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Center for Teaching Excellence

Teaching Resources

Teaching Scholars Workshops and Seminars: CTE offers seminars, workshops, and conferences on instructional methodologies, strategies, and issues.

  • cross disciplinary and disciplinary based
  • one time, 3-5 session, semester long, and 2-week summer seminars
  • delivery models: lectures, mixed presentations and discussion, seminars, group discussions, case studies, guest speakers, observations
  • typical topics: critical thinking, active learning, testing, collaborative learning, diversity in the classroom, faith and learning, writing across the curriculum, student management teams, gender issues in the classroom, effective lecturing, syllabi construction, instructional technology, electronic conferencing, internet, classroom research, balancing research and teaching, peer review, mentoring, service learning
  • special programming:
    • featured faculty
    • students speak
    • book/article reviews

Focused Program Strands

  • multicultural issues
  • writing across the curriculum
  • assessment of student learning
  • evaluation of teaching formative: purpose to assess the effectiveness of specific practices and identify areas for improvement or development, should be voluntary, non-judgmental, collaborative, ongoing, and confidential summative: purpose to arrive at broad judgments of teaching effectiveness to allow comparisons among faculty and to use for personnel decisions teaching evaluations: (not the same as student evaluations) teaching portfolios, peer review, self-evaluation
  • interdisciplinary issues
  • instructional technology: uses and/or development
  • conflict resolution and mediation of faculty/students/staff

Individual Consultations: CTE offers assistance to faculty for:

  • promoting student involvement and active learning
  • creating helpful instructional materials
  • improving classroom assessment techniques
  • identifying and resolving classroom difficulties.
  • consulting on topics such as syllabi, lecturing, testing, student evaluations
  • SGID (Small Group Instructional Diagnosis) – mid-semester program used for individual professors, new courses, programs
  • videotapes of teaching and follow-up consultations
  • classroom observation and follow-up consultations

This is a confidential service.

Mentoring Programs: CTE organizes and directs two mentoring programs:

  • a year-long program for new faculty members to establish a one-on-one professional relationship with a senior faculty member
  • two faculty members would apply for and be selected to receive 12 units of reassigned time for a year appointment at the Center

Research and Publication Support: CTE supports faculty members' efforts to disseminate information about their research and practice in teaching and learning. Staff will assist faculty members in writing grants, editing proposals, and manuscripts.

Orientation Programs: CTE staff will offer:

  • yearly new faculty workshops
  • yearly adjunct faculty workshops

Faculty Interest Inventories: CTE will conduct periodic surveys and maintain a database containing information that can be:

  • used as a needs assessment and source of faculty expertise
  • adapted for use by public information to respond to inquiries

Reading Groups: CTE will promote reading groups by:

  • purchasing the chosen book if three or more faculty members from at least two different divisions select a teaching/learning book to read and organize sessions (on-line or in person) to discuss the readings.

Disseminate Materials on Teaching and Learning: CTE will:

  • research materials on request
  • house, maintain, and display current books, article reprints, newsletters, videotapes and other resource materials on teaching and learning.

Administer Grants and Awards: CTE will periodically Call for Proposals and award funds for:

  • teaching grants to experiment with new methods
  • research grants, particularly about teaching
  • travel grants: attendance at conferences
  • faculty/student collaboration grants, often focused on research or public service
  • assessment grants: to help departments develop assessment methods and address related curricular and instructional goals
  • minority enhancement grants: e.g. release time for new minority faculty to finish dissertations
  • book study grants: to buy and integrate books on teaching
  • technology-based teaching grants
  • instructional equipment grants
  • teaching awards/research awards
  • counseling and advising awards

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