Two years ago, faculty and administrators from the colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Arts and Letters, and educators from the Academic Advancement Network and the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology began working on how best to support units in recognizing and rewarding effective teaching. The result is this Toolkit to Recognize and Understand EffectiveTeaching to Enhance Student Learning.
The purpose of this toolkit is to help unit leaders and educators recognize, understand and support the role of teaching as a catalyst for student learning. The toolkit is a response to requests from unit leaders for resources to help understand effective teaching. Many leaders feel more comfortable with their ability to understand and evaluate research, but teaching often presents a challenge. Faculty have made similar requests for this type of support.
A culture that values teaching and learning and that is committed to rewarding effective teaching requires more than a single tool or measure. As such, Chairs and Directors are encouraged to constructively consider issues and initiatives affecting student success (e.g., interviewing and hiring protocols, assignment distribution). This toolkit provides guidance to better evaluate teaching and learning in support of student success at MSU. These resources are useful for administrators and entire departments, so the Toolkit is offered in that spirit.