Welcome to Spring Quarter! The season of spring is one that points to renewal and for me is a source of hope. As the daffodils spring up and cherry blossoms bloom, I am reminded that each of us carries the capacity for resilient or critical hope - just as we have capacity for grief, joy, and the entire myriad of human emotions. Critical hope is the kind of hope that drives us to collectively imagine a more just future. It is the kind of hope that gives us courage to do the hard work of building that future.
I am delighted to announce two Faculty Scholars who will be joining the Learning and Teaching Commons. These faculty will devote half of their time in the Commons to advancing projects they’ve designed - projects which, to me, advance our collective capacity for resilient hope.
Cali Ellis, Commons Faculty Scholar, 2022-2023
What does excellent and inclusive online education look like at Evergreen?
Cali's project meets a critical institutional need to develop robust materials to support and train faculty that teach online. Her combined experience as an Evergreen faculty and with online teaching practices will lead to materials tailored to supporting Evergreen's unique approach to teaching, learning, and evaluation - a need that can't be met through available certification programs on the market. Cali sees this project as an important opportunity for Evergreen to offer students consistent experiences across online and hybrid learning that center student success and equity. Cali's research into evidence-based practices for online pedagogy, integration of these practices into all of her classes in the MPA program, and service on the online policy task force during fall and winter quarters position her well to engage in this work.
Anthony Zaragoza, Commons Faculty Scholar, 2023-2024
What is Evergreen’s collective story?
Anthony's project applies a methodology for inventorying individual knowledge to develop a collective story that he has crafted through teaching and study over the last several years. By asking Evergreen faculty, staff, and students questions such as "What is your most important knowledge about teaching and learning?” or “What should teachers know about students and their lives?” or “What should new Evergreen educators know about learning and teaching at Evergreen?”, this project will not only document their experience but also develop materials that can orient new members of the community to what it means to be a Greener. A phrase from Anthony's proposal sums it up best: people power through popular education. This project has potential to tap into the best elements of communities of practice: connecting people around a shared context and facilitating generative dialogue to learn from one another.
About the fellowship
The
Commons Faculty Scholar fellowship is a nine-month half-time appointment available to all regular faculty members on a continuing contract. Faculty Scholars support the Learning and Teaching Commons mission to promote a generative culture of interdisciplinary teaching and learning that is student-centered, equity-minded, and committed to access and excellence. This nine-month, half-time position provides a faculty member with the opportunity to work on a project of their design, while also providing direct support to Learning and Teaching Commons programming.
Julia Metzker
Director,
Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education
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