FACET member Julie Saam has received a grant from the Office of the Bicentennial for a Bicentennial Project that will share the teaching wisdom of highly distinguished, retired instructors from all IU campuses.
Saam is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for Faculty Development and Campus Assessment, Director of CTLA, and Professor of Education at IU Kokomo. Being a FACET member for more than 10 years, Saam has interacted with long-term members and recognizes how much can be learned from their teaching experiences.
“Humans absorb much of what we learn by observing—and then modeling—the behaviors of people who have reached mastery. And so it follows that, to achieve excellence in teaching and learning, we must watch those instructors who have been judged the best among us.” —Saam
In collaboration with FACET, Saam will select award-winning retired faculty and other innovative instructors who deserve recognition. Project directors will interview the distinguished instructors in a format similar to the Great Conversations published on Teaching.IU. FACET Campus Liaisons will also be involved by helping arrange these interviews on their campuses.
“Among the hallmarks of Indiana University’s reputation is its commitment to superior teaching and learning. We hope to honor IU’s tradition of excellence in pedagogy by celebrating the faculty who have advanced IU’s esteem in teaching and learning. We are confident that this professional acknowledgement will drive current instructors to innovate techniques in their classrooms and will set a high bar for future instructors.” —Saam