New Faculty Orientations
In August of 2019, we welcomed close to two dozen new full-time faculty members to Assumption College. Our spring 2020 orientation sessions continue with the following meetings, all of which take place in our conference room on the third floor of the D’Alzon library.
January 7th, 10:00 am-12:00 pm: Teaching Assumption Students
Host: Jim Lang, D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence
February 17th, 2:30-4:00 pm: Evaluation of Faculty
Hosts: Provost Greg Weiner and Jim Lang, D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence
March 16th, 2:30-4:00 pm: Research and Scholarship
Hosts: Jim Lang and Sarah Cavanagh, D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence
April 27th, 2:30-4:00 pm: A Review of the Year
Host: Fr. Richard Lamoureux, A.A.
Course Innovation Academy
The signature program of the Center for Teaching Excellence is our Course Innovation Academy, in which eight faculty members work together throughout the year to transform one of their courses into a dynamic new learning experience for their students. They also engage in observations of one another’s classes throughout the year, learning from one another and stealing great ideas. Our work continues with the following spring semester meetings, all held on the third floor of the D’Alzon Library:
January 22nd, 4:30-6:30 pm: The Everyday Practice of Teaching
February 19th, 5:00-6:30 pm: Community and Inclusion
March 25th, 4:30-6:30: Evaluating Students–and Yourself
April 15th, 4:30-6:30: The Syllabus
Food for Thought: Learning from Teaching Online
February 13th, 11:30-12:30, 3rd Floor D’Alzon Library
As Assumption College offers an increasing number of online courses, more and more faculty are learning to teach online. This lunchtime session is designed to help faculty who have taught online share what they have learned with one another, and offer their insights to those who might be teaching online in the future. We will also invite those who have taught online to discuss whether the practice of teaching online has provided them with new ideas or strategies for their face-to-face courses. We hope this session will provide an opportunity for online faculty to learn from each other, and form a community in which ongoing conversations about teaching online can continue.
Food for Thought: Helping Students Learn from Feedback
April 2nd, 11:30-12:30, 3rd Floor D’Alzon Library
Each spring we invite our D’Amour Student Fellows to plan and host one Food for Thought session, and this year’s Fellows elected to focus on the feedback that students receive from professors. What helps them learn from feedback? What inspires them to put your feedback in practice? Are there alternatives to the traditional ways in which we provide feedback on student work? Each of our three fellows–Sheila Orlando, Sean O’Rourke, and Grace Gustinis–has identified a faculty member whose feedback practices have been especially helpful to them, and these student-faculty pairs will offer a brief description of an effective feedback practice. Participants in our discussion should leave with a new set of practical techniques they can use to provide feedback to students on their work.