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Session 1275

NEW FACULTY ORIENTATION AND SEMINAR SERIES: EMPHASIS ON TEACHING AND LEARNING

William W. Predebon, Peck Cho, Diana George, Linda M. Ott, Philip Sweany Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI 49931-1295

ABSTRACT

Traditional new faculty orientations focus on university services, fringe benefits, and research activities. If teaching is discussed at all, it is minimal. The orientation workshop and seminar series presented in this paper has a new look. The emphasis is on teaching. Topics discussed include: how to be a successful and happy faculty member, the Michigan Technological University (MTU) student body, total student development, university learning centers, and preparing for the first day. The orientation is followed by weekly seminars throughout the year. The weekly seminars, particularly in the fall, discuss just in time topics such as preparing for quizzes and exams, dealing with marginal student performance, student evaluations, classroom assessment, grading, active vs. passive learning, reflective teaching, etc. The orientation is directed at new faculty, i.e., faculty at the university for three years or less. The weekly seminar series includes more experienced teachers as well. The goal is to encourage an exchange of ideas about teaching between new and experienced professors.

The orientation and seminar series were initiated for the first time in Fall of 1995. The attendance, participation, and response has been very good. The evaluation and feedback from faculty in attendance has been encouraging.

I. INTRODUCTION

We did something new in the orientation for new faculty this year at Michigan Technological University (MTU). We supplied a focus for the orientation. Specifically, we focused the orientation on teaching at MTU. This is in sharp contrast to previous years in which the new faculty orientation involved representatives from various colleges and administrative departments each taking approximately half an hour to explain their function at the university. This year, we made a conscious decision to emphasize classroom practice in our faculty orientation.

There are several reasons why we felt it was important to focus faculty orientation around teaching issues. Possibly foremost is our belief that while new faculty members are bombarded with information about

1996 ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings

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Predebon, W. W., & Cho, P., & George, D., & Ott, L. M., & Sweany, P. (1996, June), New Faculty Orientation And Seminar Series: Emphasis On Teaching And Learning Paper presented at 1996 Annual Conference, Washington, District of Columbia. 10.18260/1-2--6205