600 South 43rd St, Box 68
Philadelphia, Pa. 19104

Contact Information:
Phyllis Blumberg, 215-895-1167
p.blumbe@usip.edu

Mary Rafferty, 215-895-1168
m.raffer@usip.edu

What We Do

• Mission
• Travel Grants
• Workshops Offered
• Awards
  • Leahy Award
  • Bright Idea
  • Call for Nominations for Adjunct and Part-Time Faculty Awards

Mission, Educational Philosophy, Goals and Objectives for the Teaching and Learning Center and its Director, Phyllis Blumberg

I. Mission of the Teaching and Learning Center:

To promote a culture within all of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia in which excellent teaching and learning are valued.

To foster, encourage, and maintain positive learning environments.

II. Educational Philosophy of the Teaching and Learning Center:

All Teaching and Learning Center activities will strive to be consistent with the following educational philosophy:

A. The Teaching and Learning Center supports activities that are with the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (Chickering, Gamson, and Barst (1989):

1. Good practice encourages student-faculty contact
2. Good practice encourages cooperation among students
3. Good practice encourages active learning
4. Good practice gives prompt feedback
5. Good practice emphasize time on task
6. Good practice communicates high expectations
7. Good practice respects diverse talents and ways of learning

B. Higher education is moving from being teacher-centered to being learner centered in terms of the way teaching is conducted
(Diamond, 1998) Designing and Assessing Courses & Curricula Jossey Bass, San Francisco, CA (1998)

C. Good teaching involves collaboration among the faculty on the development of educational programs, curriculum, classes and instruction
(Keig and Waggoner, 1994) Collaborative Peer Review: The Role of Faculty in Improving College Teaching, The George Washington University, ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No.2, Washington DC (1994)

D. Student assessment is an integral part of the teaching system and the teaching-learning dynamic
(Biggs, 1999) Teaching for Quality Learning at University: What the Student Does, The Society for Research into Higher Education (1999)

E. Self and peer assessment is an integral part of the teaching process and results in improvements in this teaching-learning dynamic
(Arreola, 1995) Developing a Comprehensive Faculty Evaluation System: A handbook for College Faculty and Administrators on Designing and Operating a Comprehensive Faculty Evaluation System, (1995) Anker Publishing Co. Inc.

 

Objectives for 2007 - 2008 for Phyllis Blumberg and the Teaching and Learning Center

Objectives:

1. To maintain an environment where teaching successes, innovations, and concerns are shared. In such an environment, faculty will also work together to improve their teaching. This implements Lee Shulman's idea that teaching is community property.
   Goal: 25% of the faculty will share their ideas with others.
   
2. To work with faculty to emphasize increased learning-centered teaching. Goal: >80% of the 1:1 consultations and events hosted by the Center will focus on learning-centered approaches.
   
3. To maintain the high level of participation by faculty and staff in the Teaching and Leaning Center activities by offering a wide variety of events on diverse topics throughout the year.
   Goal: 80% participation of full-time faculty
   
4. To disseminate educational information from current educational literature, research and practice to faculty and instructors through a variety of print, electronic and interpersonal forums.
   Goals: disseminate to 100% faculty
   
5. To expand my outreach to adjunct and new faculty through additional programs and 1:1 consultations
   Goal: Host 2 programs geared to adjunct faculty. Work with the chairs to determine a way to get new faculty to attend these programs and to help determine the topics faculty want. Do follow-ups with new faculty for those that attend the new faculty orientation and meet individually with faculty who were not able to attend the new faculty orientation.
   
6. To collaborate with others in scholarship, and to promote scholarship of teaching and learning with the faculty.
   Goal: Collaborate intensely with 2 faculty to write a manuscript based upon their work that is submitted for publication. Work with all faculty on as needed basis with everyone who asks.
   
7. To complete the book, A Guide to Learner-Centered Teaching, to be published by Jossey-Bass.
   Goal: Finish the book in a manner that is acceptable to Jossey-Bass.
   
8. To direct the operation of the center and assist in the educational operations of the university.
   Goal: Continue hosting programs, disseminating information, meeting with faculty, balancing the budget, actively serving on committees, etc.

Grant Money Available for Educational, Travel, Instructional Technology , Innovations , Learning-Centered Teaching

Grants for Part-time, adjunct USP faculty

• In an attempt to recognize and support long-standing adjunct and part- time USP faculty, these instructors are now eligible to receive a travel grant from the Teaching and Learning Center provided they meet these special requirements (in addition to all that apply to full time faculty):
• The adjunct or part time faculty should have taught at USP for at least the past three years and should be considered a likely candidate for continued employment.
• The department chair or program director will write a brief letter to support the travel grant. Included in this letter should be a description of the faculty’s roles in the department, overall teaching evaluations and why the director or chair supports this grant application.
• As is the case with full time faculty, an adjunct or part time faculty member who receives a travel award must share what (s)he has learned from attending the conference with the USP campus at large. This person may be asked to present at a TableTalk discussion, a workshop for all faculty or a special workshop intended for adjunct or part time faculty or some other venue.
• All other aspects to the application and grant are the same as with full time USP faculty

Teaching Learning grants of up to $500.00 will be available for:
full time faculty

1. attendance at a conference that focuses on teaching and learning
2. the costs of learning about or integrating technology or other innovations into your courses (The money need not be spent at conferences. Grant money can also be spent on software or educational resources to be used by students.)
3. a travel grant may also be used to visit another campus to observe learning-centered teaching, talk to faculty and students (The money also may be used to bring someone to USP.)

Application Procedures

Please send electronically, to Mary Rafferty, m.raffer@usip.edu, a one to two page letter of application describing each of the following points.

1. The activity or resource that you wish considered for funding.
2. The specific ways in which this activity or resource will enhance the teaching will enhance the teaching and learning process in your course(s).
3. Amount of money requested.
4. Specific plans for sharing with members of your department or other USP faculty members the ideas and/or information that result from your participation in this activity.

5) Your rank and status in the department concerning tenure; non-tenure faculty on tenure-track appointment.

Grant applications will be reviewed by the Teaching and Learning Center Advisory Committee, composed of your colleagues from across the University. Awards will be made on a rolling basis in accordance with the fiscal year cycle. Faculty may only receive 1 award per fiscal year. Preference is given to non-tenure tract faculty, and faculty below the ranks of Associate Professor.

Workshops Offered

The Teaching and Learning Center is happy to offer workshops for your full time, part time or adjunct faculty, other groups of faculty, cross-disciplinary special interest groups (i.e., new faculty) and graduate teaching assistants. These workshops can be adapted to fit your purposes and can vary in length. We can develop new ones at your request, either using internal expertise or relying on external consultants. Please suggest additional topics for new workshops.

For more information on offering a workshop for your faculty, please contact Phyllis Blumberg, Director of the Teaching Learning Center, X 1167, or email: p.blumbe@usip.edu

Sample Topics for Workshops that are currently available:
(for those workshops that have been given recently, a summary is available, along with who participants were)

• Active Learning, increasing student participation in your classes
• Educational Program Evaluation
• Why should we conduct program evaluations
• How to start program evaluations
• An educational program evaluation framework
• Effective small group leadership
• Establishing a positive classroom climate - summary available
• Evaluating students on more than just their factual knowledge
• Getting started in your professional writing
• Giving constructive feedback to students -summary available
• Giving laboratory presentations to orient students for lab set-ups of apparatus - summary available
• How students learn: learning styles- summary available
• How to observe and respond to common student behaviors in the lab - summary available
• Identifying Multiple Outcomes for Educational Programs
• Making effective presentations
• Matching expected outcomes of our graduates to instruction and student evaluation
• Preparing our students to be life-long learners
• Problem-based learning
• Introduction to Problem-based learning - summary available
• Planning and implementing a problem-based learning course or program
• Self-directed learning
• Student assessment alternatives and techniques
• Time management
• Using electronic media effectively in your courses

The Center has many resources on these and other topics.

The Director is also available for individual consultation.


Awards

Call for Nominations for Adjunct and Part-Time Faculty Awards

Students, faculty members, or chairs may make nominations. Awards are made on an annual basis and if an adjunct faculty was nominated during the fall semester, that nomination is still being considered. Nominations should describe the person's

• Enthusiasm for teaching/content
• Organizaiton/presentation
• Motivation/currentness
• Impact
• Accessibility

The list of eligible faculty and the submission form may be obtained from the Teaching and Learning Center and also on website called award

Leahy Award

Bright Idea

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date updated: 9-24-2007
site maintained by Mary Rafferty