Hi Friend of the CTE,                                                                 

Happy New Year! We’re excited to bring you the first CTE News issue of 2025. Check out our exciting programming for January and February along with useful resources to launch your semester.

News and Information

This 1.5-day workshop (including meals) on January 22-23, 2025, led by assessment expert Dr. Kristen Murphy, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, will boost your teaching effectiveness and spring semester productivity. Participants will discuss and practice the full process of assessment development and implementation and leave with (1) a completed test specification for a spring semester exam; (2) the start of a test; and (3) a detailed plan on how to use results, including a free book to help them properly evaluate the results. 

                 Dr. Kristen Murphy 

This session addresses faculty learning communities (FLCs): what they are; how they work; their tradition at Miami since 1979; and their teaching, learning, and/or institutional outcomes. Learn about the FLC facilitator role and how to develop a successful FLC proposal for 2025-2026. A Q&A will support individualized learning. FLC proposals are due February 14, 2025.

Wednesday, January 29, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Acclaimed teacher-scholar Dr. Claire Howell Major, co-author of Engaged Teaching and Collaborative Learning Techniques, will be our guest for the Drs. Mary (Scherger) Bonhomme and Raymond Bonhomme Visiting Teacher-Scholar Series. She will be doing workshops (active learning and lecturing; human connections while teaching in the AI age) and book discussions. Event and registration information will appear in the next CTE News.

Dates: February 19-20, 2025

This Faculty Focus article provides a 5-point checklist for creating a course planning calendar that takes into account the “rhythms of the semester”—the ebbs and flows of an academic term that occur because of holidays/breaks, registrar deadlines, planned instructor absences, significant campus events, and the end-of-semester crunch—to minimize the need for in-course adjustments and maximize instructional efficiency.

We know it’s important to students that teachers care about them and their learning, but do we realize how much this matters? This Faculty Focus article summarizes the findings of multiple studies on the topic and offers helpful reminders and suggestions for building caring relationships with students, such as being present during office hours, helping when students don’t understand, and showing respect for their needs.

Opportunities From Our Partners

The Office of the Vice President and Dean, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and Miami Online invite all faculty and staff to take part in Recharge 2025’s virtual sessions.  

Center for Teaching Excellence

317 Laws Hall

513-529-9266