TILT Course Catalog

Implementing the LA Model

This workshop series aims to support faculty in implementing the LA Model in one (or more) of their courses while effectively working with their team of undergraduate LAs. Workshops will be offered in-person before the start of the semester, with follow-up assignments to be completed between sessions and during the semester. Faculty actively working with CSU’s LA Program to implement the LA model with fidelity in their course are invited to engage in this workshop series to explore the essential elements of the LA model and evaluate pedagogical strategies and structures that facilitate successful implementation of the LA model. Contact Stacey Clark or Jennifer Roche for enrollment information.

Outcomes:

• Identify and describe the essential elements of the Learning Assistant (LA) Model.
• Understand the history and priorities of the LA Program at CSU.
• Examine the effectiveness and impact of the LA model, when implemented with fidelity.
• Identify the resources and community available to LA Program faculty to support success.
• Evaluate pedagogical techniques that facilitate active learning to successfully implement the LA model.
• Incorporate strategies & structures to integrate LAs as facilitators of student learning.
• Identify the resources & community available to LA Program faculty to support your success .
• Recognize the importance of authentic partnerships, define your team dynamic, and develop expectations of your LAs accordingly.
• Understand the core features and objectives of an effective Weekly Prep Meeting (WPM).
• Create a WPM agenda template to actively engage your LAs in the content and activities planned for the week.

Frequency: Fall semester only

Length: 1 semester 

Delivery Method: In person

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Inclusive Pedagogy (2 DEUs), Instructional Strategies (2 DEUs), Pedagogical Content Knowledge (1 DEUs), Student Motivation (1 DEUs), Classroom Climate (3 DEUs)

Accessible and Inclusive Electronic Content

Many of us are familiar with common features of physical buildings: automatic door openers, wide doorways, ramps, etc. However, there are also ways that our electronic world (email, websites, learning management systems, electronic materials) can be made more accessible, or create barriers to those with disabilities.   In this course you will learn about these barriers, identify them in your own documents, and learn skills to make your electronic content accessible.

Outcomes:

• Identify how disability is a part of diversity
• Explain how assistive technology and accessible electronic content make inclusion possible for people with disabilities
• Identify core components for improving electronic accessibility and understand how they impact users with disabilities
• Implement core concepts to create inclusive documents in Word, PDF, PowerPoint, and inclusive multimedia content

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Inclusive Pedagogy (3 DEUs), Instructional Strategies (2 DEUs)

Active Learning

Discover a range of instructional techniques related to active learning, which research on learning has consistently identified as a key factor in academic success. Explore these approaches that include checks for understanding, designing learning activities, exploring challenging concepts, managing materials and the classroom, and providing students adequate time to reflect on course content and class materials. The content is designed to support you wherever you are – and whether you teach online, in the classroom or in a hybrid environment – as an active learning instructor.

Outcomes:

• Describe the purpose of active learning and its relationship to formative assessment and checks for understanding.
• Determine the most challenging concepts in your course.
• Design, within your comfort and skill set, an active learning experience(s) that meets content and student needs.
• Apply classroom management techniques to active learning strategies.

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Instructional Strategies (4 DEUs), Pedagogical Content Knowledge (1 DEU)

Classroom Climate

Consider classroom techniques that create a positive and productive classroom climate and contribute to student motivation, satisfaction, and achievement. This course introduces you to research on the importance of student sense of belonging in higher ed. You will practice setting course norms, hear from students about their experience at CSU, and examine researched techniques to increase students’ sense of belonging.

Outcomes:

• Integrate techniques that create a positive and inclusive classroom climate for all students.
• Provide multiple opportunities for all students to engage with the instructor and with one another.
• Establish classroom norms and expectations for all classroom interactions.
• Integrate at least one technique into your class that lets students—all students—know they belong.

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Classroom Climate (4 DEUs), Student Motivation (1 DEU)

Create Assignments

Examine assignments and major assessments to ensure alignment between student learning outcomes. You will explore the components of clear and transparent assignment directions, how to chunk assignments into manageable pieces, and how to scaffold concepts. This course introduces you to the value of curating resources for your students and developing a variety of assignment types to reach all learners.

Outcomes:

• Create assignments that align with learning outcomes for your course.
• Provide clear and transparent directions on assignments.
• Use a variety of assignments to reach all learners.
• Scaffold assignments to check for student understanding and support student success OR
• Add resources and reflections to assignments to support student success.

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Curriculum and Curricular Alignment (3 DEUs), Pedagogical Content Knowledge (2 DEUs)

Critical Thinking

Instructors consistently identify critical thinking as an essential outcome for students. This course will help you capitalize on your students’ current critical thinking skills and scaffold critical thinking with supportive activities and feedback. You will consider content that is typically difficult for students and design appropriately leveled activities for them to practice critical thinking in a supportive environment.

Outcomes:

• Define critical thinking relative to your field and your students.
• Compare the level of critical thinking students practice in your course with the level of critical thinking required for the summative assessments for your course.
• Scaffold essential concepts and align them with appropriate activities so that students can practice critical thinking necessary for your course.
• Connect students’ existing critical thinking skills to those skills needed in your course/field.
• Use formative assessments to inform students of their current ability to think critically.
• Reframe course outcomes as questions to tap into students’ curiosity and motivate them to think critically.

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Curriculum and Curricular Alignment (3 DEUs), Feedback and Assessment (2 DEUs)

First Four Weeks

Use research-based instructional techniques and low- to medium-stakes assessments to prepare students for success during the first four weeks of your course. Approaches include establishing a positive and inclusive classroom climate, priming students’ interest in course subject matter, promoting an effective learning environment, and preparing students to succeed on high-stakes assignments.

Outcomes:

• Apply Institutional Research data and recommendations to decisions about how you will teach your course during the first four weeks.
• Plan, implement, and reflect on at least one content-related FFW strategy on the first day of class.
• Plan, implement, and reflect on at least one group-building activity during the first week of class to help create and foster a community of learners.
• Create and administer low-stakes assessment(s) during the first four weeks of class.
• Identify CSU resources that support student success in the first four weeks.
• Assess and activate prior knowledge of your students.
• Use Canvas to initiate and provide timely and targeted outreach communications with students throughout the course.

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over three weeks.

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Classroom Climate (3 DEUs), Feedback and Assessment (2 DEUs)

Inclusive Pedagogy

Engage in self-reflection to consider your own lived experiences and how you use those as a lens to make decisions regarding all aspects of your teaching: your class climate, your instructional practices, and what you inherently believe about your students. In this course, you will consider your students’ diverse strengths and how to leverage those to develop an inclusive classroom. You will review your current curriculum and look for opportunities to incorporate inclusive practices that heighten students’ sense of belonging which, ultimately, contributes to their level of success.

Outcomes:

• Define inclusive pedagogy.
• Determine the most challenging concepts in your course.
• Begin to recognize implicit bias of classroom interactions, bring this awareness to students, and take action to mitigate microaggressions.
• Incorporate inclusive pedagogy into planning and instruction.
• Identify available resources to continue self-inquiry into inclusive excellence.
• Foster a classroom climate of positive, inclusive and supportive relationships.

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Inclusive Pedagogy (4 DEUs), Classroom Climate (1 DEU)

Inclusive Pedagogy 2

This 3 week, mostly asynchronous course TAKES PLACE IN CANVAS. Participants can expect to spend 4-5 hours per week completing assignments, discussions and readings. This course assumes participants have successfully completed Inclusive Pedagogy 1 (IP1). In Inclusive Pedagogy 2 (IP2), you will make use of your IP1 experience to consider the intersection of 1) inclusive classroom climate, 2) inclusive teaching practices, and 3) inclusive curriculum. You will examine your course content for representation of diverse perspectives and acknowledgement of bias and privilege. You will also examine your curriculum for accessibility and identify your next steps to make your teaching more inclusive.

Outcomes:

• Build upon your knowledge of inclusive pedagogy as related to your content area.
• Explain the relationship between curriculum, classroom climate, and inclusive pedagogy.
• Examine your course content for representation of diverse perspectives and acknowledgement of bias and privilege.
• Examine your curriculum for accessibility.
• Identify next steps to make your teaching more inclusive.

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Inclusive Pedagogy (3 DEUs), Classroom Climate (1 DEU), Curriculum/Curricular Alignment (1 DEU)

Learning Outcomes and Course Alignment

Write measurable learning outcomes and align them with your course content and assessments following the principles of backward design. You’ll establish the level of proficiency your students should achieve and then work backward to develop individual units/lessons with short-term outcomes that lead to course outcomes. You will also consider how to engage students at deeper levels of thinking and identify outcome measures (what students are doing/producing) that determine success.

Outcomes:

• Write learning outcomes that are measurable.
• Write learning outcomes that require critical-thinking abilities appropriate to the course level.
• Include learning outcomes that require connections to a broader purpose, industry, future learning, or a transferable skill.
• Use learning outcomes to create aligned content, activities, and assessments (formative and summative).

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Curriculum and Curricular Alignment (3 DEUs), Feedback and Assessment (2 DEUs)

Planning an Effective Class Session

Consider practices fundamental to an effective class session: learning outcome alignment, instructional strategies, formative assessments, and language you use to communicate with students. You will develop a plan for a class session that promotes critical thinking, self-directed learning, and student engagement for all learners. You will also receive several class-session templates to use in future planning.

Outcomes:

• Articulate the purpose of formative assessment as a fundamental teaching strategy to develop student mastery.
• Use language and tools that promote self-directed learning.
• Implement instructional strategies and checks for understanding that engage students in learning.
• Align instructional strategies, class activities, and formative assessment (checks for understanding) with learning outcomes to plan a class session.

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Feedback and Assessment (3 DEUs), Instructional Strategies (2 DEUs)

Rethink the Syllabus

View your syllabus through multiple lenses to create a document that gives students the information they need to be successful in your course. Your syllabus is often the first point of contact between you and your students. Word choice, formatting, and visual appeal all contribute to students’ perception of your course and their sense of belonging. Rethinking your syllabus gives you an opportunity to apply research-based techniques to your syllabus design, including a course map that guides instruction and learning.

Outcomes:

• Design a syllabus that illustrates the connections among learning outcomes, course content, and assessments.
• Design a syllabus that explicitly signals your commitment to inclusivity.
• Design a syllabus that sets your intended tone for the course.
• Determine syllabus content and order of content based on your goals, ideals, and enthusiasm for the discipline.
• Incorporate the use of your syllabus throughout the course.

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Curriculum and Curricular Alignment (3 DEUs), Classroom Climate (2 DEUs)

Rubrics as a Tool to Support Student Success

Rubrics are a tool for assessing student performance on assignments, papers, and projects. This course will prepare you to design an analytic rubric for one of your assignments. Additionally, we’ll examine rubrics for a wide set of purposes in your course. When rubrics are used as a teaching tool, they can help to improve student performance. Rubrics provide: 1) instructor expectations, 2) opportunities for feedback and self-reflection, and 3) improved communication between students and instructors.

Outcomes:

• Design a rubric that aligns with an assignment (and outcomes) in a course that you teach.
• Design a rubric that uses specific, leveled criteria and student-friendly language.
• Use a rubric for fair and consistent grading.
• Use a rubric as a learning tool to support student success.

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: 1) Feedback and Assessment 2) Instructional Strategies

Student Motivation

Research on learning consistently identifies motivation as a key factor in student success. Help students make connections between course subject matter and their lived experience, prompt them to make connections across topics, and convey your belief in their capacity to succeed. Emphasis is placed on helping students develop a growth mindset and self-efficacy and applying evidence-based motivation techniques to your teaching.

Outcomes:

• Apply researched motivation techniques to your course.
• Identify supports for students for main course content.
• Promote growth mindset and self-efficacy during instruction.
• Integrate at least one new motivation technique into your course.

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Student Motivation (4 DEUs), Pedagogical Content Knowledge (1 DEU)

Teaching Online: Facilitation and Engagement

Incorporate research-based practices designed to foster a supportive online classroom community, engage students, and develop feedback and assessment strategies, with attention to doing so effectively in both small and large-enrollment sections.

Outcomes:

• Create a positive and inclusive classroom climate online.
• Interact with students online in ways that encourage them to engage with the material, with each other, and with you.
• Select online assessment strategies and methods of providing feedback appropriate for small-, medium-, or large- enrollment courses.

Frequency: Yearly

Length: 12 hours over 3 weeks

Delivery Method: Asynchronous with due dates

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Classroom Climate (2 DEUs), Feedback and Assessment (2 DEUs), Instructional Strategies (1 DEU)

Teaching Squares: (Residential/Hybrid Faculty / Online Faculty)

The TILT-sponsored Teaching Squares peer observation program allows faculty, instructors, and GTAs to observe each other, learn from each other, and support each other in their quest to become better teachers. It is designed to be a non-evaluative, supportive and growth-based process. Participants are coached in setting a personal teaching goal using the Teaching Effectiveness Framework and then observe others to give feedback and reflect on their own practice. This session is required for instructors participating in the Teaching Squares cohort.

Outcomes:

• Explain the Teaching Square philosophy of support and respect.
• Begin to form connections with other instructors.
• Choose a growth area from the CSU Teaching Effectiveness Framework
• Observe and give feedback to other instructors

Frequency: Spring Semester

Length: 16 hours over 15 weeks

Delivery Method: F2F or virtual depending on mode of instruction

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Instructor choice (7 DEUs) 

Align Your Teaching Strategies with Your Vision for Students

Outcomes:

• Recognize the benefits of the seven Teaching Effectiveness Framework domains, their independence, and interdependence
• Identify teaching strengths related to a teaching domain
• Analyze your current teaching practices and how they align with your vision for students
• Create a personalized action plan of research-based teaching practices to incorporate into your teaching

Frequency: Upon request

Length: 2 60-minute workshops or 1 90-minute workshop

Delivery Method:  In person or online

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Instructor choice (1 DEU)

An Introduction to Critical Thinking

Outcomes:

• Determine the level of learning students need to demonstrate knowledge or mastery of essential concepts in your course.
• Align outcomes/essential concepts with appropriate activities, checks for understanding, and assessments so that students will reach the necessary level of mastery.

Frequency: In person or online

Length: 90-minute workshop

Delivery Method: F2F or video meeting

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: 1) Curriculum and Curricular Alignment 2) Feedback & Assessment

Collecting and Reflecting on Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness for Annual Review

The Teaching Effectiveness Framework Toolkit includes a recommended process for departments and faculty to set teaching goals and evaluate goal achievement for annual review. The Teaching Effectiveness Framework (TEF) provides instructors with evidence-based teaching practices to help identify strengths and grow their teaching practice. The TEF provides supervisors and instructors a common language to discuss teaching. The TEF Toolkit includes goal setting forms, suggestions for evidence that demonstrates teaching effectiveness, and other tools that can be modified to meet department and/or instructors’ individual needs for annual review. This workshop focuses on collecting evidence of teaching effectiveness. It would be helpful (but is not required) for attendees to have participated in A Vision, A Goal, A Plan: Improving Your Teaching Effectiveness and have a teaching domain and goal in mind as they participate in the workshop.

Outcomes:

• Align evidence of teaching effectiveness with a TEF domain.
• Utilize the TILT goal setting tools and suggested evidence in annual review.

Frequency:

Length: 60-minute workshop

Delivery Method: F2F or video meeting

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Not eligible for Teaching Effectiveness Initiative program

Developing a Teaching Persona

The Latin word “persona” most directly translates to “mask.” Should we wear a mask while teaching? What kind of mask should we wear? This workshop will explore why and how we might develop a teaching persona that works for us as instructors and is also conducive to student learning. It will also allow participants to consider how to interact with undergraduate students who may be close in age to the instructor. This session aligns with the Classroom Climate domain of the TILT Teaching Effectiveness Framework. It is open to all CSU faculty, postdocs, staff, and graduate students and is a required workshop for the Graduate Student Teaching Certificate of Completion.

Outcomes:

• Learn about different types of teaching personas.
• Learn reasons for why you might develop and/or modify a teaching persona in relation to your teaching context.

Frequency:

Length: 75-minute workshop

Delivery Method: F2F or video meeting

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Classroom Climate

Integrating Formative Feedback into Your Teaching

Frequent formative assessments and low stakes assignments inform instructors and students of how much, and the extent to which, content or skills are mastered. Teaching strategies can then be adjusted to meet students’ needs.  This workshop will introduce you to a variety of formative assessment strategies that can provide students with in-the-moment feedback.

Outcomes:

• Define effective teaching
• Describe the Teaching Effectiveness Framework
• Connect growth in teaching to annual review
• Identify tools that can be used to improve teaching

Frequency: Upon request

Length: 90 minutes

Delivery Method: In person or online

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Feedback and Assessment (1 DEU)

Introduction to the Teaching Effectiveness Framework (TEF)

Join TILT for a tour of the Teaching Effectiveness Framework developed to guide faculty and departments in the process of defining, enhancing, and evaluating teaching effectiveness at CSU. After extensive research into best practices in teaching and learning, along with feedback from CSU faculty and leadership, TILT has identified 7 domains for effective teaching and, therefore, student learning. The team has developed a process for departments and faculty to set a teaching goal and evaluate goal achievement. The tools can be modified by departments or individuals to meet their needs as they grow their teaching practice.

Outcomes:

• Define effective teaching
• Describe the Teaching Effectiveness Framework
• Connect growth in teaching to annual review
• Identify tools that can be used to improve teaching

Frequency:

Length: 60-minute workshop

Delivery Method: F2F or video meeting

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Not eligible for Teaching Effectiveness Initiative program

Student Engagement in Online and Hybrid Learning

Student engagement involves the frequency and level of student participation in the class. We generally talk about three types of engagement: student-to-student, student-to-content and student-to-instructor. In this 90-minute workshop, participants will develop a plan to engage students in their online or hybrid course.

Outcomes:

• Structure their online course for consistency and clarity.
• Create an instructor presence in their online course.
• Foster student-to-student engagement in their online course.
• Integrate at least three best practices for students to engage with course content.

Frequency: Upon Request

Length: 90-minute workshop

Delivery Method: F2F or video meeting

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: 1) Classroom Climate 2) Inclusive Pedagogy

Writing a Diversity Statement

In this workshop, participants will learn when and why they might include a diversity (or diversity and inclusion) statement on their course syllabi. They will also learn the elements of a compelling syllabus-specific diversity statement and review and discuss samples of existing diversity statements from syllabi and programs across disciplines. Learning outcomes: 1. Become familiar with best practices in writing a syllabus-specific diversity statement 2. Review and discuss elements of writing a compelling syllabus-specific diversity statement This workshop aligns with the Inclusive Pedagogy domain of the teaching effectiveness framework. This workshop is open to all CSU faculty, postdocs, staff, and graduate students.

Outcomes:

• Learn best practices in writing a syllabus-specific diversity statement.
• Review and discuss elements of a compelling syllabus-specific diversity statement.

Frequency:

Length: 75-minute workshop

Delivery Method: F2F or video meeting

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Inclusive Pedagogy

Writing a Teaching Philosophy

This is an optional, follow-up workshop for the Writing a Teaching Philosophy Presentation. (You may have attended the presentation live or watched a recording of the presentation.) As instructors in higher education, it is increasingly important to have an individual teaching philosophy when applying for college or university faculty positions or when undergoing promotion reviews. This workshop builds from the Writing a Teaching Philosophy presentation, providing an in-person opportunity to gather with others (and the facilitator) to write, revise, and solicit feedback on your teaching philosophy. This session aligns with the "Classroom Climate" domain of the TILT Teaching Effectiveness Framework. It is open to all CSU faculty, postdocs, staff, and graduate students and can aid graduate students in completing the teaching philosophy learning outcome for the Graduate Student Teaching Certificate of Completion.

Outcomes:

• Learn best practices for writing a teaching philosophy
• Learn the basic structure of a teaching philosophy and central information that should be included in one.
• Collaboratively discuss and analyze sample teaching philosophies.

Frequency:

Length: 60-minute workshop

Delivery Method: F2F or video meeting

Teaching Effectiveness Framework alignment: Classroom Climate