Throughout the past six months there have been numerous changes in the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning.
Last summer, the center moved to the fourth floor of FLITE and added two Faculty-in-Residence team members, as well as two Instructional Technologists.
The two-fold move was done for two purposes: to strengthen the success, by adding the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning to FLITE, as the library has enjoyed as the focal point for engaged learning and collaboration among faculty and staff; as well as to move the Office of International Education to a location on campus (the IRC) that is more accessible and visible to the entire Ferris student population.
“The goal we sought to achieve by the addition of two Instructional Technologists and two Faculty-in-Residence was to continue to provide high quality and richly diverse opportunities for faculty to explore and do work that will advance their teaching and students’ learning,” said Todd Stanislav, director of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning.
The center has been ramping up for an event-packed spring semester scheduled with a variety of training sessions, workshops, learning communities and more. While students are certainly welcome, the Open House is principally designed for Ferris faculty and instructional staff.
“We are especially eager to have faculty and instructional staff stop by to see our new location, meet our staff and learn about the opportunities available to them this semester,” Stanislav said. “We are also using the Open House as an opportunity to hear from faculty and staff about, in general, what we’re doing right and what we should do to improve.”
For students, the biggest advantage is the opportunity to see and interact with their faculty in an informal, fun and out-of-class atmosphere.
“When I was a student, there was always something special about meeting my instructors outside of the typical classroom setting. I think doing that built rapport between us and was an opportunity to get to know each other better,” Stanislav said.
The events and opportunities for faculty planned are intended to “support Ferris faculty and the greater educational community in their efforts to affect deep and positive learning,” coming from the mission statement of the center.
Stanislav said, “When I think back to the faculty who were mentors to me, who had the biggest influence on my education, career choice and development, in every case it was because we interacted with each other in a variety of venues such as official university activities, the classroom and social events like an Open House.”
To see a full range of activities and opportunities, visit the newsletter at http://bit.ly/z8UWta