Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment cultivates a community of inquiry and practice to promote excellent teaching, learning, and scholarship in the liberal arts. We nurture the learning environment of ɬ�﷬ by fostering conversation and reflection at the intersection of pedagogy, the scholarship of teaching and learning, instructional design, and academic technologies. We advance practices of teaching and learning that are accessible, inclusive, and grounded in the best available evidence.

Community Friday, April 4: “Canvas: What You Need to Know About the New Learning Management System,” with Gina Donovan, LMS Administrator

JRC 101, Noon to 1 p.m.

Please RSVP by April 1 at this link:

You are cordially invited to join us for the next Community Friday on April 4th in JRC 101. Are you ready for Canvas? Come learn more about our new Learning Management System from LMS Administrator Gina Donovan. Gina will walk you through the transition from Blackboard to Canvas, as we prepare for all courses to use this new LMS in Fall 2025. You will see what a Canvas course will look like, learn about the features of the system, and start to think about how to use these to support your teaching. There will also be details about the timeline for Canvas implementation, information about the training and support that will be available, and the opportunity to get answers to your questions.

New Definition of Teaching Excellence Approved by Faculty

The Presidential Task Force on Evaluating Teaching Excellence proposed that the faculty endorse a new definition of teaching excellence and recommended that the Dean of the College use this definition in faculty reviews. The following definition was approved in the spring of 2024.

While teaching methods vary by discipline and instructor, broadly speaking, excellent teachers do the following:

Expertise	They build, maintain, and effectively apply expertise for the courses they teach;
Inclusive Teaching	They foster inclusive and engaging learning environments;
Learning Goals	They clearly and effectively communicate to students learning goals and expectations that align with relevant departmental, disciplinary, or institutional learning outcomes;
Pedagogy	They use pedagogies that are appropriate for the learning goals and context;
Feedback to Students	They respond to student work in a substantive, timely, and individualized way for the purposes of information and improving the learning experiences of students; and
Reflection	They engage in a reflective process to enhance their teaching practices.

Community Friday with Joseph Tucker Edmonds

Spring 2025 Community Fridays

Unless otherwise noted, all events take place in Humanities and Social Studies Center, Room A1231 from noon to 1 p.m. Lunch is served beginning at 11:45 a.m.

Jan. 24: “The Prehistory of Affirmative Action at ɬ�﷬,” with Dan Kaiser, Professor Emeritus of History.
Feb. 7: “Faculty and Staff Advising Partnerships," with Joyce Stern, Dean for Student Success and Academic Advising, and faculty/staff panelists.
Feb. 14: “Open Table Conversation”
Feb. 21: “Faculty/Staff Involvement with Non-Profits,” with Monica Chavez-Silva, Vice President of Community Engagement and Strategic Planning; Ross Haenfler, Professor of Sociology; Roger Henderson, Field Placement and Licensing Coordinator in Education; and Mike Guenther, Associate Professor of History.
Feb. 28: “Mental Health First Aid Training at ɬ�﷬,” with Alexis Steele, Manager of Operations, SHAW.
March 7: “GrinnBooks: Preparing for ɬ�﷬'s New All-Access Textbook Program,” with Brad Lindberg, Associate Vice president of Institutional Initiatives and Enrollment; Cassie Wherry, Manager, Pioneer Bookstore; and Andi Tracy, Associate Dean for Student Academic Life. [this event will be held in JRC 101]
March 28: “Writing Mentor Partnerships,” with Tisha Turk, Director of Academic Support for Writing and Speaking; faculty panelists Tamara Beauboeuf, Eiren Shea, and Jen Shook; and student writing mentor panelists Ashley Baek ’25, Ellie Cierpiot ’25, Ben Curran ’25, and Agatha Fusco ’25.
April 4: “Canvas: What You Need to Know about the New Learning Management System,” with Gina Donovan, LMS Administrator. [this event will be held in JRC 101]
April 11: “Getting Real with Assessment,” with Vanessa Preast, Associate Director, CTLA.
April 18: “Summer Research Programming in the Libraries,” with Phil Jones, Associate Professor, Humanities Librarian, and Coordinator of Research Services.
April 25: To be arranged.
May 2: “Laetitia Moon Conard: Community Activist and Teacher,” with Susan Ferguson, Director of the CTLA, and students.
May 9: “Philanthropy and the Academic Mission of the College,” with Anne Harris, President, and Bernadine Douglas, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations.

Faculty Resources

Dean’s Office
Teaching Resource Library
Academic Advising: Adviser’s Handbook
Syllabus Design Guidelines [PDF]
The ɬ�﷬ Guide to Writing, Research, and Speaking [PDF]
(web hosting and digital publishing provided by DLAC)
(requires ɬ�﷬ network login)

Discussion at Teaching with Technology Fair

Faculty, students, and staff at ɬ�﷬ are warmly invited to participate in our dynamic drop-in workshop series, where you’ll explore cutting-edge immersive technology tools and techniques for academic and creative endeavors. Each hands-on session provides practical insights and creative tools tailored for diverse academic disciplines, from history and archaeology to media studies and environmental science. Whether you’re new to these technologies or looking to refine your expertise, this series offers something for everyone. Join us to unlock innovative approaches for teaching, research, and creative exploration.

All workshops will take place in the Digital Studio in Burling Library from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.

January 31: 3D Scanning
This workshop introduces participants to 3D scanning for cultural heritage visualization and digital reconstruction. Topics include standards for processing scans, cataloging practices, and creating interactive 3D models. Participants will use tools such as the , , , , , and to explore these techniques. Learn how to connect these technologies to academic research and curricula.
February 21: 3D Printing
Learn to process and optimize 3D scans for printing in this workshop, with an emphasis on cleaning, decimating, and preparing models for use in academic and creative projects. The session covers locating existing scans online and working with and , alongside in the Digital Studio. Discussions will focus on applications for science and humanities, including exporting compatible file formats like FBX, OBJ, and STL.
March 28: 360 Degree Images/Video
This session explores creating immersive 360-degree media for educational and research purposes. Participants will work with the and edit footage using , covering essential techniques for downloading, processing, and enhancing 360 images and videos. The workshop also discusses hosting and viewing platforms, including , and applications in teaching and research.
April 4: Spatial Audio
Delve into spatial audio recording and editing to create immersive soundscapes for projects in anthropology, media studies, and more. Using handheld recorders and , participants will learn to capture, transfer, and refine audio for interactive media and storytelling. This workshop will also explore platforms for hosting recordings and their integration into ɬ�﷬ curricula.
April 25: Interactive Immersive Storytelling with Stornaway.io
Discover the potential of , a platform for creating interactive narratives and simulations. Topics include crafting branching stories, interactive 360 storytelling, and educational learning modules. Participants will integrate tools such as , , handheld recorders, and the to develop their projects. Learn to bring engaging, interactive storytelling into academic and creative contexts.

Support the development of teachers and learners through consultations, tutorials, and workshops at the course and curricular levels
Build a culture of reflection, engagement, and celebration around liberal arts teaching and learning through programming such as Community Friday lunch and the annual Teaching with Technology Fair
Welcome new faculty members to the ɬ�﷬ learning community through New Faculty Orientation and ongoing programs of faculty development
Promote assessment of course, department, and college-wide learning outcomes through consultations and reviews of department-level assessment practices

Integrate established and emerging digital technologies, methods, and practices into teaching, learning, and scholarship through the Digital Liberal Arts Collaborative
Administer major elements of the digital campus infrastructure for teaching and learning, such as the Sites@ɬ�﷬ platform for web hosting and digital publishing
Provide training and support for classroom technologies and hardware/software applications such as Story Maps, Hypothes.is, and WeVideo
Collaborate with campus partners such as the Libraries, ITS, and DASIL, and coordinate campus-wide initiatives such as the Vivero Digital Scholarship Fellows program

Contact Information

Phone

641-269-3020

Humanities and Social Studies Center, S1370
1226 Park Street
ɬ�﷬, IA 50112
United States

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