Teaching improvement: exploring the "hidden" resources available in your department, college, or campus: a University of Florida example

Increased emphasis and changing expectations toward improving instruction in Colleges in Agriculture have lead to a renewed interest in teaching excellence. This article examines numerous factors and forces which are contributing to this renewed in teaching and learning. It concludes with a discussion of the development of a Teaching Resource Center (TRC) within the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida. The TRC serves many functions, such as, program development to support the instructional process, individual faculty consultation, information dissemination and support of participation in regional and national workshops on teaching improvement. The TRC represents a replicable model for enhancing instruction in Colleges of Agriculture.