Prof. Hal White to share lessons, reflections from 40-plus years at UD

1:28 p.m., Nov. 21, 2014--Hal White, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Delaware, will share stories and reflections from his more than 40 years at UD at the "Last Workshop," scheduled from 3:30-5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5, in the new Faculty Commons, 116 Pearson Hall, 

At the event, UD faculty and staff will honor White, who plans to retire in January.  

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June 5: Blue Hen 5K

University of Delaware graduates planning to attend Alumni Weekend are encouraged to register for the annual Blue Hen 5K walk and run, which will be held Sunday morning, June 5.

June 6-9: Food and culture series

The 20th annual June Lecture Series at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UD in Wilmington will be held June 6-9. Titled 'June a la Carte,' this year's program focuses on great political documents, feminism, world politics and a Newark cuisine sampler.

• June 6-9: Food and culture series
• Through June 30: 'Saving White Clay Creek'
• July 22: WWE Heatwave Tour
• Through Sept. 16: Women of color in academia

White has been recognized many times for his teaching and service, including being named the 2013 Delaware Professor of the Year and an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow. In addition to his active research portfolio, teaching and mentoring, White helped found UD’s Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education (ITUE), served as the interim director of the Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning (CTAL) and chaired CTAL’s Faculty Advisory Board. 

After collaborating with White over the years discussing pedagogy, problem based learning and supporting the evaluation of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute grants, CTAL personnel said they believe he exemplifies what it means to be a reflective teaching practitioner. 

According to George Watson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, “Hal has demonstrated his genuine commitment to active learning and student engagement in many ways over his career, both on campus through ITUE and on the national platform through his leadership of the HHMI project at UD. We’ve learned so much from Hal, who’s built a strong brand as a reflective practitioner."

White comes from a family of teachers, and he came to his faculty position at UD knowing that in the sciences, people are expected to be teachers but they are not necessarily trained to be teachers. White has trained himself to be a reflective teacher and mentored others to do the same. Workshop attendees will be able to think about what strategies they, too, can implement to become more reflective about their own teaching. 

This event is sponsored by Academic Technology Services, CTAL and ITUE. A reception will be held immediately afterward.

All UD faculty, staff and graduate students are welcome. Those planning to attend are asked to email CTAL-info@udel.edu.

Upcoming events

During Winter Session, all are invited to the Winter Faculty Institute, sponsored by ITUE from Wednesday through Friday, Feb. 4-6.  Participants will develop skills related to project based learning, design based learning and studio based learning.

During the spring semester, the following roundtable events are scheduled from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the Faculty Commons (116 Pearson Hall):

• March 6:  Holding students in large classes accountable for reading, a hands-on workshop facilitated by Melissa Ianetta, director of the University Writing Center;

• April 10: Working with groups and teams in large classes, facilitated by Mark Serva, associate professor of accounting and MIS; and 

• May 1: Sharing student work and encouraging peer review in large classes (posters papers, portfolios), facilitated by Deborah Allen and Martha Carothers, both directors of the Center for Educational Effectiveness, and others. 

Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson