Eastern Florida Creates Center for Teaching Excellence

Teaching is a rare calling, a profession requiring dedication and passion that touches lives in profound ways.

The faculty at Eastern Florida State College has always been the institution's strength, serving students for more than a half-century and educating a workforce that has helped land men on the moon and fuel a global digital revolution.

Now the college’s commitment to its instructors is taking a new step forward with the Jan. 10 opening of the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) that will provide faculty with additional resources to spur classroom innovation.

The most important resource will be faculty members themselves, who will share their experience and knowledge to help each other learn and grow.

“Eastern Florida has a superb faculty and the center will ensure they have the resources to meet today’s challenges in higher education,” said Dr. Linda Miedema, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Learning Officer.

“It will promote collaboration and make the importance of teaching a focal point of the college’s culture. It will be run by and for teachers, and serve as one-stop shopping for all things valuable in the classroom.”

The center is another move by Eastern Florida to meet its expanding educational mission to offer four-year Bachelor Degrees as a state college. It also comes amid rapid change in education, making it critical that faculty stay informed.

The CTE will offer that guidance through workshops, seminars, brown-bag lunches and one-on-one discussions among faculty. The center's website will also serve as the main online hub for faculty information and resources.

“The center is a place for faculty to share their talents, support each other and feel excited about their central role at the college and in the lives of their students,” said Barbara Kennedy, an Associate Professor of Psychology and Academic Dean of the Center for Teaching Excellence.

“We’re going to celebrate faculty and mark their accomplishments, such as doctorate completion and publications, because when you feel valued you’re motivated to excel.

“Taken together, the center’s goals and resources will be a game-changer in providing faculty with opportunities they’ve never had before.”

The Center for Teaching Excellence will include rooms on each campus for faculty to share successful teaching practices along with a main center on the Palm Bay campus.

Web pages at www.easternflorida.edu/go/cte will feature faculty information, programs, announcements, the CTE's blog and links to faculty pages and resources at colleges and universities nationwide.

Workshops and seminars will cover everything from overcoming challenges with students to changes in education policy in the Florida Legislature and Congress.

The center will also work closely with the Academic Affairs Council and the Tenure and Professional Development Council to inspire teaching innovations.

The Jan. 10 official opening will feature a 9-11 a.m. breakfast and open house on each campus to give faculty an opportunity to meet the center’s board members and learn more about plans.

The CTE Campus locations are:

• Cocoa: Bldg. 12, Room 124 (Breakfast/Open House for Cocoa will be in 12-205)
• Melbourne: Bldg. 2, Room 215-I
• Palm Bay: Bldg. 2, Room 218B
• Titusville: Bldg. 1, Room 159