Table Of Content—continued from front flap— PPPPPPPPPrrrrrrraaaaaaaiiiiiisssssssseeeeeeeee  fffffffffooooooooorrrrrrrr   Inspired College 
W
Inspired College  E Teaching
I
M
Only by being truly involved can faculty  Teaching
E Inspired College
undertake the transformative activities that 
R
result in vibrant, invigorated teaching. 
Good teaching requires a lot from teachers: 
Inspired College Teaching is the hands-on 
resource that can help faculty understand and  “The thoughtfulness, personalization, and consideration Maryellen Weimer demon- I Teaching emotional energy, the will to keep caring, intel-
plan for all that it takes to sustain teaching  strates in discussing the experience of faculty members; her ability to identify issues  n lectual stamina, creative approaches, vigilance, 
excellence across a career.  that are shared and solvable; and her suggestions and solutions to commonly experi- perseverance to fi nd the way back from failure, 
s
enced stressors and diffi culties in college teaching are major strengths of this volume.  and faith in the power of feedback to promote 
In addition, her personal and professional refl ections on her long career as a faculty  p learning.
member, writer, and faculty developer expose tantalizing research questions that young  i
education researchers might want to examine. The originality of this volume is its ex- r In this groundbreaking work, Maryellen Weimer, 
ploration of and refl ection on a faculty member’s career from a long-term perspective.  e acclaimed education author, experienced college 
The focus on iterative self and course renewal is personal and thus practical. In a way, it  d teacher, and editor of The Teaching Professor, 
is a ‘workshop between book covers’ or perhaps several workshops!”  posits that the growth and development of a 
  A Career-Long Resource for Professional Growth
— Laura L. B. Border, director, Graduate Teacher Program and Collaborative  C college teacher should be seen as a journey and 
The Author
  Preparing Future Faculty Network, University of Colorado at Boulder shows how this career-long quest can be just as 
o exciting as its destination. 
  “A book by Maryellen Weimer always displays her wonderful grasp of the literature on  l
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college teaching and learning, her ability to tell good stories, and her wit and wisdom.  l Inspired College Teaching reveals what faculty 
e
This one is no exception.”  at all levels (beginning, mid-career, and senior) 
has more than thirty years of experience teach- —Nancy Van Note Chism, professor, Indiana University School of Education,  g are best positioned to accomplish as teachers. 
ing college. She was the director of the Instruc-   Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis e It proposes activities that faculty can use across 
tional Development Program at Pennsylvania  their careers to awaken their intellectual curios-
 
State University for ten years and served as  “Although I work at a faculty teaching center and encounter many books on teaching, I  T ity, develop instructional prowess, and keep alive 
associate director at the National Center on  have seen very few that span the full arc of the teaching career and what steps can be  e the motivation to teach with passion. 
Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assess- taken at each stage in order to retain vitality all the way through the way that this book 
a
ment. She is the editor of The Teaching Profes- does. I look forward to getting my own copy and using it as a resource in the faculty  Filled with wisdom and a healthy dose of wit, 
sor, a monthly newsletter on college teaching,  development activities of my center. It will have a wide readership.”  c Inspired College Teaching puts the spotlight 
and she is the author of numerous books, includ- —Mano Singham, University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education,  h on how faculty can best use Weimer’s tested 
ing Learner-Centered Teaching and Enhancing    Case Western Reserve University improvement process. Step by step, she shows 
i
Scholarly Work on Teaching and Learning, both  n how to select changes, how to adapt them, 
from Jossey-Bass.  how to implement them, how to assess their 
Jacket design: Michael Rutkowski HIGHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT g effects, how to revise them, and when to infuse 
these changes elsewhere in the classroom. This 
method rests on Weimer’s premise that faculty 
can and should play the central role in their own 
www.josseybass.com
Maryellen Weimer
improvement process. 
—continued on back flap—
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Inspired College 
Teaching
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Inspired College 
Teaching
A Career-Long Resource for 
Professional Growth
Maryellen Weimer
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Copyright © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by Jossey-Bass
A Wiley Imprint
989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741—www.josseybass.com
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or 
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, 
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& Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or 
online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Readers should be aware that Internet Web sites offered as citations and/or sources for 
further information may have changed or disappeared between the time this was written 
and when it is read.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used 
their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with 
respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifi cally 
disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fi tness for a particular purpose. No 
warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. 
The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You 
should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author 
shall be liable for any loss of profi t or any other commercial damages, including but not 
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Jossey-Bass books and products are available through most bookstores. To contact 
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Weimer, Maryellen, 1947–
    Inspired college teaching : a career-long resource for professional 
growth / Maryellen Weimer.
      p.  cm.—(The Jossey-Bass higher and adult education series)
    Includes bibliographical references and index.
    ISBN 978-0-7879-8771-8 (cloth)
  1. College teaching–United States.  2. Effective teaching–United 
States.  3. College teachers–Professional relationships–United States. 
4. College teachers–In-service training–United States.  I. Title.
    LB2331.W385  2010
    378.1′25—dc22
2009051938
Printed in the United States of America
fi rst edition
HB Printing  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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The Jossey-Bass Higher and
Adult Education Series
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Contents
Preface  xi
About the Author  xxi
1.  Principles for the Professional Growth of 
College Teachers  1
2.  Refl ection for Growth and Change  23
3.  Rewriting the End-of-Course Ratings Story  49
4.  Feedback for Teachers That Improves Learning 
for Students  75
5.  Colleagues as Collaborators  105
6.  Implementing Change Successfully  129
7.  New Faculty: Beliefs That Prevent and 
Promote Growth  149
8.  Maintaining Instructional Vitality: The 
Midcareer Challenge  173
9.  The Journey Continues: Senior Faculty  199
10.  Conclusion  219
References  223
Index  235
vii
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Description:Directed towards college faculty, Inspired College Teaching challenges teachers to be responsible for their professional growth and development as an ongoing, career-long quest. Written by an experienced college teacher and editor of The Teaching Professor newsletter, this source explores the journe