New cohort of teaching researchers begins year's mission

This year's President's Teaching and Learning Collaborative (PTLC) officially launched this week with 14 faculty researchers who are new to the cohort.

The collaborative is sponsored by the President's Teaching Scholars Program (PTSP).

The PTLC is a comprehensive program that guides faculty in publishing research on teaching and learning. Faculty researchers work on educational research in collaboration with a coach and a mentor – often faculty from different campuses. Participants also meet as a group with all other researchers, coaches, and mentors six to eight times. At the end of their year with the PTLC, faculty researchers must share their findings through a peer-reviewed journal publication or conference presentation.

Goals of the collaborative include fostering inquiry and leadership for the improvement of student learning, developing and synthesizing knowledge about learning and teaching, and promoting institutional change in support of the scholarship of teaching and learning.

"Someone might ask, 'Why do faculty members want to do this work on top of everything else they need to do?' " said Mary Ann Shea, director of the PTSP. "The answer is, 'I want to become the teacher I want to be.'"

Last year's cohort of 16 is joined in this year's program by 14 new members:

Penina Axelrad, CU-Boulder; Radu Cascaval, UCCS; Douglas Duncan, CU-Boulder; Julaine Field, UCCS; Andy Fine, AMC; Kari Franson, AMC; Robert Gist, UCCS; Alison Hicks, CU-Boulder; Diane Martichuski, CU-Boulder; Kathleen McCartney, AMC; Lupita Montoya, CU-Boulder; Stacy Saturay, CU-Boulder; Mandi Sinclair, UCCS; and RL Widmann, CU-Boulder.

During and after their involvement with the PTLC, researchers also discuss their educational research with members of their department and colleagues at other institutions. Faculty researchers make presentations to members of their departments to inform them of the educational research they have undertaken because of the support of the PTLC. Some also give presentations to their colleges or other university institutions. Most faculty researchers are engaging in educational research for the first time, though all have engaged in research within their discipline.