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Center for Teaching Innovation

Teaching Workshops

Upcoming Events

Below, you will find workshops and webinars CTI has produced on teaching strategies and resources. Workshops & events are offered to faculty and graduate students otherwise noted.

Fall 2024 Workshops

November Workshops

Teaching about Climate Change
  • When: Held Monday, November 4, 2024, from 3:00–4:30 p.m., in-person. 
  • Description: Join colleagues experienced and new to explore the how and why of teaching about climate change. Given the diversity of approaches and educational priorities, how are instructors managing the fear and anxiety of the immediate threat, possibilities for action and advocacy, and accurate engagement with climate science? What does cross-discipline engagement look like down to the assignment level? In this workshop, come ready to explore the roles, responsibilities, creativity, teaching challenges and opportunities, and find connections across disciplines for future collaborations.
Grading for Growth: Toward more Humane, Authentic, and Trustworthy Ways to Evaluate Student Work with Robert Talbert. 
  • When: Thursday, November 14, from 1:30–2:30 p.m., in Goldwin Smith Hall, GSH 132. Register for Grading for Growth. 
  • Description: Grading as we know it is significantly broken. The traditional approach involving one-and-done assessment, points, partial credit, and averaging is demotivating for students, demoralizing for faculty, time-consuming, disconnected from science, and of questionable statistical validity. But it is not unchangeable, and in fact there is no better time than now to explore alternatives that prioritize student growth and align better with how humans learn. In this talk, we'll explore the history and issues of traditional grading, propose a framework for "alternative" grading practices, and see how to implement alternative grading without massive requirements of time or energy.

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December Workshops

The Courage to Teach Now: End-of-Semester Reflections
  • When: Wednesday, December 11, 2024, from 12:00–2:00 p.m. in-person. Register for The Courage to Teach Now: End-of-Semester Reflections.
  • Description: The work of teaching and learning takes ongoing courage and humility, and this semester challenged many of us. This listening workshop offers an opportunity to get curious about how we, in our roles as educators, are called to step up in extraordinary times.

    What did you try in your teaching? Have you found it challenging to navigate your responsibilities and role as a scholar and educator given the Israel/Palestine conflict and its impact at the university? Do you find yourself carrying stories, observations, and questions, with no place to set them down?

    This workshop is a place to explore together, to share, listen, and reflect on this semester’s teaching. Responding to difficult moments is challenging. Talking through our approaches with others helps us tolerate uncertainty as we learn from our experiences.
  • Learning outcomes:
    • Identify strategies for building trust and supporting inclusion in the classroom
    • Use an intercultural effectiveness rubric for articulating affective and skills-based relational learning outcomes
  • Warmly and compassionately facilitated. Includes lunch.

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Recent Workshops

Fostering Antiracist Practices in Pedagogy and Community-Engaged Learning
  • Held Friday, October 18, 2024, from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
  • Description: Join colleagues experienced and new to explore principles of anti-racist community engagement- and some practical applications. We will enliven our discussion by exploring social identity development and an alternative approach to valuing cultural wealth, through storytelling and interaction. These tools can be used to foster appropriate awareness and sensitivity to work across differences on and off campus.

Facilitating Discussions with Divergent Viewpoints in the Classroom

  • Held Thursday, September 12, 2024, from 9:30–11:00 a.m.
  • Description: Connect with colleagues to contextualize the perceived higher stakes of managing classroom discourse in turbulent times. How do you manage your personal beliefs, identity, values–and a commitment to inclusion–in your role as an instructor? How can you provide opportunities to engage others’ with different and/or opposing views to foster learning?
    In this 90-minute workshop, we identify key moments in the semester to lay a foundation for robust and challenging discussions and practice facilitation skills.

Structuring Assessment: Rubric Design and Use

  • Held Thursday, August 22, 2024, from 1:30–3:00 p.m., on Zoom. Register for Structuring Assessment: Rubric Design and Use.
  • Description: This 75-minute online workshop is the second in a two-part series on structuring learning assessment, and it is designed to support faculty efforts to create clear and concise rubrics. The themes of alignment and clear communication will be applied to the process of effective rubric design and use. Participation in the first part of the series is not required.

Structuring Assessment: Assignment Design

  • Held Thursday, August 22, 2024, from 12:00–1:15 p.m.
  • Description: This 75-minute online workshop is the first in a two-part series on structuring learning assessment, and it is designed to support faculty efforts to create clear and aligned assignments. This session will also emphasize the extent to which clear communication can enhance assignment design.

The Courage to Teach Now: End-of-Semester Reflections 

  • Held May 9, 2024, from 12:00–2:00 p.m.
  • Description: The work of teaching and learning takes ongoing courage and humility, and the end of the semester invites reflection. Join your colleagues for an in-person lunch and facilitated discussion about how we, in our roles as educators, are called to step up in extraordinary times. 

    What did you try in your teaching this semester? What challenged you? Responding well to difficult moments remains ever a goal, whether it’s politics or AI. Talking through our approaches with others helps us reflect and manage uncertainty as we learn from our own and others’ experiences.

    Warmly and compassionately facilitated. Includes lunch.
  • Learning outcomes:
    • Identify strategies for building trust and supporting inclusion in the classroom

Beyond the Personal Narrative: Critical Interventions in Digital Storytelling Assignments

  • Held Monday, February 12, 2024, 3:00–4:30 p.m., in person.
  • Description: Instructors are turning toward digital storytelling for many reasons: as an inclusive teaching practice; to offer choices informed by Universal Design for Learning practices; out of boredom with 5-page papers; and even to encourage original thought and authentic assessment in the face of AI-generated content. This workshop invites instructors to explore interventions beyond the personal narrative that make a difference in teaching digital storytelling, including assignment design, assessment, and supporting narrative development and creativity.

Structuring Learning Assessment Workshops

  • Open to instructors, postdocs, and TAs interested in crafting effective assignments and rubrics for their courses. These 75-minute sessions are designed to complement one another but can also be attended on a standalone basis. 
  • Assignment Design (Part 1 of 2):
    • Held Tuesday, January 16, 2024, 1:00–2:15 p.m., on Zoom.
    • Description: This 75-minute online workshop is the first in a two-part series on structuring learning assessment, and it is designed to support faculty efforts to create clear and aligned assignments. This session will also emphasize the extent to which clear communication can enhance assignment design.
  • Rubric Design (Part 2 of 2):
    • Held Tuesday, January 23, 2024, 1:00–2:15 p.m., on Zoom.
    • Description: This 75-minute online workshop is the second in a two-part series on structuring learning assessment, and it is designed to support faculty efforts to create clear and concise rubrics. The themes of alignment and clear communication will be applied to the process of effective rubric design and use. Participation in the first part of the series is not required.

Exploring the Bounds of Free Speech in the Classroom (and How Not to Panic…)

  • Held Friday, January 12, 2024, 12:00–1:30 p.m., in person. Advance registration is required.
  • Description: How can you provide opportunities to engage others with different and/or opposing views to foster learning? How do you manage your personal beliefs, identity, values – and commitment to inclusion – in your role as an instructor? In this 90-minute lunch and learn session, participants will explore how to create and facilitate a learning environment that welcomes challenging discussions. Reflect with your colleagues and leave with practical ideas you can use.

Overview of Curriculum Mapping for DEI 

  • Held Tuesday, January 9, 2024, 1:00–2:00 p.m., on Zoom.
  • Description: This event will provide an overview of our curriculum mapping process and invite those in attendance to consider participating. Specific objectives include:
    • Affirm the importance of establishing a common language for conversations relative to curriculum and diversity, equity, and inclusion
    • Describe CTI's "Curriculum Mapping for DEI" program for program/department chairs
  • For more details on this workshop & program offering, visit Curriculum Mapping for Diversity & Inclusion.