CFT Staff Can Help You Review and Recreate Over the Summer
Summer time is here, and many faculty members have a break from their usual schedules, a chance to slow down a bit and recreate. If you’ve got a breather, you may find this an opportune time to review and refresh your teaching plans and practices. The Center for Teaching is open all summer, with consultants ready to help you review your classroom accomplishments this past year and consider how to recreate your course designs. We tailor our consultations to your specific needs, based on a “backward design” process described in Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. This useful framework works “backwards” by starting with what we usually consider the last phase of course development, the desired results. Identifying the outcomes you want from the course—the learning goals you set for your students—lays a solid foundation for an effective learning experience. Then you proceed to creating targeted assessments that provide evidence that they’re making progress toward those specific goals. You end by designing assignments and activities that give your students practice in using their learning to initiate that progress. In sum, you 1) identify desired results (learning goals), 2) determine acceptable evidence (assessments), and 3) plan learning experiences and instruction (assignments and activities). Come in today and we’ll help you fine-tune your current designs or create brand-new courses. Call 322-7290 to schedule an appointment.
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