October 2026

Good morning from The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE)! We’re pleased to present our October newsletter, which includes information about proposal submissions for the 2027 Meredith Symposium, our October guest speaker-facilitated workshop, and recommendations for how to effectively implement the Mid-Semester Progress Report feature in Orange SUccess 2.0.

CFP: The Meredith Symposium

On October 1, we will begin accepting proposals for the March 19, 2027 Meredith Symposium: Innovation and Excellence in Teaching at Syracuse University. SU faculty, instructors, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students are invited to submit proposals, and sessions co-created with undergraduate student partners are also welcome. Read more about the Symposium on the CTLE’s Meredith Symposium page and in the complete Call for Proposals. Proposal deadline: November 1, 2026. Questions? Email Jessamyn Neuhaus, CTLE Director, at janeuhau@syr.edu.

CTLE Fellowship Opportunity for Chairs and Department Leaders

The CTLE is pleased to announce a brand-new Fellowship opportunity for SU department chairs, program directors, and faculty members who play a leadership role in their department processes for evaluating and assessing teaching. The WEAVE (Wide-ranging Evidence for Assessment, Valuation, and Effectiveness) Fellowship prepares faculty members serving in department and program leadership roles to evaluate and assess effective teaching using a wide variety of evidence by applying the Critical Teaching Behaviors Framework. As part of the fellowship, each Fellow will develop and deliver a presentation or workshop introducing this evidence-based approach to their home department or program. Fellows will receive a $1,500 honorarium. Up to three fellowships will be awarded for the 2026-2027 academic year. For details, visit this info page: WEAVE Fellowship at the CTLE.

To apply for the WEAVE Fellowship, complete this Qualtrics application form: WEAVE Fellowship application. Applications are due November 3, 2026. Questions? Email Jessamyn Neuhaus, CTLE Director: janeuhau@syr.edu

New CTLE Resource Collection: Oral Exams

In the age of AI, there is renewed interest in the use of oral exams to assess student learning. We’ve gathered some key research and resources in a new section on our Alternatives to Timed Exams resource page: Oral Exams. If you and/or your department would like some CTLE support and assistance to get started using oral exams, we’re happy to help: Schedule a Consultation.

Podcast Episode Recommendation

The Think UDL podcast is always worth a listen, but this particular episode is chock full of great ideas for creative assessments of student learning in very large intro STEM classes. Highly recommend! Think UDL: Choose Your Own Biology Assessment.

Workshop: Counseling-Informed Teaching Practices for Reducing Stress and Encouraging Engagement

This interactive workshop will describe therapeutic practices that can be adapted for the classroom to promote student engagement and belonging. Participants will learn about active listening, attending, and relationship-building skills that help foster classroom environments in which students feel seen, heard, and supported. Particular attention will be given to the needs of first-generation college students, for whom a strong sense of belonging and meaningful faculty connections are associated with greater engagement and persistence. The session will also consider how these counseling-informed practices can potentially reduce the interpersonal strain that contributes to faculty stress. Participants will leave with practical, ethically appropriate techniques that can be integrated into their teaching to facilitate both student success and instructor effectiveness. Facilitated by guest presenter, Elin O’Hara, Interim Director of the Center of Teaching and Learning and Director of D’Amour Library at Western New England University.

October 21, 12:00-1:15 p.m., Zoom

Include a Letter Grade in Mid-Semester Progress Reports

Syracuse University instructors now have the ability to give students a midsemester class grade as part of our Mid-Semester Progress Reports (MSPR). We at the CTLE strongly recommend that every single person teaching a class this semester utilize this new Orange SUccess feature. The midsemester class grade will not appear on a student’s transcript, but it is the most transparent and high-impact way to meaningfully communicate a students’ standing in your class. Providing midsemester course grades also makes our teaching lives easier. It is also one of the single most effective ways to reduce end-of-semester panic and grade disputes. For more information and for answers to FAQ, check out the slides from Jessamyn’s presentation “Why You Should Use the Mid-Semester Class Grade Feature in Orange SUccess 2.0.”

Academic Integrity Office: New Blog Post

Check out the new blog post by Kate Marzen, Director of the Academic Integrity Office, “Collaboration vs. Collusion.”

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. Consultations are completely confidential. Contact us via the Consultation Request Form on our website.

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)

Zach Huitink, Associate Teaching Professor in Public Administration and International Affairs and a 2026-2027 Meredith Professorship Faculty Fellow is available this semester for consultations on topics such as strategies and approaches to developing engaging asynchronous content; live session lesson planning and activity development; assessment in online formats; and community building when working with classes in distance learning formats. Contact him directly to schedule an appointment at zshuitin@syr.edu.

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. 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.

Mondays, 1:30–2:30 p.m., 548 Bird Library (Faculty Commons)