Critical Teaching Behaviors: Defining, Documenting, and Discussing Good Teaching

What does “good” teaching mean, and how can we know it when we see it? Perhaps you have grappled with these questions at some point in your career, either as an instructor wanting to document or grow your teaching effectiveness or as a peer or administrator trying to provide guidance to or assess the teaching of others. This book serves three purposes: a condensed, evidence-based guide to effective teaching; a resource on creating a focused teaching narrative and teaching portfolio; and a toolkit that equips faculty to conduct peer observations, student midterm feedback, and productive conversations related to teaching. The first part of the book offers a rich guide as to what constitutes effective teaching based on a comprehensive review of the research on instructional strategies and behaviors that promote student engagement, learning, and success. It includes practical advice flexible enough to accommodate disciplinary and contextual differences, recognizing that readers will want to adapt effective behaviors based on their values and dispositions. The opening chapters successively cover aligning classroom activities to learning goals; teaching inclusively to account for students’ prior learning and diversity; creating an environment that promotes students’ active engagement in learning and taking responsibility for their intellectual development; assessing students’ progress and adjusting teaching accordingly; using technology effectively; and finally engaging in reflective self-assessment with feedback from peers and students to adjust and develop teaching skills. In the second part of the book, the authors offer structured guidance on developing a focused teaching narrative, gathering peer and student feedback to support that narrative, and curating a portfolio to showcase exemplary practices and achievements. The insights and tools presented also equip readers to facilitate classroom peer observations and gather midterm student feedback. Overall, the second part of the book provides readers with a common language and tools to use when discussing teaching with peers and those who may formally or informally observe their teaching. The book builds to providing the reader with a clear sense of the criteria and evidence needed to document their teaching for the purposes of annual review, promotion, or tenure. The now widely recognized Critical Teaching Behaviors (CTB) framework offers a holistic means of documenting and assessing teaching effectiveness by including a variety of evidence and perspectives. The comprehensive feedback and documentation toolkit aligned to the framework incorporates more of the instructor’s perspective on their own teaching into the evaluation process and substitutes for or supplements student evaluations of teaching (SETs). Administrators will also find the CTB useful as a template and guide for the objective evaluation of teaching. In a single volume, this book offers faculty evidence-based guidance and encouragement to explore effective teaching strategies whether they are just embarking on their college teaching journey or are experienced instructors looking to explore new ideas. The CTB presents instructors a roadmap to both developing teaching skills and demonstrating achievements in promoting student learning to advance their careers. It is designed to be an interactive workbook. While readers can choose to read passively, they will get the most value from this book by completing the prompts and activities along the way

Facilitators and Barriers to Engagement and Effective SoTL Research Collaborations in Faculty Learning Communities

To determine factors that influence faculty engagement and success in faculty learning communities focused on collaborative Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), our project gathered information on (1) faculty motivation to engage with SoTL; (2) structures that support collaboration; (3) the perceived impact of SoTL on teaching, scholarship, and faculty engagement in academic communities on campus and beyond; and (4) the role of the teaching center in supporting collaborative faculty learning communities focused on SoTL. In this explanatory, sequential design mixed-methods study, participants were asked to complete a survey on their experience as participants in faculty learning communities at a large comprehensive public university in the southeastern United States; researchers then conducted one-on-one interviews with select participants to gain an in-depth understanding of trends and questions emerging from the survey data. Results indicate that personal, institutional, professional, and team factors contribute to participants’ perception of the success and effectiveness of collaborative research teams. Findings from the study offer guidance for setting up effective collaborative structures for SoTL projects and nurturing inter-disciplinary research among faculty members, thus providing insights that can inform the design and facilitation of similar programs in the United States and internationally

Facilitators and Barriers to Engagement and Effective SoTL Research Collaborations in Faculty Learning Communities

To determine factors that influence faculty engagement and success in faculty learning communities focused on collaborative Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), our project gathered information on (1) faculty motivation to engage with SoTL; (2) structures that support collaboration; (3) the perceived impact of SoTL on teaching, scholarship, and faculty engagement in academic communities on campus and beyond; and (4) the role of the teaching center in supporting collaborative faculty learning communities focused on SoTL. In this explanatory, sequential design mixed-methods study, participants were asked to complete a survey on their experience as participants in faculty learning communities at a large comprehensive public university in the southeastern United States; researchers then conducted one-on-one interviews with select participants to gain an in-depth understanding of trends and questions emerging from the survey data. Results indicate that personal, institutional, professional, and team factors contribute to participants’ perception of the success and effectiveness of collaborative research teams. Findings from the study offer guidance for setting up effective collaborative structures for SoTL projects and nurturing inter-disciplinary research among faculty members, thus providing insights that can inform the design and facilitation of similar programs in the United States and internationally

Critical Teaching Behaviors: What Does Good Teaching Look Like?

How can faculty and administrators identify and document evidence of “good” teaching? Defining “good” teaching as the implementation of evidence-based practices proven to foster success, we developed a Critical Teaching Behaviors framework consisting of six categories of observable behaviors: alignment, assessment, inclusive learning environment, student engagement, educational technology, and reflective practice. We will present an overview of the meta-analysis conducted to construct the framework, participants will then use the framework to reflect on their teaching practice before providing feedback on its design and usefulness in documenting effective teaching behaviors at their institutions

SWOL SoTL: Assessing your teaching to identify SoTL projects

Unavailabl

Using the Teaching Toolkit Method to Improve Student Engagement

This presentation was given during the Southern Regional Faculty and Instructional Development Consortium Annual Conference

Internal Professional Development Through Program Planning

As teaching centers one of our primary goals is to provide high quality professional development opportunities to instructors. However, our own professional development is often neglected, to the detriment of those we serve and ourselves. Following several organizational changes, staff of the CT2 decided to follow an outcomes-based design model to evaluate and re-envision our center\u27s mission and focus. Beyond accomplishing the intended goals of our strategic planning -- which included establishing center goals, setting priorities, aligning programming with outcomes, as well as team building -- we found the process itself could be an opportunity for internal professional development. In our presentation we will briefly introduce the outcomes- based strategic planning process we used and demonstrate several ways in which it can support and advance professional development within a Teaching Center and promote an attitude of lifelong learning for ourselves. We will invite participants to reflect on the benefits and challenges of seeing ourselves more intentionally in the role of learners in addition to teaching teachers. Finally, participants will be asked to consider how internal professional development can become an integral part of their centers mission and activities

Addressing Stereotype & Identity Threat

Faculty development workshop co-led by Georgia Southern faculty members Peggy Shannon-Baker, Rochelle Lee and Claudia Cornejo Happel, Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campu