Faculty Development

The Consortium's Faculty Development Committee's mission is to support and promote the professional growth of faculty, teaching staff, adjunct faculty and graduate students in their roles as teachers and scholars. The goals of the FDC include:

  • Building faculty teaching skills through professional development events shared among institutions
  • Delivering a cross-institutional Certificate in College Teaching Program targeted to participants from within and outside Consortium member institutions
  • Sharing expertise across campuses so as to strengthen the faculty development programs at individual campuses
  • Facilitating the development of a support network for faculty across Consortium Institutions.

Over the years, the Faculty Development Committee has hosted numerous successful events devoted to improving faculty teaching and enhancing student learning. Among those have been:

"Planning Successful Scholarship: Obtaining fellowships and grants for sabbaticals and ongoing research"
Tips and guidelines for successful grant writing were the focus of this half-day event held at Assumption College.  The event also included panel presentations by Consortium faculty and grant officers.
(Workshop:  11-01-12)
Marianne Jordan
Director, McAllister & Quinn

"Teaching Naked: How moving technology out of your classroom will improve student learning"
This half-day workshop was held at Mass. College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences.
(Workshop: 10-19-12)

Jose Antonio Bowen, PhD
Department Chair and Professor at Southern Methodist University and author of a book by the same name as this workshop.

"Why Engagement Matters: Education for Democracy and the Transformation of Higher Education"

Held at the Worcester Historical Museum, this afternoon event featured a keynote address and a panel of responders.
(Workshop: 04-27-12)

John Saltmarsh, PhD
Historian and co-director of the New England Resource Center for Higher Education
"Addressing Substance Abuse on Campus: It's Not Just Alcohol Anymore"
The Chief Student Affairs Officers Committee held a daylong conference at the Beechwood Hotel that included a keynote address, morning panel discussion, luncheon speaker and afternooon breakout sessions for the 100 participants.
(Conference: 04-20-12)

Keynote:  Dr. Jose Lemos, UMass Medical School
Luncheon Speaker: Janina J. Kean, Highwatch Recovery Center.

"Connecting with Colleagues through Reflective Practice: A Hands-on Approach"

This workshop for Consortium members was held in the Center for Academic Excellence at Quinsigamond Community College. 
(Workshop: 02-03-12)
Betsy Zuegg, Professor of English and Speech, Quinsigamond Community College

"Beyond Bean-Counting: How to turn program reviews to your advantage"

The Chief Academic Officers Committee hosted the third workshop in its Professional Development Series for Department Chairs, which included a slideshow and Q&A session in LaMaison Auditorium at Assumption College.
(Workshop: 11-16-11)

Fern L. Johnson, PhD, Clark University
Carol Lerch, PhD, Worcester State University

The Learning Paradigm College: Shaping the Cognitive Economy for Learning
Noted author and consultant John Tagg explored what colleges and universities are for, what they should seek to accomplish, and their success.
(Workshop: 03-25-11)

John Tagg
Professor Emeritus of English, Palomar College, CA
Author of The Learning Paradigm College

Community-Based Learning: Effective Practice and Partnerships - A Dialogue
Using the "World Café Conversations" format, this highly interactive workshop will allow participants to share collective discoveries, explore questions of importance and connect diverse perspectives surrounding the topic of community-based learning and effective practice.
(Workshop: 03-02-10)

Randy Stoecker, PhD
Professor of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Author of The Unheard Voices: Community Organizations and Service Learning

Life Beyond Work - How to Retire Successfully
How to transition through the retirement process, including personal factors and decisions that determine how well one does in this new stage of life.  Sponsored by Fidelity Investments, but not a financial seminar.
(Workshop: 10/31/09)

William Roiter, EdD
Author of Beyond Work - How Accomplished People Retire Successfully
Frank Aubuchon, MA
Owner and Principal, Aubuchon & Associates

Affective Domain in the Classrooms
How to determine and create the collective afective field in the classroom and develop awareness of affect in ourselves and our student
(Workshop: 02/13/09)

Linda B. Nilson, PhD
Director, Office of Teaching Effectiveness & Innovation, Clemson University
Author of The Graphic Syllabus and the Outcomes Map

Designing and Grading Writing Assigments
How to develop and use high-quality rubrics to grade holistically
(Workshop: 02/29/08)

Edward Nuhfer, PhD
Director, Center for Teaching & Learning,California State University - Channel Islands

Creating a Campus-wide Learning Experience
An interactive presentation on teaching that promotes learning across campus - in the classroom, library, laboratory, cafeteria and residence halls
(Workshop: 02/23/07)

Maryellen Weimer, PhD
Editor, The Teaching Professor
Professor, Teaching & Learning, Penn State-Berks
Author of Learner Centered Teaching

Achieving Greater Expectations by Making Excellence Inclusive
A discussion on how to draw on the diversity of our classrooms and communities as a resource to develop engaged, informed and responsible learners
(Workshop: 03/31/06)

Alma R. Clayton-Pedersen, PhD
Vice President of Education & Institutional Renewal
Association of American Colleges & Universities

Linking Cooperative Activities to the Research on Learning
(Workshop: 04/15/05)

Barbara J. Millis, PhD
Director, Excellence in Teaching Program
University of Nevada-Reno

Workshop Series - 09/23-26/03
  • Learning to Make a Difference: Making Learning Styles Work for You
  • Being a Success in the Large Lecture Format: A Reconsideration of the Large Lecture as a Learning Environment
  • Making Better Use of Student Group Work
  • Strategies for Improving Testing & Grading

Neil Fleming
Internationally noted educator and faculty developer from New Zealand
Author of best-selling educational textbooks and published widely in faculty development journals of major universities

 

For more information on these programs, contact:

Susan Wyckoff PhD, Vice President for Academic Affairs

508-754-6829, ext. 3029 Email: swyckoff [at] cowc [dot] org