Overview

The Active Learning Faculty Fellowship helps faculty achieve greater student learning and deeper engagement with course material by using active learning and flipped classroom techniques proven successful at Duke and elsewhere.  Participants will share teaching experiences with other faculty and practice with ideas from the pedagogical literature to help them redesign activities in a Fall 2017 or Spring 2018 course.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact CIT.

Eligibility

This fellowship is open to Duke University faculty of any rank who teach in Trinity, Pratt, Nicholas or Sanford. Faculty who have dual appointments in one of these schools, even if their primary appointment is not in these schools, may also apply, as long as they teach undergraduate students in classes listed in one of these schools.

Note: Graduate students are not eligible for this program, but may contact the Graduate School for similar professional development opportunities.

Fellows Receive:

  • Consulting about pedagogy, instructional design, assessment and instructional technologies.
  • Training in the use of techniques or tools needed to complete the planned course activities.
  • Up to $1,100 per faculty member participant paid to a Duke research account.
  • Collaboration and discussion with a cohort of Duke colleagues.
  • Program management and logistical arrangements as needed.
Comments from Previous Active Learning Faculty Fellowship Participants

“The CIT Fellowship exceeded my expectations. I did not expect … to learn about so many active learning strategies in such an interactive way, and to develop so many relationships with colleagues. It was particularly engaging to hear from a range of disciplines.”

“The community that was created in the Fellowship program was fantastic. Everyone brought a diversity of ideas that were well received and respected. It really was a wonderful program!”

“I have learned so much and the timing of the Fellowship program was perfect. I plan to implement all the new techniques as I develop my class.”

Program and Participation

The Fellowship will consist of four parts. Fellows who complete the Kick-Off Week, Summer-Fall Roundtables and Visit a Classroom portions of the fellowship are eligible to receive $1,000 deposited to a Duke research account. Faculty who complete a blog post about their experience will receive an additional $100 deposited to the account.

Fellows Kick-Off Week

The Kick-Off Week will consist of five meetings from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm daily, Monday-Friday, May 8 – 12, 2017. During the week, faculty will exchange ideas with colleagues and learn about methods and techniques used successfully here at Duke.

Roundtable Meetings

A total of five two-hour roundtable sessions will be scheduled by the fellows as a group and will be held periodically through the summer and with a limited number in the Fall. Participants will develop their syllabus and teaching materials throughout the summer, based on the activities of the Kick-Off Week. Roundtable meetings will be planned by participants to investigate topics from the Kick-Off Week in more depth, try out teaching techniques, and get feedback from other faculty on their plans for the Fall.

Visit a Classroom

During Fall 2017, faculty in the program will visit two classes taught by other participants in the program to reflect on their own teaching and share ideas.

Blog Post

Fellows will be expected to produce a short post for the CIT blog that looks at one or more changes made to their Fall 2017 or Spring 2018 course to incorporate active learning. (See examples of faculty blog posts from previous Fellows programs on the CIT blog.)

Fellowship Coordinators and Participants

CIT consultants Andrea Novicki, Randy A. RiddleSeth Anderson and Haiyan Zhou are coordinating and supporting the fellowship. Additional CIT staff members or Duke faculty participants from previous fellowship programs may also take part, depending on the needs and interests of the 2017 participants.