OPEN & COMING SOON

The Course Design Institute (CDI) is an intensive, multi-day event during which instructors work closely with CTAL staff to further develop their courses in line with best practices in areas like backwards design, scaffolding, and assessment of student learning. The focus of CDI shifts annually in line with center and university-wide initiatives. For example, CDI 2022 participants worked on the design and delivery of large, introductory courses at UD.

Each Spring semester, the Center for Teaching & Assessment of Learning (CTAL) facilitates Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs), which are semester-long collaborative groups for educators. Each FLC is dedicated to a specific theme and provides a structured environment for participants to explore a topic deeply, share teaching practices, and develop new strategies.

Our FLCs are designed to encourage a sense of community among faculty from various disciplines. They offer a unique opportunity to engage in a sustained conversation about a shared interest, leading to the creation of practical resources, scholarly projects, or new approaches to teaching and learning. The themes for our upcoming FLCs are announced each Fall.

In support of the University of Delaware’s goal to transform Blue Hen students’ first-year experience, CTAL partners with UD faculty to better support and engage our undergraduates. Our shared goal is to reimagine foundational courses that utilize the most effective strategies for teaching and actively engaging students in the learning process. In addition, these introductory courses are designed to teach UD students to be effective college-level learners within and beyond any course’s discipline. Visit the Foundational Course Initiative webpage to learn more about this multi-year program and the faculty participating in it.

Designed to promote dialogue and the exchange of ideas for our community of educators, the Friday Roundtables bring together faculty and staff to explore a teaching or assessment topic each week. Frequently formatted as panel discussions, roundtables are an opportunity to explore controversy, learn from expert practitioners, and hear more about teaching practices in other disciplines and colleges here at UD. Instructors at all ranks, including graduate students and adjuncts are welcome to attend. Learn more about the roundtables on that program’s page.

Open Teaching Days provide an opportunity for UD faculty to open up their classroom to colleagues and showcase their teaching skills. Based upon a model used by other universities around the US for celebrating teaching excellence, where top faculty open their classrooms for a wide variety of “students” for a day. Please follow this link to learn more about this program.

Program Educational Goal (PEG) and Program Learning Assessment programs are designed to support faculty in degree-granting programs engage in two processes critical to guiding and understanding student learning: (a) creating or revising program educational goals and (b) creating or revising a program assessment plan. CTAL staff provide customized support for faculty engaging in this work upon request. Self-guided modules for program educational goals and self-guided modules for program learning assessment are also available.

The Summer Institute on Teaching is an intensive and celebratory multi-day event that brings together educators from across the University of Delaware to build and strengthen a community around teaching and learning. The institute highlights emerging and established pedagogical practices, resources, and technology tools with an emphasis on evidence and scholarship. It also provides a showcase for the exceptional efforts and accomplishments of UD’s educators.

The 2025 Winter Institute on Learning will focus on incorporating AI Literacy into Program Educational Goals (PEGs) with a secondary focus on assessing those goals. The institute is intended for small groups (2-5) of faculty members who teach in one or more specific degree-granting programs (undergraduate or graduate).

Looking for past programs?