Whitman College New Faculty Lunch Series 2017-2018
All new faculty are welcome to join these 12-1 programs, usually in Memorial 331 (lunch is provided). You will receive an invitation before each program from Ruth Ladderud in the Provost Office (x5789).
Date / ProgramFriday
September 1 / Student Success in the Classroom
In this session we’ll talk about issues you might encounter and how to handle them: student absences and Whitman’s excused absence policy, academic honesty, resources for students with financial need, and support for handling classroom climate concerns. Facilitated by Dean Snider, Athletics Director, Daren Mooko, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Juli Dunn, Associate Dean of Students, and Bridget Jacobson, Executive Assistant to the Dean of Students.
Monday
September 18 / Mid-Term Evaluations and Other Ways to Find out What Students Are Getting out of Class
By the end of the semester, it’s too late to get meaningful feedback that would allow us to make changes in what we’re doing. We’ll discuss different kinds of evaluations we can give to students to get that feedback as well as what we should do with them. We’ll also talk about other quick ways (e.g., minute papers, muddiest point) to find out what students are learning so that we can adapt our teaching. Co-Facilitated by Moira Gresham, Associate Professor of Physics.
Monday
October 16 / Identity in the Classroom
The teaching and learning dynamic is intricately related to our personal identities, both for students and for faculty. We will consider how factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, physical ability, ethnicity, and nationality affect the classroom and connect them to efforts at Whitman to help all students succeed, to attend to our own unique needs as faculty members, and to create a campus culture that recognizes and values these differential experiences. Facilitated by Brooke Vick, Associate Professor of Psychology and Co-Chair of WIDE, Devon Wootten, Director of English Language Fellows program, and Kazi Joshua, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Co-Chair of WIDE.
Monday
November 6 / Becoming a Teacher-Scholar
The process of becoming a teacher-scholar requires reflection and planning. We’ll talk about concrete things we can be doing throughout the year to chart our goals and progress as teachers and scholars, and introduce you to our staff who can support you. We will also give some attention to the Faculty Activity Report that faculty submit each January. Co-facilitated with Rachna Sinnott, Director of Grants and Foundation Relations and Tana Park, Sponsored Programs Coordinator.
Monday
December 4 / How to Interpret Your Course Evaluations
Student evaluations are most useful when they are informed by other evidence of student learning (e.g., papers, exams) and when they are viewed over time (looking for consistent patterns, the effect of specific changes to a course, etc.). We’ll discuss strategies for using evaluations to identify our strengths and areas for improvements, and offer tips for approaching evaluations while keeping self-esteem intact. Facilitated by Barry Balof, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Director of Tenure-Track Mentoring Program.
Friday
January 26 / Teaching Writing: Strategies and Support
Writing is a complex skill to teach, but also a fulfilling part of our roles as teachers. We’ll discuss ways to help students broaden their understanding of writing as a process, and ways that the student tutors at the Center for Writing and Speaking (COWS) or fellows from the WOCI (Written and Oral Communication Initiative) can support your efforts. Facilitated by Lydia McDermott, Director of the Center for Writing and Speaking, and Dana Burgess, Director of the Written and Oral Communication Initiative.
Monday February 5 / Transparent Assignment Design
Recent exciting research has demonstrated that when faculty are more explicit about the goals of an assignment, the skills required to do it, and what makes for a good result, students turn in better work; the benefits to first-generation students of this “transparent” approach are especially compelling. We’ll do a mini-version of a longer workshop that helps faculty do a make-over of a first-year assignment. Facilitated by Michelle Jenkins, Associate Professor of Philosophy.
Monday
February 26 / Peer Observation of Teaching
Observing a colleague’s teaching is an important part of the peer review process, but it is also a great opportunity to get objective information from observers that teachers can use to make changes. We’ll talk about features of effective classroom observations and take a look at feedback forms that can be useful in providing targeted feedback. Facilitated by Denise Hazlett, Professor of Economics.
Monday
March 26 / Connecting to What Students Are Learning Outside of the Classroom
Showing students the connection between course concepts and experiences they have outside of the classroom motivates students to learn and helps them see how course material applies to a range of contexts. We’ll explore ways to help students integrate what they’re learning with other parts of their college experience. We’ll also suggest ways that faculty can help students apply their academic knowledge to internships and other professional opportunities. Guests include Noah Leavitt, Director of the Student Engagement Center, Abby Juhasz, Coordinator of Community Service, Susan Prudente, Outreach Coordinator for Education, and Jessica Cerullo, Assistant Professor of Theatre.
Monday
April 23 / Strategies for Balancing Teaching, Research, Service, and Life.
Most academics never quite feel that they can strike just the right “balance” between the various parts of their professional careers. But there are certainly things that we can do to feel more fulfilled and focused. We’ll discuss some general findings about what makes for high job satisfaction among professors as well as share some tips on specific things we can do to get better at juggling. Guests TBD.
*For tenure-track faculty: Monday, May 7, 12-1, Memorial 305: Informational Meeting regarding the formative review that takes place Fall 2018. Typically a faculty member in their third year who has completed the first Personnel review co-facilitates this session.