Spotlight on Teaching

Being made up of nine different units, Emory University community possesses a variety of teaching communities and therefore a variety of teaching needs. In order to address this pedagogical diversity, the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence regularly hosts “Spotlight on Teaching” events.  These are events which examine the teaching practices and trajectories of particular Emory communities. They can take the form of workshops, speaker series, or ongoing discussion groups. CFDE will help coordinate logistics and planning for the groups in consultation with the “experts” within that particular field at Emory. In addition to providing a needs assessment, CFDE will also help plan and sponsor appropriate follow-up events.

For example, in consultation with the Associate Dean, a focus group was held in the Rollins School of Public Health which consulted about the challenges of teaching in a soft-money research environment. This meeting galvanized the faculty to re-convene their “Committee on Teaching,” which will host a series of events in the coming year. The same kind of thinking is being done in the School of Nursing and other Emory units.

But discussion groups need not be only situated within particular units. They can also be organized to represent interests across the university. For example, the CFDE organizes and hosts a discussion group on English as a Second Language (ESL), with representation from almost all of the different learning communities.

If you have a particular teaching interest and would like to start a discussion group with faculty colleagues, please let us know your needs via the form below.

Spotlight on Teaching Topics in AY 2009-10

1. Accuracy or Fluency? Responding to ESL Student Writing
   September 18, 2009
   Facilitated by Stacy Bell & Jane O’ Connor
   An edited podcast of this event is available here.
   A one-page summary of this event is available here.
   
2. Student Professionalism Across the University: An Exploratory Panel
   November 3, 2009
   J. William Eley, Executive Associate Dean for Medical Education & Student Affairs, School of Medicine
   Mark Risjord, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Woodruff School of Nursing, and Associate Dean, Laney Graduate School
   Bonna Wescoat, Associate Professor of Art History and Archaeology
   An edited podcast of this event is available here.
   A summary of this event is available here.
3. Medical Education Interest Group Spotlight on Teaching – Students at Risk Across the University: An Exploratory Panel
   April 13, 2010
   Center for Faculty Development and Excellence and The Medical Education Initiative
   Facilitated by: Lottie Dyrbye MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Mayo Foundation, Nadine Kaslow, and Wendy Newby
   A summary of this event is available here.