|
University of Massachusetts, Amherst Center for Teaching 301 Goodell, The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the flagship campus of the Massachusetts public university system, is a Carnegie-classification Research University I with about 1146 FTE faculty, 18.021 undergraduates, and 6104 graduate students. The Center for Teaching (CFT) evolved under the guidance of the Office of the Provost and Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, from the Lilly Teaching Fellows Program first hosted on campus in 1986. The Center was formally established in 1989. We report to and receive our operating budget from the Provost's Office and are advised by the Faculty Senate Council on Teaching, Learning and Technology. Permanent staff of the Center include a Director with a faculty appointment (100%), an Assistant Director (100%), a Coordinator of Teaching Technologies (100%), a Program Coordinator/Business Manager (100%), and a secretary. The staff also includes four teaching assistants and two undergraduate work study students. The non-salary budget is $73,264. This is supplemented by appropriations from the Provost's and the Chancellor's budget for special programs and initiatives. The primary goal of the CFT is to offer opportunities for professional development in teaching at the University. Our programs provide a variety of ways to share the talent and expertise of faculty members at this university, to increase communication about teaching and student learning, and to offer recognition and reward for excellence in teaching. In addition to presenting a series of campus-wide conferences, workshops, and seminars on teaching, and a full-day orientation for the University's teaching assistants, the CFT participates in teaching awards programs, maintains a circulating library of print and video resources on teaching issues and practice, and publishes a TA Handbook and bibliographies on teaching and learning and teaching and learning in the diverse classroom. Most of the print resources produced by the CFT are available on our web site. Listed below is just a sampling of several year-long programs offered by the CFT. Lilly Teaching Fellows: Eight junior faculty are chosen each year to participate in this program. They work with CFT staff to design or revise a course and assess their teaching through the teaching consultation process. They attend a bi-weekly seminar on teaching and learning issues and also work with a senior faculty member who serves as their mentor. Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom Faculty and TA Partnership Project: Faculty and TA teams work together in a collaborative environment on teaching projects which explore teaching practices that relate to diverse learning styles, becoming better equipped to handle classroom dynamics that result from diversity, and expanding curriculum so that it represents the needs and interests of a more diverse student population. The Interactive Distance Education & Access (IDEA) Leadership Project: In a collaborative effort with the School of Public Health and the College of Food and Natural Resources UMass Extension, the CFT is developing an innovative distance learning project. The key goal of the IDEA Leadership Project is to invest in the faculty development necessary to ensure implementation of telecommunication technologies. |