Center for Excellence in TeachingThe why behind best teaching practices
The four foundational human learning theories: behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and andragogy.
Resources: Online only
Reaching all students
Inclusive teaching through Universal Design for Learning (UDL), setting the course environment, classroom norms, accommodations, and authentic assessment.
Promoting student growth
Developing student skill levels through scaffolding, a growth mindset, a positive class environment, aligned assessments, effective assignment descriptions, and transparent grading.
Instructor presence
Principles for fostering instructor presence in online courses.
Engaging students
Active learning strategies, its basis in learning theories, flipped courses, and student motivation.
Effective direct instruction
The development and delivery of course content, including principles of multimedia instruction, flipped resources, and inclusivity.
Core principles of instruction
Foundational teaching principles, including course design, learning objectives, course alignment, assessment, and lesson structure.
Challenging discussions 7: Evaluation of efforts
Methods of evaluating the effectiveness of academic discussions and increasing their impact on students.
Challenging discussions 6: Managing upset
Strategies for addressing students who become upset during academic discussions
Challenging discussions 5: Lead a challenging discussion
Techniques for leading academic discussions, including defining terms, including all voices, and warning signs that a discussion is becoming challenging.