Joy Shechtman Mankoff Center for Teaching & Learning

History of the Center

From its inception, the CTL has offered a wide variety of programs for members of the faculty.

Newly hired faculty members are offered the opportunity to participate in the Johnson Teaching Seminar, a year-long seminar on teaching.
Experienced faculty discussed and critically assessed their teaching in a variety of settings, both formal (ongoing seminars) and informal (discussions over lunch).
In cooperation with information services, the CTL plans and offers innovative seminars on enhancing student-learning using technology.
Prominent educators from off-campus present lectures and conduct workshops on such topics as course design, speaking across the curriculum, teaching portfolios, science education, and diversity in the classroom.

Early CT & L Foundation Support

The success of these programs was recognized by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation with a $100,000 grant for three years of seminars on teaching for experienced faculty. The Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation recognized the continuing importance of the CTL’s work by awarding grants of $375,000 in 1998 and, based on its successful track-record, an additional $480,000 in 2001. The Johnson Foundation currently supports the CTL’s activities, including the Christian A. Johnson Teaching Seminar for Incoming Faculty and the Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Teaching Chair.

Initial Center Programs

Core Curriculum/General Education Discussions: In his inaugural address in May 2002, President Fainstein stated that despite our many accomplishments as academics “we have been far less successful in answering the question of what is the best curriculum for a liberal arts college in the 21st century,” and noted a lost sense of curricular coherence. In response to that challenge and in cooperation with the Dean of the Faculty and the Educational Planning Committee, the CTL hosted a series of discussions during 2002-2003 that focused on specific proposals from members of the faculty for a new GE or Core Curriculum at Connecticut College. Faculty members were asked to provide specific written proposals in advance and to lead the discussion of them.

The Faculty Teaching Seminar (nee Hewlett Teaching Seminar), the Center's second major program was on hiatus for 2002-2003 after four successful years. The seminar offered bi-weekly meetings for continuing faculty to discuss various teaching issues and sponsors workshops with guest facilitators and presenters. Original groups of participants in the Hewlett Seminar developed and shared a pedagogical project, overseen by associate director and Dean of Freshmen Theresa Ammirati.

CT&L - Johnson Teaching Grants: For the 2002-2003 year, the CTL invited proposals from the faculty for projects designed to improve teaching and learning on campus. Projects recently funded include “Curriculum Discussions and Workshops” (Gender and Women’s Studies Program), “Coaching as Teaching/Teaching as Coaching” (Department of Athletics), and “Reinventing Teaching and Curriculum in the Foreign Languages” (Hispanic Studies, on behalf of the foreign languages).

CTL - Johnson Innovative Teaching Awards: During the 2002-2003 year, these awards were designed to recognize publicly the innovative and effective teaching that takes place at all levels of our faculty, from visiting faculty to named chairs. Awards were given to faculty for an effective and innovative teaching practice, method, assignment, or class. Criteria for the evaluation of the grants and awards included the innovative nature of the project, its potential or shown impact on student learning, and the transferability of the idea. At a CTL-sponsored discussion or workshop, the award-winning faculty then shared their innovations with other faculty.