Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence Offers Consultation, Faculty Professional Development

Staff from the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) are available at any time during the year for consultation on teaching topics, instruction and questions. Consultation is available by email, Zoom and in person. CTLE staff are also available to provide brief presentations to departments about different teaching techniques. Recent topics covered in consultations with faculty include deepening learning in group work; engaging students more in class; re-entry to the new conditions of teaching; building community in the classroom; increasing inclusive teaching practices; and responsive ways to assess student learning. For more information or to request a consultation, contact CTLE@syr.edu.

For Fall 2021, CTLE is offering the following faculty professional development opportunities:

Disrupting Academic Bullying

Wednesday, Sept. 29 from noon-1:30 p.m.

(Session will be held on Zoom. Follow the link above to register)

Bryan J. Hanson, ombudsperson in the Graduate School at Virginia Tech will address the complex nature of academic bullying. The workshop will develop a shared understanding of the definitions and attributes associated with academic bullying. Interactive exercises and case study analysis will equip participants with the skills to address peer to peer and other forms of bullying. Participants will also learn intervention strategies to apply when they observe bullying.

Focus on Teaching and Learning:  Lunch and Learn Series

This series offers timely topics in an efficient, lunchtime format:

Pandemic Teaching and Learning Strategies:  What Do We Keep and Why Do We Keep It?

Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, noon-1:30 p.m.

(Session will be held on Zoom.  Follow the link above to register)

Join a facilitated dialogue with colleagues centered around the questions:

• What teaching-related experiences from the pandemic should inform how we approach teaching and learning this fall?
• What is our rationale?

Getting the Most Out of Mid-Course Feedback

September/October

Asynchronous (session materials available here)

Requesting and responding to student feedback are integral to creating engaging educational experiences. Students are best at voicing what it’s like to be a learner in your course and what small changes you can make midway to deepen their learning. Learn more about how the CTLE can assist you in gathering and using student feedback, as well as how you can use the University’s course feedback platform, EvaluationKIT, to gather input from your students.

I’ve got mid-course feedback: What do I do with it?

Wednesday, Oct. 13 and Thursday, Oct. 14, 2:15-3:15 p.m.

Hall of Languages 500

(Follow the links above to register)

Mid-course student feedback is powerful. Sometimes it is powerfully good. Sometimes it is a little anxiety-producing. Would you like to learn from what students are telling you without the angst? Join colleagues in a session where you read and reflect on student feedback privately and share and discuss possible course adjustments together in space and time. Participants will follow a guide for analyzing the feedback, reflecting on it and planning how to use it to enhance student learning as the course continues. CTLE and Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment (IEA) staff will be available to help you in this process. This session is offered twice to accommodate teaching schedules.

Other Offerings

 ‘I write’ Faculty Groups

This group is designed for people who answer yes to these questions:

• Do you benefit from having regular interactions with colleagues about your writing?
• Does thinking aloud with a colleague help you write?
• Are you motivated by setting specific goals, writing them down and reporting on your progress?
• Are you likely to write more if you plan times in your calendar for writing, use a timer and minimize distractions?

“I write” combines the benefits of a small biweekly accountability group with regularly blocked writing times. Register through the link above or contact Laurel Willingham-McLain (lwilling@syr.edu) for more information.

Engaging Students In Assessment

Offered in partnership with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment

Friday, Nov. 5, noon-1:30 p.m.

(Session will be held on Zoom.  Follow the link above to register)

Capturing student voices and providing opportunities for students to actively participate in the assessment process is mutually beneficial to both faculty and students. In this session, we will explore the benefits and strategies of engaging students in the assessment process.

Faculty Writing Communities

CTLE and the Humanities Center are partnering to create Faculty Writing Communities. Some sessions will be held on Microsoft Teams; some may be in-person; some on Zoom.  Syracuse University faculty can participate in the Writing Teams group (blocked writing time only) by registering here.  For more information about other, contact Timur Hammond (twhammond@syr.edu).