Programming

Inspired by Ernest Boyer’s Scholarship Reconsidered (1990), this program will guide participants through the process of developing and publishing a scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) project. 

What is SoTL?
SoTL is a multidisciplinary field that aims to enhance our understanding of and improve student learning in higher education.  SoTL inquiries take place in the classroom (F2F or virtual), in the lab, during office hours, in study groups, in the library, and in the many other contexts that make up students’ experiences of learning.  

SoTL projects involve collecting and analyzing evidence, artifacts, and/or data about students' learning experiences, and then going public with what you learn, typically through publication and presentation.

Program Structure & Content
Scholarship Reimagined is a fully virtual program made up of four modules spread out over the spring 2026 semester. Each module includes the following:

• short asynchronous components in Canvas:  brief readings followed by one very short written assignment

• a one-hour synchronous workshop in Zoom (noon to 1pm on Feb 6, March 6, April 3, & April 24)

Module content will draw from key SoTL texts, as well as my books The SoTL Guide: (Re)Orienting the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (2025) and SoTL in Action: Illuminating Critical Moments of Practice (2018).  Participants will receive a copy of SoTL in Action.

How to Apply

You'll be asked to identify an area of interest you might explore in the SoTL project you develop through the program.  (Ideas evolve, but do a little pre-thinking, so I have a general sense of participant interests.)  Apply by completing this form no later than December 5. (Applications for the Spring 2026 program are no longer being accepted. Look out for announcements in the 2026-27 academic year.)

Program Completion

Participants who complete the program will have a detailed plan for implementing their SoTL project and plenty of resources and support for presenting and publishing their work when they're ready.  

Those who complete all assignments, attend each workshop, and submit their project plan will receive a $400 stipend. 

Join a "slow read" faculty book group to read and discuss timely topics related to teaching, scholarship, and higher education.  These "slow reads" are intended to fit into your busy schedules:  we'll take our time, and maybe even (depending on the book) divide the book's sections among participants, who'll then summarize their sections for others. 

Books (and light refreshments for in-person attendance) will be provided.

What should our next book be?

In Fall 2025, we read At the Intersection: Understanding and Supporting First-Generation Students, edited by Robert Longwell-Grice and Hope Longwell-Grice.  What should we read next?  Email nchick@twu.edu with recommendations!

New Faculty Academy (NFA) is a year-long program designed to provide new full-time faculty with regular professional development activities designed to help them thrive in their new role.  NFA will introduce them to the University’s mission, values, and culture; provide insight into institutional expectations and available resources; and facilitate reflection and preparation for a successful first year--and beyond.

Facilitated by Nancy Chick (Executive Director of Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship) and Lynda Murphy (Executive Director of Digital Learning), NFA will begin during Welcome Week (Wed, Aug 20, 11:30-5) and then continue monthly on the following Fridays from noon to 1:  Sept 12, Oct 10, Nov 14, Jan 16, Feb 13, Mar 20, Apr 10, and May 1.  

All new faculty who complete the program will receive a certificate of completion and a personalized letter to their relevant Academic Component Administrators (Chair, Director, Dean). 

Promotion in Motion is a series tailored to specific groups of faculty as they prepare materials for major evaluations.  Facilitators Karen Dunlap (Faculty Liaison, Professor Emeritus Curriculum and Instruction) and Nancy Chick (Executive Director of Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship) provide time, space, support, and structure to help participants 

• • understand their specific processes and criteria, and 

  • gather, reflect on, and prepare their materials.  

Choose the appropriate series below.

3rd-Year Evaluation by PRC

This Promotion in Motion series supports third-year tenure-track faculty, clinical faculty, and lecturers who are preparing for the February 10 deadline for materials to be reviewed by their Peer Review Committees.  The 2025-26 Program has ended.  The 2026-27 dates will be announced in late spring.

Lecturers & Clinical Faculty Promotion 

This Promotion in Motion series supports lecturers and clinical faculty applying for promotion by the September 15 deadline.  We'll meet on the following Thursdays from 2:30-3:30pm: July 16, July 30, August 13, and September 3.  

Tenure & Promotion

This Promotion in Motion series supports tenure-track faculty applying for tenure and promotion by the July 27 deadline.  We'll meet on the following Thursdays from 2:30-3:30pm: March 19, April 16, May 14, June 4, and July 9.  

Denton participants will convene in Stoddard 308 (until we move to our new space in MCL).
Houston and Dallas participants will receive a Zoom link after they register.

  ✍🏼  Add the relevant dates to your calendar now, and Tenure & Promotion participants can register here! ✍🏼 
(Lecturers & Clinical Faculty, your registration form will be available later.)

MC2  is designed to help mid-career faculty thrive by developing meaningful goals, plans, and relationships, not simply to help Associate Professors achieve Professor—unless this is their goal.  MC2  stands for mid-career meaning and connection--or milestones and celebration, or momentum and change, or mapping and charting.  Indeed, there's no single pathway at mid-career, so MC2 also stands for mid-career's multiple crossroads.  

Facilitated by Nancy Chick and Karen Dunlap, this virtual program is made up of five sessions. (See the exact schedule below.) 

Why Mid-Career Faculty?   

Research on higher education faculty reveals a well-documented “mid-career malaise,” the phenomenon of tenured associate professors — especially those in rank for more than six years — experiencing low satisfaction resulting from increased service obligations (some of which are “hidden"), the relative lack of support for research or creative work and other forms of professional growth, the disconnect between professional goals and a greater sense of purpose, increased expectations for leadership without leadership development, and unclear expectations for promotion to full professor (Mathews 2014; Baker & Manning 2021).

What's the MC2 Schedule?

MC2  is scheduled for the following Tuesdays from 2:30-3:50, exclusively on Zoom:  Jan 13, Jan 27, Feb 10, March 3, and March 24.  Each session builds on the previous ones, so participants are expected to attend all five.  Additionally, MC2  focuses on participants' reflection, interaction, and mutual trust, so sessions will not be recorded.  (Please make sure they fit into your calendars before applying.)

Eligibility

Full-time faculty who are more than six years after tenure at TWU or have a similar duration of experience at TWU (e.g., at least 12 years as clinical faculty and senior lecturers) and are more than 10 years from retirement are invited to apply. 

Applications

Please apply by completing this form no later than November 15. Deadline extended to Dec 5. (Applications are no longer being accepted.)

Program Completion

Participants who attend all five sessions will receive a $400 stipend.

MC2 is based on the program described in Facilitating Mid-Career Faculty Programs: A Guide for Supporting Purposeful Career Development (Boyd and Chick 2025).