Did your EALC student submit his DAO letter by Fifth Monday?
When you talked to ATG and ESS about AV support for your lecture in CGIS, did they ask for a 33-digit billing code?
Can I print my paper at the SOCH on my way to the QRAC?
Every university speaks its own language, its own distinctive lexicon full of rapidfire acronyms and well-worn campus shorthand that separates those who are in-the-know from the uninitiated. While Harvard students and administrators have developed ways to pass the accumulated lingo of “Harvard-ese” from one generation of undergraduates to the next, it’s not always clear how the ever-renewing ranks of FAS instructors are meant to become similarly fluent in the local dialect. Visiting professors and lecturers may have only a week or two on campus to master the difference between a teaching assistant, teaching fellow, and a course assistant. Before they know it, they’re fielding student questions about the course information portal known as “my.harvard,” at a time when their new campus still feels like anything but their.harvard.
That’s where the Bok Center comes in. Every fall the Bok staff are among the first members of the campus community to greet visiting faculty, whether through the New Faculty Institute and Navigating Harvard orientations organized by the Office of Faculty Affairs, or through word-of-mouth referrals from department chairs and directors of administration. Among our first priorities is to help the newest members of our teaching faculty adjust to the teaching culture in the FAS—to answer their questions about Harvard’s byzantine customs and let them know that they’re not alone as they learn to navigate the many procedures and offices that give shape to the curriculum.
To take but one example: for the last several years, Chloe Chapin, Assistant Director of Course Development, and other members of the Bok Center’s faculty-facing team have worked with the incoming Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Visiting Professors of Australian Studies—including Katherine Gibson (2021, WGS), Jennifer Biddle (2023, Anthropology), Katie Holmes (2023–2024, History), and Brenda Croft (2024, HAA / AFVS)—to help them onboard into teaching at Harvard. A few of these visiting scholars offered their reflection on working with the Bok Center:
“The Bok Center offered wonderful support for on-boarding as a Professor who would launch into undergraduate teaching immediately upon arrival in Cambridge. Adam Beaver gave me invaluable insights into what to expect from Harvard students—their level of commitment, seriousness, willingness to read advanced material, and their demographics and socio-economic background. I arrived attuned to the differences between the student experience in Australia and Harvard. I had the great pleasure of working with Chloe Chapin also prior to arriving to get familiar with the Canvas teaching platform and to discuss pedagogical approaches. We came up with a strategy for engaging students which involved them composing their own PPT slide in relation to the readings and research exercises in google docs prior to class. These slides were then the basis of discussion in class and this worked well to increase participation and include all the voices present. Chloe carefully tutored me in the use of this software and by the end of the semester I was able to master it myself. As a Research Professor for the last 20 years I had missed out on learning to use many of these teaching platforms, so the support the Bok Center provided me was fantastic. I came away from my year at Harvard with many new teaching skills that I have been able to deploy in other ventures such as postgraduate summer school teaching. The Bok Center promotes engaged and participatory learning that aims for the highest standards of content delivery and comprehension. I was very pleased to find a willing collaborator in developing peer learning approaches and ways of freeing the students to explore and experiment with unfamiliar research and writing techniques.”
“Chloe Chapin provided invaluable assistance for my visiting professorship at Harvard, from pre-arrival onboarding; to syllabus design and learning objectives; Canvas and HOLLIS navigation; key contacts and resource infrastructure, to insider advise on classroom dynamics, pedagogy and protocol. Her practical and applied knowledge base is broad and dexterous, including speed (!) and generosity of delivery.”
“Chloe Chapin has been an essential guide for all things teaching, learning and Harvard. She has lead me through the intricacies of setting up a Canvas site, advised on course design, assessment exercises, pedagogy, and Harvard teaching protocols. She has linked me up with key contacts in the Museums and Libraries who have in turn enriched the class experience. This combination of practical advice and cultural insights has been invaluable. Chloe has also been a joy to work with.”
The Bok Center has a number of online resources for teaching—anything from designing new courses to classroom practices to assessments. We also offer a range of partnership opportunities for faculty for thinking through new ideas for courses, or helping you navigate the unique benefits—and complexities—of teaching at Harvard. Being new Harvard faculty can mean you’re brand new to the practice of teaching and have questions about every aspect—and it can also mean you have decades of teaching experience, but could use a primer in adjusting to life at Harvard. Either way, the Bok Center welcomes you to come talk to us about your teaching needs!