Early in the days of COVID-19, the pandemic was said to shine a light that illuminated unacceptable health inequities within our society. In reality, the pandemic has become a searchlight, probing the horizon for all manner of both injustice and new opportunity.
Academia requires exchange of ideas, to learn from others, and to watch for searchlights. With intention, we develop programs that benefit our students and assist our employees and faculty members in their pursuit of lifelong learning. We also secure the opportunity to learn from very wise people in other institutions, often from very far away.
While COVID-19 has put the brakes on in-person interactions with visiting professors, it has also allowed us to become adept at learning from afar by virtual means. Two recent examples give pause for reflection.
Mon, 02/01/2021
LAWRENCE Nine University of Kansas faculty members were recently recognized for their innovative work in improving student learning.
They shared their work Jan. 26 at the 2021 Student Learning Symposium, hosted by the Center for Teaching Excellence. The symposium focuses on effective approaches to assessing student understanding and skill development as a means of improving courses and curricula. Nearly 100 KU faculty and staff members joined this year’s virtual sessions.
Joshua Potter, CTE’s documenting learning specialist, praised the extensive work instructors put into their teaching over the past year.
“COVID forced many faculty members into online or remote environments for the first time in their careers,” Potter said. “Many of them went to great lengths to redesign and create new assessment methods and instruments. This year’s honorees provide great examples that other faculty and departments can draw on in the years ahead.”
December 16, 2020
John P. “Jack” Ellbogen
The University of Wyoming and the John P. Ellbogen Foundation have made history through the establishment of the university’s first endowed deanship in the College of Education.
“The naming of this deanship, first and foremost, is about honoring the vision and intent of the foundation benefactor, Jack Ellbogen, and his core values regarding the essential importance of quality teaching,” says the president of the John P. Ellbogen Foundation, Mary Ellbogen Garland. “We are delighted to support the College of Education’s priority of exemplary teacher preparation, which results in enhanced learning for all students in Wyoming.”