Center for Excellence in
Teaching and Learning
"Put learning as the focus as opposed to the teaching as a focus."
Ian Wolf on the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast #222
The following is an essay about why Faculty Development is an essential component of a healthy university.
Professional Faculty Development: The Necessary Fourth Leg
Academic Affairs Pandemic Information - link
Book CluB
This semester we will be reading Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education by Thomas J. Tobin and Kirsten T. Behling (ISBN: 978-1-946684-60-8).
Advocates for the rights of people with disabilities have worked hard to make universal
design in the built environment “just part of what we do.” We no longer see curb cuts,
for instance, as accommodations for people with disabilities, but perceive their usefulness
every time we ride our bikes or push our strollers through crosswalks. This is also
a perfect model for Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework grounded in the
neuroscience of why, what, and how people learn. Tobin and Behling show that, although
it is often associated with students with disabilities, UDL can be profitably broadened
toward a larger ease-of-use and general diversity framework. Captioned instructional
videos, for example, benefit learners with hearing impairments but also the student
who worries about waking her young children at night or those studying on a noisy
team bus. Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone is aimed at faculty members, faculty-service staff, disability support providers,
student-service staff, campus leaders, and graduate students who want to strengthen
the engagement, interaction, and performance of all college students. It includes
resources for readers who want to become UDL experts and advocates: real-world case
studies, active-learning techniques, UDL coaching skills, micro- and macro-level UDL-adoption
guidance, and use-them-now resources.
Email cetl@atu.edu if you would like to participate in the book club.
UPCOMING eVENTS
Mon. Oct. 5 - Hybrid and Online Learning, Dr. Eric K. Leonard, Henkel Family Chair in International
Affairs, Professor of Political Science, Shenandoah University, 12:00-1:00 pm, live
online seminar
Webex link will be sent by email closer to the webinar.
Summer 2020 Professional development series
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) is sponsoring a summer professional development series. This will consist of short videos and other resources released weekly that will cover a variety of topics about teaching, wellness, leadership, and technology. These videos will be useful for both faculty and staff. Click on the following link to access the series: https://www.atu.edu/cetl/summerpd2020.php.
Monday Morning Mentor Series
The Monday Morning Mentor series delivers one of Magna Publications' popular 20-Minute Mentor programs once a week for 16 weeks in the fall, 16 weeks in the spring.
Week in and week out, these programs, presented by respected academic peers, cover timely and relevant topics in only 20 minutes—long enough to provide actionable insights, but short enough to fit anyone’s schedule.
Monday Morning Mentor packs an impressive amount of practical information into a fast, focused format that covers traditional & online teaching as well as administrative issues. Each video is brief enough to fit busy schedules, but long enough to deliver valuable, actionable content. In only 20 minutes, a critical topic that affects the higher education landscape is effectively and efficiently covered, leaving you with actionable insights and information to take back to your campus.
For more information on how to access the content check the Arkansas Tech CETL Blackboard page.
Faculty and STaff WEll-Being Events
The ATU Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is not only concerned with the in-classroom experiences of educators, but also the out-of-classroom experiences. Here at the Faculty and Staff Well-Being events page we have compiled a list of events designed to help our teachers relax, grow, and experience new things.
VISION
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) promotes student success through a culture of excellence in teaching and learning.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) is to encourage, support, and enhance teaching effectiveness. CETL fosters faculty growth through active sharing of best practices.
