About CLASP:
The Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy (CLASP), a project of the Bard College Institute for Writing & Thinking (IWT), works with faculty and institutions in the Open Society University Network (OSUN) to promote student-centered teaching methods, writing-based teaching, and experiential learning.
About the CLASP Fellows Program:
The CLASP Fellows Program is a 2-year professional development opportunity for early to mid-career faculty who show potential for pedagogical leadership within their home institutions. The fellowship runs on a cohort model with 20 fellows in each 2-year cohort. These cohorts of CLASP Fellows will be interdisciplinary, offering the benefit of collaborations across areas of study as well as across campuses. The overarching goal of the CLASP Fellows Program is to develop and foster a commitment to student-centered, writing-rich teaching methods central to LAS education. Each cohort of CLASP Fellows, once trained, will offer intensive workshops intended to continue to support faculty across the network and cultivate a core group of OSUN faculty who will lead blended workshops and collaborate with colleagues across OSUN partner institutions. The training the fellows receive and pass on to the wider faculty at each institution will influence instruction, classroom management and curriculum, as well as assessment and grading. Through faculty, the work of CLASP will also impact thousands of students, involving all in the free exchange of ideas and informed discussion, critical thinking, and problem-solving in the classroom.
Eligibility:
The CLASP Fellows program is aimed at early to mid-career university faculty and administrators who focus on teaching and learning. The fellows program is also restricted to individuals who are based at Open Society University Network (OSUN) partner institutions.
We encourage applications from faculty and administrators who are interested in writing-based student-centered liberal arts pedagogy. The core of this fellowship is a deep exploration of Writing to Learn and Communication Across the Curriculum practices, but no previous experience with these practices is necessary.
Structure & Expectations:
What follows is an outline of yearly activities the first cohort of CLASP Fellows will participate in. All virtual modules involve 3 hours of synchronous work along with 3-6 hours of asynchronous activities.
- Cohort 1 (20 faculty) announced September 30, 2021
Year One (2021-2022):
Module 1: Late October
Module 2: Mid November
Module 3: Early December
In-person Workshop (week-long): January 2022
Module 4: Late February
Module 5: Early April
Module 6: Early June
In-person Workshop (week-long): July 2022 - Year Two (2022-2023):
Module 1: Late September
Module 2: Early November
In-person Workshop (week-long): January 2022
Mentoring and workshop facilitation with Cohort 2
Module 3: Early March
Module 4: Early May
In-person Workshop (week-long): July 2022
Presentation of Teacher Research Capstone Projects
Mentoring and workshop facilitation with Cohort 2
**Following completion of the 2-year program, all CLASP Fellows are expected to organize and facilitate 1 CLASP workshop per semester (open to the entire OSUN network) and offer support on their own campuses.
Benefits:
Upon completion of the 2-year CLASP Fellows Program, faculty will:
- Be eligible to become an IWT CLASP Faculty Associate, a position that offers opportunities to develop and facilitate CLASP workshops for the OSUN network;
- Complete a substantial academic study (in English) of publishable quality and have the opportunity to share research with the broader OSUN community;
- Participate in annual CLASP Fellows gatherings intended to continue to foster the development of innovative pedagogical practices specific to LAS and OSUN;
- Receive a $1000 (USD) stipend in acknowledgment of the work accomplished through participation in the program.
NB! In order to apply, fill out the form before September 17 (inclusive) via the link. While filling out the form you will need to attach your CV and a short letter from a colleague (Rector, Head of the Department, Supervisor, etc.) that supports your participation in the CLASP Fellows Program.