Mission & Vision

Pamela A. Redmond, Ed.D.

These pages began as an unfunded effort to develop a Center for Innovative Learning and Teaching at Touro University California from 2015-2017.  Like nearly every university in the US:
Except for the...College of Education faculty, individuals who are hired to teach have little or no training in instruction and the students would be well served if the faculty had training in how students learn, methods for active learning, and other forms of pedagogy… [one] approach could involve a Center for Teaching Excellence with staff to assist faculty with their instructional needs. (WASC Team Report, 2010, p. 10).
To address these recommendations, this site began as a resource for faculty to assist in the development of classroom practices and online teaching methods that engage and support high-levels of student performance and deep learning.  In an era in which the higher education market has increasingly moved toward blended and online learning, social media and personalized learning are an important role in the learning styles of our students.  As Interprofessional Education endeavors evolve on campus, these resources can play an important role in rethinking classroom activities that cross the curricula of all the Colleges: Medicine, Pharmacy, Health Sciences and Education.
 GENERAL IMPLEMENTATION APPROACH

The overarching goals of this site are:
  1. Establish and nurture a culture of critical reflection on teaching which engages the university faculty, staff and students to pursue innovation,
  2. Develop collaborations and excellence in teaching and learning, and
  3. Actively participate in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

The initial program implementation on campus consisted of:

  1. Meetings with the academic deans of each college to discuss the vision for the center’s work, personnel who the dean would like to see the director build partnerships with within the college and any curricular/accreditation initiatives that would benefit from the innovative vision.
  2. Individual meetings with faculty and/or departments to discuss current teaching and potential initiatives within programs/courses.
  3. Faculty development events
  4. Brown-bag lunches to highlight current faculty who are doing innovative work
  5. Development of this website was focused on the six leading edges of innovation n our schools (Chen, 2010):
  • thinking about the nature of learning and teaching – pedagogy and practices
  • curriculum and relating it to the lives and future work force readiness
  •  technology and its impact on the ways in which work is done and communicated
  •  time and place – leveraging communication and technology to bridge this gap
  •  co-teaching – collaborations between faculty in and across programs, with students, alumni, partner organizations.
  •  The “millennial” learner – how they fundamentally explore and process knowledge differently and what restructuring of educational systems is required to support them.
SERVICES

When permanently funded and under full-time operation, the CILT will  provide the following services:
  1. Serve as a resource center for all faculty to assist with development of teaching pedagogies, assessment of student learning, and contemporary skills necessary to address the learning needs of 21st century students.
  2. Feedback and assessment of faculty needs related to their teaching and the proposed Faculty Evaluation plan.
  3. Provide faculty development opportunities and training
  4. Develop a resource library (both virtual and physical) in collaboration with the library staff that includes evidence-based research and reports on effective teaching and learning practices.
  5. Host seminars and discussions on topics relevant to innovation in teaching and learning
  6. Lead and organize efforts to bring speakers to campus who are experts in areas relative to the CILT.
  7. Collaborate with faculty from TUN in order to improve the quality of teaching across the Western Division of TCUS.
  8. Pursue grant opportunities and endowments to support the work of the CILT
  9. Provide expertise on the uses of digital media and technology to support and improve student learning, teaching effectiveness and assessment.
  10. Align the ISLOs with teaching and learning practices and evidence collected with regard to effectiveness thereby increasing awareness and mastery of the ISLOs across the TUC community.
  11. Develop a library of case studies in teaching effectiveness on video.
  12. Support the Colleges in Faculty Evaluation peer reviews when requested
  13. Support faculty with video analysis  of their teaching including but not limited to: pre/post conferences, self-analysis of teaching, styles, strategies and effectiveness.
  14. Explore innovations in the use of digital media in teaching, including “flipped” teaching and project/problem-based learning, active learning, and authentic assessment measures.