Design on a Dime Oh, the things we can learn from each other!

Community of Best Practices

∞A community consisting of fulltime and adjunct professors of any level of mathematics, who are dedicated to improving their craft of “teaching and learning”

∞Generally meets for one hour, one or two times a month

∞Concentrates on three areas

  • Pedagogy
  • Technology
  • Specific Math Topics

Lessons we learned:

∞Establish guidelines for appropriate behavior…the tone must be such that people are comfortable sharing ideas and/or expressing their opinions

∞Make sure that all feel that their contributions are valued

∞Respect the time commitment of faculty by strictly adhering to start and end times

∞Finding days and times to more fully engage adjuncts is a challenge

∞Have fun…the camaraderie that develops is PRICELESS!!

Adjunct Training/Development

∞Participation by all adjuncts is highly encouraged and,if possible, rewarded with a stipend

∞Full time faculty organized the four modules :

Course specific: syllabi, calculator, expectations, final exams

Technology within the course: homework delivery system, calculator features

Technology use in the classroom: such as Smart board, Sympodium& document camerasCourse administration: attendance verification, record keeping, management system tools

Lessons we learned:

∞Adjunct instructors feel included as part of the department

∞Adjunct instructors feel more comfortable starting the semester because of the shared material and knowledge

∞Fulltime and adjunct instructors are able to meet and speak with colleagues to create better collegiality

∞As a result of the interaction, adjunct instructors feel free to contact fulltime instructors throughout the semester

Peer Observation

∞Participation is voluntary for both fulltime and adjunct instructors

∞Is faculty organized: faculty choose who they want to observe and make their own arrangements (an open/closed list is provided for reference)

∞Observations may be of a class the instructor is also teaching, but there are benefits to observing a course above or below courses regularly taught

∞Emphasizes learning from each other and is not used for evaluation purposes

Lessons we learned:

∞Keep the reporting as simple as possible

∞While ideal, it isn’t always possible for two instructors to observe each other

∞Keep “advertising”: use email reminders and allow for sharing at department meetings

∞Whether a veteran teacher or novice, we can all learn from each other!

Online Repository

∞Presently in development

∞Housed within the college’s learning management system

∞Includes sections for:

  • Course resources
  • Notes from Community of Best Practices and peer observations
  • List of professional development opportunities
  • Discussion Boards