Teaching

Wednesdays at 4

Wednesdays at 4 p.m. fosters ongoing improvement of teaching and learning at the University of Puget Sound through bi-weekly informal gatherings among faculty and other colleagues across the university. Wednesdays at 4 p.m. allows for an exchange of ideas to explore emerging trends, innovative methods, and perennial themes in higher education by providing a forum for discussion. Topics suggested by committees, offices, and/or individuals on campus are vetted and a program list curated each semester by the Wednesdays at 4 p.m. committee. To submit an idea for a session, use the FDC’s virtual suggestion box.

Wednesdays at 4pm Spring 2024 Schedule

• 1/31 Fostering Collaboration and Engagement with Digital Tools
• 2/14 Teaching Students to "Learn How to Learn" 
• 2/28 Creative Assessments and Grading Reimagined  
• 3/20 Cultivating Community in the Makerspace
• 4/3 Student Activism as an Opportunity to Teach
• 4/17 Tips for Teaching Summer Courses

Past Wednesdays at 4 Sessions

• Fall 2023
• Spring 2023
• Fall 2022
• Spring 2022
• Fall 2021
• Spring 2021
• Fall 2020
• Spring 2020, Part 2: Online
• Fall 2019
• Spring 2019
• Fall 2018
• Spring 2018
• Fall 2017
• Spring 2017
• Fall 2016

Looking for assistance facilitating discussions with your students or devising new course descriptions and syllabi? In addition to hosting a variety of group workshops, the Faculty Development Center also offers one-on-one appointments on topics including, but not limited to:

• Interpreting course evaluations
• Q&A about promotion and tenure file writing
• Syllabus feedback
• Class observations and feedback
• Assignment and assessment feedback
• Strategies for creating an inclusive classroom

To schedule an appointment, contact fdc@pugetsound.edu.

Note: All content discussed during one-on-one consultations is private and kept confidential.

• “Designing Effective Oral Assignments”
• “Meeting Our Students Where They Are: Establishing Just Standards for Teaching and Assessing Writing,” Asao Inoue
• “Reacting to the Past”
• “Structuring and Sequencing Assignments for Deep Learning,” Puget Sound faculty and staff
• “Engaging Ideas,” John Bean
• “Disciplining Content/Contenting Discipline,” Kurt Spellmeyer
• “Exploring Knowledge, Identity, and Power in Writing Assignments,” Jennifer Trainor
• “Teaching Writing in the Scientific and Quantitative Fields,” Jan Pechenik
• “Designing Effective Writing Assignment Sequences in the Seminars in Scholarly Inquiry,” Nancy Sommers
• “Developing the Seminars in Scholarly Inquiry,” Rebecca Nowacek