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Instructor Workshops

Teaching and Learning Workshops

Since 2012, the Grove Center has hosted over 100 workshops on research-based teaching practices that include curricular design, student engagement, creating instructional teams, using technology to increase student learning, creating an inclusive syllabus, and instructor reflection to annual reporting, to name a few. The topics chosen for workshops come from instructor requests and have been developed for interdisciplinary and department-specific audiences. Our workshop audiences include faculty, postdocs, graduate students, learning assistants, and staff. We partner with our colleagues in the Eberly College of Science and demonstrate authentic strategies used in our classrooms. If anyone in the college would like to collaborate on creating a workshop, the Grove Center team is available to support the development and facilitation of the experience. 
 
Please contact us for more information about creating a workshop and visit our “Programming” page for details on upcoming workshops. 

Would you like more information about creating a workshop? Please email us at grovecese@psu.edu

Workshop for New Faculty: Welcome and Connect

Since 2016, the Grove Center has hosted an annual fall workshop to welcome and connect new faculty to the Eberly College of Science teaching community. The workshop introduces new faculty to the resources provided by the Grove Center, colleagues in their departments who are active in the center, and educational communities. The workshop is a half day and takes place during the week before classes start in the fall semester. 

Evidence Based Teaching Academy (EBTA)

The Evidence-Based Teaching Academy (EBTA) is an annual weeklong academy that focuses on introducing and modeling research-based teaching and learning practices in STEM education. This experience was developed for novice and experienced instructors and has an embedded project component that leads participants through the process of editing a specific aspect of a current course they will be teaching soon.  

Academy Logistics and Demographics

When: The week following spring commencement.

Daily schedule: 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; lunch is included each day.

Number and composition of participants: 25 instructors from across the Eberly College of Science educational community. If space permits, senior-level graduate students and postdocs are also invited to participate. Department heads are asked to provide nominations for participation by January 1 of each academic year. A balanced cohort of 25 is selected from the nominees and includes instructors at all levels from across all the departments and programs.  

Academy instructional team: A team of eight instructors from the Grove Center community and all of the Grove Center team support the day-to-day presentations and facilitate the learning and consulting activities for the entire week. Additional Grove Center community members may come to consult and share expertise on certain days. The total number of Eberly College of Science instructors who have participated in the academy instructional team is 27. Undergraduate learning assistants (LAs) also play a key role in the academy. Since 2018, we have had 20 undergraduate LAs participate as members of the academy instructional team.

Participant benefits: each faculty participant is provided with a $1,000 honorarium.  

Participant count to date: Since 2018, we have had 167 instructors participate. Interested in attending EBTA? Contact Kalina Kelley

You May Be Interested In

green book cover of the small teaching book

NEW: Quick Read Book Club

Are you looking for effective strategies to deepen student learning without a complete course redesign? This semester’s book club selection, Small Teaching by James Lang, introduces practical, evidence-based tips rooted in the latest findings from the learning sciences. Lang’s guidance encourages impactful classroom changes—such as targeted feedback, meaningful reflection, and brief in-class activities—that instructors can adopt immediately.

The Quick Read Book Club will meet only three times this semester, making participation accessible for busy faculty and staff. 

Please mark your calendars for the following meeting dates:

  • First meeting: Tuesday, October 28, at 1:00 p.m., Room 243, Ritenour Building
  • Second meeting: Tuesday, November 11, at 1:00 p.m., Room 243, Ritenour Building
  • Third meeting: Tuesday, December 9, at 1:00 p.m., Room 243, Ritenour Building

All meetings will be held in person. 

If you are interested in joining, please contact Ana Matković.

Small Teaching is available to read free of charge through Penn State Libraries. Consider joining your colleagues as we explore simple strategies for engaging students and enhancing classroom learning.

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