The Mixed Generation Classroom: What Does the Research Tell Us?

Abstract

Today I attended a luncheon for the Executive Committee of the University of Georgia’s Teaching Academy (TA). The Teaching Academy is comprised of faculty members who have automatic invitations to membership by virtue of their recognition with a university-level teaching award and those faculty members who have been nominated by a dean or department chair (and then selected by the TA membership committee) for outstanding teaching in a specific college or school. Eight to ten faculty members are invited into membership each year. Founded in 1999, the UGATeaching Academy emerged from the initiative of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to foster a national network of teaching academies. The UGA academy conducts a mentoring program for early-career faculty members, plans and coordinates an annual two-day symposium on important institutional issues vis-a-vis teaching and learning, leads workshops, and sponsors other one-time projects to emphasize the importance of the instructional mission in a large, research university. Recently, the academy issued the second edition of “Chalk Talk,” a compendium of short articles on teaching tips penned by many of the most effective instructors on campus. The Academy’s website is maintained by this all-volunteer group; thus, it is streamlined, but still worth a visit: http://teachingacademy.uga.edu/. If your campus does not have a teaching academy, I fully endorse its establishment and would be glad to correspond by email to discuss this undertaking with any interested readers. Now to the real story, the luncheon conversation among the dozen Teaching Academy participants was quite lively. Most were long-time members of the academy (like me), but others were newly inducted and brought new perspectives. The discussion over lunch bounced from topic to topic. What could we do in the fall to celebrate the 15 anniversary of the Academy that would have a lasting impact yet require no new resources (the perennial problem)? How could we recognize the nontenured faculty group, especially lecturers, who are so valuable to the instructional mission of the university yet do not qualify for current institutional-level awards. There was also a sharing of amusing experiences from current and prior courses. During this free-wheeling conversational time, what caught my attention was a story that one of the new inductees shared. It was about the energetic influence by a senior citizen (60+) who was enrolled in her undergraduate course. Other TA members quickly chimed in, and it Innov High Educ (2014) 39:261–262 DOI 10.1007/s10755-014-9301-8