February 27, 2008
Dear Faculty Member,
The 2005 document, Improving the Core: Summary and Reflections, noted the strong desire of Loyola Marymount University faculty and staff to provide a mission-centered core experience for LMU undergraduates. The university community has embraced the challenge to develop a new core that can begin phasing in for LMU’s centennial year. To facilitate this goal President Robert B. Lawton, S.J. will support a two-day institute on May 30-31, 2008 focused on the core curriculum with follow-up activities that extend throughout the 2008-9 academic year. This institute is being planned by the Core Curriculum Committee and the Center for Teaching Excellence.
The purpose of the institute is to help faculty to develop or revise a course that will have desired characteristics* anticipated for the new core. In addition, it is expected that the institute participants will begin to form a community of teacher-scholars dedicated to sustaining the core. The President’s Core Curriculum Institute will be designed around the principles found in L. Dee Fink’s book Creating Significant Learning Experiences and led by Dr. Barbara Millis. Dr. Millis is Director of the University of Nevada Reno Excellence in Teaching Program and previously served as Director of Faculty Development at the US Air Force Academy. She has published extensively on topics such as cooperative learning, classroom observations, the teaching portfolio, microteaching, syllabus construction, classroom assessment/research, focus groups, academic assessment, and academic games. The institute will include sessions led by Dr. Millis on best practice in course design as well as scheduled time to begin developing a specific course plan that includes learning outcomes, instructional activities and assessments.
Up to 12 faculty participants will be chosen for the institute. Each faculty participant will receive a stipend of $1500 (split into 2 portions) and access to additional resources and travel support. Two or three spaces will be reserved for a team working on an interdisciplinary course with each team member receiving a $1000 stipend.
The attachments (links below) give details of the application process and expectations for the participants. Faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is March 28, 2008 and applicants will be notified of acceptance by April 25, 2008. Any questions regarding the application process should be addressed to Professor Judy Scalin, Assistant Chair of the Core Curriculum Committee via email to jscalin@lmu.edu.
Sincerely,
Ernest Rose, PhD
Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer
PCCI Cover Letter
PCCI Application
PCCI Chair Evaluation Form
PCCI Timeline + Expectations