- Overview
- Day One: Course Design Foundations for Student-Centered Classes
- Day Two: Teaching Strategies for Student-Centered Classes
- Day Three: Revising and Redesigning Your Class
- Submit Your Revised Annotated Syllabus
Overview
The CRI is designed to support individual faculty members engage in pedagogical reflection; connect faculty with information and resources for realigning course activities and assessments with course learning outcomes and to effectively revise aspects of an existing course design; and to offer participants time and space for redesigning a course taking into account high-impact teaching practices, pedagogical wellness, and their individual teaching contexts.
Institute Outcomes
Participants who successfully complete the 2025 CRI will
- Evaluate and redesign a course using a student-centered, inclusive teaching framework
- Build a teaching toolbox of activities, policies, and practices that promote classroom community, psychological safety, and personal responsibility among today’s students
- Apply backwards design to align assignments and activities with learning goals
- Revise a current syllabus to fully incorporate evidence-based instructional and assessment strategies for maximizing student participation in the learning process
All sessions will take place in person at 550 Bird Library (CTLE).
Tuesday, August 12: Course Design Foundations for Student-Centered Classes
8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Coffee, tea, light snacks, and lunch provided. Please bring your own water/beverage.
Wednesday, August 13: Teaching Strategies for Student-Centered Classes
8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Coffee, tea, light snacks, and lunch provided. Please bring your own water/beverage.
Wednesday, August 13: Optional Bonus Session on Building Students’ Academic Integrity Skills
2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 14, 2025: Revising and Redesigning Your Class
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Coffee, tea, light snacks provided.
Course Design Foundations for Student-Centered Classes
To prepare for the sessions on August 12, please review the following resources beforehand:
Backward Design, Student Learning Outcomes, and Course Alignment Info Sheet | SU CTLE
Teacher-centered vs. Student-centered Course Design | Stanford University Teaching Commons
Student Engagement in the Classroom | Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning
Make sure you bring a hard copy of your current syllabus with you today or have it readily available on your laptop.
Agenda
| 8:15 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | Gathering |
| 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. | Welcome |
| 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. | Review of Goals and Overview of Redesigning Process |
| 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. | Activity: Evaluating Your Current Syllabus (Reflecting) |
| 10:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. | Coffee Break |
| 10:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | Workshop #1: “Realigning Your Course” (Realigning) |
| 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Course Mapping Activity (Realigning and Revising) |
| 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. | Lunch |
| 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. | Workshop #2: “Recognizing and Reducing Common Obstacles to Student Engagement in Instructor-Centered Classes” (Reflecting and Revising) |
| 2:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | Wrap-Up (Reflecting) |
Additional Resources
Active Learning | University of Indiana Bloomington Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning
Further Reading: Interactive Lecturing | SU CTLE
Scaffolding: Exploring and Applying Universal Design for Learning | University of Iowa
Student-Centered Teaching Should Consider Instructors First | Inside Higher Ed
Teaching Strategies for Student-Centered Classes
To prepare for the sessions on August 13, please review the following resources beforehand:
Engaging Students | Instructional Moves
Increasing Student Motivation and Participation | Center for Teaching Innovation
Sustaining Engagement without Laptop Bans | UC Berkeley Center for Teaching and Learning
Make sure you bring a hard copy of your current syllabus with you today or have it readily available on your laptop.
Agenda
| 8:15 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | Gathering |
| 8:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. | Welcome, Recap, and Reflection |
| 8:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. | Workshop #3: “Early Course Actions to Increase Engagement” (Reflecting and Revising) |
| 9:45 a.m. to 10:15 | Activity: “Warming Up” Your Current Syllabus (Revising) |
| 10:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. | Coffee Break |
| 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Workshop #4: “Engagement is Collaborative” (Reflecting and Revising) |
| 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. | Lunch |
| 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. | Workshop #5: Recognizing and Reducing Common Obstacles to Student Engagement in Student-Centered Classes (Reflecting and Revising) |
| 2:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | Wrap-Up (Reflecting) |
| 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | BONUS Session: “Course Design that Builds Students’ Academic Integrity Skills” (Kate Marzen) |
Additional Resources
Classroom Phone and Device Policies Workshop Slides | SU CTLE
Collaborative Learning | George Mason University Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning
Further Reading: Attendance | SU CTLE
Further Reading: Creating/Co-Creating Civility and Community Agreements | SU CTLE
Learn and Use Students’ Names | SU CTLE
Redesigning Your Student-Centered Class
To prepare for the work session on August 14, please review the following resources beforehand:
College Transition Collaborative: Syllabus Review Guide
College Transition Collaborative: Policy Review
College Transition Collaborative: Establishing Expectations
Make sure you bring a hard copy of your current syllabus with you today or have it readily available on your laptop.
Agenda
| 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | Welcome |
| 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. | Work Session (Redesigning) |
| 10:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. | Coffee Break |
| 10:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. | Wrap-Up (Reflecting) |
| 11:15 am. to 11:30 a.m. | Post-Program Survey |
Additional Resources
Pedagogical Wellness | SU CTLE
Student Engagement with Video Syllabi | Elon University Center for Engaged Learning
TA (Teaching Assistant) Mentoring | SU CTLE
To successfully complete the CTLE Course Redesign Institute (CRI), you’ll need to submit an annotated revised syllabus of your redesigned course, applying the insights you’ve gained during the reflecting, realigning, and revising process at the CRI. The annotations explain the design choices you’ve made and the expected impact on student learning and success. Additionally, the annotations show how you will be able to implement these changes while maintaining your own pedagogical, professional, and personal well-being. Finally, the annotations should note where you will continue reviewing and assessing your course in the future. Participants are strongly encouraged to submit their revised annotated syllabus within two weeks of our last CRI session. To submit your syllabus, email a PDF to ctle@syr.edu.