Resources
View teaching resources on various subjects created and compiled by the Center for Faculty Excellence.
Teaching and Learning
Instructional Alignment
- Align Assessments, Objectives, Learning Strategies
- This site from Carnegie Mellon University explains instructional alignment and why it is so important.
- 5-minute University: Instructional Alignment (video)
- Video that explains instructional alignment for course design.
- Understanding by Design
- An overview of a framework for backward designing your course.
Writing Objectives
- Articulating your Learning Objectives
- This site from Carnegie Mellon University lists key qualities of well-written learning objectives.
- Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Write Effective Learning Objectives & Learning Objectives: Before and After Examples
- These webpages from the University of Arkansas have helpful information about writing good learning objectives, including before and after examples.
- Developing Objectives and Relating them to Assessment(pdf file)
- Helpful handout that explains what learning objectives are and how to write them for various levels of learning.
- Objectives Builder
- An application from Arizona State University which assists with writing and developing learning objectives.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
- What is Bloom’s Taxonomy?
- This site from Vanderbilt University explains Bloom’s taxonomy and how it can be used to develop effective instruction.
- Bloom’s Taxonomy for Course Design
- This site from the University of Central Florida explains each level of Bloom’s taxonomy listing associated action verbs, teaching methods and assessment activities.
- Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs (pdf file)
- Handout listing action verbs for each level of Bloom’s taxonomy.
Course Redesign
- Five Principles of Successful Course Redesign
- Explanation of five course redesign models
- PNW Syllabus template (DOCX)
- Accessible syllabus template with recommended sections and statements.
- PNW Syllabus Tips & Sample Statements
- Suggestions for making your syllabus more welcoming and transparent
- Accessible Syllabus Resources
- Guidance on creating a syllabus with accessible images, text, rhetoric, and policies.
- Sample Syllabus Policies and Expectations
- Sample statements on a variety of topics which can be modified to meet your needs.
Pedagogies & Teaching Strategies
- Lecturing
- Overview of lecturing basics and how to incorporate interactivity into lectures
- Flipping the Classroom
- Information about flipped classrooms, their effectiveness, and keys to successful flipping.
- Online Teaching Activities Index
- List of activities that can be used in online classes (many can also be used in face-to-face settings).
- Inclusive Teaching
- Information about how we can make our classrooms more inclusive.
Active Learning
- 226 Active Learning Techniques (pdf file)
- An excellent list of active learning techniques with a brief summary for each.
- Active Learning: Teaching Guide
- Benefits, examples, and quick tips for getting started with active learning.
- Steps to Create an Active Learning Environment
- Five steps to implement active learning.
- Introduction to Active Learning
- Guide to implementing active learning in your classes.
- Case Studies
- Helpful information for using case studies to promote student learning.
Classroom Management
- Managing Disruptive Classroom Behavior
- List of tips for managing and responding to disruptive behavior in the classroom.
Assessment Basics
- Formative vs. Summative Assessment
- Explanation of the difference between formative and summative assessment.
- Assessment vs. Grading
- Explanation of the difference between assessing learning and grading performance.
- FAQs and Definitions Related to Assessment
- Frequently asked questions about definitions, processes, and methods of assessment.
Assessing Student Learning
- Assessing Students’ Prior Knowledge
- Suggested activities to use to assess what students already know.
- Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)
- Explanation of CATs (quick strategies to check student learning) and how to use them.
- Using Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)
- List of some simple CATs to use in your classes.
- How to assess student learning and performance
- Tips for creating assignments and exams, and using concept maps and groupwork to assess student learning.
- Assessing Learning in Courses
- List of direct and indirect measures for assessing student learning.
- Student Assessment in Teaching & Learning
- Information about student assessment, including its purposes and methods.
Rubrics
- Creating a Rubric – Tutorial
- Step-by-step guide to creating a rubric.
- Creating and Using Rubrics
- Explanation of what a rubric is and helpful recommendations for creating and using them.
- Rubistar
- Online tool for creating rubrics.
- Examples of Rubrics
- Collection of sample rubrics for different student products.
- Using Rubrics in Brightspace
- Scroll to the section “Use Rubrics for Assignments”
Assessing your Teaching
- End-of-semester Course Evaluations at PNW
- Information about how course evaluations are done at PNW.
- Motivating Students
- This site from Vanderbilt University explains different types of motivation and shares strategies for motivating students.
- Twenty Tips on Motivating Students
- 20 quick tips for motivating your students from the University of Nebraska.
- Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation (pdf file)
- handout listing many strategies you can use to increase student motivation
- The Impact of the Growth Mindset
- Overview of Carol Dweck’s work related to the growth mindset and how it impacts learning
- The Power of Believing that You Can Improve (video)
- TED talk by Carol Dweck discussing the importance of students’ mindsets in the learning process.
- Mentoring is the Best Form of Giving Forward
- Editorial by Chancellor Keon that appeared in Northwest Indiana Times
- Inclusive Teaching: Supporting All Students in the College Classroom
- A FREE online course being offered by Columbia University via edX.
- Guide for Inclusive Teaching (Columbia University)
- Explanation of 5 principles to implement to create a supportive learning environment for all students.
- Inclusive Pedagogy Guide (University of Chicago
- Collection of resources to help improve student learning by removing
barriers to inclusion
- Collection of resources to help improve student learning by removing
- Inclusive Teaching Practices Toolkit (ACUE)
- Collection of resources related to 10 inclusive teaching practices.
- Principles & Strategies for Inclusive Teaching
- Reflect on your teaching in relation to specific strategies for fostering five dimensions of inclusive teaching.
- Inclusive Teaching (Harvard University)
- Resources and guidance for inclusive course design and teaching, including a section on how to navigate difficult moments in the classroom and an inventory of inclusive teaching practices.
- Developing a Positive Classroom Climate
- Summary of research-based practices for creating a positive classroom climate.
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Higher Education
- Presents an educational framework for designing and teaching a course with the diversity of students in mind.
- SoTL Guide
- Information about taking a scholarly approach to your teaching and engaging in the scholarship of teaching & learning.
- SoTL Resources
- List of resources to aid you in conducting SoTL research.
- SoTL journals
- List of journals publishing scholarly work related to teaching and learning.
Discovery and Scholarship
- SoTL Guide
- Information about taking a scholarly approach to your teaching and engaging in the scholarship of teaching & learning.
- SoTL Resources
- List of resources to aid you in conducting SoTL research.
- SoTL journals
- List of journals publishing scholarly work related to teaching and learning.
- Scholarship of Engagement at Purdue University
- Information from Purdue University explaining engaged scholarship and how to document it.
- The Scholarship of Engagement
- Explanation of the Scholarship of Engagement and related resources for faculty.
- PNW Office of Research
- access information about finding funding, internal grant opportunities, developing a proposal, managing grants, and grantsmanship events
- Purdue IRB
- get information and submit protocols for review by the Institutional Review Board (IRB)
- PNW Student Research
- information about student research opportunities
- PNW Research Centers
- list of research centers and institutes at PNW
- How to Make Time for Research and Writing
- Article from the Chronicle of Higher Education with practical advice for allocating time for research activities.
- National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity
- Site with tons of great information and resources related to faculty productivity, specifically for research. Follow directions to access your institutional account to gain access.
Service and Engagement
- Scholarship of Engagement at Purdue University
- Information from Purdue University explaining engaged scholarship and how to document it.
- The Scholarship of Engagement
- Explanation of the Scholarship of Engagement and related resources for faculty.
Productivity and Staying Connected
Purdue is an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity, which grants Purdue faculty access to a number of resources.
Membership benefits include:
- Weekly Monday Motivator Email Messages
- Monthly Core Curriculum Webinars (and recordings of webinars for convenient access)
- Monthly Guest Expert Webinars
- Monthly accountability buddy match
- Moderated monthly writing challenges
Steps to activate your institution-sponsored membership:
- Go to the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity website.
- Click the “Become a Member” button and choose “Purdue University” from the list of institutions.
- Click “Activate My Membership.”
- Provide the requested information, being sure to use your Purdue* (NOT PNW) email address. You can create any password you wish; it does not use your Purdue password.
- Provide the requested personal and professional information.
- Click “Continue” to complete the registration process.
*Please note that you MUST use your @purdue.edu email address to activate your membership. Your Purdue email account uses your Career account username followed by “@purdue.edu”.
- Chronicle of Higher Education
- create a free account to get premium access through Purdue
- under your Account settings, sign up to receive newsletters on a variety of topics including teaching, learning, breaking news, and global education.
- Inside Higher Ed
- subscribe for free to newsletters with daily or weekly updates, or on specialized topics like diversity or digital learning
- Faculty Focus
- sign-up for the free Faculty Focus newsletter on effective teaching strategies
- Teaching Professor
- online newsletter and website addressing effective college teaching that is licensed by PNW
Library and Materials
Active Learning Resources & CFE Library
The Center for Faculty Excellence has resources and many books available to support your teaching and professional development.
Active Learning Resources
To support instructors’ use of active learning techniques, the Center for Faculty Excellence has a limited amount of the following materials available for checkout on a short-term basis.
Please contact the Center via email at cfe@pnw.edu to arrange pick-up from the Hammond office in GYTE 140.
In your written request, please include what item(s) you would like to use along with your proposed timeline for usage and expected return date.
Available materials (the CFE provides strategies for effective use of the materials):
- index cards
- deck of cards
- dice
- ABCD response cards
- large, table top easels with paper (can be stuck to walls) and dry erase boards
- multiple packs of Crayola markers (to use on easel paper or other paper)
- dry erase markers
- post-it notes
CFE Library
The Center for Faculty Excellence offers a diverse collection of books available for checkout. You’re welcome to visit GYTE 140 to explore the collection and find something that suits your needs or sparks a new interest. New titles are added regularly, so there’s always something fresh to discover!