| Wright State University
The Center for Teaching & Learning Wright State University is a public university with about 700 full-time faculty, 170 TAs, 12,000 under grads, and 3800 grad students. The Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) was established in 1993, an idea stemming from the Enrollment Management Committee with the recognition that faculty had resources and help available for research, but this was lacking for the teaching component. The CTL reports to the Assoc. Provost, Dr. Lillie Howard. The Center has three foci: Core Curriculum (a comprehensive set of programs covering course design, presentation, assessment, policy, and diversity), Instructional Technology/Multimedia, and provisions of individual faculty guidance, i.e. time management, collegial communication, and other support concerns. The Center's part-time staff include a Director, Associate Director, Secretary, one Graduate Assistant, and two work study students. Instructional Technology/Multimedia's full-time staff include a Director, an Office Manager, Multimedia Consultant, and two student workers. The non-salary budget is $8000 and is supplemented by the Provost, institutional grants, and financial partnerships. The CTL was established with the intent to :
Having a Center with the purpose of providing resources, training, and individual support for educators in order to continue the enhancement of quality teaching and learning at Wright State University was the goal. In order to achieve this goal, the CTL offers many programs, professional services, and other resources for faculty. The Center has books, articles, and videos available for faculty use at any time. Every month, the CTL publishes a newsletter, and each quarter, a lesson planner, both mailed to all faculty and staff. In addition to resources made available to faculty, the Center also offers programs and professional services. For example: Mentoring Program: Matching of untenured with tenured faculty in support groups. Individual Consultation: The Center can provide individual consultation to persons working on course planning, specific concerns, or student feedback. Assessment: A midterm assessment helps faculty conduct and evaluate courses at midterm to allow for mid-course corrections. Brown Bags (Discussion Groups): Lunch presentations, films, and discussions about topics of interest. Faculty or staff present ideas on a topic related to teaching, or a film is shown, followed by discussion. 10-minute TIP (Teaching Improvement Process): Brief presentations to faculty meetings introduce key ideas on topics such as lecturing techniques, syllabus construction, portfolios, learning styles, and discussion techniques. In addition to ongoing programs and activities, The Center sponsors several major events each year, such as: The Faculty Institute, a week-long seminar on teaching for faculty; New Faculty Orientation in the fall which focuses on important information and tips for new faculty success; and GTA and International GTA Retreat and Training held every fall offering training in a variety of tasks essential for successful TAs. |