This resource supports instructors in designing purposeful, transparent assignments that promote student learning and are manageable to assess. It includes research-informed strategies, templates, and examples adaptable across course contexts.
A practical guide to navigating the opportunities and challenges of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in your teaching. It offers strategies, examples, and prompts to enhance learning, streamline teaching, support students, and address key ethical and pedagogical concerns.
*Hyperlinks in Word documents do not work in this viewer, to click on links please download the document and open it on your computer.
This resource provides guidance for incorporating community building activities into a course to foster belonging, increase engagement, and build collaboration and communication skills. It includes strategies and considerations for using community building activities as well as sample activities categorized by purpose. Keywords: community building, icebreakers, belonging, inclusion, collaboration, group work.
This is the second of a two-part series on academic dialogue and is a collaboration between The Center for Excellence in Teaching; Quade French, USC Dornsife Associate Dean of Academic Culture and Well-being; and Kamy Akhavan, USC Dornsife Executive Director of the Center for the Political Future. This video features Kamy Akhavan discussing what individuals can do to unite conversations.
This resource describes different kinds of rubrics and considerations for selecting a rubric best aligned with an instructor’s grading practice, assignments, and learning objectives. Examples of rubrics are provided.
Keywords: rubric, assessment, assignment, evaluation, learning objective
This resource provides an overview of creating and using community agreements in a course to support respectful and productive student engagement. It includes options for how to create agreements, tips for implementation, and example agreements.
Keywords: community agreements, discussion norms, discussion guidelines, community guidelines, challenging discussions, academic discussions, dialogue, student engagement.
This resource provides strategies for integrating current event topics into your course.
Keywords: current events, discussion, challenging discussions, academic dialogue, facilitation, controversial topics, active learning.
This resource provides a checklist of considerations for providing student feedback verbally, in writing, or through video.
This resource provides a summary of what students report is important to them in an online learning or LMS environment.
A brief introduction to mindfulness including examples of contemplative pedagogical practices that can be incorporated into courses to support student learning and wellbeing. Created in collaboration with Mindful USC.
Center for Excellence in Teaching