September 2026

Good morning everyone and welcome to a new academic year! The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) September newsletter includes information about upcoming CTLE September and October programs; recommended resources for departments doing peer observations of teaching; introductions to this year’s Meredith Professors and Meredith Professor Faculty Fellows; and an exciting announcement about an upcoming campus-wide event celebrating teaching excellence at SU.

Documenting Effective Teaching and Peer Observations

As an equity-minded and research-based best practice, departments and chairs should never rely solely on student course evaluations when making employment-related decisions about teaching. What other types of evidence document effective teaching? I’m glad you asked! The CTLE strongly encourages using the Critical Teaching Behaviors (CTB) framework for identifying and documenting effective teaching. CTB is especially helpful for conducting peer observations of teaching. We will be happy to come to your department, school, or college and give a short overview of the CTB approach, facilitate a discussion, or consult with you about how to implement different types of evidence in teaching evaluations. Learn more on our Departmental Support page.

September Programs

Lunch and Learn: The Value of Student Group Work in the Age of AI

Faculty and students know that the ability to work in a group is an important academic and professional skill. Yet, students often dread group projects or group work, and faculty often do not provide the structure, instruction, and support that students need in order to effectively engage in group work. Moreover, as we all grapple with the technological disruptions of the “Age of AI,” students need opportunities to make connections and learn together more than ever. In this Lunch and Learn, we’ll review foundational best practices for designing, assigning, and assessing student group projects, with the goal of revitalizing and reinvigorating our ability to facilitate positive and productive student teamwork. Lunch will be provided, and space is limited to twelve participants. Last day to register: September 4.

September 9, 12:00-1:15 p.m.

Fall 2026 CTLE Book Club

The Fall 2026 CTLE Book Club will read Chavella Pittman’s book Empowered: A Woman Faculty of Color’s Guide to Teaching and Thriving (University of Oklahoma Press). The book club will meet four times and in order to maximize people’s ability to attend, we will offer the option of both an in-person meeting or a Zoom meeting. Co-facilitated by Jessamyn Neuhaus and Ebony Graham.

CTLE Book Club Meeting #1: September 16
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)
or
3:00-4:00 p.m., Zoom

CTLE Book Club Meeting #2: September 23
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)
or
3:00-4:00 p.m., Zoom

CTLE Book Club Meeting #3: September 30
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)
or
3:00-4:00 p.m., Zoom

CTLE Book Club Meeting #4: October 7
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)
or
3:00-4:00 p.m., Zoom

Registration is required and the first 12 people to register will receive a free paperback copy of the book. Fall 2026 Book Club Registration Form.

About the author: Chavella T. Pittman is the owner of Effective & Efficient Faculty, a faculty development company that works with faculty and campuses across the country to help them develop strategies for great teaching and thriving faculty. She received her PhD in Sociology and a MA in Higher Education from the University of Michigan. She is currently Professor of Sociology at Dominican University. Her research interests and expertise include higher education, interpersonal interactions and marginalized statuses, research methods and statistics. She has a love/hate relationship with running, is a beer aficionado, recently cured her black thumb via growing cherry tomatoes, loves to learn, and believes black joy is resistance.

Chavella Pittman Workshop: “Developing Strategies for Classroom Incivilities”

The author of our Fall 2026 book club read, Empowered: A Woman Faculty of Color’s Guide to Teaching and Thriving will facilitate an important workshop via Zoom about proactively planning for and navigating classroom incivilities. Student incivility can derail faculty effectiveness and student learning. In an interactive format, participants will learn about faculty and students’ experiences with classroom incivility. They will also learn about the potential consequences of unchecked student incivilities. Most importantly, participants will be introduced to SoTL strategies used to address student classroom incivility. At the end, each participant will have an idea of how to address potential and actual student classroom incivilities. This is an interactive event. Participants should have their laptop/pen and paper/tablet/etc. and teaching materials (e.g. syllabi, faculty handbook, campus websites, etc.) available to examine during the session. This workshop is open to and highly relevant for anyone on campus with teaching responsibilities.

September 11, 1:00-2:15 p.m., Zoom

Contemplative Teaching Community of Practice

Dr. Rachel Razza, Meredith Professor and faculty leader of the Contemplative Campus initiative, is forming a Community of Practice for faculty interested in contemplative practice this fall. The group will gather monthly to build community, share ideas, and explore opportunities to grow contemplative work at Syracuse, including the Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies minor. Faculty affiliated with the former Contemplative Collaborative, those who teach courses touching on contemplative themes, and anyone curious about these practices are warmly encouraged to get involved. To learn more or express interest, contact Rachel at rrazza@syr.edu. Lunch will be provided. Space is limited to 20 participants. The last day to register is Thursday, September 10.

September 15, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)
October 20, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)
November 17, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)

Encouraging Engagement and Building Belonging with an SU Museum Class Visit

In this interactive and hands-on workshop drawing on evidence-based teaching practices for authentic student learning, SU Art Museum Curator of Education Kate Holohan and Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence Director Jessamyn Neuhaus will introduce participants to the many ways that incorporating one museum visit into any course can facilitate increased student engagement in a wide range of courses and help build students’ sense of belonging at Syracuse University. We’ll meet at the Museum, and we’ll begin with a short overview of the Museum’s collections, how to plan and schedule a class visit, and a summary of why these visits exemplify effective and inclusive teaching practices and support pedagogical well-being. Participants will do an abbreviated version of a class activity called “Slow and Close Looking”. This workshop will take place in the SU Art Museum, and instructors from any discipline or area of study are welcome.

September 21, 3:00-4:00 p.m., Syracuse University Art Museum, Shaffer Art Building

Panel Discussion: What Your Students Want You to Know about Midsemester Feedback (and Midsemester Course Grades)

Midsemester feedback is a long-proven, evidence-based, high-impact benefit to teaching and learning. Come to this panel and hear SU students discuss what they find most beneficial about midsemester feedback in all its forms, including providing feedback to the instructor about the class and identifying what is working well. Syracuse University faculty now have the ability to enter, via Orange SUccess, a midsemester class grade that will not go on a student’s transcript but can clearly and transparently communicate to students their standing in the class. Our panelists will speak to why a midsemester class grade can be so beneficial to student learning and academic success.

September 24, 4:00-5:00 p.m., Zoom

Workshop: When the Product Is No Longer Enough: Rethinking Evidence of Learning in an AI-Rich Classroom

AI can now help students produce remarkably polished essays, analyses, solutions, designs, and other artifacts. But when the product looks excellent, how much does it actually tell us about the learning behind it? This interactive faculty conversation will explore why the final product may no longer be enough as evidence of learning. Using a few deliberately ambiguous cases, we will examine cognitive offloading, the distinction between “plausible” and “earned” creation, and a more recursive way of thinking about Bloom’s taxonomy in an AI-rich environment. The goal is not to arrive at one answer about AI, but to help faculty rethink what they need students to know, do, explain, justify, and defend, and what evidence would make that learning visible. Facilitated by Doug Yung, Teaching Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and current Meredith Professor Faculty Fellow in artificial intelligence.

September 28, 1:30–2:30 p.m. 550 Bird Library (CTLE)

Student Reading Community of Practice

During the 2026-2027 academic year, the CTLE will facilitate a community of practice (CoP) focused on effective teaching strategies for helping students build reading skills. We will discuss relevant research and effective teaching strategies for helping students build reading skills, and we will also have an opportunity to hear insights directly from SU students as part of the CTLE’s commitment to pedagogical partnerships. Instructors of any rank, including graduate students, are invited to participate. The Student Reading CoP will meet four times during the Fall 2026 semester and three times during the Spring 2027 semester:

Student Reading CoP Meeting #1
August 31, 2:00-3:00 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)

Student Reading CoP Meeting #2
September 28, 2:00-3:00 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)

Student Reading CoP Meeting #3
October 26, 2:00-3:00 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)

Student Reading CoP Meeting #4
November 30, 2:00-3:00 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)

Spring 2027 meetings TBA.

Individual Consultations

We at the CTLE are available to support and assist you with any teaching-related issues, including but not limited to syllabus review, designing assignments, soliciting and interpreting student feedback, and navigating student biases and stereotypes about professors. Contact us via the Consultation Request Form on our website.

Engaged Learning Strategies and Course Design Consultations

Mark Brockway, Assistant Teaching Professor in Political Science and a 2026-2027 Meredith Professorship Faculty Fellow will be holding drop-in office hours every week to help instructors incorporate engaged learning strategies into their teaching. This is for instructors who want to use engaged and active learning strategies in their courses but do not have the time to do so, or don’t know where to start. Instructors can also receive feedback on syllabus design, individual assignments, or get help designing new courses.

Tuesdays 1:30-2:30 p.m., 548 Bird Library (Faculty Commons)

AI Teaching Exchange: Ideas, Questions, and Conversations

Doug Yung, a 2026-2027 Meredith Professorship Faculty Fellow, will hold weekly drop-in hours during the Fall 2026 semester for informal conversations about the ethical and responsible use of AI in teaching and learning. Whether you are exploring AI for the first time, revising an assignment, developing a course policy, or simply looking for someone to bounce ideas off, feel free to stop by.

Mondays, 1:30–2:30 p.m., 548 Bird Library (Faculty Commons)
*No drop-in hours on September 14

Cannot make it in person? Doug’s only a click away and always happy to chat. Just send a quick email to ptyung@syr.edu.

Academic Integrity Office: New Blog Post

Check out the new blog post by Kate Marzen, Director of the Academic Integrity Office, “Welcome Back! A Few Friendly Academic Integrity Reminders.” It shares three key academic integrity reminders to help faculty start the year off strong.

Departmental Support, Pedagogy Pitstops, and Services Spotlights

ICYMI, the CTLE is offering a new resource page: Departmental Support. It includes information about our brand-new program, “Pedagogy Pitstops.” A Pedagogy Pitstop is a short (10 minute or less), fast-paced presentation on a specific, high-impact, evidence-based teaching practice. It includes several immediately applicable teaching takeaways for faculty. The CTLE brings the Pedagogy Pitstop directly to you, and will present it during any regularly scheduled department (or program, school, or college) meeting. We can also present a “CTLE Services Spotlight” at your department meeting: a short (10 minutes or less) overview of a program or on-demand service that the CTLE provides to individual faculty, departments, programs, schools, or colleges. We are also able to bring a wide range of workshops right to your department and/or consult with your department on any teaching-related topic. To schedule CTLE department services, use this link: Schedule a Consultation.

Welcome Meredith Professors and Welcome Back Faculty Fellows!

Congratulations and a very warm welcome to the newly appointed 2026-2029 Meredith Professors Shikha Nangia and Renée Stevens, and to our returning MP Faculty Fellows Mark Brockway, Zachary Huitink, and Doug Yung. Learn more about the Meredith Professors and Faculty Fellows on our Meet the Team page.

Save the Date: March 19, 2027 Meredith Symposium

The CTLE is thrilled to announce the relaunching of an annual Meredith Symposium! The 2027 Meredith Symposium: Innovation and Excellence in Teaching at Syracuse University will be held on March 19, 2027, as a day-long celebration of teaching excellence, pedagogical innovation, and scholarship on teaching and learning. The symposium will mark 100 years since the graduation of L. Douglas Meredith and will honor the legacy of the Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professorship Program, created to recognize, reward, and support outstanding teaching at Syracuse University. The event will feature a welcome with light breakfast, a poster session, concurrent sessions for workshops and presentations, a lunchtime panel of Meredith Professors and Meredith Professor Faculty Fellows, a Students Consulting on Teaching (SCOT) panel discussion, and a closing reception.

Starting October 1, SU faculty, instructors, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students will be invited to submit proposals for the symposium. Sessions co-created with undergraduate student partners are also welcome. We will be seeking proposals that highlight innovative teaching practices, effective classroom activities, and new insights from research on teaching and learning. While the symposium will not include designated tracks, all proposals should demonstrate engagement with current research on effective and inclusive teaching practices and should clearly articulate relevance for educators and student learning. For more information, visit the Meredith Symposium page on our website: The Meredith Symposium.