Professional development opportunities for teaching faculty

By: Barbara Millis

February 26th, 2007

Two summer opportunities for professional development are available for academic faculty members or administrative faculty members who regularly teach.

Opportunity One:

The second Regents’ Academy will be held May 31 – June 2 at the Mt. Charleston Hotel outside Las Vegas. The Nevada System of Higher Education will involve faculty - emerging scholars - in learning to teach more effectively. The Academy will focus specifically on the teaching aspect of the attendees’ careers, allowing participants to get on the academic “fast track.”

Participants will review and apply research on learning: they will find out how to use a variety of teaching methods, assessment/evaluation approaches, technology, and other tools to create engaged learning environments. Faculty members will focus on a specific course they wish to transform

Visit this site for a flyer with Regents’ Academy information and an application form that must be endorsed by your chair or dean.

The system and private donors will cover expenses for the two-and-a-half-day Academy. The Provost’s Office will cover travel expenses for faculty who take the designated flights to Las Vegas and join colleagues on a bus to and from Mt. Charleston. These costs are estimated at $168 each.

A University selection committee will choose 15 faculty members to participate. Selected individuals will be faculty who:

• have completed one year of teaching but not more than four (total, not just at a NSHE institution);
• have a record of commitment to student learning and professional development;
• are open to innovation;
• agree to spend the entire amount of time at the Regents’ Academy;
• are willing to share information and insights with others at their institutions;
• are planning to remain within the Nevada System for at least one additional year.

Opportunity Two:

“Boot Camp for Profs”

What: A weeklong retreat at beautiful Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, Colo., where faculty from a variety of institutions will focus on innovative ways to enhance student learning. Ed Nuhfer—a geologist who will coming to campus on March 9 to offer workshops—assembles a team of nationally recognized facilitators who will offer a broad spectrum of interactive sessions, including ones on teaching philosophy statements, cooperative learning, etc., and guide “Campers” through a series of course-focused redesigns.

When: June 24-29

How: Faculty, assuming they have their chair’s endorsement, may self-select for this opportunity by contacting Barbara Millis, Excellence in Teaching Program. Five slots will be allotted on a first-come-first-served basis.

Cost: The Provost’s Office will cover the $1,050 tuition, plus $100 per participant toward transportation and other expenses. Room and board—plus a library of eight teaching-related books—are covered in the tuition. Flights to Denver are roughly $250 per ticket. Other expenses that departments or individuals will cover include:

(1) transportation to and from the Reno Airport
(2) optional rental cars—we will help to organize carpool options, since a car is not needed in Leadville, only for the drive from DIA
(3) a couple of lunches en route

A webpage at Idaho State University will be available soon.

Point of Contact for both Opportunities:

Barbara Millis, director of the Excellence in Teaching Program, email millis@unr.edu, or telephone, (775) 784-6591

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