Teaching Challenges and Resilience

Last year we polled our teaching community about how the pandemic was changing the way we teach. The responses were heartening and many great strategies and ideas were shared. This year we hoped to be back to normal, but the "new normal" has not been without difficulties of its own. Instructors from all across campus (and beyond) have noted new challenges. What challenges are you facing in the classroom this semester? What new measures are you taking in response? How are you keeping your spirits and resilience up? Let us know by responding to this poll. We will share out results in a few weeks!

New Book Club Selection

The CTE sponsors a book club discussion on a teaching and learning related title at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semester. Register early to receive a free copy of the book and reserve your spot.

The End of Average: Unlocking Our Potential By Embracing What Makes Us Different Wednesday, January 12th 3PM (Zoom) Are you above average? Is your child an A student? Is your employee an introvert or an extrovert? Every day we are measured against the "average person," judged according to how closely we resemble the average--or how far we exceed it. The assumption that average-based yardsticks like academic GPAs, personality tests, and annual performance reviews reveal something meaningful about our ability is so ingrained in our consciousness that we never question it. But this assumption, argues Harvard scientist Todd Rose, is spectacularly wrong. (Publisher's Description)

Upcoming Workshops

Taxonomies of Learning Friday November 19, 10-11:30AM Online via Zoom As instructors we want to ensure that our students leave our classes having learned something. However, how well do we measure what was actually learned? We want our students to be able to do things like think critically or solve problems, but how do we assess that? Our accrediting bodies demand evidence that our students are meeting particular outcomes, but how do we really know if they are doing so? In this workshop we will learn about tools called taxonomies of learning that allow us to formulate questions and measure outcomes across a variety of domains. We will use multiple taxonomies of learning to create questions and think deeply about what we want our students to learn and how we can make sure that they are learning. Finally we will use taxonomies of learning to think beyond a single course and map outcomes for entire curricula.

Spring Workshop Calendar Coming Soon!