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As a result of Trinity's 2004-2006 Middle States Self-Study, the university identified a range of pedagogical issues emerging from student assessment activities. In particular, the faculty have expressed a need for increasingly sophisticated professional development and acquisition of teaching tools to meet the academic needs of Trinity's contemporary students, many of whom manifest academic risk factors because of inadequate prior preparation in urban public schools. To ensure the success of today's Trinity students, Trinity has already invested in curricular reform, pedagogical reform, program assessment and student learning outcomes assessment. As a result of these experiences, Trinity now establishes the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence.
Vision
The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence will make Trinity a premier center for urban higher education innovation, leadership and success in the education of first generation urban learners. Through the work of the Center, Trinity faculty will be widely known for their innovation and excellence in student-centered teaching and learning.
Mission
The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence is focused on the development of pedagogy and curricula that result in student learning excellence. Its core values and characteristics emphasize:
- Grounding in Trinity's mission commitment to educational access and student success
- Commitment to faculty support in professional development for teaching excellence, resulting in student learning excellence
- Understanding that development and use the effective pedagogy is essential to student success
Goals & Objectives
Foster and support pedagogy and course-level innovation for increased student success in core competencies and student learning goals. In support of this goal, faculty will:
- Develop curricula that incorporate core literacies for student learning, e.g., writing, critical reading, quantitative literary and numeracy, and information literacy.
- Incorporate assessment mechanisms into their courses and programs of study that allow for the measurement and articulation of student learning.
Maximize faculty access to and use of state-of-the-art knowledge on student-centered teaching and learning engagement and excellence. In support of this goal, faculty will:
- Access and utilize multiple sources of information and knowledge on student learning engagement and excellence.
- Incorporate active learning pedagogy into their course designs.
- Learn how to discern and develop effective pedagogies for multiple learning modalities among the diverse students in their classrooms. This includes knowing how to distinguish among the visual, auditor, linear, etc. learning styles and developing pedagogy and assessment methods accordingly.
Afford faculty (full-time and adjunct) opportunities to learn about and practice new pedagogies and curricular design innovations. In support of this goal, faculty will:
- Participate in workshops, seminars, discussions, classroom consultations, private consultations, etc. offered in support of teaching and learning excellence.
- Design and deliver learning opportunities on curricular innovation and effective pedagogy for colleagues.
Foster teaching excellence through maximized communication among faculty colleagues in support of this goal. In support of this goal, faculty will:
- Provide colleagues with examples of their curricular and pedagogical efforts to enhance student learning, in order to learn from success as well as from examples of what has not worked.
- Offer peer consultations for classroom observations and feedback, problem-solving related to teaching effectiveness, peer review of proposed innovation designs, etc.
Enhance state-of-the-art applications of classroom technology. In support of this goal, faculty will:
- Extend themselves to the next level of expertise with technologies they are currently utilizing in their teaching.
- Explore a new classroom technology that they would like to consider in order to enhance student engagement and learning.