Center for Excellence in TeachingUsing elevator pitches to simplify complex proposals for societal challenges
A faculty showcase presentation by Victor Fazio. An example of how to design an elevator pitch assignment in courses.
Resources: Course design
Understanding social group identities
A faculty showcase presentation by Wanda Cumberlander. A video resource with examples of how to integrate social identities into course activities.
Ethical and social justice complications of technology
A faculty showcase presentation by Rob Parke. An example of how to integrate ethical and social justice topics into discussions.
A practical, interdisciplinary and multi-cultural approach to teaching global health ethics
A faculty showcase presentation by Mellissa Withers. A video example of how to integrate a global approach to teaching ethics.
Critical studies strategies to decolonize art and design
Faculty showcase presentation by Amelia Jones. A resource on how to create inclusive curriculum by decolonizing course and program content.
Writing learning objectives
A concise how-to process for developing specific and measurable course learning objectives. Intended as an introduction for new instructors or a reminder for experienced instructors. Keywords: Learning objectives, course design, assessment, bloom’s taxonomy, goals.
Sample assignment descriptions
A collection of assignment descriptions from actual USC courses. The assignment descriptions follow best practices in terms of connecting the assignment to the course learning objective(s), providing a narrative overview of the assignment, indicating the steps required to complete the assignment, and referencing how the assignment will be graded.
Learning theories
An overview of fundamental aspects of the leading learning theories. University instructors use these theories to inform the decisions they make about their teaching/instruction with the goal of making it more effective.
In-class work as participation
This guide serves as an explanation of using in-class work to evaluate student participation, and why in-class work is preferred over less-structured forms of participation. Suggestions for facilitating in-class work, and samples, are provided.
Flipped course design
An introduction to the flipped course, a course design style that is more consistent with theories of human learning than traditional lecture-style courses and supported by educational research.