Greetings from TMAC director Bill FitzGerald! Welcome back or welcome aboard to what promises to be a year of productive and stimulating events sponsored by the Teaching Matters and Assessment Center. Over the weeks and months ahead, you will hear of opportunities to work with your colleagues in the College of Arts and Sciences on matters related to effective teaching and assessment through workshops, brown bag conversations, and online discussions.
Last year, we featured events on reading across the curriculum, teaching for transfer, assignment design, mentoring undergraduate research, and promoting academic integrity among other topics. This year, we look forward to continuing such conversations and to starting new ones that reflect the dynamic state of higher education today. Together with TMAC research assistant Travis DuBose, I look forward to supporting you and your department through the ever-growing resources of our TMAC website and through our weekly email from the Center, bringing you news of upcoming events, links to books and articles, and guest posts from our colleagues. Best wishes on a great academic year!
Faculty Spotlight: We plan to feature regular contributions from faculty members from disciplines across the College of Arts and Sciences on issues of pedagogy in their own classrooms. If you’d like to be featured, please email us.
From the Bookshelf: James Lang’s new book on cheating, Cheating Lessons: Learning From Academic Dishonesty, reviewed by Daniel Luzer.
Conversation starters: At the “Just Visiting” blog on Inside Higher Ed, John Warner argues why everyone should teach freshman comp.
In the New York Times Magazine’s education issue, Susan Dominus writes about the career prospects for liberal arts degrees.
Featured Peer Teaching Center: The University of Texas at Austin Center for Teaching has resources available on topics such as the flipped classroom, effective assessment and the use of technology in the classroom.
Upcoming TMAC Events: “Assessing Your Assessment Plan: A Workshop for Departments and Programs” (Friday, November 15, noon – 2 p.m., ATG-Faculty Lounge; lunch will be served)
Follow us on Twitter: @RUCamdenTMAC
If you’re interested in writing for the Faculty Spotlight or have a link or topic you’d like to share, please email us at teaching.matters@camden.rutgers.edu.