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Teaching at Tufts: Students’ Perceptions of the Research and
Teaching Balancing ActPresentation to Academic Affairs Committee
Trustee Weekend, February 5th, 2010
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Road Map
• Tufts and the Research-Teaching Spectrum
• Student Perceptions
• Tufts’ Resources
• Suggestions for the Future
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University’s Goal“Students come to Tufts knowing they will have access to world-class scholars who are interested in their teaching and want to get to know their students.”
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Liberal Arts and Research
• Tufts balances the benefits of a liberal arts education with the resources of a Research 1 university
• Over the past few decades, emphasis has been on advancing research
• Tufts’ research efforts are well-publicized and have advanced the University’s reputation
• Tufts emphasizes that the benefits of research carry over into the classroom
“Teaching has always been a priority, we just hear about research because that’s what is changing” - Linda Jarvin, CELT Director
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“A Good Academic Experience”
Students want:
• An engaging class that inspires them to declare their major
• Dinner at their professor’s house
• An unintimidating math professor who knows the tough areas of syllabus and can identify blank looks in class
• A couple of professors they know well enough to ask for recommendation letters
• An advisor who can offer lab and research opportunities and graduate school advice
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A Great Professor Is:
CaringOrganized
Engaging
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Students’ Perceptions• While students have a good overall academic
experience, the perception is that the University prioritizes research and reputation over teaching quality
• Students experience bad teaching that doesn’t seem to change
• Students experience great teachers who don’t seem to be rewarded for their teaching work
• Negative examples carry more publicity and impact more than positive ones
• Students understand the need for research and are willing to make sacrifices
• “Tufts just tries to perpetuate the image that teaching ‘matters’ and that research and teaching are balanced.”
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Teaching at Tufts• What resources exist to emphasize and encourage
good teaching?• How can we cultivate a positive teaching culture?• How can we demonstrate to students that Tufts
values teaching?
How can the University capitalize on its teaching resources to create a better teaching culture and raise students’ perceptions?
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Course Evaluations• At the end of the semester, student complete
anonymous course evaluations• 57% of students feel that course evaluations have
little to no impact on professors/departments*• Leaves the “evaluation loop” open• How can the course evaluation system be
improved?• System is being updated to an electronic version within 2 years which will collect and present evaluation data online• 89% of students would be likely or very like to use previous course evaluations to pick future classes if information was available*• Need to close the evaluation loop
* TCU Senate Survey Fall 2009
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Tenure Considerations
Re
sea
rch
Teaching
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Professors of the Practice• Hired to bring real world experiences into the
classroom• Professors of the Practice are free to focus on
teaching with the “overhead” of maintaining funded research
• Primarily an Engineering School program (12 positions), but recently expanded to Arts and Sciences
• Great program that can be expanded to “practical” fields
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Center for Enhancement of Learningand Teaching (CELT)
• Offers faculty development seminars, workshops, and individual consultations, mentoring programs
• Selected by Dartmouth’s faculty development center as a peer institution
• Given support to over 300 faculty across three campuses (2008-2009)
• CELT basics are funded centrally through Tufts, all programming is funded through outside grants
• Focuses on “organic growth” through a positive, open teaching culture
• How do we reach out to professors who most need the most teaching help?
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SPIRIT (Students and Professors Integrating Recreation, Intellect and
Teaching) Fund• Program designed to promote faculty-student
interaction• Popular in foreign language departments• 67% of graduating seniors have never been a
guest in a faculty member’s home*• 56% of graduating seniors have never eaten a
meal on campus with a faculty member*
• $15,000 budget/year• Funded 60+ events• 178 meetings in Tower café• How can we further promote
faculty-student interaction?* Tufts Senior Survey 2009
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Recommendations
• Put a stronger emphasis on teaching in tenure and hiring considerations
• Follow though on new course evaluation system and close the “evaluation loop”
• Encourage positive teaching culture by expanding programs under the umbrella of CELT
• Publicize teaching and teaching-research programs to students and faculty
• Encourage faculty-student interaction by expanding and publicizing the SPIRIT Fund
• Increase the number of Professors of the Practice
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Many Thanks To:• TCU Senate
• Secretary of the Corporation Linda Dixon and Paul Tringale
• Associate Provost for Institutional Research Dawn Terkla
• Dean of Academic Affairs Andrew McClellan
• Professor Sol Gittleman
• CELT Director Linda Jarvin
• Professor Susan Russinoff
• Professors Ben Hescott and Norman Ramsey
• Professor Charles Inouye
• Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education Jeanne Dillon
• Former Trustee DJ McGrath