UNL selected to participate in higher ed teaching assessment project

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Peer Review of Teaching program has been selected by the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning to participate in a national program to improve undergraduate and graduate education.

The CASTL Institutional Leadership Program is a three-year partnership between Carnegie and selected colleges, universities and higher education organizations with a strong commitment to the careful examination of teaching and learning. Participants were selected for their ability to influence work in 12 areas, ranging from assessment and accountability to undergraduate research.

"Through this program, Carnegie acknowledges the important contributions of institutional leaders and advocates while encouraging the development of new forums and structures supporting scholarly investigation into teaching and learning," said Richard A. Gale, director of CASTL. Eighty-six other higher education institutions or networks of institutions will participate.

UNL's participation is directed by the Peer Review of Teaching Project coordinators -- Amy Burnett, professor of history; Paul Savory, associate professor of industrial and management systems engineering; and Amy Goodburn, associate professor of English and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

All selected institutions have developed and implemented innovative strategies to strengthen teaching and improve student learning on their own campuses. Through participation in the Carnegie program, they will be expected to collaborate with other institutions to further examine that work and expand activities in those same areas. UNL's proposal is designed to disseminate its model for documenting, aggregating and assessing student learning through the use of electronic course portfolios.

"UNL's Peer Review of Teaching Project has engaged over 200 faculty on this campus in the past eight years," Goodburn said. "We're excited to join this national program and share our insights with other institutions to support faculty in becoming scholarly teachers for improved student learning."

Savory and Burnett will meet with other CASTL participants Nov. 8, immediately before the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning annual conference in Washington, D.C. Benefits of participation include access to an online workspace, regular convenings, representation on the Carnegie Web site, and shared resources.

"This should be a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase the teaching accomplishments of UNL faculty and to learn more about how to support excellence in teaching from programs established at other schools," Burnett said.

CONTACT: Amy Burnett, UNL Peer Review of Teaching Project, (402) 472-3239