Consultations and Related Services

NEW services available for faculty in the Tenure-Stream and Health Programs systems:

• Coaching for Presentation Skills
• Consultation Services for MSU Faculty Non-Native Speakers of English

Services available and free to all MSU instructors:

• General Consultation
• Mid-Semester Student Feedback Sessions
• Classroom Observation
• Videotaping and Consultation

Important Information:

• Scheduling a Consultation or Service
• Confidentiality Guidelines

General Consultation Services

Consultation services on teaching and learning are a way for instructors to discuss their teaching with professional consultants. Consulting on instructional issues is available for individuals, small groups, departments, and colleges upon request. Our consultants will offer guidance on the following topics:

• Instructional methods and innovative approaches to teaching and learning
• Instructional design, e.g., alignment of goals, teaching methods, and assessments
• Course materials including syllabi, assignments, exams and other forms of assessment, feedback on student work, grading practices, etc.
• Classroom-related concerns
• Feedback on student course evaluations
• Diversity issues and integration of multicultural materials into curricula
• The scholarship of teaching and learning
• Resources and research on college teaching and learning, e.g., teaching first year students, teaching large classes, interdisciplinary teaching, college student development, civility in the classroom, active learning, integrative learning, designing capstone experiences, evaluating teaching, etc.

Coaching for Presentation Skills

One-on-one individual consultations to enhance presentation skills are now available. This service enables instructors to polish their classroom presentation techniques by focusing on both verbal and non-verbal behaviors, including vocal delivery (i.e., tone, inflection), use of body language and physical space, and effective expressions of enthusiasm and energy. Clients have the option of combining individual presentation coaching sessions with direct classroom observation by the consultant and/or the videotaping of a teaching session.

Consultations are provided by faculty with expertise in presentation skills from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, which jointly sponsors this program with the Office of Faculty and Organizational Development.

This program will provide up to five hours of consultation per client, after which clients are encouraged to discuss with the consultant a variety of options for continuing the development of their professional skills.

Consultation Services for MSU Faculty Non-Native Speakers of English

The Office of Faculty and Organizational Development and the English Language Center are offering one-on-one, confidential consultations for MSU faculty members. This service is designed to assist faculty non-native speakers of English in our academic community to develop and refine the pronunciation, fluency and accuracy of their speaking skills.

Whether to improve classroom effectiveness, to engage in academic discussion and research, to give presentations at professional forums or to interact effectively within and outside of the University community, these new services are intended to provide a flexible framework in which non-native speakers can improve their performance and competence one-on-one with an experienced consultant.

Consultations are offered on a customized basis. Clients have an opportunity to have their pronunciation, rhythm, stress, intonation patterns, grammatical accuracy and fluency in spoken discourse assessed. They also can be offered tools and a strategic plan to begin to improve the comprehensibility and effectiveness of their speaking skills and style.

This program will provide up to five hours of consultation per client, after which clients are encouraged to discuss with the consultant a variety of options for continuing the development of their professional skills.

Mid-Semester Student Feedback Sessions

Mid-semester student feedback sessions are available for instructors who want to assess and improve their teaching during the semester. A consultant will confer with the instructor by email, phone or in person before the feedback session to identify the instructors' course goals and specific questions or concerns. The consultant will observe part of a class. The instructor will then leave the class for 30-40 minutes and the consultant will elicit the feedback process by asking students to form small groups to answer the following three questions before reporting to the entire class:

1) What do you like about the course/instructor?

2) What do you think needs improvement?

3) What specific recommendations for improvement would you like to make?

Responses will be reported out to the entire class. The consultant will summarize the students' input and meet with the instructor before the next class session. Together they will review the student feedback and develop a plan for responding to student concerns and suggestions. The process does not require instructors to make changes, but they often chose to do so. Instructors can also request variations of this model.

Classroom Observation

Direct classroom observation is available to instructors who wish to have a consultant observe their teaching and provide feedback. Consultants will confer with instructors by email, phone or in person before the scheduled observation to identify the instructors' goals for the consultation and the class session. A confidential review follows the observation, enabling the consultant and instructor to discuss the session and its implications for instruction.

Videotaping and Consultation

Instructors have the option of scheduling a classroom videotaping. The tape can be viewed privately or with a consultant. A confidential discussion follows the viewing, allowing the consultant and instructor to discuss the class and its implications for instruction. The instructor must provide a blank VHS tape and agree to obtain student release forms provided by our office.

Scheduling a Consultation or Service

For more information or to schedule a consultation, please contact:
Dakin Burdick, Ph.D.
Assistant Director of Faculty Development Programs
facdevel@msu.edu
517-432-2033

Consultations and services are conducted by professional instructional consultants with Ph.D. degrees and extensive experience in instructional consulting.

Confidentiality Guidelines

Consultations are voluntary and confidential.*

Professional observations, interactions, and conclusions related to specific clients or cases and information about the actual activities and results of a consultation will be given only to the instructor to be used as he/she chooses (e.g., to put in a teaching portfolio). Any additional use of the results for educational purposes is subject to the consent of the instructor.

*If the instructor retains a copy of the consultation records, or wishes our office to retain these records, these materials may be kept confidential to the maximum extent allowed by the law, and may be subject to Michigan's Freedom of Information Act. For more information, go to the Consumer Laws link at: http://www.michigan.gov/ag