Fostering the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Concept

The primary goal of the Maricopa Institute for Learning (MIL) is to enhance the quality of teaching and learning through a process of individual faculty's defining, implementing, evaluating, documenting, and disseminating a project focused on significant issues in student learning in their teaching fields.

From L-R (Rear): 1999-2000 Fellows: Barbara Fahey, SCC, English, Marian Gibney, PC, Psychology, Mangala Joshua, MCC, Physics, (Front) Rosemary Leary, EMCC, Chemistry, LynnAnn Wojciechowicz, SMCC, Humanities

From L-R (Standing): 2000-2001 Fellows: Madeleine Chowdhury, MCC, Mathematics; Holly McKinzie Beene, MIL Faculty Chair, MCLI; Maria Chavira, MCC, Psychology; Yvonne Montiel, SMCC, Reading, Education, Spanish; (Sitting) Vanessa Wilson-Ford, MCC, Sociology; Sara Soller, PC, Communication and Theater

Model

The MIL is modeled after the Pew National Fellowship Program for Carnegie Scholars. It includes the following elements:

COMMUNITY

• 5-6 faculty, a faculty chair, and a program manager.

PROJECTS THAT

• investigate how and under what conditions students learn;
• can be tested with students;
• can be documented and made public;
• contribute to the scholarship of teaching and learning in a discipline;
• have implications beyond an individual classroom.

EVENTS

• Retreat
• Seminars
• Monthly meetings

RESOURCES

• Release time
• Travel to national conferences
• Book and article allowance
• Reference library
• mcli expertise

Process

Faculty are nominated by their President, Dean of Instruction, and/or Faculty Developer. Nominated Faculty are invited to submit a project proposal. Submitted proposals are evaluated via a blind process by a committee of former MIL Fellows, faculty discipline specialists, and a representative from the deans. The proposals with the top five aggregate scores are selected. Fellows participate in the Fellowship for a year, beginning with a summer seminar in early June.

Projects

Fellows' project topics for the first two years of the program illustrate the range and implications for student learning:

• Research on Methods for Increasing Students' Ability to Think Critically
• Reframing Teaching to Meet Teacher and Student Goals in Psychology 101
• Using the Modeling Method to Enhance Student Learning of Physics
• Problem Based Learning in Introductory Chemistry
• Illuminating Integrated Humanities Classes with Historical Storytelling
• Teacher as Researcher: Providing a Seamless Process in Teacher Education
• The Role of Visualization in Understanding Calculus
• A Pedagogical Model for Active Learning: Collaborative Peer Teaching a Course on Diversity
• Using Empirical Evidence To Improve Teaching And Learning On The Internet
• The Influence of Teacher Oral Communication Style on Student Learning

For more information:
www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mil/

Maria Harper-Marinick, Ph.D. MCLI