What is PEN
PEN
- The Professional Enhancement Network - is a project supported
by the Faculty Center for Professional Development at California
State University Long Beach
GOALS
- To create a community of faculty which is both supportive and
flexible
- To create opportunities to be more reflective about our work
- To share ideas and insights
- To recognize the wealth of teaching and professional experience which faculty bring to California State University, Long Beach
The Design :
In the PEN project people work collaboratively to improve teaching. There are partnerships in which faculty members meet together at their own convenience. These partnerships generally take the form of mentoring or peer coaching pairs. In addition, there are general PEN workshops approximately three times each semester. In the general meetings we learn new strategies for teaching, gain additional perspectives, and deepen our understanding of our profession.
In
the Spring of 1999, when we began, 30 people participated in the
PEN project teams. There were 11 peer coaching teams in which lecturers
worked together and there were 3 mentoring partnerships in which
a lecturer was paired with a tenure-track faculty member who had
previously been a lecturer. In 2000-2001, our second full year of
the program, we had 80 people involved in the PEN Project, including
53 people in teams and an additional 27 at-large members attending
the group meetings.
Program Assessment:
In the pilot project (Spring 1999) PEN participants were asked for their assessment after each case study meeting and at the end of the semester. In addition, College Deans and Department Chairs were sent information about the project and asked to provide input. An end-of-the-year evaluation of the program was done in the spring of 2000. We are open to revising and expanding the program to meet the needs and goals of the participants.
Leadership:
We welcome suggestions for the group meetings
and we encourage PEN members to become session leaders.
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