Discussion Issues

I. Applying Learning Theory to Effective Teaching

A. What do we know about learning (multiple intelligences, diverse learning styles) or our student population that can improve our teaching?

B. How do developmental students learn best, and how can we best teach them?

C. How do non-traditional students learn most effectively, and how can we teach them more effectively?

D. What can we learn about teaching and learning from the KDE, KERA, and the P-16 initiative?

II. Authentically Assessing Teaching

A. How do we really know if our students are learning?

B. How is effective teaching assessed authentically?

C. What can we learn from each other and from our disciplines about effective teaching and learning?

III. Teaching Assessment, Professional Effort, and Professional Development

A. Are there more valid, realistic ways of categorizing professional effort than the tri-partite “research, teaching, and service”?

B. What should be the role of authentic assessment in University decisions about merit, tenure, promotion, and tenure review?

C. What kind of professional development may be required for or result in across-campus reflection or effective teaching and learning?

D. What is the relationship of teaching to administrative concerns?

IV. Perceptions about the Importance of Teaching at MSU

A. How can we raise visibility of and respect for effective teaching/learning on campus?

B. How can we communicate to the public that effective teaching and learning happen on our campus?

III. Miscellaneous Strategies and Tools for Improving Teaching

A. How can MSU faculty most effectively prepare teachers?

B. What is the optimum allocation of faculty members’ time?

C. Should MSU require pedagogical seminars for teaching assistants and master’s degree candidates outside of education?

D. How can technology and facilities be more accessible to the teaching-learning process