The Institute for Learning and Teaching

Faculty Professional Development

The Institute supports several programs that faculty can use to enhance their teaching and curriculum design skills:

On May 20th and 21st, TILT hosted its first Summer Conference on Learning and Teaching. The conference theme, "Integrating Critical Thinking into Your Courses," called attention to the central importance of providing opportunities for students to think critically about the information, ideas, and arguments they encounter in their courses. We are currently planning the 2009 conference. You can learn more by visiting the Summer Conference page.

The Master Teacher Initiative (MTI) is a University-wide program to enhance the quality of teaching within CSU's colleges and libraries. Key elements of the program include monthly noon-hour workshops (lunch provided) and weekly teaching tips delivered via email. The noon-hour workshops includes a catered lunch, a brief presentation on a central issue in teaching and learning, and a follow-up discussion of ideas addressed in the presentation. The weekly teaching tips offer brief discussions of a key issue relevant to faculty in a particular college or the library. For more information, view the MTI page.

The Teaching with Technology Workshop Series, presented in collaboration with Computer Training and Support Services, explores the uses of technology to support the achievement of learning and teaching goals. Each presentation begins with an overview of a key goal—such as increasing student participation during class, helping students understand complex processes, or engaging and assessing students—and continues with a discussion of technological tools that might be used to achieve that goal. The focus of the workshops, as a result, is not on the technology, but on the use of technology in the service of learning and teaching. To see a list of upcoming and past workshops, as well as streaming video of past presenations, visit the Teaching with Technology Workshops page.

Since 1992, Colorado State University has established a nationally-recognized Service-Learning Program that has provided faculty access to a variety of important resources for integrating service and outreach into their teaching. To learn more about service-learning and the resources and support available to CSU faculty through TILT, view the Service Learning page.

The Institute's instructional designers are available for Consultation with Instructors, Departments, and Programs. To learn more, visit the Consultation page.

TILT will begin sponsoring a Mid-Semester Feedback Program in Fall 2007. The program helps instructors work -- individually or collaboratively -- to assess their performance as teachers at the mid-point of a course. To learn more about the program, visit the Mid-Semester Feedback page.

The Institute sponsors several Grant Competitions, including the Provost's Course Redesign Competition and Service Learning Mini-Grants. To learn more about these grants, visit the Grants page.

Awards are available through the Institute for excellence in service learning and for innovation in the use of instructional technologies. To learn more about these awards, visit the Awards page.

The Institute provides a rich set of Resources on Learning and Teaching, including a Digital Library, a set of links to other Web-based resources, lists of academic and professional journals that address instructional issues, conferences on learning and teaching, and relevant email discussion lists. You can view these resources on the Resources for Learning and Teaching page.