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Office for Faculty Excellence

RED Discusions

The Office for Faculty Excellence’s RED Discussions Series is designed to provide faculty with pedagogical tools and information that can support their teaching endeavors. RED Discussions are presented by OFE Faculty Fellows and staff. 

For each session the presenter will cover a topic of pedagogical relevance, usually connected to one of OFE’s RED Certifications, and encourage conversation around the topic with attendees. All sessions will be facilitated by Maria Gallardo-Williams.

By participating, faculty will:

  • Have the opportunity to learn about a pedagogical strategy or tool of relevance to their own teaching. 
  • Be provided with resources to learn more about the subjects being discussed. 
  • Build professional and social connections with other faculty.

Fall Schedule

Getting Ready to Reflect on Your Teaching

Tuesday, September 23 at 1 p.m.

Reflecting on our teaching can feel daunting, frustrating, or even overwhelming! The RED Core Teaching Certificate breaks the reflective approach to teaching into manageable stages, from instructional design to assessment of learning and teaching, and provides tips and strategies that can be adapted to any learning environment. The first step is to get ready to reflect on our teaching practice, celebrate our strengths, and tackle our challenges. Join this conversation to see how quickly we can find connections with and learn from our colleagues across the university.

Critical and Creative Thinking Aligned to Your Course

Tuesday, October 21 at 1 p.m.

Cultivating students’ critical and creative thinking (C&CT) is essential for preparing them to succeed in virtually every discipline and to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. These skills enable individuals to seek new questions, approach problems from multiple perspectives, identify biases and assumptions, and find innovative solutions. In this session, faculty will align a general C&CT process to their disciplinary process and will perform a course (or curriculum) mapping activity to identify the gaps in opportunities they are providing students to develop these skills.

UDL Throughout the Course Experience

Thursday, November 13 at 2 p.m.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that provides guidelines for developing curricula, selecting materials, improving access, and creating learning environments that consider the variability of learners in higher education. The challenges we face in courses can often be addressed by applying UDL principles. This systematic framework focuses on providing multiple means of engagement, representation, and action & expression. From course design to interactions with learners, UDL guidelines can help create learning environments that better support learners. How have instructors used UDL guidelines to improve their courses and support more rewarding learning experiences? Learn from others and share your experience!