Iowa State University


Inside Iowa State
Feb. 6, 1998

Sixth annual faculty conference

Is ISU an 'Education I' university?

by Anne Dolan

The sixth annual Faculty Conference will be held March 27-28 at Grinnell College. The topic for this year's conference is the result of suggestions from faculty members and a vote of the Faculty Senate.

Alluding to ISU's classification as a Carnegie Research I university in 1994, conference participants will discuss what it takes to be an "Education I" university. They will look broadly at issues such as whether ISU's environment allows faculty to help students learn at levels worthy of a land- grant school; whether faculty feel they're able to meet departmental and college expectations of them as teachers, researchers and service providers; and how prepared faculty feel to meet challenges posed by students.

Organizers also hope participants get a better understanding of how students learn, methods for evaluating learning, ways to incorporate research into teaching, and factors that contribute to a classroom environment that supports teaching and learning.

A large goal of the conference is to develop initiatives the Faculty Senate can use next year as an action plan toward becoming an "Education I" university.

Bill Bondeson, a faculty member in philosophy and medicine at the University of Missouri, Columbia, and self-described teaching activist, will attend the entire conference. Bondeson will speak Friday morning on a return to teaching, and also will offer some wrap-up comments before lunch on Saturday. President Martin Jischke's talk will follow lunch on Friday.

Conference organizers hope every department will send a representative to the conference. Nominations are due Thursday, Feb. 12, to Jane Henning, Provost Office, 204 Lab of Mechanics. Faculty should feel free to nominate themselves.

"We're hoping for a real mix of people," said Denise Vrchota, president-elect of the Faculty Senate and a member of the planning committee. "We know there are people on campus who feel their energies need to be elsewhere than teaching and there are others who want to know there can be scholarship in teaching. They all are invited to participate in this discussion."

The conference opens at 9 a.m. Friday and concludes about 1 p.m. Saturday. Questions can be directed to Vrchota, 4-5829, or assistant provost Ellen Rasmussen, 4-0831.

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