The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards.--Anatole France

Teaching is the paramount responsibility of faculty at SPU, and the Center supports the faculty's commitment to ongoing cultivation and assessment of their skills in this craft. See below for information on

SPU Workshops & Seminars
The Lilly Senior Faculty Seminar is a graduate-level interdisciplinary seminar in issues in Christian higher education for those tenured faculty which will be offered during spring quarter 2006.

The New Faculty Seminar is a graduate-level interdisciplinary seminar providing new SPU faculty with an opportunity to read and reflect on issues in Christian higher education. Offered every winter quarter.


Teaching Consultation
Faculty members who desire assistance with teaching are encouraged to participate in the Center's Consultation program--an extended (one- or two-quarter length) consultation about teaching with two experienced colleagues. These consultants will meet several times with the faculty member, review syllabi and other material, observe several classes, interview students, and assist the professor to develop more effective teaching strategies and results.

Teaching consultations must be initiated by the faculty member and are purely formative, not evaluative, in nature. Chairs or deans are welcome to recommend that a faculty member engage in this opportunity, but the fact of the consultation, as well as the content of the consultation, is confidential, unless the faculty member chooses to discuss or present it as evidence in a tenure file.

To arrange for a consultation, contact Susan Gallagher, Suite 306, gallaghe@spu.edu


Grants to Support Teaching
In order to encourage development of more effective teaching and learning strategies, the university annually provides funds for academic renewal grants (ARG's). These grants are administered by the dean of each school, and applications and guidelines are available from each dean.

The Social Science Research Council Eurasia Program aims to support faculty in their classrooms through teaching fellowships that encourage faculty members at all career levels in their efforts to impart knowledge and expertise to their students. The awards of $10,000 support the creation of original and innovative course curricula in the humanities and social sciences that directly relate to the whole or part of Eurasia.

Grant opportunities and resources for the scholarship of teaching and learning are available from the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

 

 

The Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion offers grants, workshops, and resources for teaching religion and theology.

SPU is a member of the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium (NWACC) which is made up of 31 colleges and universities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and North Dakota.
NWACC funds a grant program for faculty at member institutions to stimulate new curricular uses of information technologies.

It is hoped that this program will enhance the learning environments at institutions of higher education through the development of models that can be used to guide full implementation of new technologies into the curricula of NWACC member institutions and their peers.

Some examples of leading edge technologies include delivery of applications over high-bandwidth networks; applications using multifunction, hand-held, wireless devices; electronic portfolios; creative applications of course management software; messaging; etc.

Funds may be used to purchase hardware or software, provide access to networked resources or communications links, develop new software, modify existing software, provide faculty stipends, etc.

Traditionally, NWACC has awarded ten to fifteen grants of $10,000 each. Information about the program is available at: http://www.nwacc.org/grants/2005/grant05.html 

Please contact Dave Tindall in CIS if you have any questions or are interested in submitting a proposal.

 

Online resources for teaching
Follow this link to a list of great sources

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