University faculty exchange ideas, methods at colloquy

From chicken noodle soup to tomato scallop bisque.

The lunch menu is just one indicator of how far the Learning Colloquy has come, said Lori Bechtel, a professor of biobehavioral health at the Altoona College.

Bechtel, one of the more than 200 faculty, administrators and students who participated in the colloquy, reflected on the growth in enthusiasm and numbers of the event and in education throughout the University.

"It was (as though) teaching was something that we didn't talk about," she said. "I see a change in the culture of the University."

Learning Colloquy IV, which was held Friday at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, was the fourth colloquy held to help faculty to advance in their roles as educators in an ever-changing University environment and to take that back to the classrooms, said John Cahir, dean of undergraduate education and vice provost.

"We want students to really experience what comes out of these conversations," he said.

Colloquy means conversation, Cahir said, and the event's format tries to encourage conversation among colleagues about improving education and stimulating learning.

Many people responded favorably to the format, in which groups from different departments met in small groups to discuss different topics with the help of a facilitator, said Jane Andrews, coordinator of Learning Colloquy IV.

Bechtel, who has attended all four colloquies, said the format this year presented an opportunity for discussion rather than lecture.

"We didn't have an expert come and tell us what we should be doing," she said.

The format allowed for an exchange of ideas and information, said James Crivaro, an instructor in the department of kinesiology at the York Campus.

"We could find out other methods that worked and don't work," he said. "There's a lot of education in that room and a lot of different experiences."

In the past, the colloquies have brought both the creation of new centers and the changes in individual teaching styles, said Cahir, who has worked with Executive Vice President and Provost John Brighton on the colloquies since Brighton initiated the idea four years ago.

The first colloquy lead to the formation of Schreyer Institute for Innovation in Learning, Cahir said. According to surveys, the second and third colloquies encouraged some faculty to change their teaching styles, he added.

The initial success of this year's colloquy will be checked in February at a lunch and the information will be updated through a presentation series throughout the semester, he added.

Overall, the colloquies and their aftermath have returned emphasis to education at the University, said Patrick Terenzini, the interim director of the department of higher education.

"There are lots of things happening on the Penn State campus that are promoting this cultural change," he said. "I'm bringing optimism that perhaps . . . the pendulum at Penn State is swinging away from research."