Faculty Programs
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This academic year, CTE is focusing on key areas to support your teaching and enhance student learning.
We have built much of this year's programming around these vital themes. Scheduling and registration details will be distributed in the coming weeks in a separate communication.
AI-Ready Education: Adapting to the presence of AI by rethinking our teaching to build student literacy and prepare them for an AI-powered world.
- How do we integrate AI tools thoughtfully while ensuring students develop the skills they need to thrive?
Reframing Grading for Learning: Shifting focus from accumulating points to mastering content with alternative assessments that support student growth and reduce instructor burden.
- How can we move away from gatekeeping and instead focus on skill development?
Global Learning Integration: Weaving international perspectives and cross-cultural elements into existing courses to prepare students for global workplaces and citizenship.
- How can we create meaningful intercultural learning opportunities in any discipline?
Interdisciplinary Learning for Grand Challenges: Preparing students with the integrative, cross-disciplinary skills they'll need to develop creative solutions for tomorrow's complex problems.
- How can we envision learning that prepares students to tackle grand challenges?
Teaching for Student Success: Implementing evidence-based practices and creating supportive learning environments that help every student thrive academically.
- How can we use practical strategies to improve student engagement, persistence, and achievement?
Online Teaching Excellence: Invigorating online courses with thoughtful design, digital tools, and skillful interaction to motivate students and support academic success.
- How can we encourage meaningful interaction and support success in online courses?
Signature Events
CTE also hosts three annual university-wide events on teaching and learning, one at the beginning of the academic year, one mid-year, and one at the end of the year. Each of these events is an opportunity to share and showcase faculty work on teaching improvement and assessment of learning.
Signature Events
Since 1997, faculty and instructional staff have gathered at the beginning of each academic year to learn about and share best practices for teaching at KU’s Teaching Summit. The Summit typically includes a plenary session with a nationally prominent speaker and breakout sessions offered by KU faculty and staff. Past speakers have included Ashley Finley, the Association of American Colleges and Universities; Ann Austin, Michigan State; Randy Bass, Georgetown; Robin Wright, University of Minnesota and the National Science Foundation. The Summit has become an integral part of the new academic year and usually draws 350 to 400 faculty and staff members from the Lawrence and Edwards campuses, and the University of Kansas Medical Center.
The Student Learning Symposium, which began in 2015, provides a yearly occasion for faculty, staff and administrators to reflect on the university's work in assessing student learning. Participants hear from colleagues about ways to improve assessment, and engage in discussion about the best ways to use assessment data for educational improvement, and to increase faculty investment and ownership of assessment. This half-day event for about 100 faculty and staff consists of a plenary discussion and smaller workshops to highlight, share and reflect on examples, best practices, and results in degree-level and general education assessment.
Launched in 2015, the Celebration of Teaching is an occasion to share and honor faculty work on educational improvement and innovation. All participants who receive funding through CTE's programs generate a poster, with support from a CTE Graduate Fellow. The poster holds faculty accountable for making planned changes and looking at the impact on student learning, and the event fosters intellectual exchange about teaching strategies and results. Making faculty work on teaching visible can influence social norms by illustrating for faculty and administrators the breadth of teaching innovation on campus. The event has a festive nature, and university administrators usually join in discussions with instructors. The Celebration of Teaching usually has 50 to 60 posters and draws more than 200 attendees.
Faculty Funding Programs
The following CTE programs provide funding and support for faculty teaching improvement and innovation; faculty* from any department or academic program on the KU Lawrence or Edwards Campus may apply.
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Course Transformation Grants: CTE offers grants of up to $3000 to faculty to support implementation of evidence-based, inclusive teaching practices to improve students' learning experiences. Application calls go out in Fall and Spring- see the Course Transformation Grant page for specifics.
Faculty Seminars: Faculty Seminar is a semester-long program in which a small group of faculty read and meet regularly to reflect on their teaching and explore how various teaching strategies (organized around a particular theme) could result in better learning in one or more of their courses. Participants receive a $1500 stipend.
Course Design Institute: The Course Design Institute is a multi-day program in May that helps instructors design/redesign a course they will teach the following year. You will focus on one thing you want to change about your course and work in a small group of colleagues from various disciplines. Participants receive a $1000 stipend.
Other CTE Programs
The following CTE programs and services are available without charge to all KU faculty and staff members with instructional responsibilities, including part-time faculty and staff.
Working Groups and other Communities: Any teacher as listed above may participate in CTE Working Groups, Communities or Book Clubs (e.g., Online Teaching Working Group; Alternative Grading Book Club, Competency Based Teaching and Learning Community).
Individual Teaching or Assessment Consultations: Any teacher as listed above may schedule an individual consultation or discussion with a CTE staff member. Teaching consultations may include such topics as syllabus review, class observation, student work analysis, assessment of student learning, and student evaluation analysis.
Workshops and Discussion Forums: We offer hour-long workshops during the year. All require registration. Our annual Teaching Summit includes many workshops by KU faculty members each August, as well as speakers from outside KU.
Questions?
For more information about our current program opportunities, please contact Judith Eddy at: jeddy@ku.edu.