Faculty Resources

The Center for Teaching and Learning offers a variety of services and resources to support faculty, lecturers, and postdoctoral fellows in providing the highest level in teaching excellence. Contact information for disciplinary clusters in the Humanities, Sciences and Engineering, and Social Sciences is listed below, along with descriptions of each resource. All faculty and lecturers on campus may access these resources. In addition to CTL’s support, the VPUE offers an array of resources to you and your students.

Teaching Consultations

CTL’s discipline-based associate directors are available to meet with you individually to discuss your teaching and offer support that is customized to your specific needs.

Midterm Student Feedback

CTL offers two methods of getting feedback from your students midway through the quarter: the small group evaluation (SGE) and online midquarter evaluations. You will find an in-depth description of each method and its benefits in our webpage.

Interpreting Course Evaluations

Being on the receiving end of course evaluations can be quite challenging as even experienced faculty members and instructors know. For this reason, CTL has produced a pamphlet, “Interpreting Your Course Evaluations” that explains how to interpret your data on the online student evaluation forms used in the Schools of Humanities and Sciences, Education, Engineering, Earth Sciences, and Law. CTL can consult on other Schools’ evaluation forms as well. Be aware of what in your teaching is being evaluated and think about how to make sure students are aware of what you and they are accomplishing.

For information about the Policies on Student Evaluations, please visit the Registrar’s website

Video Recording and Classroom Observations

Having a video recording of your class is an invaluable way to see what your teaching looks like to your students. Watching the DVD gives you an ideal opportunity to analyze your teaching and decide whether you want to make any changes.

Course Design Resources

CTL offers a number of resources, from seminars and individual consultations to course design aids and written materials, to help you design new courses faster and more effectively, as well improve existing courses.

Award-Winning Teachers on Teaching

Our longest-running series, Award-Winning Teachers on Teaching, invites faculty winners of Stanford's major teaching awards to deliver a lecture on a teaching topic of their choice.  All lectures are recorded and most are available at the CTL library or online on Stanford iTunes.

Lectures, Seminars, and Teaching Lunches

CTL offers lectures and seminars on teaching and learning topics of special interest to Stanford faculty. Another great way to meet colleagues from other departments and gain practical teaching tips is to attend one or more sessions in our Teaching Lunch series. CTL provides lunch for these informal gatherings, and the topics are set by the faculty participants themselves.

Instructional Design Working Groups

CTL supports several faculty working groups that address specific issues around teaching and learning. These groups meet throughout the year, and take specific forms depending on their topic and on the participating members.

Technology Assistance

CTL provides assistance to faculty in integrating technology into their teaching. Among other services, CTL offers strategies for making the best teaching use of your website or course management system; consultations on course design and technology; faculty and TA workshops on using technology to help achieve your teaching goals; tips on using simple tools to increase interaction and assess learning in your courses.

New/Junior Faculty Assistance

CTL can be of particular assistance to new or junior faculty who may have questions about Stanford students, teaching on the quarter system, or designing courses for the first time. We offer individualized consultations, a range of written and video resources, workshops, and teaching discussion groups.

Conferences and Speakers on Teaching

CTL has modest funds available on a rolling basis to assist faculty to attend conferences on teaching and learning. Applicants may attend as either presenters or participants. We also assist departments with funding to bring speakers to campus to present on teaching-related topics in their discipline.  The RFP outlines more information about these grants or direct questions to Robyn Dunbar.

• Deadline:  Rolling
• 2012 RFP

Oral Communication

CTL works with faculty to integrate speech training effectively into a course’s existing structure and content. CTL also offers workshops and consultations for faculty and students who wish to enhance their public speaking skills.

TA Training

CTL trains teaching assistants through quarterly orientations, workshops, and individual work through our Graduate Teaching Consultants.

CTL supports departments that wish to establish a new teaching assistant training program or to enhance an existing program with TA Training Grants. Awards of up to $2,500 are available as one-time seed grants. For more information, please contact Marcelo Clerici-Arias.

• Deadline:  June 22, 2012
• 2012 RFP

Pedagogical Literature Searches

If you would like to learn more on a specific teaching/learning topic, CTL can do a literature search of that topic for you.

Speaking of Teaching Newsletter (Archive)

CTL’s Speaking of Teaching Newsletter offers insights and ideas on a range of teaching topics.

What's Working in TA Training

This booklet provides departments with examples from across the campus of pedagogical structures and principles of departmental TA training programs that are working effectively.

Teaching at Stanford Handbook

The online Teaching at Stanford Handbook offers practical teaching and course preparation ideas for faculty, lecturers, postdoctoral fellows, and TAs.