CIRTL Network Meeting Brings Together the Five Network Institutions
Melissa Tully

On February 23-24, 2006, members from the five CIRTL Network institutions (Howard University, Michigan State University, The Pennsylvania State University, University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison) met in Madison to discuss current and future Network activities.  The meeting provided an opportunity for the CIRTL campus leaders to share their experiences related to graduate student professional development as well as plan for future CIRTL activities on each campus.  The group discussed various courses, workshops, and opportunities at each campus that incorporate the CIRTL Pillars (teaching-as-research, learning communities, and learning-through-diversity) and shared visions and ideas for joint Network activities.

A highlight of the meeting was the Network Roundtable Dinner. The dinner provided an opportunity for the greater CIRTL community at UW to come together to hear and talk about the CIRTL Pillars.  Three graduate students who have participated in the Delta Program in Research, Teaching, and Learning at UW-Madison were invited to share their experiences with respect to a CIRTL Pillar.  Lisa Torrey, doctoral student in Computer Science and Delta participant since 2003, discussed her experiences implementing teaching-as-research.  Through her involvement with the Delta Program, Lisa has learned that there are effective ways to evaluate one’s teaching. She noted that simply hoping for positive results is not a valid research tool!  Erica Howard, an ecologist and biogeochemist working toward her Ph.D. in Land Resources at the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, spoke to the group about her experiences with diversity issues in Environmental Studies courses.  A Delta participant since 2003, Erica completed a Delta internship in which she redesigned an online course called “Humans and the Changing Biosphere” to target a more diverse student population.  She discussed the challenges of teaching a diverse student body and how her experiences with Delta have given her more knowledge and skills to effectively approach diversity in her classroom.  To end the presentation, Peter Hyland, doctoral student in Astrophysics and Delta participant since 2005, discussed his experience with learning communities.  Peter focused on the potential of learning communities to foster greater learning and communication among students and faculty.  The three Delta participants showed how putting the CIRTL Pillars into practice has had an impact their teaching and learning.  The students’ presentations were followed by dinner and discussion at each table.  This informal conversation provided the opportunity for the CIRTL Network partner to discuss the Pillars with each other and with other Delta participants.

To learn more about the CIRTL Network institutions visit http://www.cirtl.net/network.html.

To learn more about the Delta Program visit http://www.delta.wisc.edu/.

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