The teaching college course: a faculty, staff, and graduate student development program to enhance teaching quality

摘要

Faculty members at research-based universities have been extensively trained in their research discipline and are expected to establish and maintain successful research programs. Most of these same faculty members have received no formal preparationin teaching methods, yet are expected to become effective teachers. This is an unrealistic expectation that often leads to the use of ineffective teaching practices, causing frustration for both teachers and students. Such does not have to be the case;university faculty members can learn how to teach. The Teaching College course has been developed and taught by five senior faculty members in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to assist faculty, staff, and graduate students in obtaining the training needed to become effective and empowering teachers. This paper describes the contents and mechanics of the Teaching College course and discusses the feedback and reflections of its participants and instructors since its inception in Fall 1997.