CALS Faculty Development Programs

CALS provides several cohort-based development programs for faculty who wish to become better teachers and mentors. Program cohorts meet regularly, but each program's frequency of meeting varies. 

• Teacher's College

  Teacher's College, led by Dr. Grady Roberts, was established in 2007 to enhance the teaching skills of newer CALS faculty members. Teacher's College also allows faculty to engage as a community of practice around learner-centered teaching.

  Faculty are selected through a nomination process to participate in this fall semester course. The course is facilitated by a team of experienced CALS faculty who model effective teaching practices.

  The topics to be addressed in the course include principles and practices utilized in the spectrum of responsibilities of teaching faculty, beginning from developing a teaching philosophy to designing effective assessments and reflecting on practice.

  By the conclusion of the Teacher's College program, faculty are able to:

  • List and explain the psychological principles that affect learning.
  • Develop instructional objectives that are appropriate for an educational program.
  • Develop a detailed instructional plan for an educational program.
  • Develop an assessment procedure for an educational program or college course.
  • Incorporate the use of instructional aids/technologies in the instructional process.
  • Develop an evaluation procedure that reflects achievement of instructional objectives.
  • Reflect upon teaching practice to improve student learning.
• Mentor Academy

  CALS is committed to providing faculty development opportunities to support strong mentoring relationships between faculty and their student and postdoctoral mentees and between senior faculty and their early-career colleagues. Effective mentoring is critical to mentee satisfaction, success, retention, and career advancement.

  The CALS Mentor Academy meets biweekly online over each spring and fall semester to help faculty develop strong mentoring skills that support the career and psychosocial development of their student and postdoctoral mentees. The eight sessions are based on the evidence-based CIMER curriculum. Contact Dr. Heather McAuslane with questions about the Mentor Academy.

  Learn more about the CALS Mentor Academy.

   

• Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

  The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning group is designed to connect a faculty member's teaching and/or course design practices to research. Over a semester, faculty members in this group develop a research idea connected to teaching and learning, solidify the research project, and move the project through IRB approval in preparation of implementing the project. The group meets 1-2 times per month. If you are interested in being a part of the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning group, please contact Dr. Grady Roberts. 

• Course Design and Delivery Communities of Practice

  To support CALS faculty in designing and delivering student-centered courses infused with authentic learning activities, and help online courses achieve the required UF Quality designation, each semester the CALS Faculty Instructional Resources and Support Team (FIRST) offers two cohort-based activities designed as Communities of Practice (CoP). During the hands-on and discussion sessions, you’ll work directly with your course plan and materials while honing best practices for developing and teaching high-quality, learner-centered courses ready for the UF Quality review. You’ll have broader support by meeting with a cohort of faculty, guided by our instructional design and production teams, with opportunities to share ideas with and learn from your colleagues and plan course revisions strategically with the support team, which was formerly known as the CALS Center for Online Learning and Technology.

  CALS Course Design and Course Delivery Communities of Practice

• Roche Teaching Scholars

  The Roche Teaching Scholars program was designed to develop teaching leadership among experienced faculty. The program lasts a full year and includes four active learning sessions. Participants assess who they are as teachers and identify unique characteristics that influence how they teach, learn course design strategies, attend the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture annual conference to engage in the scholarship of teaching and learning, and learn about educational policy and administration. Each Scholar will design or re-design a course of their choosing and also develop a project to benefit their department/center or the college as a whole.