Inquiry into Teaching and Learning Initiative

About the Initiative

All Xavier faculty members are invited to participate in the Inquiry into Teaching and Learning Initiative, an initiative supported by a generous grant from The Bush and William & Flora Hewlett foundations. Faculty involved in this three semester-long project will conduct an in-depth study of a teaching and learning problem or issue, usually but not always within the confines of a single course, making use of scientific methodology and rigorous assessment. The scholarly work that results from this project may be presented at a conference or symposium or submitted for peer review and publication. Ultimately, the work will contribute to the intellectual discourse about teaching and learning in order to improve both.

This will be the second year of the Inquiry into Teaching and Learning Initiative. During the 2004-2005 academic year, four Xavier faculty members participated in the Initiative.

Faculty will proceed through three phases, one phase per semester beginning in the fall 2005 semester. During Phase I, faculty will meet approximately bi-weekly; meetings will be less frequent in the subsequent phases.

Phase 1: Orientation and Review: A Seminar on the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

In this initial phase of your work you will learn about the scholarship of teaching and learning by reviewing and discussing with the other members of the group some prominent examples of literature in this area of research.

Phase 2: Problem and Methodology: Choosing What to Investigate and the Methodology for the Investigation

In this phase, you will conceptualize the problem or issue that you will investigate, especially discussing the origin of the problem or issue and why it is significant for the course, the academic discipline, your teaching, or students' learning. You will also develop the methods for the investigation, including the instruments and process for collecting and analyzing the data.

Phase 3: Data and Dissemination: Collecting and Analyzing Data and Disseminating the Findings

In this phase you will collect, analyze, and reflect upon the evidence or data you've collected with respect to the original problem or issue you identified.

Support

The staff of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching will assist you in each phase, including covering, as much as possible, any costs associated with the publication or presentation of your work.

A $500 stipend per semester is available to participants in the Initiative.

Letter of Interest

Interested faculty should submit a one-page letter of interest to the Center by March 18, 2005. This letter need only indicate that you are interested in participating in the Inquiry into Teaching and Learning Initiative; you do not need to provide any documentation or rationale for your participation. You may send the letter via campus mail (P.O. Box 78) or e-mail cat@xula.edu. Applicants will be notified of the results by mid-April 2005.

More information about the Inquiry into Teaching and Learning Initiative may be found on the Center's website at cat.xula.edu/initiatives/inquiry

If you have any questions, contact Todd Stanislav at ext. 7692 or send an e-mail.

Deadline: March 18, 2005
Applicants will receive notification of the results in mid-April 2005.
A part of the February 2005 RFP Multipack.