The Office of Teaching and Learning Advancement (OTLA) invites all first- and second-year faculty to join in a discussion of issues important to teaching and professional growth in its annual spring Alpha/Beta Seminar beginning Feb. 13.

Discussions will center on the book "The Missing Professor: An Academic Mystery," a text that blends a mystery novel with a case study of life in higher education. The book is fewer than 150 pages, and each chapter serves as an informal case study for important issues in higher education, such as faculty roles, student incivility, peer review of teaching, classroom research and academic freedom.

Discussion questions for each chapter will help guide conversations as needed, as will the interests of those participating in the group discussions.

The seminar will be spread over five weeks — Feb. 13 through March 20 — and multiple groups will be offered to meet faculty members' different scheduling needs. 

To register for the seminar, visit www.bsu.edu/otla/ab2006reg.htm. For more information, contact OTLA at 285-1763 or tla@bsu.edu.