The Mission of the CTLA
The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment cultivates a community of inquiry and practice to promote excellent teaching, learning, and scholarship in the liberal arts. We nurture the learning environment of Grinnell College by fostering conversation and reflection at the intersection of pedagogy, the scholarship of teaching and learning, instructional design, and academic technologies. We advance practices of teaching and learning that are accessible, inclusive, and grounded in the best available evidence.
Summer 2025 CTLA Faculty/Staff Workshop Proposals Now Being Accepted
The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA) is now accepting proposals for 2025 summer workshops for faculty and staff. Please submit your proposal by Feb. 14 using the 2025 Faculty-Staff Summer Workshop Proposal Form
- Guidelines and further information about proposals may be found at Information for CTLA Faculty-Staff Summer Workshops 2025.
- Workshop proposals will be reviewed by the CTLA and the Instructional Support Committee in March.
- Proposers will be notified about their submission as soon as it is approved.
- Later in the spring semester, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to register in GLADIS for summer workshops of interest.
- If you have any questions, please contact the CLTA (Susan Ferguson, fergusos@grinnell.edu, or Karla Hall, hallkarla@grinnell.edu).
Community Friday, Feb. 14: “Philanthropy and the Academic Mission of the College,” with Anne Harris, President, and Bernadine Douglas, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
HSSC, Room A1231, Noon to 1 p.m.
Please RSVP by Feb. 11 at this link: Community Friday RVSP for February 14.
As part of the College’s commitment to academic excellence and to financial sustainability, there is renewed interest around building the role philanthropy can play in shaping the future of Grinnell. You are invited to join President Anne Harris and the Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Bernadine Douglas for a conversation around establishing a culture that inspires and nurtures giving to support the mission of the College. Harris and Douglas will delve into the multiple categories that enliven philanthropy.
The CTLA thanks the Office of Development and Alumni Relations for their generous support of this event.
New Definition of Teaching Excellence Approved by Faculty
The Presidential Task Force on Evaluating Teaching Excellence proposed that the faculty endorse a new definition of teaching excellence and recommended that the Dean of the College use this definition in faculty reviews. The following definition was approved in the spring of 2024.
While teaching methods vary by discipline and instructor, broadly speaking, excellent teachers do the following:
- Build, maintain, and effectively apply expertise for the courses they teach
- Foster inclusive and engaging learning environments
- Clearly and effectively communicate to students learning goals and expectations that align with relevant departmental, disciplinary, or institutional learning outcomes
- Use pedagogies that are appropriate for the learning goals and context
- Respond to student work in a substantial, timely, and individualized way for the purposes of informing and improving the learning experiences of students
- Engage in a reflective process to enhance their teaching practices
