CTLT Themes

Relationships

As we sift through piles of grading, advise students toward degree completion, and calculate participation points, it is easy to forget that college at its best is not a transaction, but an experience of rich learning relationships. Who we meet when matters, and has a profound impact in our lives and education long afterwards. In this CTLT focus, we explore the meaningful relationships that make education possible.

Relevance

When something is relevant, it is closely aligned or appropriate to a particular situation. Many of us turn over syllabi year after year, never considering the relevance of our policies or assignments. We often do not even consider their relevance to the course outcomes. Many of us utilize classroom management techniques common fifty years ago, when only men were able to attend college. In this CTLT focus, we consider the ways the pandemic and the rise of new teaching modalities challenge us to reflect on the relevance of our pedagogy and course design.

Resourcefulness

What made MacGyver such a captivating character was his ability to successfully outthink and outmaneuver any adverse situation in which he found himself. These days, “Plan B” is no longer a backup plan; rather, it’s become our first next option. We need to have a broader teaching repertoire than ever, a deeper bag of classroom tricks, and to be more connected than ever to many college services for both our students’ and our own sakes. In this CTLT focus, we examine ways to get beyond our same-old same-old ways of thinking in order to expand our pedagogy, practices, and connectedness to help our students (and ourselves) succeed.