As a group, Consortium member institutions represent one of the largest employers in the area, employing more than 16,000 full-and part-time faculty and staff.
Dr. Maryellen Weimer Addresses Campus-Wide Learning
Release Date:
February 26, 2007 
Worcester, MA – Dr. Maryellen Weimer presented an entertaining and interactive workshop entitled “Creating a Campus-Wide Learning Experience” on February 23 at the Beechwood Hotel.
The presentation was based on Dr. Weimer’s book Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice, which identifies five areas of practice relevant to how much and how well students learn in campus venues as diverse as the classroom, library, laboratory, cafeteria and residence hall. Dr. Weimer is editor-in-chief of The Teaching Professor newsletter and is associate professor of teaching and learning at the Berks-Lehigh Valley College of the Pennsylvania State University. The workshop, which featured a book signing with Dr. Weimer, was sponsored by the Faculty Development Committee of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc.
Approximately 125 participants from 25 organizations including colleges and universities from Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island took part in the workshop. The diverse group of attendees featured several faculty members as well as higher education administrators. Weimer’s five-pronged philosophy on teaching and learning resonates among several different areas of higher education and applies to the campus community as a whole with most learning typically taking place outside of the classroom. “You create a climate for learning by the actions that you take,” said Weimer. The topic of the workshop also complemented the Certificate in College Teaching Program offered by the Consortium.
According to Weimer, “In order for teaching to more effectively promote learning, instructional practice needs to change in five areas.” Weimer’s five areas are “The Role of the Teacher,” “The Balance of Power,” “The Function of Content,” “The Responsibility for Learning,” and “The Processes and Purposes of Evaluation.”
Weimer is also the author of Enhancing Scholarly Work on Teaching and Learning: Professional Literature that Makes a Difference, and Improving College Teaching: Strategies for Developing Instructional Effectiveness. She is the co-author of Teaching on Solid Ground: Using Scholarship to Improve Practice.