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"As an adjunct faculty member teaching mathematics for 13 years I often felt isolated and not valued. I was afraid to share my ideas because I felt that I would not be taken seriously. My participation in the SoTLScholars Program took that fear away. I found the community we created together to be both empowering and liberating. So much so that I reached out to another faculty member in the Theater department, to team teach a new developmental learning community using my SoTL project, 'Math Monologues'." ~ Gail Hilyard

"The best thing about my COPPER experience was that it gave me the opportunity to work with others outside of my subject discipline. I have always known how much we have in common; the surprise was how much we could learn from each other." ~ Paulette Smith On Your Mark, Get Ready, Publish!

"Over the past several years, I have been a participant in many of the Reflective Practices activities available at NECC, including Teaching in Community and the Learning Communities initiative. I began SoTL knowing that I could conduct research on a topic that interested me and I would get guidance and feedback from a supportive group of colleagues." ~ Barbara Stachniewicz Creating Community in an Online Classroom

"One of the goals in my Copper project was to challenge the students, through an interdisciplinary approach to artmaking, to think broadly about the expressive power of art. I knew that I would be asking them to stretch themselves to take risks and consider the creative process in ways that were new and unfamiliar to them. However, I had no idea how challenging it would be for me as a teacher, how much I would learn from the students, and how I would reflect on my teaching in fresh ways." ~Caitlin Corbett

"Participation in our Communities of Practice group has dramatically stimulated the open exchange of innovative ideas and even a willingness to share our 'oops!' moments, which has in turn enhanced my own teaching skills. Equally important, the development of mutual trust through shared experiences has inspired a true collegiality, a 'community' of teachers and scholars focused on strengthening our professional qualifications. It's a monthly meeting we actually look forward to and want to attend! How cool is that?" ~ Robert Lewallen

"My work with the Middlesex Carnegie Group and COPPER Cluster has had a great effect on my professional development both as an instructor and college leader. Because of discussions in our Middlesex Carnegie Group, I reflect much more on what I do in the classroom, whether it be making my syllabus more inviting or incorporating active learning into my classes. For the past three years, I have helped organize the Summer Institute for our COPPER Cluster. It has been very gratifying to bring together faculty from area colleges to discuss SoTL. We have had very positive feedback on these conferences. I always take the noise-level of the luncheon conversations as proof that the Institutes are a success." ~Jessie Klein Using Case Studies to Engage Biology Students

"As an historian with a specialty in immigration and ethnicity, I have years of training in critical race theory. Being on such a diverse campus, however, made me realize that there is often a profound disconnect between the worlds of teaching and of scholarship. It is one thing to have the training and to operate intellectually with colleagues, but it's another thing to walk into a classroom that's 85-90 percent students of color and try to work with a syllabus or a textbook that reflects traditional pedagogies of teaching American History. The nature of my courses meant that I was teaching constantly about issues around race and diversity, and those topics were evoking strong and unexpected conversations in the classroom. The SoTL diversity group at Pine Manor was great because it gave me a cohort, a community to talk to. Together, we shared those challenging - and exciting moments - and reflected on how to shift our lenses to become more effective teachers. And learners." ~Kristen Petersen