Orientation, at a Glanceance

New faculty orientation consists of three major components, each of which is designed to support the other two.

• A day-long orientation workshop entitled 'Your First Week(s) of Classes'. This workshop is typically held on Monday during the week before classes start, and focuses on topics that we believe to be critical to new faculty success during the first few weeks of classes. This year's topics included:
  • Getting to know a bit more about the 'typical' Susquehanna student,
  • Understanding the academic rules that govern our teaching,
  • Providing strategies for the first day of class,
  • Navigating the Susquehanna bureaucracy,
  • Faculty life (what you can miss, what you should not miss, and what is too much fun to miss!)
  • A link to this year's powerpoint presentation can be found here.

• Bi-monthly orientation sessions held throughout the first semester. This year's schedule (with locations) is:
  • Thursday, August 28, 11:35 - 12:30 Library Resources for Teaching. (1st Floor Library Lab)
    • Blough-Weis Library Home Page
    • Turnitin.Com SU pays for access to this database. Ask Rebecca Wilson for a password.
  • Thursday,Sept. 11 11:35 - 12:30 Grading Resources, the Registrar’s Web Site and WebSU. (MR3)
    • Session Resources
      • Using the Grading Process for Grades, Student Learning, Self-Improvement, and Departmental Action by Barbara E. Walvoord.
      • The Rubistar Web Site
      • Indiana University Kokomo Center for Teaching, Learning and Assessment Links to Educational Resources About Rubrics
      • Books in the Center for Teaching and Learning:
        • Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment by Walvoord and Anderson
        • Introduction to Rubrics: An Assessment Tool to Save Grading Time, Convey Effective Feedback and Promote Student Learning by Stevens and Levi
  • Thursday, Sept. 25 11:35 - 12:30 (Location TBA)
  • How Do I Know If I'm Teaching Well?
  • How Do I Help My Students Value Learning, Not Just Grades?
    • IDEA Paper No. 41 Student Goal Orientation, Motivation, and Learning, Marilla Svinicki
  • IDEA 101
    • The Process for Student Course Evaluation at SU
    • IDEA Do's and Don'ts
    • IDEA FAQ
  • The IDEA Center
    • Interpretive Guide: IDEA Diagnostic Form
    • The IDEA Short Form
    • The IDEA Diagnostic Form
    • The IDEA Faculty Information Form
  • Thursday, Oct. 9 11:35 - 12:30 "Show Me The Money" Degenstein Meeting Room 3.
    • Session Resources
    • Session Handout
    • Faculty Development and Research Committee Grants
      • Faculty and University Research Grants
      • Minigrants
    • Center for Teaching and Learning
      • Teaching Development Grants
      • Central Curriculum Minigrants
      • Central Curriculum Development Grants
  • Tuesday, Oct. 21. 11:35 - 12:30 "From Core to Central: Susquehanna's new curriculum, and what it means for you." Shearer Dining Room 1.
  • Thursday, Nov. 6. 11:35 - 12:30 “The Road To Tenure ” Degenstein Meeting Room 3.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 12 , 5:30 pm “Meet the Family” Cocktails and Dinner with members of staff, followed by the "Mark Twain Tonight! "Artist Series Event at 7:30 pm. (Lore Degenstein Art Gallery).
  • Thursday, December 11. 5:00 p.m. - ? End of the semester decompression and happy hour at the Selinsgrove Brew Pub with members of the second and third year faculty.
  • Mentor Teams that are formed to help new members of the teaching faculty learn about the University from their colleagues. Each group has a senior member of the faculty, and one or two new members of the faculty. No member of the Team should be from the same department. Teams typically have three members. Each group has a Team Leader who is asked to call the first meeting, schedule subsequent meetings and tend to a modest agenda.

  Program Goals:
  1. To help new faculty learn the social and professional expectations and practices of the faculty and students at Susquehanna University in a safe and personal environment;
  2. To provide a vehicle in which issues of teaching, learning, service and scholarship as they exist both in the Susquehanna community and the broader reaches of academe can be discussed.

  Time Commitment:
  Preferred meeting pattern for Mentor/Team is once a week during the first month; twice a month in the second month; once a month for the balance of the year; but the frequency of meeting is established by the mentor/team;

  Resources:
  1. $100 per semester for the team leader as a resource for the purchase of material and to fund dinners, lunches;
  2. Books about teaching and learning that can serve as general resources or as discussion points for mentor meetings;
  3. Keys to the Center for Teaching and Learning Office in the Library for use by the team. These are vailable at the Circulation Desk;
  
  4. Periodic suggestions about topics that might be covered and considered by the Team.
  This year's topics are 'Settling In' and 'Engaging with the Central Curriculum'.

  This year's mentors are Karla Bohmbach, Kim Council, Andrea Lopez, Tom Martin, Peggy Peeler and Tammy Tobin-Janzen.