Faculty Services 

Teaching & Learning Conversations (TLC)

The Koehler Center provides monthly group discussions on a variety of topics that involve teaching and learning. These Teaching and Learning Conversations are open to all TCU faculty.

The following TLCs are scheduled for the Spring 2008 semester:

Self-Videotaping for Teaching Improvement
Date:  Friday, February 22, 2008
Time:  2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Location:  Smith 104
One of the most powerful teaching improvement tools is the video camera - it can show both presentation and pedagogical opportunities for improvement. Several TCU faculty have taped themselves, made adjustments based on the tape, and improved their teaching as a result. Some of these faculty members will share their experiences, how they adjusted their teaching, etc. Classroom session videos needn't be shared with anyone to result in many instructional improvements, or you can choose to get objective feedback from a mentor as part of the process. Attendees will receive a form to use when viewing oneself teaching. The form prompts to watch for specific things that might otherwise be missed and which can help inform the self-evaluation process.

Concept Mapping
Date:  Thursday, March 27, 2008
Time:  2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Location:  Smith 104
Concept mapping is a graphics and image-based approach to conceptualizing information. It can be a powerful teaching and learning tool, and there are multiple software packages that allow even the most drawing-challenged among us to easily create useful, informative maps. Several TCU faculty using concept mapping in their teaching and/or research will share their experiences with this teaching/learning approach. The session will include demonstrations of concept mapping, access to free concept mapping software, and an overview of why and how concept mapping works.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at TCU
Date:  Friday, April 25, 2008
Time:  2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Location:  Smith 104
TCU faculty engaged in action research in their own classrooms will share what they found, what they learned, what changes they made in their teaching as a result, and whether the changes improved student success. The fully-implemented SoTL process includes the dissemination of results, whether at a conference, in a journal, or informally among peers. This conversation will give TCU faculty who've done SoTL work the chance to share, and we'll begin with a description of SoTL, the teacher-scholar model, and action research in one's own classroom.

Please visit our Workshops/Events Page to register for any of these events. If you have any suggestions for future TLCs, please contact the Koehler Center at CTE@tcu.edu.