Middlebury College is again a Fulbright U.S. Students and Fulbright U.S. Scholars Top Producer for 2021-2022. Each year the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces the top producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. See full Communications story.
Writing and Rhetoric Program professor Hector Vila describes tools he uses to manage integrating students on Zoom into his classroom environment. From using his syllabus to assistance from students in class, he creates an inclusive experience for all participants. Read more
In her presentations for the Contemporary Teaching Series in January, Alex Shevrin Venet outlined four key priorities to trauma-informed educational practices—predictability, flexibility, empowerment, and connection. While acknowledging there is creative tension between these four proactive priorities, and no simple formula for turning them into practice, she shared ways to approach them in the classroom. Recorded talks and event resources are available from the 2022 series on holistic, embodied approaches to teaching and learning. Read more
Becky Thompson’s Contemporary Teaching talk in January directly addressed a topic of concern for many Middlebury faculty—lower levels than expected of class attendance and participation. The pandemic has disrupted so much in the lives of our students and, not surprisingly, their connection to their education. Recorded talks and event resources are available from the 2022 series on holistic, embodied approaches to teaching and learning. Read more
As students’ ability to attend classes in-person continues to be disrupted, faculty are encouraged to accommodate students through non-hyflex and hyflex methods and reach out to the CTLR and DLINQ as needed. Dean of Faculty Sujata Moorti, and Deans Jim Ralph and Grace Spatafora emailed, “This may include sharing your notes and power point slides on canvas, meeting with students during office hours, creating a buddy system among students, or establishing small learning communities.” Read full message.
Ben Morris ’22 received a Keasbey Scholarship to support graduate study at Cambridge University and Middlebury alumni Darren Chen, Amani Core and Christina Wiremu-Brook were selected as Schwarzman Scholars at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Read more.
Director of Research and Instruction Carrie Macfarlane interviews Michelle McCauley, Professor of Psychology, about collaborating with a librarian to teach a research methods class. Read more.
On January 24, Peer Writing Tutor Jack Torpey ‘24 and Director of the Writing Center Professor Genie Giaimo, presented on college students’ meaningful writing experiences as part of the 2022 Contemporary Teaching Series. The talk began with insights from the book The Meaningful Writing Project: Learning, Teaching, and Writing in Higher Education, followed by the results of an on-campus study conducted by Torpey in 2021. Read key points discussed in the workshop.
On Thursday, January 13, participants gathered on Zoom to celebrate the nominees for the Ward Prize in First-Year Writingfor 2020-21. Rather than having one winner and two runners-up, as in past years, the committee selected 11 of the 30 nominees to receive the prize. The change allows for a broader range of styles and disciplines to be adequately represented and recognizes there isn’t one dominant voice in student writing that can be deemed best. Read more about the celebration and see the digital book of essays.
