Published by Communications and Public Affairs 519 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338

News Release

October 27, 2005

Penn State Prof is 2005 Distinguished Visiting Teaching Professor

The 2005 Distinguished Visiting Teaching Professor at the University of Guelph is Maryellen Weimer, an associate professor of teaching and learning at Penn State University. She will visit campus Nov. 6 to 9, meeting and speaking with faculty, staff and students about the art of teaching.

On Nov. 7, Weimer will present a workshop titled “Scholarship of Teaching” at 9:30 a.m. in the Florence Partridge Room, located on the third floor of the McLaughlin Library. Register online or contact Trevor Holmes, Teaching Support Services’ educational development associate at (519) 824-4120, Ext. 52963.

Weimer will also deliver a public lecture on “Learner-Centred Teaching” at 2 p.m. in Room 100 of Massey Hall. She will also facilitate a workshop for new faculty Nov. 8 at 12:30 p.m. in Room 125 of Day Hall and a workshop for graduate teaching assistants at 4 p.m. in Room 109 of Rozanski Hall.

“She manages to marry years of experience in the field of university teaching and learning theory with a down-to-earth, genuine approach,” said Holmes. “She is someone who practises what she preaches and the results are inspiring.”

Weimer earned a PhD in speech communications from Penn State in 1981 and spent the next decade directing the university’s instructional development program. She later became associate director of the National Centre on Post-secondary Teaching, Learning and Assessment, a U.S. Department of Education research and development centre that was part of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at Penn State. In 1994, she became a full-time faculty member at the Berks Lehigh Valley College of Penn State, where she teaches communications courses.

Weimer has numerous publications to her credit, including articles in referred journals, book chapters, book reviews and conference presentations, and has previously served on the editorial boards of three journals. She has also consulted with more than 200 post-secondary institutions on instructional issues and edited or written eight books, including one devoted to faculty development and another on teaching for new faculty. Her latest title, Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice, was published in 2002. She is currently writing a book on pedagogical scholarship and is editor-in-chief of the Teaching Professor newsletter.

Weimer will be available by appointment Nov. 9 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. for anyone interested in speaking with her about teaching. To schedule a meeting, contact Julia Beswick at (519) 824-4120, Ext. 58902.

The Distinguished Visiting Teaching Professor program was created in 2002 to recognize and highlight the theory, practice and scholarship of teaching by bringing a notable and respected teacher to campus each year to spend several days interacting with faculty, students and staff. Developed to complement the teaching excellence of U of G’s 3M Fellows, the program is intended to focus especially on the scholarship of teaching.