Friday May 9, RWC held the Second Annual Faculty and Student Seminar. The event, which was hosted and sponsored by the RWC Faculty Learning and Teaching Center, was created to bring students and faculty together to discuss the most effective ways to learn and to teach. There were ten faculty and student participants (five of each). Each side had the chance to ask questions and share valuable information. The students at the session wanted to know how seriously faculty take student evaluations and how faculty members are evaluated?
The faculty answered that they take student evaluations very seriously, and they themselves are evaluated in three categories, teaching, professional development, and service.
The faculty had some good questions of their own. They wanted to know why students do not read before class. The students answered that sometimes they do not understand what they read until after the lecture and notes given in class.
It was also brought to the attention of the faculty that students in our generation respond best to active learning and visuals. Since most of the faculty members are from a more verbal generation, this information was somewhat new to them.
Both students and faculty thoroughly enjoyed and valued the experience they had in the seminar. Professor Ruth Benander was co-coordinator of the seminar along with Beverly Knauper. Anita Phillips provided Institutional Support.
Professor Benander said the seminar will continue every spring for years to come.