Teaching Teachers: Adelphi Faculty Are Training for Tomorrow

That was the impetus for the University’s first annual Faculty Conference on Issues in Higher Education, a one-day event held in May. There, 160 faculty members discussed topics like globalization in higher education and how to reach a student population that is more diverse, more nontraditional and more international than ever.

The keynote presentation was “The Future of Liberal Education and Adelphi,” by Susan Albertine, Ph.D., a senior scholar at the Association of American Colleges and Universities and co-author of the book Becoming a Student-Ready College.

Dr. Grogg said many professors have embraced the challenges of teaching students who grew up in a technologically connected world. For example, one professor integrated smartphones into the classroom by asking students to Google a given topic. The professor uses the search results to discuss the reliability (or lack thereof) of information on the internet.

“We have to meet the students where they are,” Dr. Grogg said. “We have to find ways to give them the learning they want and need.”

The Faculty Center for Professional Excellence is another Adelphi program created to help professors become better instructors. Started eight years ago, the center recently expanded its offerings. For instance, it recently launched a Teaching and Learning Conference, where outside experts discuss active learning, evidence-based teaching practices and other topics.

The center also runs the Adelphi Teaching Fellows program, now in its first year. Under this program, six professors spend a year developing a new teaching technique in their classes. For example, one professor added a role-playing game to The Vikings!, a first-year seminar course. Students engage in elaborate role-playing games and historical scenarios while researching and planning class sessions. In another case, a chemistry professor had students solve problems in teams of four, rather than follow a typical chemistry formula. Each team developed a model and created an experiment to solve the problem on their own.

The University also hosts the Writing in the Disciplines Workshop series for two days in the summer. The workshop encourages professors to promote writing on all subjects, even hard science courses like computer science or physics. Last summer, more than 20 faculty members took part.

Christopher Storm, Ph.D., associate provost for faculty advancement and research, said these programs demonstrate how Adelphi searches for new ways to promote student success.

“We’re making a more concerted effort to provide support in an environment to help our faculty to continue to develop,” he said. “We’re always looking at our practices and looking at ways of meeting students where they are.”

Photos from the 2016 Faculty Conference on Issues in Higher Education