Resources
View resources on various subjects created and compiled by the Center for Faculty Excellence.
Teaching and Learning
View the PNW Syllabus Template
- Solve a Teaching Problem
- A great resource from Carnegie Melon University that lists many possible teaching ‘problems’ you may encounter, helps to identify possible reasons, and presents strategies to address the problem.
Instructional Alignment
- Align Assessments, Objectives, Learning Strategies
- This site from Carnegie Mellon University explains instructional alignment and why it is so important.
- 5-minute University: Instructional Alignment (video)
- Video that explains instructional alignment for course design.
- Backward Design
- An overview of a framework for backward designing your course.
Writing Objectives
- Articulating your Learning Objectives
- This site from Carnegie Mellon University lists key qualities of well-written learning objectives.
- Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Write Effective Learning Objectives & Learning Objectives: Before and After Examples
- These webpages from the University of Arkansas have helpful information about writing good learning objectives, including before and after examples.
- Objectives Builder
- An application from Arizona State University which assists with writing and developing learning objectives.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
- What is Bloom’s Taxonomy?
- This site from the University of Florida explains Bloom’s taxonomy and how it can be used to develop effective instruction.
- Bloom’s Taxonomy for Course Design
- This site from the University of Central Florida explains each level of Bloom’s taxonomy listing associated action verbs, teaching methods and assessment activities.
- Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs (pdf file)
- Handout listing action verbs for each level of Bloom’s taxonomy.
Course Redesign
- Five Principles of Successful Course Redesign
- Explanation of five course redesign models
- PNW Syllabus template
- Accessible syllabus template with recommended sections and statements.
- PNW Syllabus Tips & Sample Statements
- Suggestions for making your syllabus more welcoming and transparent
- PNW Guidance for addressing Artificial Intelligence (AI) use in your syllabus
- Suggestions for how to communicate to students how AI may be used or not used in a given course and/or for a specific assignment
- Sample Syllabus Policies and Expectations
- Sample statements on a variety of topics which can be modified to meet your needs.
Pedagogies & Teaching Strategies
- Lecturing
- Overview of five tips for engaged lecturing
- Flipping the Classroom
- Information about flipped classrooms, their effectiveness, and keys to successful flipping.
- Online Teaching Activities Index
- List of activities that can be used in online classes (many can also be used in face-to-face settings).
Active Learning
- 226 Active Learning Techniques (pdf file)
- An excellent list of active learning techniques with a brief summary for each.
- Teaching Tools Active Learning Library
- A collection of active learning techniques with filters to sort by difficulty, prep time, class size, Bloom’s taxonomy levels and more!
- Active Learning: Teaching Guide
- Benefits, examples, and quick tips for getting started with active learning.
Classroom Management
- Managing Disruptive Classroom Behavior
- List of tips for managing and responding to disruptive behavior in the classroom.
Assessment Basics
- Formative vs. Summative Assessment
- Explanation of the difference between formative and summative assessment.
- Assessment vs. Grading
- Explanation of the difference between assessing learning and grading performance.
- Assessment and Curricular Change
- Frequently asked questions about definitions, processes, and methods of assessment.
Assessing Student Learning
- Assessing Students’ Prior Knowledge
- Suggested activities to use to assess what students already know.
- Using Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)
- List of some simple CATs to use in your classes.
- How to assess student learning and performance
- Tips for creating assignments and exams, and using concept maps and groupwork to assess student learning.
Rubrics
- Creating and Using Rubrics
- Explanation of what a rubric is and helpful recommendations for creating and using them.
- Rubistar
- Online tool for creating rubrics.
- Using Rubrics in Brightspace
- Scroll to the section “Use Rubrics for Assignments”
Assessing your Teaching
- End-of-semester Course Evaluations at PNW
- Information about how course evaluations are done at PNW.
- Motivating Students
- Overview of types of motivation and how to maintain student motivation
- Tips for Motivating Students
- 20 tips for motivating students
- Growth Mindset
- Overview of Carol Dweck’s work related to the growth mindset and how it impacts learning
- The Power of Believing that You Can Improve (video)
- TED talk by Carol Dweck discussing the importance of students’ mindsets in the learning process.
- SoTL Guide
- Information about taking a scholarly approach to your teaching and engaging in the scholarship of teaching & learning.
- SoTL Resources
- List of resources to aid you in conducting SoTL research.
- SoTL journals
- List of journals publishing scholarly work related to teaching and learning.
Discovery and Scholarship
- SoTL Guide
- Information about taking a scholarly approach to your teaching and engaging in the scholarship of teaching & learning.
- SoTL Resources
- List of resources to aid you in conducting SoTL research.
- SoTL journals
- List of journals publishing scholarly work related to teaching and learning.
- Scholarship of Engagement at Purdue University
- Information from Purdue University explaining engaged scholarship and how to document it.
- The Scholarship of Engagement
- Explanation of the Scholarship of Engagement and related resources for faculty.
- PNW Office of Research
- access information about finding funding, internal grant opportunities, developing a proposal, managing grants, and grantsmanship events
- Purdue IRB
- get information and submit protocols for review by the Institutional Review Board (IRB)
- PNW Undergraduate Research Office
- information about student research opportunities
- PNW Research Centers
- list of research centers and institutes at PNW
- Join the CFE’s Research Productivity Program!
- Join PNW colleagues to create time and accountability for your research activities. The Research Productivity Program is offered every spring, summer and fall.
- How to Make Time for Research and Writing
- Article from the Chronicle of Higher Education with practical advice for allocating time for research activities.
- NCFDD
- Site with tons of great information and resources related to faculty productivity, specifically for research. Follow directions to access your institutional account to gain access.
Service and Engagement
- Scholarship of Engagement at Purdue University
- Information from Purdue University explaining engaged scholarship and how to document it.
- The Scholarship of Engagement
- Explanation of the Scholarship of Engagement and related resources for faculty.
Productivity and Staying Connected
Purdue is an institutional member of the NCFDD, which grants Purdue faculty access to a number of resources.
Membership benefits include:
- Weekly Monday Motivator Email Messages
- Monthly Core Curriculum Webinars (and recordings of webinars for convenient access)
- Monthly Guest Expert Webinars
- Monthly accountability buddy match
- Moderated monthly writing challenges
Steps to activate your institution-sponsored membership:
- Go to the NCFDD website.
- Click the “Become a Member” button and choose “Purdue University” from the list of institutions.
- Click “Activate My Membership.”
- Provide the requested information, being sure to use your Purdue* (NOT PNW) email address. You can create any password you wish; it does not use your Purdue password.
- Provide the requested personal and professional information.
- Click “Continue” to complete the registration process.
*Please note that you MUST use your @purdue.edu email address to activate your membership. Your Purdue email account uses your Career account username followed by “@purdue.edu”.
- Chronicle of Higher Education
- create a free account to get premium access through Purdue
- under your Account settings, sign up to receive newsletters on a variety of topics including teaching, learning, breaking news, and global education.
- Inside Higher Ed
- subscribe for free to newsletters with daily or weekly updates, or on specialized topics like diversity or digital learning
- Faculty Focus
- sign-up for the free Faculty Focus newsletter on effective teaching strategies
Library and Materials
Active Learning Resources & CFE Library
The Center for Faculty Excellence has resources and many books available to support your teaching and professional development.
Active Learning Resources
To support instructors’ use of active learning techniques, the Center for Faculty Excellence has a limited amount of the following materials available for checkout on a short-term basis.
Please contact the Center via email at cfe@pnw.edu to arrange pick-up from the Hammond office in GYTE 140.
In your written request, please include what item(s) you would like to use along with your proposed timeline for usage and expected return date.
Available materials (the CFE provides strategies for effective use of the materials):
- index cards
- deck of cards
- dice
- ABCD response cards
- large, table top easels with paper (can be stuck to walls) and dry erase boards
- multiple packs of Crayola markers (to use on easel paper or other paper)
- dry erase markers
- post-it notes
CFE Library
The Center for Faculty Excellence offers a diverse collection of books available for checkout. You’re welcome to visit GYTE 140 to explore the collection and find something that suits your needs or sparks a new interest. New titles are added regularly, so there’s always something fresh to discover!
The Center for Faculty Excellence also offers a book exchange. Bring in a teaching-related book that you no longer need and swap it for a new teaching-related title!