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Purpose and Vision

Advisor working with students

Purpose

The purpose of the Center is to create opportunities that support learning-centered, culturally relevant experiences through the collective impact of partnerships that inspire and innovate teaching excellence in support of student learning.

Vision

The vision of the CTL is to be recognized as a leader in collective, inclusive, and transformative excellence in learning, teaching, scholarship, and community.

Principles

  1. Create a campus culture that values and rewards teaching innovation and excellence.
  2. Align all programming with the goals and priorities of WSCUC, RFY/GI 2025, and the Humboldt Strategic Plan that increase student retention and promote student success.
     
  3. Leverage collective impact across the campus community.
  4. Centralize and coordinate data-informed programming opportunities that advance learning-centered teaching.
     

Organizational Structure

The CTL is under Academic Affairs.

The CTL convenes the CTL All-Partners group, a diverse group whose goal is building relationships horizontally across our organization in support of teaching and learning through a collective impact approach. This group engages in regular active learning sessions to:

  • Identify shared need, goals, outcomes, and evaluative measures based on institutional priorities
  • Brainstorm, discuss, and plan programming through the lens of multiple campus groups and efforts with a shared vision
  • Identify common communication methods to engage our communities
  • Create a common feedback loop to improve processes and outcomes

Scope of Service

CTL offers a variety of services and resources to assist faculty in enhancing student learning. We offer face-to-face workshop or seminars, online courses or workshops/webinars, discussions, Faculty and Professional Learning Communities, formative feedback on instruction and courses, and consultations.

CTL is dedicated to providing campus educators with opportunities to reflect upon and improve their instruction for formative purposes, without risk of evaluation or censure. Therefore:

The CTL will:

  • Gather and prepare feedback (videotape, observation, reviewing online communications, etc.) about instruction and/or a course only upon the request of the instructor.
  • Keep confidential the identity of clients, as well as their professional observations, interactions, or conclusions related to specific clients or cases; Clients may give permission to CTL to share their experiences with other clients for the purposes of learning.
  • Store and dispose of records in a safe way; and comply with institutional, state, and federal regulations about storing and ownership of records; and
  • Provide written verification of participation listing the type(s) of activity, date(s) and CTL consultant(s). Such “thank you letters” and "certificates of participation" may be included in tenure and promotion files or used as evidence of professional development.

The CTL will NOT:

  • Make feedback information available to anyone except the instructor.
  • Write evaluation letters for RTP files based on work conducted through CTL.  Feedback gathered and/or given by CTL is meant to be formative, and thus is not intended to be used in retention, tenure, or promotion processes.
  • Perform the role of developer/instructional designer and summative evaluator (e.g., serving on a personnel committee) concurrently for the same individual unless they have that person's explicit consent and have provided proper declaration to any committee involved.

Background

Phase I of the CTL

The groundwork and strategic planning for launching Phase I of the Center began in Summer 2017 in close partnership with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and will continue into the fall and spring with many opportunities for the campus to be involved. This planning is directly aligned with institutional priorities, including WSCUC, Graduation Initiative (GI) 2025, and the Strategic Plan.

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) foundation was also informed through:

  • Strategic Planning with OIE and ODEI 2017/18
  • Campus focus groups (World Cafes)
  • The Faculty Development Working Group 15/16