April 2025
Hello! The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) is pleased to present our April newsletter. This month’s newsletter includes recommended resources on supervising and mentoring Teaching Assistants; sign-up information about the Fall 2025 Students Consulting on Teaching (SCOT) program; and registration information for a special CTLE event coming up this month: an on-campus presentation by Elizabeth Norell, author of The Present Professor: Authenticity and Transformative Teaching. In this newsletter, we also bid a fond farewell to our esteemed Faculty Fellow, Jacques Safari Mwayaona.
RECOMMENDED READING AND RESOURCES
Are you looking for information about best practices for mentoring and supervising Teaching Assistants? Check out the new CTLE Teaching Resource page: TA (Teaching Assistant) Mentoring. In addition, I would be glad to schedule a time to come to your department meeting or have department members come to 550 Bird Library (CTLE) for a workshop/facilitated discussion on 1.) using the Critical Teaching Behaviors framework to define, document, and discuss good teaching with TAs (see Critical Teaching Behaviors) and/or 2.) helping your department get started on writing a handbook for your TAs.
INCLUSIVE TEACHING PRACTICES FOR COLLEGIATE STEM
There are still a few spots left in the brand new microcredential course, “Inclusive Teaching Practices for Collegiate STEM.” Co-facilitated by the CTLE, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, this 2025-2026 program aims to help participants learn how to apply high-impact, evidence-based teaching practices to STEM undergraduate course design, instruction, and assessment. Faculty should highlight completion of this microcredential as one way to demonstrate classroom effectiveness in tenure and promotion processes. Faculty who complete this microcredential in 2025-26 will also receive a $300 stipend and a digital recognition badge. Visit Microcredential Course Information to learn more.
STUDENTS CONSULTING ON TEACHING (SCOT)
One of the most important ways the CTLE supports teaching and learning at SU is through our Students Consulting on Teaching (SCOT) program. SCOT is a short-term partnership between a faculty member and a student consultant trained to help faculty gather learner feedback. The purpose is to support faculty in making small, meaningful teaching changes informed by both broad research on learning and student feedback in a specific course. Instructors and students consistently report that SCOT is a uniquely effective way to gain insights, build skills, and improve teaching and learning in the classroom. Sign up now to be paired with a Student Consultant for the Fall 2025 semester!
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
Workshop: Inspiring Authentic Learning with Primary Sources from the Syracuse Art Museum Collections
This workshop will begin with a brief overview of the SU Museum Collections and the opportunities it offers faculty to schedule a class visit and session at the Museum. Then we will explore how these class sessions draw on evidence-based, high-impact teaching practices for authentic learning and helping students build academic integrity skills. The remainder of the session will be participants workshopping assignments and syllabi for how to incorporate a Museum Collections visit into their class. Co-facilitated by Kate Holohan, Curator of Education at the SU Art Museum and Jessamyn Neuhaus, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. The workshop will take place at the SU Museum, and space is limited to 20 participants.
April 4, 1:00-2:30 p.m., Syracuse University Art Museum, Shaffer Art Building
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Book Discussion: The Present Professor
Dr. Liz Norell is going to be visiting the Syracuse campus on April 23 to give an in-person presentation about her new book, The Present Professor: Authenticity and Transformational Teaching, published this year in the University of Oklahoma Press series, “Teaching, Engaging, and Thriving in Higher Education.” In addition, and in preparation for Dr. Norell’s talk, the CTLE will host a book discussion about The Present Professor on April 16.
In preparation for the author’s in-person presentation on April 23, the CTLE will facilitate a book discussion of The Present Professor in 550 Bird Library (CTLE).
April 16, 2:00-3:30 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)
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Interactive Presentation: Liz Norell, “Becoming a (More) Present Professor”
Drawing from her recently released book, The Present Professor: Authenticity and Transformational Teaching, Liz Norell’s talk will equip participants to develop a greater presence with students in ways that feel more authentic and psychologically safe. After discussing the multi-disciplinary research that informs the book, participants will be invited to participate in an exercise drawn from the book, one that is connected to teaching. There will also be time for Q&A and discussion about what it means to teach with authenticity and presence in the Syracuse context.
Dr. Liz Norell serves as Associate Director of Instructional Support in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at the University of Mississippi. She has spent more than 20 years teaching in higher education, including stints in composition, journalism, new media, and political science. She completed a PhD in political science at the University of Texas Dallas, along with master’s degrees in journalism from the University of Arkansas and library science from Texas Woman’s University. Liz’s first book, The Present Professor: Authenticity and Transformational Teaching, is aimed at educators who know they want to create meaningful relationships with students but aren’t quite sure how to do that in authentic ways. Liz is passionate about equitable, inclusive teaching, constructive conversations across differences, and fostering meaningful learning. She is also passionate about boosting awareness of disability in higher education. You can find Liz on her website, liznorell.com.
April 23, 2:00-3:30 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)
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Panel Discussion: Professional and Personal Rewards of Teaching First Year Seminar
Are you a faculty member interested in learning more about the opportunity to lead a section of First Year Seminar (FYS 101)? Join the Director of First Year Seminar, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE), and five esteemed faculty members to reflect on the personal and professional rewards of teaching FYS 101. The FYS 101 Lead Instructor application is now available: FYS Lead Instructor Application.
April 22, 1:00-2:00 p.m., 550 Bird Library (CTLE)
A BIG THANK YOU TO JACQUES SAFARI MWAYAONA
The CTLE is saying goodbye to our long-time Faculty Development Fellow, Jacques Safari Mwayaona. In his years at the CTLE, Jacques provided outstanding programming and extensive resources for pedagogical development on a wide range of topics, including classroom information technology,generative AI and Universal Design for Learning. Most recently, he was instrumental in creating and implementing the CTLE’s signature program, Students Consulting on Teaching (SCOT), including designing, creating, and facilitating an innovative asynchronous Student Consultant training course. Jacques is an emerging thought leader and scholar of pedagogical partnerships and educational development, and we at the CTLE are so grateful for the work he’s done with us. Thank you, Jacques, and we wish you all the best with your future endeavors!
Jaques writes: “As my fellowship at Syracuse University concludes, I express profound gratitude for the enriching interactions with esteemed faculty who participated in programs offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE). These engagements have significantly contributed to my professional development as an educational developer. The experience affirmed my presence at a pivotal juncture in my career. Each interaction revealed a dedicated commitment to, and a demonstrable competence in, the continuous enhancement of pedagogical practices and student learning. I depart Syracuse University equipped with skills, knowledge, and experience that I intend to leverage in my ongoing pursuit of improved educational opportunities in Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ultimately, I aspire to contribute to the betterment of the global education system through collaborative initiatives. Please keep in touch on LinkedIn: Jacques Safari Mwayaona | LinkedIn.”
STAY IN TOUCH
As always, please let us know if the CTLE can support or assist you in any way, and if you know someone who might like to join our mailing list, here’s a link to the sign-up form: CTLE Mailing List Sign-Up. And just a reminder that you can access all previous newsletters on our website: Newsletters.