Professor, Expert On Teaching Appointed Director Of Colorado State's New Center For Teaching And Learning
Thursday, August 21, 1997
FORT COLLINS--A longtime faculty member, researcher and
author will head an innovative center at Colorado State
University aimed at improving teaching and enhancing student
learning at the college and university level.
William Timpson, professor in the School of Education since
1976 and author of three new books on improving teaching in
higher education, was appointed director of the Center for
Teaching and Learning. The center will open when fall semester
classes begin Aug. 25. Timpson will work in the position part
time so that he also may continue teaching at Colorado State.
As director, Timpson will create a network of distinguished
professors from each of the university's eight colleges, along
with representatives from the School of Education and Office of
Instructional Services. This network will develop and implement
projects intended to improve teaching and learning and tackle
issues such as applying new technologies in the classroom,
teaching large classes effectively and integrating learning
across a wide variety of academic subjects.
These kinds of programs can be vital in helping faculty
improve their teaching and provide opportunities for colleagues
to explore and discuss new approaches, Timpson said. He added
that this kind of center is different than others in higher
education because it is staffed by faculty members and focuses
both on teaching and learning.
"Much credit for the establishment of this center must go to
the faculty and campus leaders who recognized the need for such a
program and pushed for its creation," Timpson said. "With a
renewed interest in teaching and learning at universities
worldwide, and the rich repository of faculty and student talent
here, the possibilities for what we can do seem unlimited."
The center also will play a lead role in studying various
issues which impact learning, such as class size. New ideas will
be shared with university faculty in an effort to promote
teaching improvements and innovation. Finally, the new center
will serve as a clearinghouse of information for reports, books
and peer-reviewed journals that are related to teaching and
learning at the college and university level.
"Few faculty at the college and university levels receive
feedback from their peers about teaching or get assistance on how
to apply emerging theories about learning in the classroom,"
Timpson said. "This center can hopefully provide a forum for
professors to discuss a range of issues related to teaching.
These discussions can help teachers be more effective in
encouraging students to engage in deeper learning."
During his tenure at Colorado State, Timpson has been
involved in a number of initiatives that emphasize teaching and
learning methods that differ from traditional lecture approaches.
Timpson is co-founder of the Center for Science, Mathematics and
Technology Education, a nationally renowned program that helps K-
12 teachers use creative and hands-on ways to teach math and
science.
From 1991 to 1993, Timpson took a leave of absence from
Colorado State to direct the Center for Teaching at the
University of California at Santa Cruz, then served from 1993 to
1995 as senior consultant for academic staff development at the
University of Queensland, Australia.
Upon his return to Colorado State, Timpson attended many
classes and interviewed students and teachers to better
understand how instruction and learning evolved over an entire
semester. While working with some of the university's best
teachers, Timpson completed two books that offered a range of
ideas for improving teaching and enhanced learning in higher
education.
"Dr. Timpson's extensive experience assessing teaching and
learning programs both at Colorado State and other universities
made him a natural choice for the position," Provost and Academic
Vice President David Young said in announcing the appointment.
This page © 1997-1998 World Wide Express, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Many news stories on RamLine.com come from the Colorado State University Public Relations Office. You can get copies of the news releases directly by filling out this form.