Society
task force wants to hear from faculty
by Amy Blue, Ph.D.
Dean's Office, College of Medicine
The Apple Tree Society greatly appreciates the numerous MUSC faculty
responses received regarding the definition of the scholarship of teaching
at MUSC. Our task with the definition is to have a single sentence, and
thus, task force members decided to maintain the language of the definition
for reasons of economy.
When the task force met recently to review your suggestions, it decided
to modify slightly the definition to the following:
“The scholarship of teaching is both the scientific study of teaching
and learning and the application of that knowledge to institutional and
individual pedagogy.”
Several suggestions expanded the language of the original MUSC definition
and questioned the clarity of the word “pedagogy.” Given our task and considering
“pedagogy” is defined as the “art, profession, or science of teaching,”
members felt it was appropriately placed in the definition.
As part of MUSC’s participation with the Carnegie Campus Program, the
committee was also asked to identify the barriers and supports to our definition
of “teaching as scholarship.” Thus far the following have been identified:
Barriers to the Scholarship of Teaching at MUSC:
Lack of library resources on education; lack of a forum to discuss
(communicate about) teaching with disparate components which exist on campus;
lack of a central resource for faculty development in education; Perceived
lack of administrative support for teaching and learning; lack of peer
review about teaching; lack of an objective evaluation system about faculty
members’ teaching activities; need for regular review of faculty educational
activities; college Promotion and Tenure committees do not value teaching;
pressure on faculty to generate income from clinical services and research;
faculty recruitment is research-focused and not focused on educators; buildings
and classrooms are inadequate for teaching
Supports to the Scholarship of Teaching at MUSC:
Health Science Foundation Teaching Awards; Administration; Writing
Center and Center for Academic Excellence; Changes to improve classrooms,
including distance education capabilities and “02” rooms upgraded with
computer technology; Educational Technology Laboratory; Faculty Mentoring
Center on the 4th floor of the Library; Curricular changes occurring in
colleges; Commission on Higher Education; Apple Tree Society; college-based
teaching awards; Convocation; clinician-educator promotion track in the
College of Medicine
The task force would like for all faculty to review this list of barriers
and supports and give us feedback about them and if others should be identified.
We ask that you respond by April 21, to any member of the committee
by e-mail.
Committee members are:
Amy Blue: blueav@musc.edu; Sandi Brown: brownsg@musc.edu; Elizabeth
Connor: connor@musc.edu; Elise Davis-McFarland: davismc@musc.edu; Chris
Fredericks: frederic@musc.edu; Phil Hall: hallpd@musc.edu; David Mishkin:
mishkidj@musc.edu; Ruth Patterson: pattersr@musc.edu; Richard Pollenz:
pollenzr@musc.edu; Lisa Saladin: saladinl@musc.edu; Steve Schabel: schabels@musc.edu;
Jim Tietage: tietgeja@musc.edu; Diana Vincent: vincendj@musc.edu; and Tom
Waldrep: waldrept@musc.edu
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