kolb learning styles and writing to learn in engineering classes. Journal of Engineering Education. 93-101.

DAY FIVE Tuesday, May 13 – Koessler Room, 3rd Floor, Michigan League

Key Topics Addressed Today:

  • Discussion with faculty using instructional technology
  • Introduction to course planning
    - Defining goals and objectives
    - Aligning goals, methods, and assessment
  • Introduction to the Teaching Portfolio

Assignments Due Today: (1) Feedback on your triad/quad members’ teaching philosophies should be posted to CTools before the seminar today. (2) Please bring your completed syllabus preparation worksheet to the seminar today.

Readings:

I. Instructional technology

Zhu, E., & Kaplan, M. (2006).  Technology and teaching.  In W. McKeachie, Teaching Tips (pp. 229-252).  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Katz. R. (2006, December). Key Findings: The ECAR study of undergraduate students and information technology, 2006. pp. 1 11. Educause Center for Applied Research.

Zhu, E. (2007). Teaching with clickers. CRLT Occasional Paper, 22. Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Available: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/occasional.html

Examples of U-M Faculty Teaching with Technology (explore this useful website): http://www.crlt.umich.edu/inst/techexamples.php
7 Things you should know about Blogs found at www.educause.edu/eli
7 Things you should know about Podcasting found at www.educause.edu/eli
7 Things you should know about Screencasting found at www.educause.edu/eli
7 Things you should know about Wikis found at www.educause.edu/eli

II. Course planning

Angelo, T.A. (1991). Ten easy pieces: Assessing higher learning in four dimensions. In T.A. Angelo (Ed.), Classroom research: Early lessons from success (46, pp. 17-31). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Selected CATs for getting feedback on student learning and response to teaching. Unpublished manuscript, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Diamond, R. M. (1998). Clarifying instructional goals and objectives. In Designing and assessing courses and curricula (2nd ed., pp. 125-137). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Hampton, R. (2001, October). Alignment. (Available from the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, 1071 Palmer Commons, 100 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109)

Montgomery, S.M., & Groat, L.N. (1998). Student learning styles and their implications for teaching. CRLT Occasional Paper No. 10. Ann Arbor, MI: The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan.

Snyder, C. (2006).  Revising the freshman research assignment.  The Teaching Professor (20)4, 5.

Walvoord, B. E., & Anderson, V. J. (1998). Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment (pp. 17-19, 22-28, 32-37). Josey-Bass Publishers.

Visit the following websites on syllabus construction
Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Minnesota,
http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/syllabus/
Center for Learning and Teaching, Cornell University,
http://www.clt.cornell.edu/campus/teach/faculty/TeachingMaterials.html

Optional syllabus sites that you may find useful include:

III. The teaching portfolio

Kaplan, M. (1998). The teaching portfolio.  CRLT Occasional Paper, 11.  Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Available:
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/occasional.php

DAY SIX: Thursday, May 15 – Koessler Room, 3rd Floor, Michigan League

  • Faculty work–life; tenure issues and strategies
    - Realities of the American academic profession
    - Different realities for women and people of color
    - Faculty work–life and work styles
    - Defining and debating tenure
    - Strategies for getting tenure

Assignments Due Today: None

Readings:

I. Tenure and faculty work–life

Brent, R. & Felder, R.M. (1998, Summer). The new faculty member. Chemical Engineering Education, (32)3, 46-47.

García, M. (2000). Succeeding in an academic career: A guide for faculty of color (pp. xiv-xix, 16-26). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Kardia, D.B., & Wright, M.C. (2004). Instructor identity: The impact of gender and race on faculty experiences with teaching.  CRLT Occasional Papers, 19.  Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

June, A.W. (2007, December 14). Survey reveals best places for junior faculty to work. [Electronic version]. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Available: http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i16/16a01202.htm

Smock, P.J., & Stephenson, R. (n.d.). Giving and getting career advice: A guide for junior and senior faculty. NSF ADVANCE at the University of Michigan.  Retrieved April 19, 2007, from http://sitemaker.umich.edu/advance/files/career_advising.pdf

Teaching at the University of Michigan. (1996). UM faculty work-life study. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education and the Center for the Education of Women.

Teaching workload of full-time postsecondary faculty (1999). The condition of education (p. 70). U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement. National Center for Education Statistics.

Tierney, W.G. (1999). Tenure is dead. Long live tenure. In W.G. Tierney, (Ed.), The responsive university: Restructuring for high performance (pp. 38-49). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Valian, V. (1999). Women in academia. In Why so slow? The advancement of women (pp. 218-220, 237-246). Cambridge: MIT Press.

Luncheon: No lunch today

DAY SEVEN: Tuesday, May 20 - Campus visits

Departure times and location to be determined

  • Albion College
  • Eastern Michigan University
  • Kalamazoo College
  • Kettering University

Assignments Due Today: Course syllabus should be submitted to CTools class by 8:30 a.m. today.

Readings to prepare for visits:

Broughton, W., & Conlogue, W. (2004). What search committees want.  Retrieved April 20, 2005 from
http://www.mla.org/resources/jil/ jil_jobseekers/jil_jobseekers_pro

Young, V.L. (2002).  Seeking a faculty position: Hiring committees pay close attention to all parts of the application package [Electronic version]. Chemical and Engineering News, 80(47), 60-64.

Visit the following website on the CRLT-Rackham mentoring program
http://www.sitemaker.umich.edu/rackham-crlt/gsi_introduction

DAY EIGHT: Tuesday, May 22 – Koessler Room, 3rd Floor, Michigan League

Key Topics Addressed Today:

  • Debriefing of campus visits
    - Teaching opportunities and research load: Expectations for faculty work at different kinds of institutions
  • Discussion with faculty
    - Balancing research and teaching
    - Balancing personal and professional lives
    - Benefits of faculty life

Assignments Due Today: Syllabus feedback to triads/quads is due by 8:30 a.m. today.

Readings:

Bennett (2007) Balance it out.  [Electronic version].  The Chronicle of Higher Education, 53(9), p. C1.

Baldwin, R.G. (1990). Faculty career stages and implications for professional development. In J.H. Schuster, D.W. Wheeler, et al. (Eds.) Enhancing faculty careers: Strategies for development and renewal (pp. 29-40). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Bonner II, F.A. (June 11, 2004).  Black professors: On the track but out of the loop.  The Chronicle of Higher Education, B11.

Faculty Attitudes (2005, September 16). [Electronic version]. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Available:
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i04/04a02501.htm

Mason, M.A. & Goulden, M. (2004, November-December).  Do babies matter (Part II)?:  Closing the baby gap.  Academe, 11-15.

Wasley, P. (2007, November 1). Full-time professors report high levels of job satisfaction, survey finds. [Electronic version]. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Available:
http://chronicle.com/daily/2007/11/570n.htm

DAY NINE: Tuesday, May 27 – Koessler Room, 3rd Floor, Michigan League

Key Topics Addressed Today:

  • Teaching Documents
  • Discussion with lecturers and community college faculty
  • Introduction to online teaching and learning

Assignments Due Today: Please bring three copies of your completed teaching philosophy and syllabus to class.

Readings:

I. Faculty work-life, Part II

Marklein, M.B. (2002, December 5). Non-tenured instructors feel relegated to second class [Electronic version]. USA Today, D10.

II. Instructional Technology, Part II

Durrington, V., Berryhill, A., & Swafford, J.  (2006). Strategies for enhancing student interactivity in an online environment.  College Teaching, 54(1), 190-193.

Mupinga, D., Nora, R., & Yaw, D.C. (2006). The learning styles, expectations, and needs of online students, College Teaching, 54(1), 185-189.

Spurlin, J. (2006, July). (D. Oblinger, Ed.), Technology and learning:  Defining what you want to assess. ELI Paper 1: Educause.

DAY TEN: May 29 – Koessler Room, 3rd Floor, Michigan League

Key Topics Addressed Today:

  • Instructional technology debrief
  • Talking about teaching during the interview
  • Evaluation of seminar
  • Celebratory luncheon

Assignments Due Today: (1) By 8:30 a.m., please watch Randy Bass’s presentation “Making Learning Visible: Technology and Teaching for Understanding” and (2) participate in the online discussion we moderate on C-Tools.  These will frame our discussions for today.

The presentation is available on streaming video at the following site: 
http://wlap.org/browser.php?ID=20050511-umwlap001-03-bass

You will need Real Player in order to watch this video.  To download RealPlayer, visit http://www.real.com/

There are no additional readings.

 

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