Summer Institute 2000

Summer Institute 2000 was held at St. Benedicts Center on June 5 through June 8, 2000. At the close of the Institute participants were asked to complete two evaluation forms: an anonymous form evaluating various aspects of the Institute, and a signed evaluation of what they had accomplished during the Institute.  Judged by either set of evaluations, the first Institute was quite a success.

Evaluation of the 2000 Institute

A three-page form was developed that included questions about the facility, St. Benedicts Center, and every aspect of the Institute program.  Below are the highlights of these evaluations.

Facility-- All but one of the participants felt that having the Institute away from campus was "a good idea."  Only two persons felt that the Institute would have been better had it included overnight stays; ten said that such a format would exclude people with family commitments.  St. Benedicts was given high marks for atmosphere, and most participants rated it as above average or excellent on "comfort," "coffee and snacks," and "meals."

Organization-- All but one participant felt that the combination of large group presentations, small group discussions, and individual time was the right degree of organization.  Eighteen of the 22 felt that eight large group sessions, four small group sessions and four blocks of individual time were the right number of each.

Presentations-- There were seven substantive presentations, each 90 minutes long.  Twenty or 21 of the participants rated each of the seven as valuable or very valuable. Participants rated the presentations on integrating writing into a course (Brad Hughes), developing a syllabus (Seth Pollak), and instructional technology (Les Howles) as particularly valuable.  Six participants did comment that they would have liked shorter presentations, or small group activities interspersed with the presentations.

Overall Evaluation-- The overall section included five True-False items, as follows:

a. I learned new information. 23 (true) 0 (false)               
b. I spent time reflecting on my teaching. 23 (t) 0 (f)
c. My enthusiasm for teaching increased. 23 (t) 0 (f)
d. I plan to introduce changes in my
teaching strategy / courses. 23 (t) 0 (f)
e. I will recommend that a colleague
participate in Summer Institute 2001.  23 (t) 0 (f)

Evaluation of Individual Accomplishment

Every participant reported several accomplishments during the four-day Institute that will favorably impact on his / her teaching.  Most participants reported that they reflected on and developed or revised the objectives they are pursuing in one or more of their educational activities (lectures, discussions, tutorials, independent studies).   People reported "defining my goals, " "honing my course objectives," "narrow[ing] the focus of my course," and "reth[inking] my course goals."  Many also said that they identified and developed various strategies they could use in working toward their objectives.  Participants reported developing specific laboratory, writing, and group projects / assignments they will use in their courses.  Several participants drafted all or part of a syllabus, in some cases with direct input from another group member.

All of the participants commented on how much they learned from the presentations, small group discussions with colleagues, conversations, and the library of books that the Teaching Academy provided.  Many commented that the networking or contacts that were made would benefit their teaching in concrete ways.

The Institute facilitated two interdisciplinary and two team-taught courses.   There were three teams of two or more participants.  Each team came to work on a specific course or courses: Biology 151/152, Eng. 155/160, and American Indian Studies.   All three teams reported substantial progress in developing the course(s) and materials / assignments / exercises they will use.  Two of the three reported that they could not have made such progress without the material presented by speakers and found in the books in the Institute Library, and the time provided to work together.

Especially gratifying are the comments of several participants who felt that the Institute affirmed their personal commitment to teaching and learning, and gave them a sense that their past efforts had been "on track," "on target."   One participant cited the "inspirational value" of the Institute's program and activities.  One participant said that the Institute helped him to realize that his objectives in one class were not reasonable and that the course needed to be redesigned.