Hi Friend of the CTE,                                                                 

This issue has an important item for your to-do list: Request a midcourse evaluation consultation. We also have some useful resources we’ve gathered to support your teaching right now.

News and Information

Want to put the "WOW" into your course? See what some instructors are saying about the value of a midcourse evaluation consultation with a CTE Faculty Teaching Associate:


“My consultant really helped me to critically think about the activities I have developed so far, how to assess their success, and how to improve their connection with lecture content.”


“The consultant helped me to have an open conversation with students addressing some challenges that they are sometimes shy to raise.”


“I learned so much. It felt like 4 hours worth of knowledge and benefit in a 1-hour consultation--fantastic.”


For best formative benefit, midcourse consultations should be scheduled before midterm (March 21). Schedule yours today while spaces are still available!

Are you interested in proposing and facilitating a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) in the 2025-2026 academic year? 

Submit a CTE major teaching project grant proposal (up to $3,000). These grants encourage curricular and pedagogical innovations that will result in more engaged and improved student learning. Innovations may be at the course, department, program, division, and/or university levels. 

Setting and maintaining a good classroom climate benefits students in many ways: their academic achievements, perseverance to overcome challenges, feeling of belonging, and sense of well-being. This Teaching Professor article, curated by CTE Faculty Teaching Associate Irena Kola (American Culture and English), outlines how using a short survey at the beginning of each class conveys to students that their professors "genuinely care about their well-being." [Note: Creating a free Teaching Professor account is required.]

How can we capture and maintain students’ attention throughout lectures with PowerPoint? In this Faculty Focus article, learn three high-powered techniques for keeping students engaged during lecture segments of class without giving up PowerPoint!

Opportunities From Our Partners

Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm (via Zoom)

Presenter: Michael Aleruzzo, Carnegie Mellon University

Description:
College professors face unique workplace challenges. These have been exponentially exacerbated since 2020. This session focuses on a framework for college professors to diagnose their current academic, professional, and/or personal challenges and analyze what they can do to navigate through and around them in healthy ways. We will also explore what coaching is, what it is not, and why seeking a credentialed professional coach might be the right option. [Note: Cost is $30 for employees of GC3 member institutions, which includes Miami.]

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2025

Interested in bringing a bit of mental health awareness into your classroom? The Office of Student Wellness is proud to have a team of dedicated students who provide programming around a variety of mental health topics, including mindfulness, coping skills, neurobiology, and more. 

We invite faculty to sign up for programming with this group by using the link in the flyer below, or by reaching out to mheducators@miamioh.edu. Programs can be as short as 15 minutes, or as long as two hours! For any questions, please reach out to Katelyn Howell at howellk4@miamioh.edu.

Center for Teaching Excellence

317 Laws Hall

513-529-9266