SPIG Minutes for Friday, April 2nd, 2004

10-11 AM

Attendants: Dr. Elizabeth Barron, Deborah Bordelon, Bart Everson, Michelle Falgoust, Lanny Foss, Susan Fredine, David Lanoue, and Todd Stanislav.

The minutes of the 3-19-04 meeting were reviewed, amended, and approved.

Each group member gave a description of the key ideas, themes, and concepts that should describe the Center's program.

From Susan Fredine:

focus on the individual
discipline-based work for faculty
interdisciplinary work for faculty
expert staff support
facilities and resources
content
- teaching and learning issues
- pedagogical research
- curriculum reform

From David Lanoue:

focus on faculty work/faculty life (teaching, scholarship, service)
advance and make public the art and science of teaching and learning
advance the scholarship of teaching

From Deborah Bordelon

focus on faculty work in teaching, service, and scholarship
advance pedagogy and learning

From Bart Everson

collaboration, innovation, and creativity
scholarship and teaching
from the recent Bush grant, the focus of "...to discuss and make public ..."
organize the program description along the lines of our initiatives (we need to include one or more initiatives that relate to our workshop, facilities, staff, and resources)

From Lanny Foss:

the Center needs to be a catalyst for change
consider how K-12 and university teaching is changing or may change in the future
the Center should host a regional conference.

From Todd:

support and advance the intellectual work or faculty
improve student learning
advance teaching in ways that lead to greater student learning
when appropriate and as much as possible, make public the work of faculty (and students)
improve teaching and learning
support using a mix of genres that represent the work of faculty in teaching and learning
the Center is a library, a laboratory, a museum.

Todd mentioned tensions or unresolved questions that he has concerning:

the prominence of our commitment to making public the work of faculty relative to ensuring that the Center is a place where faculty can feel safe to experiment, fail, seek help, etc.
If the Center focuses on teaching, research, and service, would it (a) step outside of its "domain" of teaching, and (b) encroach on the "domain" of other units such as the Service Learning Program, the Center for Undergraduate Research, etc.?

From Dr. Elizabeth Barron:

the Center should be a place where faculty can take risks without consequences
she would like the Center to do more in the area of classroom visitation by peers
she would like to see the Center help faculty provide evidence of good teaching
regarding service learning, this falls under "teaching."

Dr. Bordelon responded to Lanny's question about changes in K-12 teaching. She believes there is a shift toward more individualized approaches to teaching and learning (e.g., more consideration of multiple intelligence theories) and providing teachers with multiple approaches or strategies to teaching in the classroom.

Susan noted, in response to Lanny's suggestion that the Center be a catalyst for change, that it would be important to understand the reason for the needed change.

The group agreed to continue its discussion of the key ideas, themes, and concepts before beginning to write the description of the Center's program. Lanny suggested that we try to prioritize the list that was generated at today's meeting.

— Minutes respectfully submitted by Michelle Falgoust,
Administrative Assistant in the Center for the Advancement of Teaching