Programs for PBA Faculty

A Collaborative Learning Group (CLG) is a mechanism by which PBA faculty members who are interested in learning about a specific topic or developing a defined set of skills can collaborate to achieve mutual learning outcomes. The purpose is to help faculty become better teachers. Therefore, topics should relate to an aspect of teaching and learning. The CLG is not intended for discipline-specific topics unless there is a direct link to education, faith integration, or academic scholarship.

A CLG consists of 5 – 12 members, one of whom agrees to serve as facilitator. Members commit to meet at least 5 times over a period of up to 4 months.

The facilitator organizes meetings and secures necessary resources but is not expected to “teach” the group. Learning within the CLG should result from collaborative efforts based on shared responsibility. The achievement of pre-determined tangible outcomes is expected.

A certificate of completion is awarded to all members who achieve the outcomes and attend at least 60% of the meetings. The facilitator is expected to submit a summary report of CLG activities and accomplishments to the Director of Faculty Development. A $350 honorarium is provided to the facilitator and up to $500 is provided for resources.

Preference is given to CLG requests that relate to critical thinking, active/engaged learning, the scholarship of teaching and learning, or faith integration.

Guided Learning Partnerships

(GLPs)

A Guided Learning Partnership (GLP) is a mechanism by which a PBA faculty member can identify a specific topic to learn or skill to develop. The “learner” is then paired with a PBA colleague who is already knowledgeable about the topic or accomplished at performing the skill and is willing to serve as the learner’s “guide.” With assistance from the Office of Faculty Development, the two enter into a mutually-agreeable “partnership” in the form of a GLP. The guide and the learner arrange to meet as needed and work together to establish and achieve specific learning outcomes.

The purpose is to help faculty become better teachers through collaborative one-to-one guidance. Therefore, topics should relate to an aspect of teaching and learning. The GLP is not intended for discipline-specific topics unless there is a direct link to education, faith integration or academic scholarship. Topics should be of sufficient depth or scope to require multiple meetings or ongoing e-mail/telephone communication.

It is the responsibility of the learner to schedule meetings and consult with the guide to set and assess learning outcomes. The learner is expected to submit a summary report of activities and accomplishments to the Director of Faculty Development. Certificates of participation and $150 honoraria are awarded to both partners of the GLP.

Preference is given to GLP requests that relate to critical thinking, active/engaged learning, or faith integration.

Words of Wisdom

Robert Louis Stevenson (1858-1894)

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. "

Consultative Services

All You Have To Do Is ASK

The Director of Faculty Development is available to consult with individual faculty members on an as-needed basis regarding any aspect of pedagogy, teaching strategy, course design, or classroom management. Interested faculty members should first obtain approval of their respective deans before requesting assistance.

Consultative services fall into three major categories:

Peer Feedback – S it in one or more class sessions to assess the instructor’s performance based on personal observation using the standard PBA Peer Assessment from.

Mid-semester Student Focus Group – Obtain direct feedback from a randomly-selected group of students in the middle of a semester. Students are asked to answer 3 questions: What is going well in the course? What is not going well in the course? What suggestions do you have for improving the course? Focus groups are conducted either by a face-to-face group discussion or individually and anonymously using an online survey.

Analysis of Prior Course Evaluations - Assess data in IDEA course evaluations to identify areas of strength and potential areas for improvement and assist in developing an improvement plan.

The Director of Faculty Development is also available to discuss any teaching issues, challenges, or ideas for implementing a new teaching method.

Collaborative Learning Groups

(CLGs)