Overview
The Muhlenberg Center for Teaching and Learning (MCTL) offers programs that allow faculty and staff to reflect on their teaching goals and the practices they use to achieve those goals. While some topics are broad in nature and focus, most programs provide concrete strategies that can be applied to our work with students in and outside of the classroom. The advisory board works with facilitators to research best practices and incorporate those into our programs while recognizing that we learn as much from understanding our “teaching mistakes” as we do from following established models or practices.
Mission Statement
The MCTL seeks to cultivate a shared culture of reflective teaching that encourages and supports meaningful experimentation among Muhlenberg’s faculty and staff. MCTL programs aim to provide a wide range of opportunities for collaboration and exchange of perspectives among colleagues at all career stages, both within and across disciplines and divisions. The MCTL is committed to Muhlenberg College’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Statement and the importance of building a campus culture in which differences are “welcomed, respected and celebrated and each individual feels a sense of inclusion and belonging”. We offer ongoing professional development and support to help our colleagues integrate DEIB principles into their work.
Support and Resources
The MCTL supports faculty and staff in a variety of ways, through:
- a two-year orientation program for new faculty members (New Faculty Orientation);
- a group mentoring program (Mentoring Circles) that groups new faculty with more senior colleagues;
- workshops and programs on specific teaching questions;
- professional development opportunities in DEIB and anti-racist curriculum development;
- resources on pedagogy, student learning, and academic leadership (in Trexler Library and on our website);
- informal spaces for faculty and staff to connect and share ideas related to teaching;
- collaborative communities to promote mentorship, career development, and continued growth and reflection on teaching and learning (e.g., the Teaching Triangles Program); and
- summer pedagogical development grants. (MCTL also provides recommendations to the Provost regarding new course development grant applications.)
History and Organizational Structure
The MCTL was formed in 1994 when a group of six faculty representing a variety of disciplines applied for an institutional incentive grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Higher Education. The Center’s budget is provided by the Provost with additional support from the Shire Family Fund for Excellence in Teaching, established by Mr. and Mrs. Donald T. Shire P’90. The Center has also received prior funding from agencies such as the Aid Association for Lutherans and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The Center Director works in collaboration and consultation with an Assistant Director and an Advisory Board comprised of faculty members from different academic disciplines and divisions, at different career stages and with diverse pedagogical interests. Two staff members who support student learning in a variety of ways also serve on the board. Programs are developed based on input from colleagues, data on student learning and faculty and staff needs on campus, and collaborative efforts with other campus offices (e.g., Trexler Library, Student Life, Office of Disability Services). A long-range planning document ensures that essential programs are offered on a regular basis and that the wide range of development needs are addressed.
