Instructor Exchange Program

Program Overview

Instructor Exchange is a form of interdisciplinary collaboration in which two instructors agree on exchanging the teaching of each others' classes for several hours per semester in an attempt (1) to increase students' interest and hence improving the retention rate of the students, (2) to create a significant interdisciplinary experience for students, and (3) to work toward developing semester-long linked courses as a part of the learning community program.

The Instructor Exchange is not meant as an alternative form of class coverage, but rather, this is a form of interdisciplinary collaboration that attempts to increase the students' interest in the disciplines involved in the exchange, their interest in taking more courses that have interdisciplinary components, and their interest in gaining knowledge at the university in general.

Instructor Exchange is supported by The Center for Teaching Excellence.

Application Guidlines

In order to receive review of your application, you will need to submit your application either through the Learning Technology Center's Blackboard Forum (Instructor Exchange Forum) or by using the form below.  Your application would be a one-page narrative description of (1) the interdisciplinary aspect of the content you will provide to the host course, (2) the content you will provide to the host course, (3) expected benefit of the Instructor Exchange (in what way you believe that this exchange will enhance students' interests in the disciplines involved in this exchange, their interest in taking more courses that have interdisciplinary components in the future, and their general interest in gaining knowledge in the university), and the (4) number of instructional hours involved.

You can simply type the narrative responses to these four questions and send it to the Instructor Exchange coordinator as a Word document through the Instructor Exchange Forum or use the online form here.

You will need one application for each exchange (e.g., One application form for a set of three or four instructional hours or for each stand alone hour in different courses.)

NOTE:  This application is to be filled out by each instructor who is offering guest lecture in a host class.

Once your application is reviewed by the Instructor Exchange Committee Chair (currently Tad Kato, Ph.D.), the IECommittee Chair will circulate the proposal among the committee members and then submit it to the Center for Teaching Excellence with the coordinator's endorsement for the proposal.  Subsequently, the Center for Teaching Excellence will process the payment as a direct deposit.

Requirements

  1. Instructional Hours

    Stipend is available for the maximum of four instructional hours per instructor per semester.
     
  2. Not to be used as "class-coverage"

    Instructor Exchange should not be used as a class-coverage for your days of absence.  Therefore, each instructor is encouraged to be present for the days of exchange when your collaborating instructor is teaching your class.  If such a presence is impossible for any reason, instructors will need to exchange thorough information on the contents of guest lectures by the collaborating instructors so that you will be fully aware of how the lectures by visiting professors can be organically integrated into your course materials.

Stipends

Stipends for developing an Instructor Exchange depend on the number of instructional hours taught in the colleagues' classes.  At $50.00 per hour, the recommended 3-hour exchange stipend would be $150.00 per instructor.  The maximum IE stipend is $200.00 per instructor per semester.

Sample Proposals

Recent Exchanges

  • Psychology/History

    Dr. Tad Kato discussed medieval Japanese history and Japanese mentality to a World History class.
     
  • English/Music

    Dr. Judy Byers discussed the elements of Folk Music to a Music Appreciation class.
     
  • Architecture/Biology

    Dr. K. Morphew discussed "green architecture" to an Honors course in Biology.

Instructor Exchange Interest Survey

Instructor Exchange Reimbursement Form

Dr. Tad Kato - Panel Discussion Videos