The University of Texas at Austin

Center for Teaching Effectiveness

Main Building 2200

Faculty Services

GSI Services

Publications

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Research

About CTE

"While learning has many ends,
teaching has only one:
to enable or cause learning."
K. Patricia Cross

Welcome!

The Center for Teaching Effectiveness was established in 1973 in response to a Faculty Senate committee request. We are located on the 22nd floor of the Tower in the Main Building.
Come up and visit us sometime!

Bright Idea of the Month

an idea lightbulb

June-July 2005
Bright Idea

Designing Your Course Syllabus

The purpose of the syllabus is to communicate how student learning will develop and progress over the semester and how the instructor will assess the students' learning.

It is not only what is stated in the syllabus, but how it clearly details the responsibilities of both the students and the instructor for that course.

The syllabus should

Define learning objectives and course outcomes
Define how learning outcomes will be assessed
Include a statement of accountability between the instructor and student
Include a detailed course schedule
Include statements regarding academic integrity and services for students with disabilities

To read more about designing course syllabi, including information about student accountability, you can read the full text of D. V. Habanek's "An Examination of the Integrity of the Syllabus" (College Teaching, 53(2), pp. 62-64). The article is also available in a printable PDF version - 144KB - and requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader or equivalent to view the article.

SPOTLIGHT

New Faculty: 2005 New Faculty Seminar
New faculty members can register online for the four-day New Faculty Teaching, Learning, and Orientation Seminar being held August 23-26, 2005, at the Thompson Conference Center. The program underscores the university's commitment to teaching excellence, and introduces newcomers to the range of resources and services available at UT Austin.

Faculty: Summer Training Workshops for Faculty
Sign up online for DIIA's summer instructional technology workshops. All workshops are held in DIIA's multimedia lab in GSB 2.130, located near the building entrance at Speedway and 21st across from the PCL.

Preparing a Teaching Portfolio: This guidebook written by Dr. Karron Lewis leads you through the steps of assembling a Teaching Portfolio, a key element of revealing one's teaching accomplishments.
(A PDF version is also available for printing.)

Preparing for Peer Observation: Peer evaluation of teaching is an essential part of a faculty member's promotion and tenure file. This Guidebook prepared by CTE reviews key aspects of peer observation and contains sample forms.
(A PDF version is also available for printing.)

Gathering Feedback on Teaching and Learning: Most instructors are curious about how their class is being perceived. This kind of feedback should be obtained during the semester rather than waiting until the class is over. Check out some ideas and tools to help faculty gather and interpret this data.

New Faculty: Some of UT's new faculty meet informally. To find out more and to share your own new faculty experiences, join one or both of the groups by e-mailing the list owner
ut-new-faculty-owner@yahoogroups.com
and/or
owner-newfacultyth@lists.cc.utexas.edu.

Console Training: Enhance the delivery of your lectures using the new technology built into your classrooms. Call Pamela Brochhausen at 475-6702 for more information.

OUR MISSION

The primary purpose of the Center for Teaching Effectiveness is to assist the teaching staff, both faculty and GSIs, of the University of Texas at Austin in providing instruction that is consistent with the best information on quality teaching and learning at the post-secondary level.

To accomplish this mission, the Center provides both basic and advanced information about the teaching/learning process through an array of formats, including group seminars, classes, self-study materials and individual consultation on specific questions.