T3 (Teaching, Tools, Transformation) Workshops

Join the CTL virtual T3 Workshop Series this semester as we investigate teaching strategies and tools to engage and support your students. Our 90-minute virtual workshops consist of a 45-minute overview of a strategy and tool(s) followed by an optional 45-minute hands-on work. These practical, hands-on sessions are a great way to explore a new strategy and transform your teaching!

The Essentials of a Flipped Classroom

Thursday, October 7, 2021
10-11.30am

Session Overview
After a year of teaching in the LfA modality, you may have a lot of digital content (audio, video, text) and engaging activities that you are wondering how to re-purpose for Fall and Spring classes. Come learn how you can implement all that valuable and engaging content and create flipped resources to vary your classroom sessions.

Session breakdown

Part 1 (10-10.45am): Overview of what makes a productive and effective flipped approach, one that ensures students’ engagement with the content and increased learning in the classroom. We will also review the variety of BU-supported tools that can be utilized to create flipped content, such as Kaltura/Mymedia, the Adobe Creative Cloud products and Blackboard learning modules. 

Part 2 (Optional: 10.45-11.30am): Hands-on practice with some of the tools mentioned above.

Register here!

Social Annotation with Perusall

Wednesday, November 17, 2021
10-11.30am

Session Overview

Social annotation is reading, thinking and collaborating with one another by marking up texts and discussing points of interest. More recently, digital learning spaces have allowed for this type of collaboration to happen synchronously or asynchronously online, not only on text, but also on images, audio and video. Perusall, a social annotation platform that integrates into Blackboard, allows for social annotation on different types of content. Come learn about how you can get started on implementing social annotation into your courses. 

Session breakdown

Part 1 (10-10.45am): Overview of social annotation, and how you may implement the strategy into your courses with Perusall.

Part 2 (Optional: 10.45-11.30am): Hands-on practice with Perusall, and getting started with setting up your own social annotation assignment. 

Register here!

Creating a Living Syllabus

Tuesday, December 7, 2021
10-11.30am

Session Overview

The syllabus is often considered a ‘formal academic document’ detailing the objectives and tasks throughout a course; however, with all the resources and details we typically need to include about a course, sometimes the syllabus also becomes a lengthy, difficult to read, text-heavy document. As a result, students may not read or keep track of the course syllabus throughout the semester. One way to encourage students to check and engage with the syllabus is to make it a ‘living document’. Come learn about the essentials of creating a ‘living syllabus’ on Adobe Spark! 

Session breakdown 

Part 1 (10-10.45am): Overview of a living syllabus and using Adobe Spark to build an engaging course syllabus. 

Part 2 (Optional: 10.45-11.30am): Hands-on practice with Adobe Spark, and creating the building blocks of your Spring 2022 syllabus.

Register here!

Learning Sciences Speaker Series

The Learning Sciences Speaker Series invites nationally recognized researchers to Boston University’s Charles River Campus to discuss contemporary research that spans topics in Educational Psychology, Cognitive Science, Human Computer Interaction, Sociology, Applied Linguistics, and Human Development.

Spring 2021

“Ours is Not a Caravan of Despair: Trauma-Informed Teaching for Restorative Justice” 

An interactive presentation that connects the neuroscience of stress, learning, trauma-informed education, and restorative justice with Dr. Mays Imad

Thursday, April 15, 2021 from 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM EST

In this session we will consider the neuroscience of toxic stress and its impact on learning. We will examine the principles and practical examples of trauma-informed approaches, whether it’s in the classroom or the institution. Finally, we will reflect on the connections between trauma-informed education and restorative justice.

Mays Imad, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist and professor of Pathophysiology and Biomedical Ethics at Pima Community College, the founding coordinator of the Teaching and Learning Center, and a Gardner Institute Fellow. Dr. Imad’s current research focuses on stress, self-awareness, advocacy, and classroom community, and how these relate to cognition, metacognition, and, ultimately, student learning and success.

Register here!

See past LSSS events here

Interdisciplinary Conversations on Teaching

Spring 2021

“Arts Integration Across the Curriculum: Perspectives and Practice” 

A unique interdisciplinary conversation sharing perspectives on integrating arts across disciplines 

Tuesday, March 30, 2021 from 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM EST

Register here!

Speakers:

Jennifer Beard (SPH) Using Fiction in Global Mental Health Curriculum

Jennifer will speak about using fiction in a global mental health class as a way to spark conversations about the importance of finding balance between the population level perspective and the raw, emotional, lived experience that fiction can evoke.

Jennifer Beard, PhD, MA, MPH, is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Global Health at BU’s School of Public Health and the Associate Editor of Public Health Post.

David Carballo (CAS) Arts Integration for Engaging the Past, Present, and General Education

David will speak about arts integration for engaging the past, present, and general education, moving from how he uses ancient art and art history in his teaching to his recent collaboration with the BU Arts Initiative on Hostile Terrain 94. He will also discuss other ways that art can be integrated into the HUB Undergraduate General Education Curriculum.

David Carballo, PhD, is Assistant Provost for General Education, Associate Professor of Archaeology, and a specialist in Mesoamerican archaeology, focusing particularly on the pre-hispanic civilizations of central Mexico.

Carrie Preston (KHC) The Place of the Arts in Forced Displacement Studies

Carrie will discuss how she integrates the arts into classes that focus on forced migration as well as how she builds lessons and assignments around arts events and experiences. Approaches include sponsoring staged readings and talks with playwrights (supported by the Arts Initiative) along with visits to museums such as the ICA’s recent “When Home Won’t Let You Stay” exhibit.

Carrie Preston, PhD, is the Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Professor and Director of Kilachand Honors College, a Professor of English and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, and the founding Co-Director, with Muhammad Zaman, of the Initiative on Forced Displacement at Boston University.

2019 Annual Educational Innovation Conference

Boston University’s Ninth Annual Educational Innovation Conference brings together faculty, staff, graduate students, and post-docs from across BU and beyond to showcase excellence in teaching and learning and to explore collaborative visions of our future.

Please click here for additional information.

Grants & Funding Opportunities

The CTL offers a number of grant and other funding opportunities to support innovative, inclusive and/or research-based teaching and learning projects. Other BU units offer grants that also support teaching and learning including the Digital Learning Initiative, and Program Learning Outcomes Assessment.

Please visit our Grants & Funding Opportunities page for the most up to date information.

Classroom Observation Troupe Faculty Learning Community

This DL&I initiative will support a cohort of up to 6 faculty members from across the university to explore teaching observation protocols and methods.  Please click here for additional information.

STEM Education Initiatives

Central to the success of CTL STEM Education Initiatives is connecting educators to the wide variety of curricular tools available within and outside Boston University to help advance the practice of teaching in the STEM disciplines. The resources on this page represent a continually growing list of STEM education-related programs designed to promote collaboration, innovation, and professional development. We hope that you will find it helpful in your own classrooms and laboratories and that you’ll assist us in continuing to build this page by letting us know of new opportunities.

BU Hub Guides and Resources

Fall 2018 signals the roll-out of the BU Hub, and the CTL has been working steadfastly with hundreds of BU faculty to help bring this new general education initiative to fruition. Through a series of one-day course revision workshops, the staff of the CTL have collaborated with faculty from across the university to transform existing courses into interdisciplinary learning experiences for undergraduate students. We’ve also developed a series of area guides and syllabus templates to help faculty prepare their courses. For a complete list of our BU Hub resources, guides, and stipend information, please visit our dedicated BU Hub webpage.

AR/VR Community

• • Exploring how virtual reality technology is being piloted at BU.
  • Experiencing the technology via hands-on and interactive education; build technical skills and investigate ways to incorporate XR into practice.
  • Engaging with BU faculty, Educational Technologists and Instructional Designers; share your vision, as questions, and collaborate with BU colleagues and XR early adopters.

Learn More about how to join this community here!

Faculty Writing Group (suspended for Spring 2021)

Finding it difficult to write during the semester?  The CTL invites you to join its Faculty Writing Group on select Friday mornings (9:30-12:00) in the Conference Room at 141 Bay State Road. Set aside several hours a week to write alongside other faculty in a quiet and comfortable space. Bring your laptop and/or whatever you need to work. We provide snacks but otherwise leave you alone to write. Open to all faculty. Space is limited, so reserve your seat online. 

Click here for additional information

Adobe Catalyst Program

The Center for Teaching & Learning’s new Adobe Catalyst program brings faculty together to help them become more comfortable using this powerful software tool in the classroom. The Adobe Catalyst program supports a growing set of Adobe resources at BU, including the Digital Learning & Innovation’s Digital Multimedia Common.

Please click here for more information.

Graduate Student Workshops (suspended for Spring 2021)

These one-hour workshops offer graduate students an opportunity to learn practical, research-based teaching strategies, to reflect on their own classroom practice, and to connect with TF’s from across the university. Please click here for more information.

Graduate Teaching Consultants

Graduate Teaching Consultants will support the CTL’s existing programming and services for fellow graduate student instructors by helping to co-facilitate teaching workshops and conducting LAPs during the 2020-2021 academic year. Please click here for more information.

Graduate Student Teaching Day

Are you teaching for the first time this spring? Or, would you like a chance to reflect on your past teaching experience in preparation for your upcoming teaching assignment?

Join us for the CTL’s Graduate Student Teaching Day. Participants will prepare for the first days of section, class, or lab; troubleshoot common teaching challenges; get tips for maintaining a healthy work-life balance from seasoned TF’s; learn about the services available year-round at the CTL; and connect with an interdisciplinary community of fellow graduate student instructors. While sessions are designed with first-time instructors in mind, experienced TF’s are also welcome! Please click here for additional information and registration.

Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) Scholars Program

The SoTL Scholars Program acquaints graduate student and postdoctoral participants with the fundamental concepts and core practices of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, a field of inquiry that examines the intersection of instruction and student learning across disciplines in higher education. Please click here for additional information.

CIRTL@BU

Are you interested in a career as a future faculty member? Take advantage of any of the CIRTL@BU career development programs and workshops to gain valuable experience and meet other graduate students and post-docs across the country. Every semester, the CTL and Boston University Community partners with CIRTL to offer a variety of future-faculty focused online courses that leverage the expertise and diversity of professionals from across the CIRTL network. Please visit http://cirtl.net for more information on how you can engage this resource.

Network of Centers for Teaching & Learning

The Colonial Group is a consortium of fourteen universities formed by the Provosts of our respective universities, and supported by a close network of Centers for Teaching & Learning which engage in the exchange of effective practices, strategies, and ideas. Please click here for additional information.

CTL Faculty Fellows

The Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) Faculty Fellows program offers its fellows the opportunity to enhance their teaching and be active members of a teaching community at Boston University. Please click here for additional information.

CTL New Faculty Retreat

The CTL’s New Faculty Retreat is a 5-day program, devised to help faculty new to BU develop into exceptional teachers by providing them with knowledge, skills, and a supportive community of interdisciplinary peer educators. During the week, faculty will examine the importance of learning objectives, construct course level assessments, employ effective grading strategies, experiment with active learning strategies, develop discipline-specific classroom activities, interact with teaching technologies, develop a complete or near-complete syllabus, discover the science of student motivation and student learning, and explore BU’s teaching resources. Please click here for additional information.

Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) Faculty Learning Community

This CTL initiative supports faculty interested in improving their teaching practice through academic inquiry. Participants in this learning community will not only read research-based scholarship about new teaching practices and new uses of digital media and learning technologies; they will also develop strategies to study how these and other instructional interventions impact their students’ learning. Please click here for additional information.

Blended Learning Challenge Faculty Learning Community

The Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) invites faculty to apply to the year-long Blended Learning Challenge. This faculty learning community will help faculty transition portions of their class to the online environment while incorporating active learning strategies into their face-to-face class meetings. Please click here for additional information.