Ithaca College

Request for Proposals

The Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) seeks a faculty member for its Dana Teaching Fellows Program, an innovative program developed by faculty for faculty. Our Teaching Fellows are exemplary instructors and scholars who engage in development and scholarly activities that focus on teaching, contribute to their professional development, and support other faculty members.

Proposals should be positioned alongside Ithaca College initiatives (e.g., the Strategic Plan) and have potential impact beyond one’s department. For the Spring 2020 semester, and perhaps beyond, we are especially interested in proposals related to civic engagement and community service combined with experiential learning pedagogy, and/or learning space design.

Applications for the Dana Teaching Fellows Program can be found here. Please submit with the subject line TeachingFellows_LastName via email to cfe@ithaca.edu by November 8, 2019.

Program Description

Educational success at Ithaca College depends, above all else, on the commitment and inventiveness of our faculty. Excellence in undergraduate teaching and research must be rewarded and encouraged. To this end, the Center for Faculty Excellence has established a program to recognize faculty members who have profoundly influenced our students through their sustained and significant contributions to pedagogy and scholarship.

Teaching Fellows are faculty members from various departments who provide support to other faculty members aiming to enhance their students' learning and performance and to address shared teaching and scholarly challenges. Their support can take many forms: leading CFE hosted events, one-on-one consultations, classroom observations, and/or other support depending on the specific circumstances. Pedagogical and research support can include helping faculty to think about designing a new course or revamping an existing course, examining a course to address inclusive excellence, implementing a new instructional strategy, designing curricula and assignments that promote authentic learning, implementing formative assessments, and addressing workflow efficiency. The Teaching Fellows Program builds on the robust experiences of faculty developers and fellow faculty at the Center for Faculty Excellence.

Duration of fellowship is one academic year with the possibility for yearly renewal up to a maximum fellowship of three years. Fellows receive one course release and a $3,000 stipend per year plus support for professional development.  The Teaching Fellows program is open to all tenured and tenure-eligible faculty, as well as long-term NTEN faculty members.

The major program goal is to deploy pedagogical and scholarly expertise across the campus through faculty networks. 

Activities

Each Fellow will work on a proposed program and meet regularly with the other Fellows, CFE Leadership, and staff members whose work relates to the program. The Teaching Fellows program is grounded in a distributed leadership model. CFE Leadership and the Teaching Fellow will determine the final plan for implementation jointly.

The Teaching Fellow will plan and attend bi-weekly meetings to discuss, coordinate, and reflect on their individual and joint programs for colleagues at the departmental, school-college, or campus-wide levels. These meetings may take the form of further program development, critical examination of resources and initiatives, adjusting the direction or scope of programming, and solidifying connections and networks across the campus.

Proposal Guidelines

In 750 words or less:

1)    Describe an area of need or opportunity for faculty development on the Ithaca College campus.

2)    Describe your pedagogical interests and experiences related to the proposed area as well as faculty development in general.

3)    Suggest a program of faculty support in that area that could roll out over a two-three-year period with the collaboration of your campus partners.

A letter of support from your chair or program director is required and should express how the proposed program will contribute to your professional development and state that the three credits of reassigned time will fit within your annual teaching load. The letter should be sent to the Center at cfe@ithaca.edu

Contact the Center for Faculty Excellence for further information regarding the Teaching Fellows.