UWeek Vol.18, No.27 May 10, 2001

Faculty Senate

Technology works to support good teaching

By Linda Chalker-Scott
Chair, Faculty Council on Instructional Quality

Linda Chalker-Scott

As its name suggests, the Faculty Council on Instructional Quality (FCIQ) is concerned with issues that affect the faculty’s ability to teach effectively as well as the students’ ability to learn. This committee’s work has been greatly assisted with input from the Center for Instructional Development and Research, the Teaching Academy, the Dean of Undergraduate Education office, UWired, the Registrar’s office, and the Office of Educational Assessment. Topics this year have included:

Addressing the needs of faculty (including lecturers) who teach large lecture sections;

Increasing the number and visibility of service learning courses offered at UW;

Constructing a user-friendly teaching Web page; and

Increasing recognition and rewards for teaching excellence.

Most of our committee time has been dedicated to these last two topics.

Two years ago the committee recognized the difficulty with the existing UW Web page on teaching. While we appreciated the wealth of information available on diverse topics associated with teaching, we found it difficult to discover answers to specific questions. Thus, our committee undertook the task of redesigning the existing page to make it more navigable. With the help of several UWired staff, we organized a teaching Web page with the following components: course development, assessment, advising, academic conduct, support for teaching improvement, instructional strategies and teaching assistants.

Council members fleshed these sections out over the course of several months. Recently, UWired and CIDR staff created a draft site that promises to link existing Web information within these subheadings in a user-friendly way. When the site is completed and accessible, the FCIQ will be interested to hear your comments.

The second topic - that of broadening the recognition of teaching excellence at the UW - began last autumn when an ad hoc committee was formed by the Chair of the Faculty Senate. The charge of this committee was to hold a series of discussions about current ways the University rewards outstanding teaching by its faculty and then to make recommendations as to what further steps, if any, should be taken to recognize excellence in teaching. The FCIQ has felt strongly that recognition and rewards for teaching excellence should be at the same level as those for scholarship. In addition to the small number of Distinguished Teaching Awards at UW, there needs to be a broader effort to award excellence in teaching at many levels.

The ad hoc committee finished its work this quarter and has drafted legislation currently under consideration by the Faculty Senate. Among the Class C recommendations are:

Raising the knowledge of teaching excellence through internal and external publications of the University;

Improving communications among all teaching award winners across colleges and departments with the intent of increasing educational excellence at the University;

Instituting annual teaching award programs in all colleges and major instructional units at UW; and

Seeking external support for endowed professorships recognizing excellence and innovation in teaching.

The Faculty Senate will address these issues at its May meeting.

As I end my second year as chair, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the members of the FCIQ for their enthusiastic efforts and determination. This group of people has been linked by their genuine interest in quality education and it has been my pleasure to work with them.