The Institute for STEM Education launched Clarkson University’s Teaching Circles Program last fall to contribute to Clarkson’s greater community of teaching and learning. This semester, The Teaching Circle on Student Stress was held every two weeks from March to April. It was attended by staff, administrators, and faculty from multiple Clarkson campuses. Conversation was robust and revealing. One session included a remarkable student panel, where students frankly shared their experience with stress during the pandemic. At another session, University therapists and student support staff shared their perspectives. The sessions closed with some discussion of future directions, including a summary digest of our thoughts and further invitation to discuss.
Teaching Circles are intentional communities of Clarkson students, staff and faculty who share concerns and interests related to teaching. The safe spaces enable colleagues to (1) generate and share developments related to teaching, (2) ideate innovations or interventions designed to enhance student learning, (3) seek scholarly research and resources to inform and support implementation of trials.
Participation is open to any faculty, staff, and graduate teaching assistants, and is not restricted to STEM fields or instructional modality. Contact us at teaching@clarkson.edu with any questions or if you would like to pose a Teaching Circle topic. Our aim is to grow the number of circles based on topics and interest from within the Clarkson community. You can help shape this program with your willingness to get involved. Suggest a topic, facilitate a circle or contribute suggestions. More on this in Moodle.