ADVISORY COUNCIL ON INSTRUCTIONAL EXCELLENCE
October 3, 2023, 12-1 p.m.
Minutes
Present: M. Bridges (Chair) Interim Provost McCarthy, B. Barnhart, L. Delale-O’Connor, S. Dickerson, B. Falcione, L. Fennimore, S. Goodkind, Z. Horvath, Interim Provost J. McCarthy, T. Klinbubpa-Neff, D. Och, C. Perfetti
Absent: C. Bonneau, A. Dakroub
Welcome and Introductions
Mike Bridges called the meeting to order at 12:02 p.m. and welcomed members. He asked each member (including continuing members) to identify themselves and indicate whether they are new or continuing members, their schools and departments, and length of service at Pitt.
Welcome to new members:
- Laura Fennimore, Nursing, Acute & Tertiary Care
- Paul T. Harper, Katz School of Business, Business Administration
- Zsuzsa Horvath, Dental Medicine, Dental Public Health
- Tuangtip (Noon) Klinbubpa-Neff, Pitt-Johnstown, English Literature
Overview and brief ACIE historical background
After a hiatus in 2021, the Council reconvened in the 2022-2023 academic year, welcoming several new members. The former Provost Jim Maher established the Advisory Council on Instructional Excellence in 1998. He chaired the council during the 1998-99 academic year. Vice Provost Andrew Blair assumed the chair the following year, followed by Vice Provost Juan Manfredi, then Vice Provost Laurie Kirsch, and until 2022, Associate Provost and Executive Director of the University Center for Teaching and Learning, Cynthia Golden. Since 2022, Mike Bridges, executive director of the University Center for Teaching and Learning, has chaired the committee.
ACIE “advises the provost on encouraging instructional development and teaching excellence at the University of Pittsburgh.”
Provost Charge
Interim Joseph McCarthy thanked all members and acknowledged them as outstanding educators and distinguished award recipients. He appreciated a culture that values teaching adding that the Master of Teaching Certification program is an extension of the hard work of Pitt educators.
Charge 1: Innovation in Education Awards
The interim provost asked the Council to continue its efforts related to administration of Innovation in Education Awards.
The Office of the Provost will send out the call for proposals for the Innovation in Education Awards in early December and the deadline for application submission is February 16, 2024. This year, the proposals will call for specific attention on experiential learning and technology-enhanced learning, where those efforts may impact high enrollment courses and focus on high probability of translating across disciplines.
Charge 2: Diversity in the Curriculum
Continue to foster diversity within the curriculum and promote inclusivity in education.
Charge 3: Master Teacher Certification Program
- Evaluate the methods used for assessing teaching
- A logical progression of assessment
- The interim provost is eager to see advancements and achievements throughout the year.
Innovation in Education Awards: Proposal Review Process
- As a first step, the University Center for Teaching and Learning staff will review the proposals and conduct a feasibility assessment.
- Once the Teaching Center has completed its technical reviews, each Council member will be asked to review several proposals.
- In mid-February, UCTL will notify members of their assigned reviews. Reviewers will have access to InfoReady Review. Additionally, all proposals will be saved (as PDFs) in the SharePoint folder.
- Council reviews must be completed between mid-February and early March. Joy Hart will compile the scores and send them to the council before the March meeting.
- At the late March Council meeting, the members will discuss each proposal. We encourage all Council members to read all proposals, if possible, to participate in the discussions during the March meeting. During the meeting, the Council will determine the proposals to recommend to the provost for funding. We anticipate notifying winners by April 1.
Next Steps
- Mike advised the Council members to expect email requests to participate in a Doodle poll to help determine the meeting dates for the rest of the academic year.
- Mike will invite Sera Mathew, director of equitable and inclusive teaching in the Teaching Center. She will provide an update on programming and its impact on the DEI landscape here at Pitt.
Questions?
Chuck Perfetti asked if there are plans to highlight generative AI and how it would be phrased in the call for proposals (CFP) at the Innovation in Education Awards. Mike asked members to review the CFP as a council and provide examples. Joy will give all members access to the draft CFP, and we will discuss it in the November meeting.
Mike Bridges provided an overview of the Teaching Center.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 12:35 p.m. with no further business to discuss