526: Notes from the Chair

Gayle Rogers, a white man with dark brown hair and short beard, smiling in front of Crow room bookcaseThe English Department has been known for decades for its passionate, dedicated, and award-winning faculty who continually explore innovative teaching methodologies, ensuring that our pedagogical praxes remain responsive and inclusive. And everyone has agreed that our conversations about teaching—sharing ideas, assignments, trials and errors—work best when they cut across our programs, across the ways in which content or course levels can sometimes create boundaries best traversed. This fall, therefore, we rolled out a new idea: Teaching Clusters. These voluntary, opt-in groups took off right away, with dozens of faculty and grad students joining them. Here they are, in a nutshell:

Engaged Learning—Assistant Professor Shaun Myers

Shaun Myers champions the concept of engaged learning, encouraging other faculty to find outside-the-classroom activities that both complement syllabi and curricula, and stimulate new ideas by way of doing, participating, and more. Taking students to our Vibrant Media or Digital Media Lab, sending them out to relevant sites and performances—these are means to shake up the way students learn. By emphasizing experiential and collaborative learning opportunities, this cluster promotes a different sense of agency and responsibility among students.

Innovating Responses to Student Projects: Metacognitive Writing, Peer Review, and Self-assessment—Teaching Associate Professor Moriah Kirdy

Moriah Kirdy's own innovative responses to student projects have instilled a culture of self-reflection and constructive feedback that she has been sharing in various forums already. Now the department can take advantage of her approaches. By promoting metacognitive writing practices, fostering peer-to-peer review processes, and encouraging self-assessment among students, Kirdy, who is also assistant director of the Institute for Writing Excellence, has facilitated a dynamic learning environment that nurtures growth and continuous improvement. Her initiatives develop essential critical-thinking and analytical skills vital for both academic and professional success.

Literature and the Liberal Arts—Teaching Professor Dan Kubis

Dan Kubis' teaching cluster probes the role of the study of literature within the broader context of liberal arts education, all in a moment when the humanities are once again under attack and threatened with cuts. By contextualizing literary works within historical, cultural, and philosophical frameworks, Kubis encourages students to develop a nuanced understanding of the interactions between literature, society, and their own educational journeys. Through this, we can send more alums into the world to advocate for what we do and why we do it.

Alternative Grading Methods—Teaching Professor Sten Carlson

Ungrading. Specs grading. Self-assessment. These new forms of evaluation are picking up steam across universities as a means to promote more equity and self-determination in students. Sten Carlson's excellent work in alternative grading methods is helping to redefine traditional assessment practices within the department. By taking a more comprehensive and holistic approach to grading, Carlson has created a learning environment that values individual growth and progress over letter grades themselves. His initiatives have promoted a deeper understanding of student performance, emphasizing the development of critical skills and a genuine love for learning over the pursuit of superficial academic achievements.

Teaching with Chronic Illness/Disability—Teaching Associate Professor Shannon Reed

As a core part of the department's commitment to inclusivity and diversity, we recognize and provide support for teachers of all ranks and statuses in our department who carry on their work while coping with chronic illness or disability. Through her compassionate and empathetic approach, Shannon Reed helps us foster an environment where every faculty member can feel as supported as our students should. Her initiative not only raises awareness about the challenges faced by more than a few faculty but also promotes best practices and understanding within the department at large.

Working Group on Introduction to Journalism and Nonfiction—Teaching Associate Professor Shannon Reed

Shannon Reed also leads a working group dedicated to a crucial course in the Writing program catalog where students arrive with diverse experience and needs. By infusing real-world experiences and industry insights into the curriculum, Reed and the members of this group empower students to cultivate public-facing writing skills and competencies essential for a successful career in journalism and nonfiction writing. Investigation, story composition, and narrative construction require the kind of informed and critical perspectives this group fosters.

Teaching with AI—Associate Professor Annette Vee

Annette Vee is a leading scholar and teacher who has been at the forefront of thinking about how we integrate AI technologies into curricula and the teaching process. Rather than fear or ban AI without thought, we can help our students learn how to use it responsibly—indeed, creatively and ethically. If we can do that, we will help prepare them for whatever is next in a world where AI is increasingly becoming a dominant force.


Why teaching clusters? Our faculty would be the first to say that there’s nothing wrong or broken in what we’ve been doing; rather, these forums are opportunities to share in the spirit of always improving as teachers and to learn from one another—especially new colleagues we haven’t had the chance to see in thorough action yet. The collective efforts of these teaching clusters embody the spirit of pedagogical dedication that defines our English department. Through these transformative initiatives, we will continue to inspire and shape the next generation of students.

—Gayle Rogers

 

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