Utah Tech University

About CTL

Our Vision

 

The vision for The Center for Teaching and Learning is to be a place where faculty come together to increase and support each other in development and teacher growth, with the Center for Teaching and Learning being the fundamental go-to learning environment for all faculty.

CTL will be an active central hub for faculty to discover resources to increase skills in the five core instructional methods. (i.e. Active Learning, Applied Learning, Authentic Learning, Inclusive Pedagogy/Andragogy, Student-centered).

Our Mission

The mission of the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) is to promote innovation and excellence in teaching by providing faculty an array of resources to help them facilitate effective, efficient, and engaging student learning. The emphasis of CTL is to assist faculty members in integrating innovative learning technologies and core instructional methods in classroom-based courses (e.g., Active Learning, Applied Learning, Authentic Learning, Inclusive Pedagogy/Andragogy, Student-centered).

Annual Reports

Our Goals

Provide Learning Communities, Lunch and Learns, and Workshops for Faculty.
  • Lunch & Learn Program.   The program will consist of offering ten 50-minute sessions during the Fall and Spring semesters (five sessions each semester) for faculty and staff during the lunch hour on either a second or fourth Wednesday of the month.  The sessions are designed to be an opportunity for faculty and staff members to learn about and discuss learner-centered teaching methods in a relaxed lunch environment.
  • Workshops.  This program delivers specific workshops for faculty, staff, and departments based on faculty needs and requests especially focused on new learning technologies and software applications.
Provide opportunities for Individualized Consultations with UT faculty and staff members.

The CTL Director and Instructional Designer will be engaged in efforts to support faculty members on an individual basis, conducting syllabi reviews, in-class evaluations, small group instructional diagnosis, and one-on-one consultations. These consultations will be private and for the use and purpose of the instructors—not for evaluation.

In collaboration with the Teaching and Learning Committee, Plan, Organize and Conduct the Annual Teaching and Learning Conference for UT Faculty and Staff.

CTL will collaborate with the Teaching and Learning Committee to plan, organize, and conduct the annual teaching and learning conference for UT faculty and staff.  A theme related to teaching to learning will be established and a keynote speaker will be invited to speak on the conference theme.  Faculty will be invited to submit proposals for concurrent sessions and also poster sessions.  This conference will provide an opportunity for faculty to share lessons learned from their teaching experiences and/or their research related to the conference topic and/or the general topic of teaching and learning.

Conduct a Needs Assessments of Faculty at UT.
  • CTL will administer a survey to UT faculty to determine their needs and preferences.  This needs assessment would be administered via Qualtrics.  The survey will collect information such as a) receive faculty feedback on the draft vision and mission statement for CTL, b) what are the most important resources/help faculty would like to have for helping them integrate and use new instructional strategies (often requiring new learning technologies) to make their instruction more effective, efficient, and appealing, c) what learning technologies would they like to integrate that is currently not available to them d) in what ways do they feel CTL can best help them to improve their excellence in teaching and the learning in their courses, e) topics for workshops faculty would like to see offered, f) determine what skill sets faculty have to share with other faculty, etc.
  • Meet with faculty in meetings to determine faculty needs and suggestions.  For example, attend meetings such as the Faculty Senate, Teaching and Learning Committee, department meetings to assess faculty needs, suggestions, and recommendations.
  • Meet individually with administrators and faculty to determine needs and suggestions for the CTL.  Meet with each of the Deans individually of each school.
Work with a cohort of faculty to revise and restructure one of their courses from a teacher-centered approach to a learner-centered approach.

Work with a cohort of three to five faculty members to completely redesign one of the faculty member’s courses from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered approach to teaching.  Faculty would meet as a cohort once a week with CTL staff to use an instructional design process model to redesign their course.  

Create the Master Teacher Program (Goal 1, Strategy 7 UT Strategic Plan)

Recognizing the crucial need for each instructor to provide a quality education for students using the five institutional core methods. The Center for Teaching and Learning has identified distinct topics that would develop and improve teaching skills among the UT faculty and improve the overall effectiveness and quality of our institution.  These courses would take either seven weeks (a half-semester) or fifteen weeks (a full semester) with a minimum of two hours weekly work to complete the different course modules.  When a faculty member works consistently each semester, they would complete the certification within an estimated four years (eight units) to become a Certified Master Teacher.

To provide strategies for more inclusivity and equity into the UT curriculum and classroom instruction

CTL will be working to provide strategies for more inclusivity and equity into the UT curriculum and classroom instruction. This goal supports, aligns, and promotes the new strategic plan core instructional methods of Inclusive Learning.

CTL Services Available for Faculty Members

Group Workshops/Seminars/Training sessions
  • Lunch & Learn sessions
  • CTL learning technologies workshops (Face-to-face and online)
  • Canvas workshops (Face-to-face and online)
  • Faculty Learning Communities (small groups of faculty discuss topics)
  • Learning Innovation Discussion Meetings and Programs
Conferences/Forums
  • Annual Teaching & Learning Conference (Spring Semester)
  • Annual Fall Faculty Forum (Fall Semester)
  • Annual Academic Innovation Retreat (Summer Semester)
One-on-One Consultations
  • Teaching and learning consulting especially related to learning innovation (instructional design and assessment)
  • Classroom observation/online course feedback
  • Classroom technology training (Canvas, screencasting, etc.)
Instructional Resources
  • Faculty development lab (hardware and software to develop course materials)
  • Multi-Use Active Learning Classroom
  • Commercial self-directed learning courses (e.g., Magna, Hoonuit, etc.)
  • CTL website: http://ctl.utahtech.edu (social media, recording of past events, new events, etc.)

Meet the Staff

Display image of Diana Maughan, M.Ed.

Diana Maughan, M.Ed.

Faculty Professional Learning Designer / Technologist

Email: Diana.Maughan@utahtech.edu
Phone: 435-652-7863
Office: AIP 197
/ More Info