LEARNING TOGETHER: CLERK OF FACULTY MARIA ROSALES

Maria Rosales is a Professor of Political Science at Guilford College and the previous Director of Faculty Development for the Center for Principled Problem Solving and Excellence in Teaching. In March, Maria took on the role of Clerk of Faculty, which was previously held by Jim Hood '79.

How has teaching changed during the pandemic?

Before the pandemic, I was on campus a lot for teaching and research and meetings with students and colleagues. A key part of teaching for me is getting to know students so that we can build a community of learning together. I had enough experience and knowledge from my years of teaching and reading about how people learn that it felt relatively straightforward to me most of the time.

Then the pandemic came, and I was not only learning how to move those practices online, but also trying to help my colleagues learn how to do this. I would be reading a book about online teaching the same week I was cofacilitating a workshop on the topic.

My skills in online teaching have improved already, especially when I remind myself that my goals and the basic principles remain the same, just in a very different setting. So it is about modifying and adjusting more than about starting from scratch. And I take student feedback seriously, which has been helping me learn along the way.

How have you supported the faculty during this time?

I was part of a small group of people who quickly put together workshops and discussions to help faculty transition to teaching online. We also held virtual office hours and had consultations to work with faculty one-on-one. As time pressured as the situation was, I enjoyed getting to talk with my colleagues about what they were teaching and how they were approaching remote learning. I also learn better when I talk through what I am learning, so these opportunities improved my own online teaching.

Starting in March, I became the incoming Clerk of the Faculty, while I was also the outgoing Director of Faculty Development. [This meant] I got to be part of policy discussion that directly affected the choices faculty were able to make during the spring. And of course I was teaching myself, which influenced my thinking.

As Clerk of the Faculty, my goal is to help faculty collectively refine and articulate our ideas. That means I am trying to listen carefully, to notice areas of agreement and disagreement, and to be open to possibilities.

Thanks to Dan and Beth Mosca, we received a significant gift to the Endowment for the Center for Principled Problem Solving for faculty development. What makes Guilford's faculty unique?

Guilford College faculty, like the staff who work here, give deeply of themselves. They want their students to have what they need to excel. We work closely with students on projects, we try to get to know students as whole people and we are excited to share with our students why learning our subjects is difficult but worthwhile.

What is your impression of this year's first-year students?

I enjoyed getting to know students in my Initiate class! They made me laugh every class at some point. And I was impressed by how encouraging they were of each other's work.

What would you like to tell Guilford alumni?

Guilford has been going through a hard time lately, with financial problems coinciding with the pandemic. The professors and staff who work here are keeping the heart of Guilford beating. We are so proud to see you out in the world doing meaningful work, and we would love to work with you to share your experiences with current students.