Teaching Academy

PURDUE UNIVERSITY TEACHING ACADEMY CHARTER

Revised April 26, 2005

The Mission of the Teaching Academy is to provide leadership and serve as a catalyst to enhance and strengthen the quality of undergraduate, graduate, and outreach teaching and learning.

Bringing together outstanding scholar-teachers from across the curriculum, the Teaching Academy provides all interested faculty, staff, and students the opportunity to talk, learn, and work together on important and meaningful educational initiatives. The Teaching Academy sponsors programs and activities fostering educational creativity, innovation, and effectiveness both in and outside the classroom. The Academy is comprised of a dedicated and dynamic network of scholar-teachers committed to the continual improvement of teaching and learning at Purdue University. Under the auspices of the Office of the Provost, the Teaching Academy works with the academic schools, the Center for Instructional Excellence, and others to enrich the educational experiences of the entire Purdue University community.

Goals
1. Promote appreciation of the complex and dynamic nature of teaching and learning.
2. Establish programs that nurture the integration of the scholarship of teaching and learning with the scholarship of discovery.
3. Help the campus define exemplary instruction and create an environment that enables each teacher and learner to reach his/her maximum potential.
4. Facilitate acquisition of knowledge, skills, and techniques basic to effective teaching and learning at the undergraduate, professional, and graduate levels.
5. Develop networks for all faculty and instructional staff desiring opportunities to interact about the scholarship and experience of teaching and learning.
6. Develop and support programs that bring together faculty, administrative/professional staff, and students to foster a sense of shared responsibility in learning.
7. Seek input from the university community.
Structure. The Teaching Academy consists of individuals recognized for their ability and interest in the art and science of pedagogy.
1. The Academy - This group will be convened by the Executive Council at least once per semester. At these meetings, the Executive Council will report on activities of the Academy. These meetings will also be occasions to honor and celebrate teaching excellence at Purdue University. The Academy's membership will consist of Fellows and Associates.
  1. Fellows. Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award (i.e., Murphy [formerly Amoco] Award) recipients, Distinguished Professors who had been selected on the basis of the scholarship of teaching, and faculty nominated by the Schools/Colleges and selected by the Executive Council of the Academy. These individuals will be invited to become Fellows of the Academy.
    1. On a yearly basis, each School/College may nominate one individual for fellow status.
    2. From these nominees, a maximum of five fellows will be invited to join the Academy.
  2. Associates. Associates are individuals (i.e., graduate teaching assistants, instructors and other teaching staff) who have distinguished themselves in teaching and were nominated by the Schools/Colleges and selected by the Executive Council of the Academy.
    1. On a yearly basis, each School/College may nominate one individual for associate status
    2. From these nominees, a maximum of five associates will be invited to join the Academy.
2. Executive Council - This group meets regularly, is responsible for executing the activities of the Teaching Academy, and convenes at least one meeting of the Academy per semester.
  1. Membership - A maximum of eleven fellows and one associate member.
  After the establishment of the initial Executive Council, the eleven Fellows are chosen on a rotating basis by the Executive Council to provide broad representation of the Schools/Colleges on the West Lafayette campus. The Fellows who coordinate Conversations About Teaching, the Committee for Education of Teaching Assistants, the Faculty Mentoring Network and the Teaching Academy Grants Program are among those eleven individuals.
  
  The Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and the Director of the Center for Instructional Excellence will serve as ex officio members of the Executive Council.
  1. Leadership
    1. The leadership of the Executive Council will consist of a Chair-elect, a Chair and a Past-chair. These individuals will work closely together.
    2. Each year the Executive Council nominates its Chair-elect from the membership of the Executive Council and submits the nominee to the Provost for approval and appointment.
    3. The Chair-elect will serve a one-year term beginning at the conclusion of the academic year. The Chair-elect will then advance into the office of Chair for one year followed by the office of Past-chair for one year. The Past-chair will rotate off the Executive Council following completion of his/her term.
    4. The Chair and Chair-elect should be provided budgetary release time and administrative support necessary to conduct the business of the Academy.
  2. Term of appointment
    1. Members of the Executive Council will serve three years on a rotational basis in which approximately one-third of the Council will rotate off on a yearly basis. Members of the Executive Council are eligible for consecutive terms.
    2. New Executive Council members are solicited from the membership of the Teaching Academy and are chosen by the Executive Council.
3. Standing Committees
  1. Committee for the Education of Teaching Assistants (CETA)
    1. The mission of CETA is to enhance the excellence of education at Purdue University by providing opportunities for graduate students to experience and understand all aspects of instruction in higher education.
  2. Faculty Mentoring Network
    1. The Faculty Mentoring Network was developed to provide Purdue faculty of all ranks with an opportunity to work collaboratively to improve their teaching skills.
    2. The goal of the program is to facilitate the development of reciprocal relationships between a faculty member seeking assistance and an experienced teacher-scholar-mentor.
    3. The FMN complements existing departmental/college/school mentoring programs by providing mentors from diverse disciplines with experience, interests and expertise in various types of pedagogical techniques and teaching contexts.
  3. Conversations About Teaching
    1. Together with the Office of the Provost, the Teaching Academy sponsors a series of presentations and discussions about important educational issues and pedagogy throughout the fall and spring semesters.
    2. These presentations are open to everyone.
  4. Teaching Academy Web Site
    1. The web site will be a current source of information about the Teaching Academy and its activities.
  5. Teaching Academy Grants Program
    1. This grant program was established to support educational activities of members of the Teaching Academy.
    2. This program is funded by the Office of the Provost.
4. Ad Hoc Committees Appointed By the Executive Council
  1. Teaching Academy Brochure
  2. Technology Subcommittee