The CTRL Teaching & Learning team is here to support faculty in the creation of exciting and fulfilling learning experiences for all AU students. As an expert in your discipline, you bring the “what” to teaching. Our team is here to help you apply the “how” by providing you with evidence-based practices on teaching as a craft.
On this page, you will find links to resources informed by scholarly research to aid in the development of your courses and teaching practices. These resources are organized based on the self-regulated learning cycle, a cyclical process wherein an individual plans for learning, acts upon those plans to learn and monitor learning, and then reflects on the learning process. We hope that as you peruse these resources, you will utilize this cycle to plan, implement, and reflect upon your teaching and course development.
We have also created a separate section for Professional Development resources such as those on the Teaching Portfolio and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
In addition to the materials listed here, we invite you to visit the insightful resources created by our Student Partners.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of these resources or the teaching of your course, please request a consultation with us. If you have ideas or suggestions for resources that would be useful for you and your department, please reach out to ctrl@american.edu with any recommendations.
Plan and Develop a Course
- Accessibility Guide which offers suggestions to make your course materials accessible to your students
- Accessible Course Design: Universal Design for Learning
- Backward Course Design: Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessments & Activities
- Developing Student Learning Outcomes with Bloom’s Taxonomy
- Diversifying Course Materials
- Experiential Learning
- Supporting Effective Group Projects and Teamwork
- The Hidden Curriculum: Helping Students Learn the “Secret” Keys to Success
- Online Course Design
- Selecting Course Materials
- Structuring an Effective Class Session or Presentation
- Syllabus Guide
- Trauma-Informed Pedagogy
Implement Equitable Teaching & Learning
- Active Learning
- Addressing Social Unrest and Hate-Based and Traumatic Events
- ChatGPT and AI-Generated Writing Models: Prioritizing Equity and Learning
- Digital Devices in Face to Face Classes
- Facilitating Class Discussions
- The First Day of Class
- The Last Day of Class
- Helping Students Connect the Liberal Arts to Life After College
- Honoring Students’ Prior Knowledge and Experience
- Identity and Intersectionality in the Classroom
- Promoting and Assessing Student Participation
- Promoting Constructive Dialogue on Contentious Topics
- Reading Mindfully
- Teaching a Cross-Listed Course
- Teaching First Year Students
- Utilizing Content Warnings
Reflect and Assess Teaching & Learning
- Alternative Grading Methods
- Bias in Student Evaluations of Teaching
- Designing Meaningful Assignments
- Facilitating Discussion-Based Feedback Sessions with Students
- Preparing for and Responding to Student Evaluations of Teaching
- Providing Meaningful Feedback
- Qualtrics for Surveys
- Self-Administered Midsemester Feedback Survey Guide
- Using Rubrics to Assess Learning
Professional Development & Teaching Portfolio
- Peer Assessments of Teaching Overview
- Peer Observation of Teaching
- Peer Review of Course Materials
- Professional Development Reflection
- Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
- Self-Assessment of Teaching Statement
- Self-Reflection through Annotating Course Content
- Teaching Portfolio Guide
- Writing a Teaching Statement
- Zotero Library
