It's that time of year...

I renewed my AERA and Division C memberships this afternoon. Have you? Registering or renewing your membership will allow you to receive many student benefits in 2012. A few opportunities for graduate students include serving as a Division C campus liaison or on the graduate student council, mentoring from leaders in teaching and learning research, and discounted conference registration.

Call for Applications: Division C Graduate Student Leadership Positions

The Call for Applications for Division C Graduate Student Council positions is now open! Each year the positions of Junior Co-Chair and Junior Representative become available as the Junior officers move into Senior positions. Service for the new Junior Co-Chair and Rep begin at the conclusion of the 2012 AERA Annual Meeting. Both the Co-Chair and GSC representative serve a term of two years. If you are interested in applying, please submit your application via the link below by Feb 7, 2012:

2012 Division C GSC Application for Junior Positions

**Important** as noted in the application above, you should also submit a current C.V. and two letters of reference to:jmcgee21@uncc.edu and ywkreher@syr.edu . Phone interviews will be conducted and decisions made in early February 2012.

Here are descriptions of the two open positions:

Junior Co-Chair

1. Act as a liaison for Division C graduate students with other Division C committees and the Vice-President. This includes contacting campus liaisons to determine how Division C can best support its members and maintaining and facilitating open communication lines between Division C GSC officers, Division C officers, and Division C members.
2. Recruit new campus liaisons to the Council.
3. Update the website, blog, & Facebook page as needed.
4. Co-plan the New Directions session with Division C officers
5. Attend the AERA Conference.

Junior Representative

Responsibilities center around: student advocacy, community building, information dissemination, supporting GSC in governance of AERA student body. The Representative (as opposed to the Co-Chair) will become the point of contact for GSC news and represent Division C at planning meetings when he/she becomes the Senior Rep.

1. Advocate for graduate students in Division C and GSC. Work with the Senior Representative to plan and develop materials for the annual meetings and Division C. Specifically co-plan the GSC Fireside Chat session.
2. Co-author blogposts, respond to FB and blog comments & disseminate information as needed.
3. Attend the AERA Annual Conference to represent Division C and GSC at relevant GSC and Divisional Events at the Annual Meeting.

A Few Resources for Teaching Excellence

Are you preparing to teach your first undergraduate or graduate course? Do you have to complete a teaching demonstration as part of the interview process for a faculty position? Will you be serving as a teaching assistant during your doctoral studies? Do you have questions about how to incorporate the latest technology applications in your practice? What types of strategies help students to become more engaged during lectures?

It is likely that scholarship activities will encompass a significant part of our work. This semester, I had the opportunity to participate in a program offered through the university center for effective teaching. I learned a great deal and am hopeful that some of the resources listed below might be of interest to you as well.

Books, Books, and More Books
There are many great books that pertain to effective teaching. I recently read Bain and Brookfield’s works as part of a book study club. What are some of your favorites?

Bain, K. (2004). What the Best College Teachers Do. Cambridge, MA: Harvard U.P.

Brookfield, S. D. (2011). Teaching for Critical Thinking: Tools and Techniques to Help Students Question Their Assumptions. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.


Centers for Teaching Excellence
Many universities have a center for teaching that share a variety of articles, resources, and links. So, be sure to explore your university’s center! A few examples are:

Cornell University
http://www.cte.cornell.edu/

Kansas University
http://www.cte.ku.edu/

George Mason University
http://cte.gmu.edu/

University of Hawaii
http://www.cte.hawaii.edu/

University of Illinois
http://www.cte.illinois.edu/


Inside Higher Education
http://www.insidehighered.com/
Developed in 2004, inside higher education provides news, opinions, and information related to jobs in higher education. The site has a section devoted to the use of technology and provides articles for teaching with technology.


The Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/
The Chronicle of Higher Education site includes information pertaining to news, opinions, and facts related to graduate students, early career faculty, and senior faculty. Many of the latest issues faced in higher education are explored. Angi, our Junior Representative, shared information about the academic job search and resources available through the Chronicle. Check out her post, Searching for Jobs, for more information.


Tomorrow’s Professor Listserv
https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/tomorrows-professor
The Listserv is managed by the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning. It focuses on faculty development and provides over 100 articles each year to improve instruction. Recent articles have included effective writing and developing course assignments that require critical thinking.

Call for Applications: AERA 2012 Div C New Faculty Mentoring Program

The Division C New Faculty Mentoring Program (NFMP) has three main goals: (a) to provide an interactive seminar with relevant information and support for new faculty, addressing areas of concern such as new faculty roles, creating scholarly collaborations, securing external funding, and the major activities associated with tenure; (b) to provide each new faculty participant an individual mentoring opportunity with a senior scholar who will provide direct feedback on a particular work in progress and related scholarly endeavors; and (c) to facilitate peer networking and collaboration activities among Division C new faculty. The New Faculty Mentoring Program (NFMP) is an excellent opportunity for junior faculty to connect with distinguished scholars, network with new colleagues, and to learn more about achieving success as a new professor.

How to Apply
New faculty, those who have been appointed at their first position within the past three years, should submit the following application materials as email attachments to Jeff Greene (jagreene@email.unc.edu) and Louis Nadelson (louisnadelson@boisestate.edu) by Monday, January 9, 2012:

1. A COVER LETTER stating
a) What information and experiences you would find valuable in the Division C New Faculty Mentoring Program;
b) Your current area(s) of research interest
c) Your professional goals; and
d) A list of up to five potential mentors who could advise you on your work. Include each person’s institutional affiliation and contact information (e-mail addresses are preferred). This information is vital for identifying and selecting an appropriate mentor for you who will also be attending AERA in Vancouver.

2. A CURRICULUM VITAE that includes name, address , institution, telephone, e-mail,
educational background and relevant scholarly, service and teaching activities.

3. EVIDENCE OF 2012 MEMBERSHIP in AERA’s Division C Selection Process
Participants will be selected based on faculty status, research interests pertinent to the mission of Division C (Learning and Instruction), and the quality of their application materials (i.e., cover letter described above and curriculum vitae). To be eligible participants must 1) be members of Division C (see http://aera.net/membership.htm for membership information); 2) register for the annual meeting; and 3) plan to attend all New Faculty Mentoring Program activities.

There is no cost for seminar participation and a small stipend will be offered to participants to help defray expenses of arriving one day early to the AERA conference (seminar begins Thursday, April 12, 2012 and ends on Friday, April 13, 2012).

Individuals who are accepted will be asked to submit a manuscript or other scholarly work to their assigned mentors one month prior to the conference, and to be active participants throughout the NFMP.

Attention Mentors: In addition to new faculty applicants, we will also be seeking potential mentors. We will do our best to seek mentors whose areas of expertise match those of program participants. If you are interested in serving in this capacity, please contact the New Faculty Mentoring Committee cochairs:
Jeff Greene (jagreene@email.unc.edu) and Louis Nadelson (louisnadelson@boisestate.edu