by Mary Taylor Huber and Pat Hutchings What is a departmental teaching culture and how does it change? This is an important question for advocates of pedagogical reform. Opportunities for individuals and small groups to learn and improve teaching are now widespread. Most universities have centers of teaching and learning that provide help for faculty in their role as teachers, and many disciplinary societies also sponsor workshops, conference sessions, journals, and other resources on … [Read more...]

The assessment of student learning is a theme running through much of the BVA’s work. Over the last year, it has also become the centerpiece for a BVA working group in which members discuss assessment challenges and share promising developments on their own campuses. In the linked article, from the April newsletter of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment, Joshua Potter, a leader and organizer of the working group, describes how the Center for Teaching Excellence at the … [Read more...]

Over the last month, BVA campuses have been collaborating to develop a concise resource for assessing student learning online, as many faculty will be doing this coming fall—and perhaps beyond. Online assessment presents a number of challenges but also opportunities to explore alternative approaches that provide rich information about what students know and that also deepen and extend their learning. The COVID pandemic makes these approaches especially timely, but they are relevant as well in … [Read more...]