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Teaching Effectiveness Series

effectivenessThe Teaching Effectiveness series seeks to bolster the teaching practice of all UAB instructors through workshops that inspire continuous improvement in teaching skills. Participation in each workshop earns UAB faculty 10,000 Gold points towards a CTL certificate and a Teaching Effectiveness series badge.

For more information about this workshop series, contact Dr. Amy Chatham in the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Teaching Effectiveness workshop topics can also be presented onsite for school or departmental faculty trainings.



Click on a workshop title below to view more information and to register.
If no upcoming events are listed, check out more upcoming events from other CTL workshop series.

 

Workshop Descriptions:

View workshop descriptions below by clicking the + sign next to each workshop title.


Principles of Good Teaching

  • How Students Learn

    Come explore the basics of good teaching that lead to learning in this workshop which connects learning theory to teaching practice, specifically focusing on how students learn. We will discuss how to foster retrieval of prior knowledge, create a psychologically safe classroom, cultivate motivation, structure classroom activity, and encourage better learning outcomes through metacognition/reflection.

  • Teaching Today’s Students

    Most faculty will agree that teaching each new generation of students requires us to re-evaluate our teaching methods. Teaching Generation Z post-COVID is truly stretching us. In this workshop, you will learn about the distinctiveness of this generation, how best to communicate with them, and what they say they want out of higher education.

  • Motivating Students to Learn

    Unlock the secrets to student motivation in this dynamic workshop. Delve into evidence-based strategies, interactive discussions, and practical techniques designed to inspire and engage learners. Gain insights into fostering intrinsic motivation, creating a positive learning environment, and tailoring instructional approaches to meet the diverse needs of your students.


Teaching Techniques

  • The First Day of Class

    What happens on the first day in the classroom sets the tone for the whole course. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to welcome the students, focus their attention, take attendance, organize rules and procedures, review the syllabus (the right way), and set your students up for success in what could become the best class they’ve ever taken.

  • Active Learning

    Engaging students in active learning is a sure means towards student understanding and achievement. Glean multiple new ideas for a classroom environment that is motivating, interesting, full of variety, and deeply supportive of student learning.

  • Alternative Assessments

    Delve into the why and how of alternative ideas for assessment in this workshop. Add variety to your courses and engage your students by imagining assessments that deviate from your standard essay assignment or multiple-choice test, and instead employ assessments that mimic real-world practice, encourage creativity, provide for multiple means of demonstrating learning, and more.

  • Backward Design

    Backwards design provides a structured framework that promotes intentional and effective course planning that leads to enhanced student learning outcomes. This workshop will guide you through the process of identifying learning outcomes and aligning them with the appropriate assessments and instructional strategies. Don’t miss this opportunity to transform your teaching methods.

  • Flipping the Classroom

    Discover the transformative potential of flipping the classroom. In this workshop we will uncover strategies to shift traditional teaching paradigms by exploring pre-class content delivery and in-class active learning. Learn to create engaging multimedia resources, implement student-centered activities, and optimize the flipped model to enhance student understanding and participation.

  • Cheat-Proof your Course: Incentivizing Investment in Authentic Work

    Preventing cheating involves more than simply using plagiarism detectors or anti-cheating test software, although they certainly can play a role in monitoring academic integrity. This workshop presents multiple ideas that you can employ to make it unpalatable and more difficult for students to cheat. Even more importantly, glean tips for helping your students recognize the value of producing authentic academic work.


Teaching Tools for Professional Growth

  • IDEA Surveys - Making them work for you

    At UAB, we use IDEA Surveys to assess our courses through student feedback. In this workshop we will cover information that faculty members need to understand the system, to most effectively complete the Objective Selection Form, to encourage student participation, to access and understand the results, and to ensure IDEA Surveys are indicative of their course.

  • Creating your Teaching Portfolio

    A teaching portfolio is a curated, tangible, and useful exhibition of your teaching effectiveness, but creating one is also good practice in reflective teaching and improvement. Come consider reasons for building a portfolio which demonstrates your teaching expertise and find out how to get started.

Reserve CTL Space

The UAB Center for Teaching and Learning promotes educational and professional development that leads to innovation in the classroom and meaningful student learning. Our offerings and space is available to any UAB faculty, student facing staff, or individuals teaching a course currently that is interested in professional and educational development. If you are in need of space for a faculty meeting, training, and or retreat we would love to host you. Contact us today at uabctl@uab.edu to check availability. Please include the dates of interest, time, purpose of reservation, and those who will be in attendance.

CTL Workshops

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Global awareness   Global Awareness

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