Cornell Veterinary Educators Academy Fellows
The Fellows program provides an opportunity for faculty to develop a professional network of colleagues with similar interests and goals, to learn new approaches to teaching, assessment and curriculum development, and to strengthen their knowledge of pedagogy and contemporary research in health professions education. Based upon a community of practice model, participants commit to working together over a period of months to develop a common framework, vocabulary and shared resources.
A cohort of Fellows comprises up to 9 faculty. Teams from the same institution are welcome. Each identifies a project (or shared project) that relates to their teaching practice, with a time horizon of 5-9 months. Bi-monthly meetings of the Fellows provide opportunities to reflect upon and share their experiences, interact with each other, content experts and program leaders. Projects allow participants to try new approaches with the support of peer mentors and coaches, build relationships with colleagues, and develop artifacts of teaching (i.e. portfolios, publications, etc.).
New Fellows arrive early to an Academy conference for a pre-conference workshop where they present their project ideas and engage in introductory activities. They reconvene at the conclusion of the conference to debrief and discuss next steps. The sessions in subsequent months are held remotely, and incorporate different session formats that include presentations and discussions. Individual faculty members may extend their projects to a full year, or participate in the program more than once, but must commit to completing a full cycle with their cohort.
At the conclusion of their projects, Fellows present the outcomes at a subsequent conference. They will also receive certificates of completion. As members of an ongoing and expanding community of practice, the Fellows continue to gather during subsequent bi-annual conferences, to welcome and support the next cohort of Fellows.
Two cohorts of Fellows are accepted each year. One begins in January, with the goal of completing projects for presentation at the conference in June, and the next cohort starts in June, with the goal of completing projects by the January conference. Applications for the January cohort are due by Dec. 1; applications for the June cohort are due by May 1.