Welcome from the CTL
As we head into fall classes, the CTL would like to welcome 27 new full-time faculty to Cal Poly. We also wish to congratulate those faculty members who were awarded promotion or tenure in 2009.
The CTL greets this new academic year in particular with a renewed sense of purpose. Undoubtedly, the financial reality of the state has had and will continue to have a profound impact on the teaching and learning environment here at Cal Poly. Thus, it is within this resource-scarce context that the CTL will strive to support faculty needs. For example, programs planned for the upcoming quarter will provide resources for teaching new and larger classes, enhancing existing courses, integrating technology effectively, supporting faculty scholarship, and addressing the diverse needs of our student population.
In January of this year, the CTL underwent a program review to document our previous and current work, as well as to chart a course for the future. The results of the program review highlighted the core strengths of the CTL, particularly in supporting the needs of newer faculty and in offering professional development through workshops, courses, and individual consultations. Each academic year, hundreds of faculty members attend workshops and courses and participate in CTL learning communities. Moreover, the CTL offers the campus community the skills and energies of 40-50 faculty members who volunteer as faculty associates, workshop facilitators, and mentors as part of CTL programs.
In moving forward, the CTL will expand our outreach efforts so that we can facilitate growth into new areas and to further improve attendance. Through outreach to colleges, the CTL will also examine how it can address the evolving needs of academic units across campus. We will explore programming that is discipline-specific, uses alternate forms of delivery (such as hybrid, online, and video formats) and supports the needs of tenured, mid-career, and senior faculty in addition to those of new faculty.
Since our founding in 2001, the CTL has played a central role in supporting teaching and learning efforts on campus. We will continue to provide a safe, confidential, and supportive environment for faculty, and we look forward to meeting the challenges of the new academic year through our new and ongoing programs.