The Mission of the CTLA
The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment cultivates a community of inquiry and practice to promote excellent teaching, learning, and scholarship in the liberal arts. We nurture the learning environment of 海角社区黑料吃瓜 by fostering conversation and reflection at the intersection of pedagogy, the scholarship of teaching and learning, instructional design, and academic technologies. We advance practices of teaching and learning that are accessible, inclusive, and grounded in the best available evidence.
Community Friday, May 2: 鈥Laetitia Moon Conard: Teacher and Community Activist,鈥 with Susan Ferguson, Director of the CTLA, Ileah Bonzi 鈥25, Ben Curran 鈥25, Emma Kumano-Maloney 鈥25, and Olivia Pluska 鈥25
Noon to 1 p.m.
In-person location: HSSC A1231
Virtual link: (Meeting ID 864 6801 2945, Passcode 374662)
Please RSVP by April 29 at this link:
Susan Ferguson invites faculty and staff to a presentation of her research on Laetitia Moon Conard, a founding member of the sociology department at 海角社区黑料吃瓜. She began this research project over 20 years ago, and with the help of student research assistants, she was able to return to this project in June 2024. She and her research students discovered that Conard was a storied activist, fighting for women's suffrage, pacifism, and social welfare. She was a scholar who received extensive graduate training in comparative religions, sociology, and economics, and she was a teacher who practiced 鈥渃ommunity-engaged learning鈥 by sending her students out into the community. In addition to helping low-income families in town and co-founding the League of Women Voters, Conard also ran for Governor of Iowa in 1932 on the Socialist Party platform. And that is just the tip of the iceberg!
Please join Susan and her students, Ileah Bonzi 鈥25, Ben Curran 鈥25, Emma Kumano-Maloney 鈥25, and Olivia Pluska 鈥25, as they give voice to 鈥渁 woman ahead of her time" who contributed greatly to the intellectual life and activities on campus and in our community.
New Definition of Teaching Excellence Approved by Faculty
The Presidential Task Force on Evaluating Teaching Excellence proposed that the faculty endorse a new definition of teaching excellence and recommended that the Dean of the College use this definition in faculty reviews. The following definition was approved in the spring of 2024.
| Expertise | They build, maintain, and effectively apply expertise for the courses they teach; |
|---|---|
| Inclusive Teaching | They foster inclusive and engaging learning environments; |
| Learning Goals | They clearly and effectively communicate to students learning goals and expectations that align with relevant departmental, disciplinary, or institutional learning outcomes; |
| Pedagogy | They use pedagogies that are appropriate for the learning goals and context; |
| Feedback to Students | They respond to student work in a substantive, timely, and individualized way for the purposes of information and improving the learning experiences of students; and |
| Reflection | They engage in a reflective process to enhance their teaching practices. |
