General Information

The theme of this year’s retreat is “Transformative Assignments: Mobilizing Students to be Creators.”  We want our students to think critically and imaginatively, to participate knowledgeably and responsibly in civic life, and to transform from consumers to creators.  How can students demonstrate these abilities? What are ways to design assignments that are challenging, motivating, and emotionally engaging?  Can we then create authentic assessments that measure learning beyond conventional test questions and term papers?   

At the retreat, we will highlight several of our exemplary teachers across campus who have designed assignments to prepare our students to interact with messy, complex real-world situations. Retreat attendees will participate in hands-on activities, simulations, video discussions, and assessment exercises. Helpful resources from our faculty presenters will be provided.  We encourage attendees to apply for this year’s grants to implement ideas inspired during the retreat.

Goals of the Retreat

The goals for the Annual Faculty Retreat are to build on our collective knowledge about teaching and learning, to share innovative ideas and approaches, and to promote partnerships within and beyond the campus community.