A look ahead at Fall 2023 programs and collaborations across the three pillars of the Cromwell Center for Teaching and Learning: community, inclusive pedagogy, and innovation.
We will kick things off with a Coffee Hour on the first Friday of the semester, September 1, 9.30 am – 11 am in the Faculty Lounge, lower level of Hodson Hall. Please drop by, walk through, say hello, have a snack, share a summer experience, and learn more about upcoming CTL programs.
Community
- We are initiating a Cromwell Learning Communities program, in which smaller groups of faculty and staff interested in a particular topic will meet periodically to read, share ideas, discuss issues. Cromwell CTL will buy lunch for the group meetings and also materials needed (such as copies of a book). Thus far we have Learning Communities in the works on Alternative Grading, Civic and Community Engagement, and a Faculty/Staff Writing Group.
- Cromwell Fellowships. The class of 2023-2024 Cromwell Fellows will be periodically sharing work in progress, beginning with a gathering September 7 in Cromwell Hall where we will learn about their projects and celebrate Mrs. Cromwell’s 90th birthday. This is a good opportunity to begin thinking about applying for a Cromwell Fellowship for the next round (applications due in Spring 2024).
- We will continue to collaborate, as we did last year, with campus colleagues on programs focused on academic integrity, access and accommodations, artificial intelligence, career development, civic engagement, mental health and wellness, and other issues bringing faculty, staff, and students into conversation. Stay tuned for details on specific events.
Inclusive Pedagogy
- No-Fuss Book Club: Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom. [e-book available through the library] As an expansion of programs and discussions we had in the Spring organized with Dr. Knight, Associate Provost of Diversity and Inclusion, including the May Retreat keynoted by Hogan and Sathy, we will take more time this semester to discuss their book and share ideas, questions, and strategies regarding equity in the classroom and on campus. In the final session in December, the authors will join us for a live, virtual Q&A.
- We are also collaborating with Dr. Knight on plans for continuing programs and discussions about inclusive excellence, intellectual diversity, and free expression, including a potential workshop in the winter led by PEN America.
Innovation
- Cromwell Teaching PODs. We are re-establishing this year a Peer Observation and Development program. This is where groups of 2-4 colleagues self-organize a schedule for visiting each other’s classroom and providing formative feedback. Cromwell CTL will buy lunches whenever the POD meets to share feedback and ideas. Please contact us if interested in forming a POD or joining one that is getting underway. We will also be hosting some workshops offering guidelines and best practice for providing formative feedback to colleagues.
- Building upon our Learning about Machine Learning inquiry from the Spring, Cromwell CTL is organizing a panel on Artificial Intelligence and its Campus Impact for the 2023 Presidential Symposium to be held on campus, October 6.
- Cromwell Award for Innovation in Teaching. Applications due by October 30.