Sarah Purcell presents on Georgia Dentel

Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

The Mission of the CTLA

The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment cultivates communities 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.

Community Friday, April 24: “The Grinnell College Preschool Laboratory: Transformative Scientific Research and Early Childhood Education,” with Ann Ellis and Karen Veerhusen-Langerud

HSSC A1231
noon—1 p.m.
Lunch buffet will open at 11:45 a.m.
Please RSVP by April 21 at this link: Community Friday RVSP for April 24

Ann Ellis
Karen Veerhusen-Langerud

Faculty and staff are invited to Community Friday on April 24 to learn more about the Grinnell College Preschool Laboratory. Ann Ellis and Karen Veerhusen-Langerud will talk about how the lab creates transformative experiences for preschool children and college students. You will hear about how the lab uniquely enhances Grinnell’s academic program by serving as a site for primary research for college students and faculty, how the preschool program offers an innovative, play-based developmentally appropriate curriculum for children, and how the faculty, students, and staff at the preschool lab welcome and engage with members of the broader community in this distinctive college and community collaboration.

The lunch buffet will open at 11:45 a.m. in HSSC A1231. Thank you for bringing your reusable flatware to cut down on plastic waste.

The spring Community Friday schedule is available on the CTLA website at Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.

Recently at Community Friday

Wayne Moyer

Emeritus Professor Wayne Moyer describes the history of the Tutorial Program at Grinnell College.

Dan Kaiser presents at Community Friday

Professor Emeritus of History Dan Kaiser speaks on the life and legacy of Laetitia Moon Conard.

Iyelli Ichile

Guest presenter Iyelli Ichile leads a Black Sacred Arts Pedagogy workshop.

Megan Baldree and Beth Perlman presenting at Community Friday

Megan Baldree and Beth Perlman discuss the resources available to care for student health and well-being.

David Harrison presenting at Community Friday

Professor of French David Harrison on "Languages and the Liberal Arts."

Joyce Stern presenting at Community Friday on October 10, 2025

Director of Student Success Joyce Stern speaks on Grinnell students and the current job market.

Panel at queer/trans pedagogy event for Community Friday

John Petrus, Jordan Reznick, stef torralba, and Micho Adler in a conversation about queer and trans pedagogy.

PM Osera presenting on generative AI

P.M. Osera reports on the work of the AI, Pedagogy, and Curriculum task force.

Sarah Purcell presents at Community Friday

Professor of History Sarah Purcell shares her work on Georgia Dentel and the power of collaboration.

Todd Armstrong presents at Community Friday, Sept. 12, 2025

Todd Armstrong speaks about the history of the Grinnell College Garden.

Events, Programs, and Resources

Community Friday with Joseph Tucker Edmonds

Spring 2026 Community Fridays

Unless otherwise noted, all events take place in Humanities and Social Studies Center, Room A1231, from noon to 1 p.m. Lunch is served beginning at 11:45 a.m. 

  • Jan. 23: “The Shared Responsibility of Student Success,” with Jerry Seaman, Gemma Sala, Joyce Stern, Ben Newhouse, JC Lopez, and Mark Peltz.
     
  • Jan. 30: “The Liberal Arts: A Conversation,” a structured conversation led by Jerry Seaman, with faculty panelists Todd Armstrong, Paul Hutchinson, Carolyn Jacobson, and Elaine Marzluff [note: this event will be held in JRC101].
     
  • Feb. 6: ”Leave My Keys on the TV: Family Dynamics and the Sexual Selfhood Development of Black Gay Men,” with Marlon M. Bailey of Washington University, sponsored by Thabiti Willis.
     
  • Feb. 13: ”The Art of Building Consensus: A Workshop,” with Jose Cerecado Lopez, Elon University. Sponsored by the Wilson Center
     
  • Feb. 20: “The AAUP (American Association of University Professors) and Its Role Supporting Teaching and Research,” with Adey Almohsen, John Petrus, and Sharon Quinsaat.
     
  • Feb. 27: ”Sustainability at Grinnell College,” with Liz Queathem and Chris Bair [note: this event will be held in JRC 101].
     
  • March 6: ”Helping Students Sell the Liberal Arts on the Job Market,” with Leslie Lemire, Mark Peltz, and Dustin Dixon [note: this event will be held in JRC 101].
     
  • April 3: “The Best Thing I Do as an Adviser,” with Danielle Lussier, Kate Ferraro, Jonathan (Nate) Wells, and Stephanie Jones.
     
  • April 10: “Tutorial: Past, Present, Future,” with Wayne Moyer, Marion Tricoire, and Amanda Preperato.
     
  • April 17: "The Grinnell College Brand: Research and Future Direction," with Ellen de Graffenreid.
     
  • April 24: ”The Grinnell College Preschool Laboratory: Transformative Scientific Research and Early Childhood Education,” with Ann Ellis and Karen Veerhusen Langerud.
     
  • May 1: “Five Data Points on Student Success, Well-Being, and Belonging,” with Andi Tracy and Jen Jacobsen.
     
  • May 8: ”DLAC Teaching with Technology Fair,” sponsored by the Digital Liberal Arts Collaborative. [note: this event will be held in JRC 101].
Faculty discussion at Teaching with Technology Fair

Faculty Resources

Faculty workshop led by Kevin Gannon

Summer Workshops

Register for 2026 summer workshops at GLADIS Summer Workshop Enrollment (login required). If you have any questions, please contact the CTLA (Karla Hall or Erik Simpson). For more details, see the Summer Workshop web page.

Summer 2026 workshop schedule

  • May 19, 20, 21, 22: Tutorial Summer Workshop
     
  • May 19, 20, 21: Improving Student Experiences in MAT 131
     
  • May 19, 20, 21, 22: Reimagining Computer Science at Grinnell
     
  • May 26, 27: Student Digital Portfolios: How to Support Your Students in Taking Ownership of Their Web Presence
     
  • May 27, 28: Teaching For Social Change: Building a Community-Engaged Class
     
  • May 26, 27, 28, 29: Advising as Craft, Conversation, and Connection
     
  • June 2, 4, 9, 11, 16: Grant Writing and Proposal Development: Seeking Funding for Research and Pedagogy
     
  • June 15, 16, 17: Assessing and Renewing the BIO 251 - BIO 252 Course Sequence in Biology
     
  • June 22, 23, 24, 25, 26: Physics Laboratory Curriculum Workshop
     
  • June 29, 30, July 1: Academic Integrity in Our Classrooms: Approaches to Encourage the Behaviors We Want to See
     
  • July 13, 14, 15, 16, 17: Food for Thought: Critical Food Studies Across the Curriculum
     
  • July 20, 21, 22: Open Educational Practices and Your Courses
     
  • July 28, 29, 30: How AI is Changing and Complicating Our Teaching Environment
     
  • Aug. 4, 5, 6: Restorative Practices: Circle Training Practices
     
  • Aug. 10, 11, 13: Language Study as Career Catalyst: Curricular Foundations
     
  • Aug. 12: Global Scholarship for Public Audiences
     
  • Aug. 10, 11, 13: Designing and Sequencing Writing and Research Assignments
     
  • Aug. 14: Assessing Chinese and Japanese Language Skills and Cultural Knowledge

Scenes of Teaching and Learning at Grinnell College

Professor Elias Saba leads a class activity in a religious studies course

Professor Elias Saba and students in a class activity in a religious studies course.

Kristen Burson and students in research lab

Professor Kristen Burson works with students in her physics research lab.

poster presentation
Physics Professor Charlotte Christiansen demonstrating a concept at the chalkboard.

Physics Professor Charlotte Christiansen explains concepts during class.

Phil Jones tutorial students
Grinnell College Mock Trial team

The Grinnell College Mock Trial team.

On a day to day basis the CTLA works to

  • Support the development of teachers and learners through consultations, tutorials, and workshops at the course and curricular levels
     
  • Build a culture of reflection, engagement, and celebration around liberal arts teaching and learning through programming such as Community Friday lunch and the annual Teaching with Technology Fair
     
  • Welcome new faculty members to the Grinnell College learning community through New Faculty Orientation and ongoing programs of faculty development
     
  • Promote assessment of course, department, and college-wide learning outcomes through consultations and reviews of department-level assessment practices
  • Integrate established and emerging digital technologies, methods, and practices into teaching, learning, and scholarship through the Digital Liberal Arts Collaborative
     
  • Administer major elements of the digital campus infrastructure for teaching and learning, such as the Sites@Grinnell platform for web hosting and digital publishing
     
  • Provide training and support for classroom technologies and hardware/software applications such as Story Maps, Hypothes.is, and WeVideo
     
  • Collaborate with campus partners such as the Libraries, ITS, and DASIL, and coordinate campus-wide initiatives such as the Vivero Digital Scholarship Fellows program

Contact Information

Phone
641-269-3020

Humanities and Social Studies Center, S1370
1226 Park Street
Grinnell, IA 50112
United States

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