Center for Innovation in the Liberal Arts (CILA) Associates
From 2001 to 2009, the Center for Innovation in the Liberal Arts had a program, the CILA Associates, that allowed released time for faculty projects in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Associates investigated a question of teaching and learning, led faculty learning communities around a topic related to the project, and facilitated one or two of the CILA Faculty Lunch Conversations. At the end of the year’s work, Associates wrote a journal article documenting their findings.
CILA Associate Projects in Teaching and Learning
The CILA Associates created projects in the scholarship of teaching and learning that would contribute to the broader public discussion (at St. Olaf and elsewhere) of teaching and learning. The projects came from many disciplinary perspectives, but all investigated a teaching and learning question. Each Associate selected and led a learning community of five faculty members, who worked together on a topic related to the Associate’s project. The Associates concluded their year’s activities by writing an article documenting their work for publication in an appropriate journal, to contribute to the growing body of literature in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Click here for a list of CILA Faculty Associates.
One Associate each year was designated a CILA Associate for Teaching and Technology. This Associate’s project involved the pedagogical uses of technology, and the Associate helped to serve as a bridge between IIT and faculty uses of instructional technologies.
The Associates also collaborated with the CILA Director on related activities of the Center, including organizing one or more of the Faculty Lunch Conversations during the year, on the topic of the Associate’s project or any other topic of broad faculty interest.
Each Associate received one course released-time, support for attending a relevant conference, and incidental expenses.
The CILA Associate Learning Communities
During the year, each Associate selected and led a small faculty learning community, of up to five faculty members, on a topic related to his or her project. Each learning community met at least four times each semester to explore teaching and learning issues of common interest. For example, a CILA Associate investigating the use of Moodle for classroom assessment might propose a learning community on either Moodle or classroom assessment techniques. The groups read relevant literature and explored individual projects in the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Faculty members in the learning communities each received up to $500 for professional expenses.
2008-2009 – Diane Angell (Biology) and Heather Campbell (Education); Jenny Dunning (English); Gary Muir (Psychology, Neuroscience); Greg Muth (Chemistry)
2007-2008 – Jim Farrell (History, Environmental Studies, American Studies); Karil Kucera (Art & Art History and Asian Studies); Tony Lott (Political Science)
2006-2007 – Chuck Huff (Psychology); Mary Titus (English, American Studies, Women’s Studies)
2004-2005 – Eric Lund (Religion); Maggie Odell (Religion); Mary Walczak (Chemistry)
2003-2004 – Sheri Breen (Political Science), Diana Postlethwaite (English); Mary Walczak (Chemistry)
2002-2003 – Matt Rohn (Art & Art History), Dan Hofrenning (Political Science)
2001-2002 – Peter Hamlin (Music), Dolores Peters (History)