New DIIA Faculty Advisory Council Convened
In support of its mission to enhance teaching and learning, DIIA has launched a Faculty Advisory Council to help guide division staff in where to direct efforts to best meet faculty needs. Faculty peers and DIIA team members who work with faculty made recommendations, and invitations to join the Council were issued with the intent to ensure representation across a variety of disciplines.
The new DIIA Faculty Advisory Council members are
- Dean Bredeson, lecturer, Red McCombs School of Business
- Ruth Buskirk, senior lecturer, College of Natural Sciences
- Mia Carter, associate professor, College of Liberal Arts
- Patrick Davis, professor, College of Pharmacy
- Rowena Fong, professor, School of Social Work
- Shernaz Garcia, associate professor, College of Education
- Susan Houston, professor, School of Nursing
- Barbara Immroth, professor, School of Information
- Joan Mullin, professor, College of Liberal Arts
- George Sylvie, associate professor, College of Communications
- Sean Theriault, associate professor, College of Liberal Arts
At the initial November 2005 meeting, Council members were asked three key questions:
- What changes, advances, and trends do you see in teaching and learning?
- How might DIIA work with UT faculty to research, test, and implement new teaching and learning initiatives?
- Our vision is to improve teaching to transform learning. What advice do you have for advancing this vision?
Dr. Judy Ashcroft, DIIA director, commented "The Faculty Advisory Council for DIIA is already a source of helpful information. These recognized faculty are some of the finest teachers on our campus. Just as they bring innovative ideas to their courses, I am confident that they will bring stimulating discussion to our meetings. With their help, DIIA can realize our vision of improving teaching to transform learning at UT Austin."
To complement the Faculty Council, a Student Advisory Council is currently being formed to help DIIA assess the impact of changes in teaching and to address student learning needs.