University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

NTLC actively strives to create an environment that supports teaching and learning research and has found that one of the most effective ways to do this is by offering yearlong projects. Often these projects are funded by outside sources who also value teaching and learning. 

For 2012-13, four yearlong projects are already in progress or will be beginning this coming fall. They include Advancing Scholarship in Teaching across the Campus, Infusing Diversity across the Curriculum New Cohort, First Year Faculty Program, and Universal Design New Cohort.
 

• Participation Application

• Mentor Application
  

Advancing Scholarship in Teaching across the Campus

Funded Scholarship of Teaching and Learning projects have returned to UW-Stout! The Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center publicized its' newest scholarship program in spring 2011. Four faculty members were selected to participate in the 2011-12 Advancing Scholarship of Teaching and Learning across Stout program, including Anne Hoel, Lorraine Mitchell, Mitch Ogden and John Scheffler.

This is an opportunity for faculty participants to submit an idea for a teaching related project that they are interested in researching and appreciate studying in a guided experience that values and supports excellence in teaching and learning. Participants are paired with other researchers and a mentor who provide guidance and feedback throughout the project. Mentors are selected on the basis of their disciplines and previous scholarship experience.

This program provides faculty with a meaningful window of time to propose a research idea, craft a meaningful project, implement and assess the research, and develop a dissemination plan involving potential presentations and publications. The 2011-2012 mentors are Peter Galante, Anne Hoel, Robin Muza and Susan Wolfgram.

A financial incentive is provided to mentors and faculty participants upon completion of the project. Please contact Renee Howarton with questions.

First Year Faculty Program Schedule

Fridays, 12:20 -1:25 p.m.

9/14/2012	PC: Glass Lounge
10/19/2012	MSC: Ballroom C
11/16/2012	MSC: Oakwood Room
01/18/2013	MSC: Willow/Walnut Room
02/15/2013	MSC: Oakwood Room
03/08/2013	MSC: Oakwood Room
04/19/2013	MSC: Northwoods Room

First Year Faculty Program

This is a yearlong program that provides a forum for new tenure-track faculty to explore issues that are beyond the scope of the New Instructor Workshop and are characteristic of ongoing faculty responsibilities. It offers 8 sessions designed to provide faculty with collegial support, access to seasoned faculty and
administrators, and an opportunity to ask questions and network over lunch.

Examples of sessions that were offered during the past year included: Student Motivation & the Reflective Teacher; The Teacher as Evaluator; Faculty as Educator – Tackling the tougher student issues; Faculty as Scholar– Effectively Navigating Scholarship; Faculty and Workload and Life Balancing Issues; The Teacher as Advisor; Charting the Promotion and Tenure Pathway; and Celebrating & Evaluating Program Completion. 

Eligible tenure-track faculty members are identified from those who participate in our 3-day New Instructor workshop. While participation in the First Year Faculty Program is optional, for those faculty who do get involved, they receive a financial incentive. Guidance for developing the program originally came from Provost Furst-Bowe and Deans; funding for the workshop series and lunches was provided by the Provost.

 

Infusing Diversity across the Curriculum New Cohort

The Infusing Diversity across the Curriculum project is being expanded to include eight new faculty members. Congratulations to Wan Bae (Mathematics), Amanda Barnett (HDFS), Julie Bates (Rehabilitation and Counseling), Mark Fenton (Business), Urs Haltinner (SOE), Glenda Jones (English), Arthur Kneeland (Biology), and David Seim (Social Sciences).

These instructors will participate in a workshop, August 22-23, 2012. They will then meet monthly to propose and develop assignments and assessment tools that they will implement in one of their spring 2013 courses. They will also be involved in classroom research and present project results to a variety of on-and off campus audiences. Holly Teuber (Speech), Virginia Lea (SOE), and Renee Howarton, NTLC Director, will facilitate the new cohort activities.

Funding for this project will be provided by UW-Stout Online and participants are responsible for completing the following activities:

1. Reading the book, Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice, edited by Sheryl E. Burgstahler and Rebecca C. Cory, 2010
2. Attending a one-day workshop on August 20, 2012 for the purpose of seeing examples of what the previous cohort produced, project ideas, research results, lessons learned, etc.,
3. Meeting twice a month during fall to discuss and plan teaching and learning activities,
4. Developing assessment tools for their spring courses,
5. Implementing universal design principles and activities into one course during spring 2012,
6. Disseminating project outcomes in a variety of venues including NTLC's MayDay Event and possibly others as well.

APPLICATION DUE: AUG. 9, 2012

Please contact Renee Howarton with questions.

Universal Design New Cohort

What is Universal Design?

Universal Design (UD) is a concept whose roots are grounded in three areas, design of physical environments (residential and commercial space), web development, and most recently, the field of teaching and learning. Its intent to create barrier-free environments is enabling today's teachers to apply universal design concepts in ways that support the needs of the widest range of learner differences. As classrooms become more diverse, application of UD principles creates more accessible curriculum.

As last year's UD pilot program comes to completion, it was deemed to be so successful that it is going to be expanded to support a new cohort group. During this summer, faculty, primarily those teaching on-line courses, will be invited to apply to be part of this multi-phase program designed to explore what Universal Design might look like within their specific courses and disciplines.

The intent behind this yearlong project is to improve one's course or assignment design in an effort to make learning more effective and accessible to those who have a learning challenge while at the same time making it more accessible to everyone. This project will offer participants the knowledge and tools needed to weave UD concepts into their lectures and assignments in ways that creatively provide their students with multiple means of representation, multiple means of expression, and multiple means of student engagement.