Faculty Assessment and Development
The Faculty Assessment and Development team supports faculty at CUSPS by providing a broad range of programming and services dedicated to developing teaching effectiveness, including workshops, teaching forums, and teaching consultations. The team seeks to reach evidence-based conclusions regarding faculty members’ strengths and areas for improvement by collecting information from a variety of sources, including student evaluation of teaching surveys, teaching observations, student focus groups, and student learning outcomes.
Assessment and Development: Services Offered
Upon request, a trained teaching consultant can meet with you to help you implement research-based practices into your teaching, discuss your teaching approach and goals, provide feedback on aspects of your teaching, or discuss any teaching-related concerns you might have. All consultations are strictly confidential. Please complete this form or contact Zach Kornhauser ([email protected]) if you would like to arrange either an in-person or virtual consultation.
Faculty may be required to undergo an observation during their time at SPS. Observations are conducted by the Faculty Assessment and Development team and can be initiated by the Academic Director of the faculty member's respective program, Academic Affairs, or the Dean's Office.
Additionally, faculty who are looking for constructive feedback on their teaching or ways to improve student learning can request an observation. Observations involve an initial conversation with a trained consultant about your teaching approach and goals, followed by a course observation and a debrief, or follow-up consultation. Observations are conducted to examine the extent to which your course goals are met, and to provide feedback on your teaching practices. Please contact Colleen Davy ([email protected]) to arrange an observation.
Bi-weekly, one-hour informal teaching forums are offered as a venue for faculty to collaboratively discuss topics of pedagogical interest in a welcoming environment. These forums are thematically based, but the conversation shifts according to participants' interests/needs.
For Fall 2020, we will start with a series of Forums focused on Hyflex Teaching. You can sign-up for them here. These interactive forums will introduce faculty to the HyFlex modality, provide information for how the modality will function in their courses, and give them the opportunity to brainstorm about how to prepare to teach in this modality.
The sessions on August 6, 10, and 12 will provide an introduction to the HyFlex model and the resources that will be available to you. The sessions on August 18, 20, and 24 will be focused around specific issues with HyFlex classes (e.g., supporting group projects, developing effective in-class activities, managing breakout rooms and discussions, etc.).
At the request of instructors or academic directors, focus groups can be arranged with students within a class or program. The purpose of the focus groups is to gather key information about student experiences in the designated class or program, and to help provide diagnostic information that can be used to improve instruction. Information from focus groups will be kept confidential unless authorization is given to share the information. Please contact Colleen Davy ([email protected]) to schedule a focus group.
The SPS Faculty Assessment and Development Team offers a series of pedagogical workshops at the beginning of each semester, which are aimed at improving instructional effectiveness across the school. These workshops are offered online and include evening times to accommodate your schedule.
Workshop Descriptions
Future Offerings
We are always looking for suggestions or ideas for programming or services to improve your experience as a faculty member at CUSPS. If you would like to talk further about any ideas you might have, please contact Zach Kornhauser ([email protected]).