Friday, April 12 at 4:00 pm in the CTL. This reception will provide a venue for the faculty who have opened their courses to have discussions with their guests and for all participants to talk about teaching and student learning. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate our hard work creating effective learning environments for students.
Registration link, https://centre.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3KwmaOZJSY1LqfQ
Ellen Prusinski named CTL Faculty Fellow for Spring 2024
Congratulations to Ellen Prusinski (Education) who has been named a Faculty Fellow of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) for the upcoming 2024 spring semester!
This fellowship is intended to encourage faculty exploration, study, and sharing of pedagogical approaches; advance our understanding and implementation of new and innovative pedagogies; and highlight the teaching excellence of Centre College faculty members. The program was piloted last year by Kaelyn Wiles (Sociology) who focused on using contemplative practices to promote well-being among faculty members and students on campus.
This spring, Prusinski will focus on strategies to strengthen and build capacity of Community-Based Learning (CBL) at Centre. CBL is a pedagogical approach that intentionally links what is being taught in the classroom to surrounding communities. Prusinski plans to participate in some workshops for community-based pedagogies and develop and lead a CBL course design workshop for Centre faculty based on what she learns from the institute. Ultimately, Prusinski hopes to develop a clear framework for incorporating CBL into classes at Centre. Those faculty who are interested in CBL, contact Ellen Prusinski or keep an eye out in the spring for the workshop series!
“Our Faculty Fellow Program gives faculty the opportunity for growth and professional development but also benefits the Centre community,” said Nisha Gupta, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. “Ellen’s plans to strengthen community-based learning at Centre will be a much needed and powerful support for pedagogy, experiential learning, and community building for Centre.”
Faculty Fellows will receive one course release (1 course or 3 credit hours total). In addition, a total of $3,000 will be made available to support the activities of the fellow. The funds are to support: hosting events, such as seminars or guest speakers, on campus; conference travel to present project results; and miscellaneous expenses.
The call for proposals for Fall 2024/Spring 2025 Faculty Fellows is now open, and proposals are due February 29, 2024. All full-time faculty who have earned tenure and demonstrated commitment to student learning are encouraged to apply. If you are interested in applying for a Faculty Fellowship or would like to discuss proposal possibilities over a consultation, please reach out to Nisha Gupta (nisha.gupta@centre.edu) in the CTL (Crounse 308).
More information about the Faculty Fellow Program can be found here: CTL Faculty Fellows
2023-2024 Learning Communities
We are pleased to announce proposed Learning Communities (LC) topics for 2023–24. If you are interested in joining one or more of these Learning Communities or proposing your own please fill out this survey to indicate your interest. We are also looking for facilitators/co-facilitators. If interested please respond to the survey by Wednesday, August 30, 2023: Learning Community Interest Survey
Generative A.I./ChatGPT: Prickly Parrots
ChatGPT and other AI (Artificial Intelligence) applications are revolutionizing the world, raising prickly issues in academia. Is it plagiarism if a student uses ChatGPT to rewrite their draft? Or for academics to compose assignments or grant proposals with similar tools? To explore this polarizing topic, we propose a learning community to read, discuss articles, and personally experience the possibilities and limitations of these tools—sometimes called Stochastic Parrots for their ability to generate language without understanding. Proposed discussion topics include copyright, plagiarism, and innovation strategies in pedagogy, with more emerging through our dialogue.
Gen Z Students: Does a New Generation Need a New Approach?
A new generation of students, Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, is entering higher education with different experiences, perspectives, and in a different climate than previous generations. This is the first generation to never know the world without internet, value diversity, and finding their own unique identities. This learning community will review recent literature on understanding and teaching Gen Z students. One possible book to read is Gen Z, Explained or other resources determined by the group.
Inclusive Teaching
Inclusivity, diversity, equity, anti-racism. These are all terms used in relation to pedagogies. This learning community will focus on topics related to inclusive teaching. Possible topics include teaching in today’s culture wars, equity-minded teaching, inclusive pedagogies, and inclusive practices centered around different identities. Feel free to indicate topics you prefer from this list or others in your response.
Centre Faculty Awarded Course Development Grants
Congratulations to 16 Centre College faculty who were awarded Course Development Grants to prepare for courses during the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year from the Center for Teaching and Learning.
Course Development Grants provide up to $1,500 to support the creation of new courses or redesign of existing courses. This round of awardees includes 10 new courses to be designed featuring DLM courses as well as other general education and upper-level major courses. Four courses will be significantly revised. The courses will be offered during the fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters as well as CentreTerm 2024.
“These grants reflect innovative pedagogies, new course design formats, and authentic assessment techniques,” said Nisha Gupta, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. “Several courses will support the pre-health minor. Particularly noteworthy are proposals that seek to revise existing courses, in that revision is a critical and important practice for keeping our teaching fresh and interesting.”
Ten programs across all three Divisions are represented. “Reviewers were impressed with the range of fields of study and the balance of new and revised course proposals,” Nisha continued.
Applicants submitting proposals for Course Development Grants may request a stipend of up to $1000 and funds for materials of up to $500. Eligible material expenses include books, workshop registration fees, travel costs, and other expenses directly related to the development of the course. The stipend may be used to cover additional material costs, conference travel, or other expenses incurred beyond $500. Proposals are reviewed by the CTL Advisor Board Committee.
Starting next year, the call for proposals will go out during the fall semester, and proposals are due in February, to better align with the FDC cycle. Faculty from all divisions and programs are welcome to apply. If you are interested in applying for a Course Development Grant or would like to discuss proposal possibilities over a consultation, please reach out to Nisha Gupta (nisha.gupta@centre.edu) or Matt Downen (matt.downen@centre.edu) in the CTL (Crounse 308).
Grant recipients by name (alphabetical order by last name), home program, and tentative course title:
- David Anderson, Economics & Business, Business and Society: Case Studies
- Katrin Bahr, German, Chinese and Japanese, Namibia: From Genocide to Activism
- Michelle Burdine, Art History & Studio Art, ARS 260: Intro to Moving Image: Screen and Sound
- Mauricio Castro, History, DLM 310 – London: Metropolis and Empire
- Laura Chinchilla, Genny Ballard, Alicia Juncos, Spanish, SPA XXX: Medical Spanish
- Chelsea Cutright, International Studies, IST 210: Research & Careers in International Studies
- Sara Egge, History, HIS 4XX: Italy in War
- Stephanie Galli, Art History & Studio Art, Identity in Ceramic Art
- Aaron Godlaski, Behavioral Neuroscience, DLM III: Your Brain on Nature
- Kristen Kolenz, International Studies, IST 341: Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture
- Danielle La Londe, Classical Studies, CLA/LIN 212: Medical Terms: Greek and Latin Roots
- KatieAnn Skosgberg, Behavioral Neuroscience, BNS 370 Sensation, Perception and Disabilities.
- David Toth, Computer Science, DSC 270 Data Manipulation
- Beau Weston, Anthropology & Sociology, DLM 310 Sex and Money for Grownups