ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING SPRING 2000In 2000 the newly formed advisory committee focused efforts on producing a publication on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoT&L) and promoting collaboration on campus. The goal of the publication was to promote interest in the SoT&L and provide an avenue for faculty and staff to share their scholarly approach to teaching with their colleagues. The focus of collaboration was outreach to campus groups and organizations that are or could be linked to the scholarship of teaching and learning. PUBLICATION The proposal to produce a publication to introduce the notion of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning was given the support of the provost, Dr. Gary Marotta. The idea was shared with college deans who made arrangements for the coordinator of the advisory committee to speak to all department chairs. During these meetings deans and chairs were encouraged to identify faculty and staff whose work might be suitable for inclusion in the publication. External support Eight grants were awarded by the Carnegie Foundation in 2000 to support Campus Programs in "going public" with their work. Buffalo State College received the maximum grant to support the production of the publication. The receipt of this grant brought the work of Buffalo State College to the attention of a wide audience. The award was announced in the American Association for Higher Education Bulletin (December 2000, Volume 53, Number 4) and the CASTL Campus Program Update (August 2000, Volume II, Issue 1.) Call for proposals The advisory committee used the definition of SoT&L to develop criteria for selecting faculty work for inclusion in the publication. The criteria formed the basis for a call for proposals that was widely distributed. Committee members hand delivered copies to individuals whose work seemed to fit some or all of the criteria. In addition the campus e-mail was used to send the request for proposals to all full and part-time faculty and staff. Additional electronic requests were sent to faculty who received teaching awards, or participated in teaching circles. A notice was included in the college Bulletin, a document widely distributed in hard copy and electronic versions. The more formal @BuffaloState.edu newsletter, which is mailed to all campus employees, carried a front-page article about the work of the committee and also announced the publication. Finally, personalized letters requesting contributions were sent from the provost to faculty who hold the Chancellor's or President's awards for excellence in teaching. Review of proposals Nineteen submissions were received. Using a rating sheet developed from the criteria, the advisory committee reviewed the proposals and selected eight projects for publication. Production Photographers and editors on the college staff assisted in the production of the publication. The design and printing were subcontracted. The production process took about six months. Launch the SoT&L publication On October 24, 2000 we "launched" publication. Announcements of the launch were made through inter campus-mail and personal invitation. About 50 people attended the event. Distribution The day following the launch 400 faculty and staff received a copy of the publication through intercampus mail. The provost added personal letters to copies that were distributed throughout the state. A national distribution of 200 hard copies was provided by the American Association of Higher Education and CASTL. Electronic distribution was made possible with the technical assistance of CASTL on their WebCenter. College technical support enabled posting on the Buffalo State College web site. These sites capture the excitement the publication created on campus. The posting on the World Wide Web has provided international visibility for the work of Buffalo State College faculty. Assessment A survey was conducted with those who contributed to and those who were sent the publication. Results of these surveys can be located in the feedback section of this web site. INSTITUTIONALIZING SoT&L This year the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies was established. The CIS will provide institutional support for the CASTL Campus Programs at Buffalo State College. |