Center for Teaching and Learning

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The framework behind our workshops

The Center for Teaching and Learning provides all faculty with opportunities to explore questions about their teaching, advance their skills, and reflect on their practices. One of the primary ways we achieve this goal is through our single and multi-session workshops, short courses (self-paced and cohort), and programs. We’ve adapted the “Critical Teaching Behaviors” framework to communicate how our portfolio supports professional growth in teaching practices connected to student learning.  

What is the Critical Teaching Behavior Framework?

The Critical Teaching Behaviors (CTB) Framework, developed by Lauren Barbeau and Claudia Cornejo Happel, is a research-based framework that identifies six categories of effective teaching behaviors: 

  1. Align
  2. Include
  3. Engage
  4. Assess
  5. Integrate Technology
  6. Reflect  

You can use this framework in several ways – to develop a peer observation/review guidance or self-assessment plan for your own teaching and/or to choose CTL program offerings that focus on teaching behaviors you’d like to explore.

Below, we summarize each category and list CTL workshops and programs that advance participants' knowledge and skills associated with that teaching behavior.  

A full description of the Critical Teaching Behaviors categories, with representative teaching behaviors, is included on the Critical Teaching Behaviors framework website.  

CTL Events/Programs that connect to Critical Teaching Behaviors:

Align
Body

Provide students with clear learning goals that have measurable outcomes. All learning activities, assessments, and feedback are connected and help students progress towards meeting these goals.

Related CTL Programs/Workshops:

  • Syllabus Day
    Join us in Howe 303 to work on your syllabus and learn how it can set the tone for your students' experience in your class. You're welcome to work independently and/or get feedback from CTL staff or faculty colleagues also working in the room. Every hour, CTL staff will share a quick 15 minutes presentation on principles that will help you write an effective and welcoming syllabus. We talk about topics such as encouraging a growth mindset and strategies for student successm setting clear expectations, and AI policies.
    No registration required: Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, 10am - 3pm, 303 Howe Library
     
  • Teaching in Higher Education
    In this workshop we will help you reflect on your teaching and share current research on teaching practices such as Equity Minded Course Design and Universal Design for Learning. You will leave this workshop with teaching ideas you can use to engage your students and design learning environments for all students, regardless of their learning preferences.
    Register: Friday, Sep. 11, 2026, 10:30 - 11:45
     
  • Introduction to Backward Design
    Planning a course without a clear destination is like planning a road trip before deciding where you're headed. Backward design flips this process: start with what you want students to know and be able to do, then build the assessments and learning experiences that help them get there.

    In this workshop, you'll explore the basics of backward design through examples and guided reflection. Oftentimes, good course design isn’t about adding more - it’s about making intentional choices about what matters most. Backward design can help you identify what best supports student learning while creating a course structure that is sustainable for you, and what can be streamlined. 

    This workshop is especially helpful if you're:
    - Revising a course based on student feedback.
    - Looking for ways to improve student engagement.
    - Working within time constraints and deciding what to prioritize.
    - Rethinking assignments or assessments to better support - student learning.
    Register:
    Wednesday, August 26, 2026 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
    Wednesday, September 2, 2026 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Include
Body

Create an inclusive learning environment in which students see themselves positively represented and experience a sense of belonging. The resulting positive emotional state helps students learn.

Related CTL Programs/Workshops:

Workshop Series:

Individual Workshops:

  • Stories that Teach: Using Emotion to Deepen Student Learning
    This 30-minute remote session provides an overview with examples and brief discussion of how to use these strategies in different classroom contexts.

    As the semester moves towards its end, students and instructors alike may be feeling a mix of fatigue and anticipation. This period, between mid-semester routines and end-of-term closure, offers an opportunity to pause and reflect. Grounded in Sarah Rose Cavanagh’s work on emotion in learning, this workshop explores how engaging students’ emotions – through storytelling, mindfulness, Joy Cards, and other reflective activities – can strengthen presence in the classroom. Emotions stick with students, helping them make connections, step out of their comfort zones, and engage in meaningful ways. Storytelling can reach all kinds of learners and make revision and performance central to learning.
    Register: 
    Friday, October 16, 2026 10:00 AM to 10:30
    Tuesday, November 3, 2026 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Synchronous online course: Teaching Equitably Online

Faculty learning group: Designing for Learning

Engage
Body

Encourage students to actively engage in their learning and take responsibility for their own growth. Create learning activities that require students to discuss and work with each other and you.

Related CTL Programs/Workshops:

  • Metacognitive Strategies to Improve Student Learning Metacognition, or learning how to learn, is critical for academic success. However, not all students enter college with an awareness of how they learn. And strategies that once worked in high school could lead to frustration now that the demands of the curriculum are greater.During this session, we’ll share strategies that you can use in your teaching to support metacognitive development for all your students, thereby creating equitable learning environments. Many interventions are small (they may take 5 minutes of class time); other strategies may inspire you to rethink bigger aspects of your course design.
    Register
    Friday, September 4, 2026 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM
    Wednesday, September 9, 2026 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
     
  • From Participation to Engagement: Facilitating Great Discussions 
    ​​​​​​​In this workshop, participants will explore strategies for facilitating discussions that support student learning. Like a trail guide, a discussion facilitator helps learners notice what matters, find their way, and make their own discoveries. Together, we'll examine ways to encourage participation, ask questions that spark deeper thinking, and navigate moments when discussions stall or take unexpected turns.
    Register: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 10:30 AM to 11:15
     
  • Supporting Student Success in Groups Series
    Explore effective approaches for assessing collaborative learning while reducing faculty instructor workload. This workshop examines strategies for evaluating both group products and individual contributions, incorporating peer and self-assessment, creating transparent grading practices, and designing assessments that encourage accountability, equity, and meaningful participation. Participants will leave with practical assessment tools that can be adapted across disciplines. 
    See series page
     
  • Think, Draw, Discover: Visual Mapping in Higher Ed
    In higher education, students are often asked to synthesize large amounts of information under tight deadlines. Traditional text-based approaches tend to focus on memorization and linear note-taking, but research shows that students learn more when they engage in active, creative, and reflective practices. Visual mapping, such as concept maps, mind maps, and other diagrammatic techniques, offers a playful, curiosity-driven way for students to organize ideas, see connections, and interact with course material.
       Sparkshop - Friday, September 25, 2026 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM
    This 30-minute online workshop presents an overview of strategies for using visual mapping in a range of classroom settings and brief discussion of how to use these strategies in different classroom contexts.  
    .  Campfire - Tuesday, October 6, 2026 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM This 60-minute in-person session provides an overview AND gives participants hands-on practice with activities and examples with time to think about applying them in their own courses.
     
  • The Power of Play: Gamification in the Higher Ed Classroom
    Gamification applies the same principles that make games engaging - clear goals, feedback, meaningful tasks, and social interaction – into your teaching. In higher education, these strategies help students participate, stay motivated, and connect with one another. As Ziting Wang from the University of Chicago Academic Technology team notes, “a gamified learning process can immerse students in the curricular content and cultivate a positive attitude toward study.” Because learning is social, gamification can be especially effective in supporting collaboration and engagement in both in-person and remote classrooms.  
    Register: Sparkshop - Friday, September 11, 2026 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM 
    This 30-min online workshop will introduce a range of gamification approaches, from low-tech activities to more structured digital and AI-supported strategies, and explore how instructors can adjust scale, duration, and complexity to fit their courses.  

    Register: Campfire - Tuesday, September 22, 2026 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM 
    This 60-minute, in-person session gives participants hands-on practice with activities and examples, with time to think about applying them in their own courses. We'll introduce a range of gamification approaches, from low-tech activities to more structured digital and AI-supported strategies, and explore how instructors can adjust scale, duration, and complexity to fit their courses. 

CTL Short Course

     Designing Engaging Online Courses

Assess
Body

Assess student learning through clear and meaningful tasks that are aligned to learning objectives. Provide students with multiple opportunities to demonstrate learning throughout the semester and provide timely feedback on their progress.

Related CTL Programs/Workshops:

  • Research-Supported Framework for Assignment Design
    By making small changes to your directions for your student assignments, you can have a big impact on student learning. This sparkshop session will engage you in applying the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework to your own assignments! By applying this framework, you will take what is in your mind and transparently communicate to your students what you hope they will do with each assignment. The TILT framework helps you with the articulation of an assignment's purpose, step by step task expectations, and particular criteria for student success.  TILT’ed assignments increase student agengy in their own learning and motivation for success. Join us for this fun interactive session to learn more! 
    Register: Wednesday, September 2, 2026 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM
     
  • Teaching in Higher Education
    In this workshop we will help you reflect on your teaching and share current research on teaching practices such as Equity Minded Course Design and Universal Design for Learning. You will leave this workshop with teaching ideas you can use to engage your students and design learning environments for all students, regardless of their learning preferences.
    Register: Friday, September 11, 2026 10:30 AM to 11:45 AM
     

Integrate technology
Body

Use applications to design accessible instructional materials.

Related CTL Programs/Workshops:

Reflect
Body

Gather feedback on your teaching from your students, peers, and yourself! Take time to reflect on this feedback and identify how it can inform your future teaching.

Related CTL Programs/Workshops:

  • Seeking Formative Feedback from Students
    This workshop discusses how to collect formative feedback from students' about their experiences in your course and why you might want to do so. We’ll provide an overview of the process – considerations for determining the types of questions you ask, methods for collecting feedback, what to communicate to your students, and suggestions for reflecting on the feedback you receive. We’ll also share sample feedback surveys and introduce new CTL services to support your feedback collection. 
    Register:
    Tuesday, October 6, 2026 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
    Tuesday, October 13, 2026 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
     
  • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program
    Introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
    This  workshop introduces the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). We'll show you how to start using research to answer questions about your own teaching practices and student learning outcomes. Whether you’re new to SoTL or looking to begin classroom-based research, this session will provide a straightforward guide to getting started.
    Register: Friday, October 16, 2026 1:00 PM to 2:00
     
    Research Methods for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
    This workshop is for faculty who would like to learn more about their students' learning, but are unsure of how to approach the research. Coming to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) from diverse disciplines with disparate kinds of research training, many aspiring SoTL researchers are unfamiliar with the educational research methods that are available to them. This session will provide an overview of the most common methodologies both quantitative and qualitative. Anyone interested in learning more about educational research methods that can be used to answer pressing questions about teaching and learning is encouraged to attend. Register: Friday, October 23, 2026 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM