|
The Biggio Center for the Enhancement
of Teaching and Learning became a reality in the fall
of 2003 and is funded by an endowment established
from the estate of Alvin A. and Mila Biggio. The mission
of the Biggio Center is to promote professional growth
and development for faculty, graduate teaching assistants,
and administrative and professional staff in the knowledge,
techniques, and skills related to teaching and learning.
Additionally, the Center serves as a focal point for
efforts to enhance the development of a campus culture
that prizes evidence-based teaching, diversity, educational
technology, and student centered learning.
The staff at the Biggio Center
for 2005-2006 includes: Dr. James E. Groccia, Director;
Ms. Amy Vaughan, Administrative Associate; Dr. Donald
Mulvaney, Faculty Fellow Associate Director; Dr. Sharon
Roberts, Faculty Fellow Associate Director; Dr. William
Buskist, Faculty Fellow, Co-Coordinator: Auburn Forum
on College Teaching and Learning; Mr. Philip Thorsen,
Graduate Teaching Assistant; Mr. Ethan Trevino, Graduate
Teaching Assistant; and Mr. Matthew Holliman, Graduate
Teaching Assistant.
Programs and services provided
by the Biggio Center during the 2005-2006 academic
year include:
• The New Faculty Scholars (NFS) program to
provide mentoring on teaching, research, service and
outreach to junior faculty. 24 faculty members from
17 different departments are enrolled in this year-long
program. Key components of NFS include course design
and academic portfolio retreats, professional development
seminars, and the Colleague Circles mentoring program.
• The Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program
to prepare the next generation of college faculty.
This year’s group of eleven graduate students
participates in a year-long series of seminars and
visits to other colleges to gain exposure to different
academic cultures and develop future professional
networks.
• The Breeden Teaching Development Grants fund
teaching enhancement projects across campus. Each
year $30,000 is provided to faculty through a competitive
competition for projects on curriculum innovation
and the scholarship of teaching and learning.
• New Faculty and GTA Orientation Programs to
help acclimate new instructors to Auburn. New instructors
and TAs participate in 2-day programs that include
information and concurrent sessions on teaching, research,
and outreach.
• Individual Consultation, Classroom Observation,
And Videotape Recording for teaching improvement is
provided to all instructional staff upon request.
• A Professional Development Seminar Series
on teaching, learning, research, and outreach topics
is provided to the entire Auburn community.
• The Small Group Instructional Feedback (SGIF)
service is provided to all instructional staff to
facilitate student feedback on instruction at the
mid-point of each semester.
• The center maintains a Website and Resource
Library to disseminate teaching and learning related
information.
• The Graduate Teaching Scholars Program to
train and supervise GTAs providing learning assistance
in selected high difficulty courses.
• TeachNet, an electronic newsletter for faculty
and GTAs providing information on teaching, learning,
and professional development.
• The Book Discussion Group facilitates discussion
on important books on higher education. The Biggio
Center provides a 50% rebate on the purchase of each
book.
• The Program in Community Service (PICS) provides
small grants to integrate service learning in individual
courses. The Biggio Center PICS also maintains a small
library on service learning.
• The first Auburn Forum on College Teaching
and Learning, scheduled for Feburary 3rd & 4th,
2006. This two-day conference on teaching and learning
will feature four invited speakers or workshop leaders,
concurrent sessions on best practice by AU instructional
staff, participant idea exchange roundtables, and
a reception to honor Auburn University’s award
winning teachers.
• The Teaching Enrichment Seminar is a semester
long course for College of Liberal Arts co-taught
by Dr. Groccia and Ms. Weibke Kuhn focusing on teaching
and learning with technology.
The Biggio Center has recently
moved into a renovated suite on the 4th Floor of the
Library. Within this suite are six offices, a library,
seminar/conference room, reception area, and kitchen/work
room.
|
