An archaeological project in Jordan, a survey to understand transformative learning experiences for new teachers, a workshop to help prepare professors to be better teachers and advisors, and a conference exploring ways to integrate study abroad into the on-campus curriculum are the four projects that received funding this spring from the ACM Faculty Career Enhancement (FaCE) Project.
FaCE grants support collaborative research projects and events that bring together faculty from across the ACM campuses to develop innovative methods of teaching and learning. The FaCE Project is supported by generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
FaCE grants are awarded in two cycles each year, in the spring and fall. Proposals for the fall 2009 round are due November 15. See the FaCE webpage for complete information about applying for a grant.
Proposals funded in the spring 2009 round:
- What are the most memorable and valuable assignments and activities provided by teacher education programs at ACM colleges? Education professors from Cornell, Colorado, and Monmouth Colleges aim to answer that question in their project on Transformative Learning Experiences for New Teachers through a survey of ACM college seniors and recent graduates. The project arises out of an earlier consortial meeting, the ACM-Teagle Collegium on Student Learning.
- Two professors and a student from Knox College will travel to Jordan during summer 2009 to take part in the interdisciplinary Dhiban Excavation and Development Project (DEDP), an established archaeological project. The FaCE-related portion of this project will include a paleolandscape assessment, involving focused research toward the reconstruction of the long-term history of the site in its environmental and social context, and the training of undergraduate students in archaeological field work. The excavations are part of a broader project to develop “best practices” in archaeological scholarship through the integration of outreach, excavation, and geoarchaeology. The work this summer is expected to be the first step in longer-term involvement of ACM college faculty and students with DEDP.
- The ACM Committee on the Status of Women is organizing a workshop in September entitled Women and the Academy: Defining our Roles, which will focus particularly on issues of authority facing women faculty members. Among the topics to be addressed are the impact of gender on the evaluation of teaching, advising roles and mentoring, and classroom management. The conference will be sponsored in collaboration with the Midstates Consortium for Math and Science. Up to three faculty members from each ACM college will be invited to attend.
- A major conference hosted by Beloit College in November, Integrating Study Abroad into the Undergraduate Curriculum: Transforming On-Campus Teaching and Learning, will bring together faculty and administrators to explore how colleges can better prepare students for study abroad and then help the students build on their experiences after they return to campus. Faculty and administrators from ACM colleges are invited to attend.
See the FaCE Project webpage for more information.
