Faculty development can take many forms. We have had high rates of participation on this campus in formal campus-wide endeavors such as the February workshop and summer "Boot Camps." Another way that can accommodate more schedules is a faculty development circle. These consist of a small group of from two to eight faculty who meet three or four times during the semester to acquire some competence in an area of concern. It is similar to the "teaching circle," but includes topics on broader areas of development that relate specifically to what works while serving on an Idaho State University campus. Next fall, we want to experiment with this approach by sponsoring a series of faculty-directed development circles. These will be scheduled to accommodate participants, but most likely at lunchtimes during the week. Sponsorship will include support for food and possibly resources such as books or videotapes.

One can join a faculty development circle to meet with other colleagues for discussions of mutual interest, to discover resources and people on campus with expertise that can make a difference and to collaborate on a one page report. An ideal final product would be a one-page summary that provides resources that we can publish on the web for benefit of all ISU faculty.
The first round of circle topics follows. The sign-up procedure is fast and easy. One should open up the survey at http://www.isu.edu/ctl/surveys/facdevsurvey.html and respond to the prompts there, which will allow you to pick your top three areas of interest, add areas and disclose an area of expertise that might be called upon by a topical group. The Center for Teaching and Learning will take care of organizing the circles based upon expressed interests.

1. Active learning: theory and methods
2. Assessment of student learning outcomes
3. Classroom assessment techniques
4. Collaborative/cooperative learning: theory and practice
5. Copyright and intellectual property issues
6. Course and syllabus design
7. Dealing with students' stereotypes, biases, and misperceptions
8. Developing students' oral communication
9. Effective lecturing
10. Enhancing students' critical thinking skills
11. Ethical issues in teaching
12. Evaluating teaching
13. Forming partnerships
14. Getting started in grant writing
15. Grading and evaluating students
16. Incivility in the classroom: dealing with difficult students
17. Issues in on-line teaching
18. Learning outcomes: Differences between High School and College
19. Learning styles and teaching styles
20. Multiculturalism in the classroom
21. Problem-based learning
22. Promoting higher level thinking
23. Role play as a pedagogical technique
24. Rubrics and their construction
25. Service learning
26. Storytelling as a pedagogical technique
27. Strengthening instructional skills/practices in a vocational setting
28. Surviving tenure review
29. Teaching and learning with technology
30. Teaching portfolios
31. Testing--creating good tests and quizzes
32. Time management
33. Using case studies in teaching
34. Writing across the curriculum
35. Writing for publication

THANKS FOR YOUR SPLENDID PARTICIPATION THIS YEAR! A GOOD SUMMER BREAK HAS BEEN WELL-EARNED BY US ALL!

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Total costs (includes lodging, meals, materials)„$950. A limited number of scholarships are available to cover ISU faculty costs in the amount of $950. This year, we prefer to send teams of two or three from a unit that has a special need such as development of assessment plans, curricular planning or faculty evaluation . Most details are finalized and described at

http://www.isu.edu/ctl/nutshells/old_nutshells/6_604.htm

For information contact Edward Nuhfer, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Idaho State University at nuhfed@isu.edu or by phone at (208) 282-4703.