Working in higher education, I get TWO opportunities to reflect on my accomplishments and ponder what lies ahead. I always feel so much more reflective and energized at the beginning of the academic year than at the start of the new calendar year, but still…

After wrapping up with Texas Tech University in October, I went to work preparing for a Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network conference presentation on the Teaching and Learning Project. My colleague, Cassandra Horii (Director, Caltech Center for Teaching, Learning & Outreach) and I presented research we’ve done on the project’s use in faculty teaching consultations. Our session was well attended, and generally fabulous. If you are interested in learning more about the work we’ve done, you can view our conference materials on the POD Network conference WikiPODia pages.

Also last fall, Cassandra and I were asked to provide the invited essay and serve as guest editors for Volume 35:2 of To Improve the Academy. Our essay will be a balance between the photographs made for the Teaching and Learning Project, the work we’ve done with faculty participants, and the research we’ve done on the impacts or benefits of that work. The volume will have a special focus on creative scholarship in the field of educational development. If you work in this field, I encourage you consider submitting a manuscript. Click on the image to view the full call.

I’m looking very forward to returning to Penn State next month, where I will be making new work for the Teaching and Learning Project and beginning a new round of faculty consultations. Once again, I will be working with the incredible staff at their Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence. This news item is from my visit to Penn State’s Mont Alto campus last April. Check out their Facebook page for more photographs from the visit.

Look for posts from my next Penn State late February. Until then, I wish you the best of semester starts.