Thriving in Academe

How to develop a culture of GIFT

• We recommend establishing a trained, trusted team of colleagues to perform classroom assessments using the GIFT. This provides a variety of individuals who can do the assessments and talk about their experiences. Those who have already experienced the GIFT are excellent candidates to become interviewers, and this activity could be recognized as service to the institution.
• Advertise! Introduce the GIFT to instructors via faculty meetings so they can get a good understanding of its significance for both personal development and promotion and tenure. Posting an explanation of the process and summarizing related literature on faculty development and assessment Web pages would also be helpful. Do a mock presentation of the GIFT at an internal professional development workshop or at new faculty orientation.
• Link technology with classroom assessment. Follow the example of Peter Shedd at the University of Georgia. He used a satellite link with Jere Morehead the University of Michigan so they could conduct interviews with each other's classes reciprocally.
• Celebrate! Book clubs are a great way to discuss GIFTs or other assessment and teaching issues. Try books such as Palmer's The Courage to Teach, Berk's Professor's Are From Mars, Students are From Snickers, or Davis's Tools for Teaching.
  

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