What Graduate Coursework in Higher Education is Available?

The below graduate coursework offerings are seven-week, one-credit courses. In Spring 2023, graduate coursework in higher education includes ALS 6015: The Practice of Teaching in Higher Education and ALS 6016: Assessment in Higher Education.  

The Practice of Teaching in Higher Education (ALS 6015)

For the foreseeable future, higher education faces grand challenges that will call upon those in faculty positions to demonstrate a commitment to innovation, diversity, evidence-based teaching, assessment of student learning, and educational technology. This seven week, one-credit course addresses selected aspects of these challenges to better prepare current and future instructors (i.e., graduate students, teaching assistants, and post-doctoral fellows) in higher education. Course activities and assignments will allow for the exploration of learning theory, as well as the practical application of instructional design, technology, and assessment frameworks. 

Assessment in Higher Education (ALS 6016)

The assessment of student learning is a critical skill set for faculty at U.S. colleges and universities. Too often, faculty members have little to no exposure to this important topic until they begin their academic teaching careers. This seven-week, one-credit course—a complement to ALS 6015: The Practice of Teaching in Higher Education—addresses topics including: principles and frameworks of assessment, course-based assessment methods and technologies, curricular integration of assessment, and social and political issues in assessment.

Theater Techniques for Enhancing Teaching and Public Speaking (ALS 6014)

This seven-week course uses theater techniques to help graduate students enhance their classroom teaching and public speaking in both formal and informal environments. Using the storytelling and character-development techniques of theatrical improvisation, participants will build decision-making skills and their ability to think creatively under pressure through engaging exercises. Participants will design and present a short talk as a final presentation.

Who Can Participate?

Graduate students who are currently teaching and preparing for a faculty position in higher education at Cornell.

Desired Outcomes

Theater Techniques for Enhancing Teaching and Public Speaking 

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify theater strategies for enhancing classroom teaching and public speaking in formal and informal settings.
• Utilize and practice improvisational techniques to think creatively under pressure and to project confidence and respect for diverse perspectives.
• Apply storytelling techniques to communicate discipline-specific content more effectively and in a more engaging manner.
• Design and present a short lesson or talk that includes a rationale for how the lesson or talk was constructed around learning outcomes, the theater or public speaking principles applied, and methods for assessing student/audience engagement and learning.
• Integrate story arcs into presentations and lesson planning.
• Describe research on the use of theater techniques for enhancing teaching including how using theater techniques works to build more inclusive classes.
• Demonstrate evidence of reflective practice and learning through a web-based portfolio.

The Practice of Teaching in Higher Education 

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe major theories of how people learn
• Apply learning theory and instructional design principles to enhance instructional practice 
• Build knowledge and skill in the assessment of student learning
• Identify strategies for creating and sustaining inclusive environments for learning
• Identify uses of educational technology to facilitate student success
• Develop a collection of networks and resources to learn of ongoing discipline-specific educational research and professional development opportunities

Assessment in Higher Education 

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Distinguish between (class, course, and program) levels of assessment 
• Articulate learning outcomes at the course level
• Apply and use assessment techniques and technologies that are appropriate for the learning outcomes of any given course
• Develop “pedagogical content knowledge” (i.e. match teaching and assessment strategies to specific subject matter)
• Integrate assessment into course curricula
• Define the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) in context