This Week for Faculty: Set the tone for the new semester
Welcome students to your classroom. Introduce yourself and your course to your students. Emphasize that the classroom is a space for learning where all students belong and are valued. Invite students to connect with you before and after class, as well as during office hours. Orient your students to your CourseWorks site, showing them where they can find course materials and resources to support their learning.
Communicate your course learning objectives and expectations. Share your course learning objectives, your pedagogical approach, your expectations of students, and what your students can expect of you. Leverage your syllabus, Courseworks site, assignments, and rubrics, to make your policies and expectations for how students will demonstrate their learning clear.
Offer support. Connect students to campus resources that will help them thrive in your classroom. Whether it’s connecting with a librarian to support their work on a course assignment or getting writing help from the Writing Center, tutoring, or well-being resources, sharing these resources with your students in class, on CourseWorks, and during office hours can ensure that they have what they need to meet course expectations. Let students know that you and your TAs (if applicable) are available to help.
Find additional strategies for creating an inclusive learning environment in the Guide for Inclusive Teaching at Columbia.
Join us for upcoming sessions
Ways to Be More Inclusive in Your Course
September 19, 1:00pm – 2:00pm
October 8, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
October 21, 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Navigating HOT Moments: Before, During, & After Class
September 4, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
September 12, 10:00am – 11:00am
September 24, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
October 15, 11:00am – 12:00pm
Related resource: Navigating Heated, Offensive, and Tense (HOT) Moments in the Classroom
Easing into a New Semester of Teaching: A Conversational Space for Faculty
September 5, 1:00pm – 2:00pm
September 10, 12:00pm –1:00pm
Related resource: Teaching in Times of Stress and Challenge
Entering Mentoring: Addressing Equity and Inclusion
September 19, 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Related resources on the Advancing Mentorship Practices page
The CTL is here to help you get ready for Fall 2024!
Virtual Office Hours
Join us for office hours via Zoom (or phone) Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm to have your teaching with instructional technology questions answered.
*In-person Office Hours: August 19 through September 20, 9:00am-5:00pm*
Stop by 212 Butler Library for in-person support to help you get your courses ready for Fall 2024! CTL Learning Designers can assist you with setting up your CourseWorks sites, making your CourseWorks sites more accessible, and help you integrate other Columbia-supported instructional technologies.
In-person support is always available by appointment! To schedule an appointment, contact the CTL at ColumbiaCTL@columbia.edu.