Assistant Director's PerspectiveReturn to Issue of Sept. 22, 2008 Faculty members, community, agency and government staff members, parents and students all have their own perspectives of what “learning” can and should be. How do we acknowledge these perspectives and incorporate them to make informed decisions about what learning means at Kent State University? The Faculty Professional Development Center (FPDC), established in 1998 by a joint effort of Faculty Senate, AAUP-KSU and the administration, not only participates in this conversation on learning, but also actively cultivates what Provost Robert G. Frank refers to as 21st-century learning — engaged learning that creates new futures.
The FPDC is an on-campus home for faculty members from graduate students to emeriti and other professionals who support the learning and educational development of Kent State students. Aligned with the university priorities, the FPDC is a catalyst for innovative learning. FPDC programs and services engage participants in exploring new territory. Whether it is joining a learning community to bring rich media, enhanced visualization, collaboration or gaming into the college classroom or exploring the implications of neuroscience for teaching practices, there is much to learn. Participate in a Portrait of Practice, where Moulton Scholar Marilyn Seguin invites you into e-service learning, or work with Faculty Associates Pam Takayoshi and Christina Haas to open possibilities for undergraduate student research. The roots of the institutionalization of service learning are found in the Honors College and the FPDC. Now a university priority, we are working with Enrollment Management and Student Affairs to provide a database that links faculty, students, community partners and student organizations with projects and people. Check out these electronic newsletters for student and faculty “Perspectives” on undergraduate research and internationalization of the curriculum. The Faculty Professional Development Center supports internationalization by identifying collaborators to move learning forward. Dr. Ken Cushner, FPDC faculty associate, is forming a new Faculty-Professional Learning Community to examine different ways of integrating international components into the curriculum. Visit the FPDC Studio for a JumpStart on utilizing world newspapers and their electronic services to broaden perspectives from fashion merchandizing to bio-mechanics. Join colleagues in an Action Read to explore the implications of common readings for 21st-century learning. Each of us at the university serves a vital role in setting the environment, culture and resources for learning. We, at the FPDC, invite you into the multiple, ongoing conversations on learning. We would also like to invite you to invite us into your unit’s conversations and activities.
Dr. Jeffrey L. Pellegrino Return to Issue of Sept. 22, 2008  |
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