What Have I Learned This Semester? CETL in Review
At the end of every semester I try to ask myself, What have I learned?
For this semester, that answer is difficult to condense. I’ve had invaluable conversations about teaching, learning, advising, course redesign, assessments, and classroom technology with both visiting speakers and administration, faculty, and staff at Austin Peay. We at the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and the Office of Title III Grant hosted the Course Redesign Summer Teaching Academy, 19 campus-wide events, a departmental meeting with a guest speaker, an orientation for new faculty, and two individual consultations. I had the honor of participating in the planning and assessment of an advising program that targets students with identifiable at-risk characteristics. Not to mention, I had the pleasure of meeting with course-redesign teams, interviewing Provost Denley about course redesign, participating in an interview with Dr. Chris Dede about media-influenced learning styles, and coordinating with Susan Jones, the Professional Development Coordinator of the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. For our resource center, we collected over 150 books and DVDs on pedagogy, advising, diversity, course redesign, assessments, tenure and promotion, and other aspects of professional development. Thanks to Austin Peay, my semester’s list of learning opportunities not only extends beyond what I’ve enumerated, but in fact seems endless to me.
So what have I learned?
First and foremost, that the combined efforts of APSU administration, faculty, and staff created every one of these learning opportunities. My personal role was relatively insignificant — merely that of taking an idea from Person A and bringing it to Person B, C, D, E … until that idea, somewhat transformed by its journey, became a reality.
Some ideas didn’t complete that journey. Other ideas became events but drew insufficient attendance. Beyond the obvious correlation with what’s left of my shoes’ soles, I learned a more simple lesson: So long as a plan is viable and we can generate enough interest, we can accomplish anything — but the reverse is also true.
With this understanding, we’re looking for ways to wed the professional-development program with the greater campus community. For example, we’ve organized an Advisory Committee for Faculty-Development Planning. This committee will assess the faculty’s professional-development needs in teaching and advising and produce a list of ten teaching strategies that professional development will target. In addition, we’ve rolled out a growing list of events for the spring semester. This list hopefully will enable interested faculty and staff to plan their schedules around at least certain events they would like to attend. Also, I intend to build coalitions around shared objectives and thereby increase the financial and human resources for professional-development opportunities.
How has my exposure to these conversations, events, and resources influenced my understanding of their topics? What I’ve learned about teaching, learning, advising, diversity, course redesign, assessment, and classroom technology are complex, critical conversations — much of which I hope to distill for the two courses I’m teaching next semester. I’ve learned that for me to quote a colleague, speaker, book, or DVD is not adequate proof of what I’ve learned. Pardon the pun, but I need to put these ideas to the test.
In other words, I realize I need to get back into the classroom. And I thank the APSU English department and PASS program for giving me these teaching opportunities.
Happy Holidays, Austin Peay!
Sincerely,
Gray Kane
