Biggio Center Blog

An update on the New Faculty Teaching Scholars program from Dr. Bill Buskist

One of our outstanding NFTS colleagues dropped me a note late last week
and asked me to clarify all of the terms and acronyms that we use in the
Biggio Center with respect to the New Faculty Teaching Scholars program,
especially as they relate to professional development activities.
Thinking that others among might also benefit from such an elaboration,
I thought I would drop you all a short note with this information.

Here goes, but keep in mind that these descriptions are really just
summaries of each activity:

SGIF or Small Group Instructional Feedback
SGIF is a unique way to solicit feedback regarding most forms of
classroom teaching. Most commonly, SGIF is dovetailed with a peer
observation of classroom teaching. It works like this. A Biggio Center
consultant like me visits your classroom for the first half of the class
period after which the teacher leaves and the consultant stays and talks
with the students about the teacher’s class. The consultant asks the
students to form small groups and to address two basic questions:
“What is going well with the course and the instructor’s
teaching?” and “What is not going so well and could might be
improved?” Each group discusses these two questions for 6-8 minutes
total, and then the consultant calls the groups back together for a
whole class discussion. The consultant takes notes, which will be later
typed up and given to the teacher in a face-to-face meeting following
the SGIF. During this meeting the consultant discusses what he or she
observed during the classroom visit and shares information gathered from
the students.

In some cases, the teacher wishes to forgo the classroom visit and just
has the consultant conduct an SGIF. However, my recommendation is that
to maximize both the quantity and quality of the feedback, teachers
should opt for both the classroom visit and the SGIF.

PDS or Professional Development Seminars
We hold 4-6 75-minute seminars each semester that are open to all
faculty across campus. These “seminars” may take the form of
lectures, Q and A, discussion, and so on. Their purpose is simply to
convey useful information about any and all aspects of becoming a solid
faculty member here at Auburn. We do not provide lunch, but we do
provide soft drinks and water as well as cookies. The PDS format
provides an informal setting to learn about teaching, research, service,
and outreach and often involves a lot of give and take. We have our
first PDS today at 12:15 in room 2223 of the new student union. I have
the pleasure of speaking at our kickoff PDS.

CC or Colleague Circles
The Biggio Center asks former members of the NFTS program to serve as
faculty facilitators to current NFTS faculty. The faculty facilitators
work in pairs to schedule an informal breakfast or lunch meeting with
small groups of NFTS faculty (the Biggio Center reimburses all breakfast
or lunch costs) about 3 or so times a semester. We call these meetings
Colleague Circles. These meetings help provide NFTS faculty yet another
set of perspectives on professional development in general and on
working at Auburn as a new faculty member in particular. The faculty
facilitators will answer NFTS faculty questions, provide advice and
counsel, and keep confidential any information that is shared with them
by NFTS faculty.

As part of the NFTS program, the Biggio Center also sponsors a retreat
each semester (stay tuned for details for the October retreat), an
on-line discussion board (which I have not developed yet for this fall
semester) and finally, an end of the year celebration involving the
presentation of a certificate and a professional development award of $250.

I hope this short note helps clarify the components of the NFTS
program. If any of you have any questions at any time, please do not
hesitate to drop me a note.

With all good wishes,
Bill

Auburn University will be selecting a QEP to implement as part of the SACS reaccreditation process. Currently the QEP Exploratory Committee is requesting campus input on concepts that could be developed into full plans for a QEP.

Submit your concept at the link below: http://bit.ly/eBZwyR

The Biggio Center hosted a panel of faculty members who have received Breeden Awards in the past. They shared their experience writing the proposals and the outcomes from their projects.

Biggio Center to host professional development seminar
The Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning will host the first professional development seminar of the spring semester this Wednesday, Jan. 19, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in the Student Center room 2218, with the topic “Using Student Ratings to Improve Teaching Effectiveness.” Biggio Center staff, along with guest panelist Charles Israel of the Department of History, will discuss the topic and answer questions. The seminar is open to all faculty and GTAs. Attendees may come at noon and bring a lunch, if desired. Cookies and beverages will be available. Registration is not required for the event. For questions, call Amy at the Biggio Center at 844-8530 or e-mail biggio1@auburn.edu.

Biggio Center’s S. Raj Chaudhury participated in an Outreach activity with his students from the Indian Music Ensemble class at Tuskegee University/Head Start of Macon County event on Oct. 5, 2010 in Tuskegee.
Indian Music as part of Auburn Connects

Join us Aug. 16th in the Student Center for the new Faculty and GTA Orientation activities. See http://www.auburn.edu/biggio to download the agenda.

The Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning is searching for a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) to assist with teaching graduate classes and coordination of the Graduate Certificate in College/University Teaching. This individual will assist Dr. James Groccia in teaching HIED 8500: The Professoriate (Fall) and HIED 8510: Seminar in College Teaching (Spring). The GTA will also assist in designing and developing on-line/distance education versions of these two courses. Contact us for more information.

Distinguished Dissertation Award Winners

In the Fall of 2009, the Graduate School announced that it would recognize the achievements of outstanding doctoral students by creating the Auburn University Graduate School Distinguished Dissertation Awards. For 2010, nominations were solicited from the colleges and schools in two categories: Social Sciences and Mathematics/Physical Sciences/Engineering.

Mary Beth Harden (PFF ‘06-’07; Human Sciences) is one of the awardees in Social Sciences. Her dissertation topic: Predicting Consumers’ Cause-Brand Alliance Attitude and Purchase Intention: The Influence of Cause Involvement, Message Source, Perceived Motivations, and Cause-Brand Fit.” Advisors: Wi-Suk Kwon (co-chair); Sandra Forsythe (co-chair); Sang-Eum Byun; Gisela Buschle-Diller.

http://u.nu/9r84c to see other former PFF Fellow updates from Summer 2009.