{"id":1383,"date":"2020-04-20T21:29:42","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T21:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2025-02-07T16:17:33","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T21:17:33","slug":"educating-the-educators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2020\/04\/20\/educating-the-educators\/","title":{"rendered":"Educating the Educators"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column1383_5f0b91-de > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column1383_5f0b91-de > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column1383_5f0b91-de > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column1383_5f0b91-de > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column1383_5f0b91-de > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column1383_5f0b91-de > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column1383_5f0b91-de > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column1383_5f0b91-de{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column1383_5f0b91-de > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column1383_5f0b91-de > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column1383_5f0b91-de dynamic-main-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1383_ac4b61-11, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1383_ac4b61-11[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1383_ac4b61-11\"]{font-size:1.5rem;line-height:30px;font-weight:500;font-style:italic;font-family:proxima-nova;color:#808080;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1383_ac4b61-11 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1383_ac4b61-11[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1383_ac4b61-11\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1383_ac4b61-11 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1383_ac4b61-11[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1383_ac4b61-11\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading1383_ac4b61-11 p1 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1383_ac4b61-11\"><span class=\"s1\">WilmU\u2019s Center for Teaching Excellence is building <\/span><span class=\"s2\">a better classroom, starting at the front.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image1383_520120-16 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image1383_520120-16 alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"872\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.test.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/20200205-MAG-Spr20-CTE-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-15269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/20200205-MAG-Spr20-CTE-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/20200205-MAG-Spr20-CTE-1-250x182.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/20200205-MAG-Spr20-CTE-1-661x480.jpg 661w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/20200205-MAG-Spr20-CTE-1-768x558.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption><em>From left: Dr. Terri G. Trent, Tara Fridley, Dr. Nancy Doody, Dr. C. Joshua Simpson, Taquana Woodards, Dr. Adrienne Bey, Patti Winter <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\">Teachers have to learn how to teach.&nbsp;<span class=\"s2\">If they want to be effective teachers, if they want to have a positive impact on their students, it would seem necessary that they spend some time studying how education works before they set foot in a classroom.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">This doesn\u2019t always happen, though, especially at the college level<\/span><span class=\"s3\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s4\"> \u201cMost of the people who join our faculty are not prepared to be educators \u2014 and we recognize this as a strength,\u201d says Assistant Professor Dr. C. Joshua Simpson. \u201cThey\u2019re great nurses, police officers, and cyber security technicians. Our students will absolutely benefit from their knowledge and experience. But they\u2019ve never taught a class, graded an exam, or kept students engaged.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s4\"> As the faculty development manager for Wilmington University\u2019s Center for Teaching Excellence, Dr. Simpson helps to hire and train these industry experts into classroom-ready instructors. He and his colleagues provide workshops, mentoring, feedback, and other professional resources to equip WilmU\u2019s newest faculty members with the skills they\u2019ll need to succeed as educators. But that\u2019s not their only audience. The CTE was created to serve WilmU\u2019s academics at any stage of their careers.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s4\"> \u201cWe\u2019re here for all of our faculty, our adjuncts and our full-timers, with a variety of training opportunities so they can be more effective in the classroom,\u201d says Dr. Adrienne Bey, the CTE\u2019s director since 2018. \u201cIt\u2019s an on-the-job training program for educators,\u201d she says, but in the long view, it\u2019s much more. \u201cWe help faculty help students achieve their goals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide wu-blockquote-row is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote wu-blockquote-simple is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><span class=\"s2\"><span class=\"s2\"><span class=\"s2\">With the Center for Teaching Excellence, I was able to self-evaluate. I\u2019m able to look at my current teaching methods and see ways for improving those in the classroom. Being a technology guy, I never really learned how to be a teacher. But being able to network and learn from others\u2019 experiences helped me tremendously.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<cite>\u2014 <span class=\"s2\"><span class=\"s1\"><span class=\"s2\">Dr. Michael Blair,\u00a0Adjunct, College of Technology<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">While the concept of higher education is thousands of years old, faculty development is a relatively new idea.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\"> Members of Wilmington University\u2019s Office of Academic Affairs began hearing other colleges\u2019 proposals for in-house continuing education efforts at the professional conferences they\u2019d attended in the 2000s. Following a recommendation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which accredits Wilmington University\u2019s academic programs, the office launched the Center for Teaching Excellence toward the end of the decade.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\">\u201cThe center was formed in part because we have such a large adjunct faculty,\u201d says Dr. Nancy Doody, its associate director. \u201cIt\u2019s intended to help us stay in touch with them, make them part of the community, integrate them into the University and who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\"> \u201cWho we are\u201d is rather important, and a career-focused university sees great importance in keeping its real-world experienced instructors sharp. \u201cWe needed a way to develop our faculty in line with our unique mission,\u201d says Dr. Bey. <\/span>\u201cThe center offers them the opportunity to take their <span class=\"s2\">expertise and translate it into teaching.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide wu-blockquote-row is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote wu-blockquote-simple is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><span class=\"s2\"><span class=\"s2\">I have just grown so much, in leaps and bounds, at my understanding of adult learning and how I can apply it to what I\u2019m currently teaching.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<cite>\u2014 <span class=\"s2\"><span class=\"s1\">Mariann Sennstrom,\u00a0Adjunct, College of Education<\/span><\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\">From their offices on the second floor of the Peoples Building at the New Castle campus, the center\u2019s staff organizes Faculty Development Day, a twice-annual event each fall and spring semester at which WilmU educators can learn about and discuss best practices and current trends while networking with their teaching peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\">In addition, the CTE distributes, reviews, and <span class=\"s2\">communicates the results of the university\u2019s Course and Teaching Survey, the questionnaire through which students provide feedback on their learning experience \u2014 and a user\u2019s eye view of faculty effectiveness \u2014 at the end of each <\/span>term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\">But they\u2019re also open for business in between those initiatives, offering personalized workshops, classroom observations, and one-on-one coaching sessions. They\u2019re teaching teachers about grading students\u2019 work and measuring their progress, problem solving and decision making, team building and diversity. They\u2019re spreading the word about teaching strategies, student interaction, and classroom effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\">\u201cOur faculty development training is built on a curriculum that we developed in collaboration with WilmU\u2019s Office of Educational Technology and Online Learning and our library,\u201d says Dr. Bey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\">The curriculum, called Pathways to Instructional Excellence, guides WilmU instructors from the basic understanding of technology and instructional strategies to a mastery of these subjects, with the aim of broadening and strengthening their ability to communicate with, engage, and assess students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\">Pathways to Instructional Excellence was recognized by two industry associations last year. In February, it won the Instructional Technology Council\u2019s Outstanding eLearning Support for Faculty Award, and in August the University Professional and Continuing Education Association selected it to receive its 2019 Mid-Atlantic Region Faculty and Staff Development Award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\">To the CTE\u2019s staff, however, the real honor has been the results, among WilmU\u2019s faculty and those they teach. \u201cWe provide our instructors with a home base for professional development in the classroom, and this in turn leads to academic success and the retention of students,\u201d says Dr. Doody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide wu-blockquote-row is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote wu-blockquote-simple is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><span class=\"s2\">I\u2019ve learned some blind spots that I didn\u2019t even know that I had, even after being an instructor for so long. The Center for Teaching Excellence is a win for everybody.<\/span><\/p>\n<cite>\u2014 <span class=\"s2\">Maureen Shockley,\u00a0Adjunct, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences<\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cIf you\u2019re not familiar with Wilmington University, you might teach the way you were taught,\u201d says Dr. Simpson. \u201cIf you come to us with your pain points as a teacher, we\u2019ll provide guidance on how to teach the Wilmington University way \u2014 accessible, practical, learner-centered instruction \u2014 and how to deliver on those promises.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\">Maybe this is your first semester teaching at WilmU, after you\u2019ve built a career in another field. Maybe you\u2019ve <span class=\"s4\">been on the faculty for more than a decade, but you\u2019re not connecting with your students the way you used to. Maybe your program chair or dean referred you to the CTE. Maybe you\u2019ve sought out professional development on your own. Maybe you\u2019re wondering how the latest technology can help you deliver your lessons. Maybe you\u2019re concerned about some comments that appeared on your last student surveys. Maybe you\u2019d like to update your course curriculum or develop more relevant assignments. Maybe you\u2019re worried that you spend all your time grading. In any case, the Center for Teaching Excellence is here to help.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\">\u201cWilmington University thinks very highly of its faculty,\u201d says Dr. Bey. \u201cWe make efforts to put the best faculty member possible in front of a class, so that when you invest in a WilmU education, you get a quality product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p2\">The Center for Teaching Excellence, she says, \u201cis how we ensure that you get the best.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WilmU\u2019s Center for Teaching Excellence is building a better classroom, starting at the front. Teachers have to learn how to teach.&nbsp;If they want to be&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":15269,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[632],"class_list":["post-1383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine","tag-magazine-spring-2020"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":135,"label":"MAGAZINE"}],"post_tag":[{"value":632,"label":"Magazine Spring 2020"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/20200205-MAG-Spr20-CTE-1-661x480.jpg",661,480,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Rebecca Slinger","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/author\/rebecca\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":135,"name":"MAGAZINE","slug":"magazine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":692,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":431,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":135,"category_count":431,"category_description":"","cat_name":"MAGAZINE","category_nicename":"magazine","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":632,"name":"Magazine Spring 2020","slug":"magazine-spring-2020","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1189,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1383"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15272,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383\/revisions\/15272"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}