The CTL offers one-on-one consultations on a wide range of pedagogical practices with the goal of having faculty who are excited to teach and whose students are excited to learn. University faculty are content experts but may not have been trained in how best to teach, design a course, and create engaging classes. There are a number of evidence-based teaching practices and core areas of the craft such as developing learning outcomes, designing assignments, assessments, in-class activities, and syllabi, encouraging group activities, motivating students, and teaching inclusively to just name a few. Consultations provide ideal opportunities to talk about teaching whether you have a specific issue such as how to write a warm syllabus and adjust assignments in response to Generative AI, or if you want to explore more effective practices in general.
Our philosophy and approach to consultations privileges instructor privacy and agency in the process. Best practices nationally for centers of teaching and learning work from the understanding that the faculty we serve should be willing to engage; otherwise, we risk undermining the work of the Center and the professional development dynamic that is so important in helping teachers critically reflect and improve. Here are some of our guiding principles:
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We invite instructors who are interested in talking with us about their teaching to reach out to schedule a consultation ([email protected]).
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CTL consultations should not be required by a supervisor or listed as a requirement in a professional improvement plan. Instructors can be strongly encouraged by department/unit/college leaders to participate but should not be required to attend a consultation.
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CTL ensures faculty privacy and, while we record numbers of consultations in our annual reporting, we will not report information about specific details of instructors participating in our consultations. If supervisors ask CTL whether someone participated in a consultation, we will invite them to ask the instructor directly for that information. Should they choose, we invite instructors to share their CTL engagement with their supervisors to highlight the ways this may have supported their improvement and professional growth.
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One exception in CTL's programming related to privacy is for Core Education training, which is required of instructors teaching Core Ed courses. For Core Ed training, we record and report instructor completion to internal units within OSU.
Our staff are well versed in evidence-based pedagogical practices, but you know your disciplinary content, and your particular students in your College. Together, we can find what works best for you. Context is critical and we aim to share generative learning principles and then work with you to best incorporate those principles into strategies tailored to your course.
Whether you are new to teaching as a faculty member or GTA or you've been teaching for years but want to brainstorm some new approaches, the CTL pedagogical team is here to support you! We are available to meet in person, via zoom, or communicate asynchronously via email.
Schedule your Consultation now!
Email us at [email protected] to schedule your consultation