Nine full-time faculty members, representing a variety of colleges and departments on both campuses, recently participated in the UToledo Course Design Institute, a one-week intensive workshop in which faculty members collaborate with facilitators to build or reconstruct effective and engaging student-centered courses.
Sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and the Office of Assessment, Accreditation and Program Review, the UToledo Course Design Institute is an interactive program where faculty spend time developing materials for their specific courses that align with course goals and learning outcomes. By embracing innovative and evidence-based practices, faculty members foster equitable learning environments that promote student achievement, retention and degree attainment.
From left, Quincy Joyner, associate lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Film, Debra Heban, career tech program director, Hiba Fayoumi, associate lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and Minxuan Lan, assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Planning, collaborate on their integrated course plans as part of the UToledo Course Design Institute.
“It is always a joy witnessing the various ‘aha moments’ our faculty experience as they delve deeply into course design and become excited about adding new methods and strategies into their teaching repertoires,” said Dr. Jeanne Kusina, interim director for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
The Course Design Institute was launched at UToledo in 2015 to guide and support faculty through the integration of the best evidence-based practices in teaching and evaluation to ultimately improve students’ success and retention.
Due to COVID-19, the program was paused in 2020 and 2021 and returned online in 2022. This year, faculty members were back to working together in person, which allowed for greater interaction and a cross-discipline exchange of ideas.
