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 12 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 will 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.) that may lead to career advancement.
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 feature peer-to-peer interactions and incorporate different session formats, including 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.