This means CTL fosters a culture of teaching at Penn, where instructors reflect on and collaboratively engage one another around their teaching. CTL supports instructors in realizing their teaching aims and ambitions. And CTL leads specific initiatives to improve teaching, including encouraging structured active learning, inclusive and equitable teaching, and using technology effectively in teaching.
CTL works with all instructors – from senior faculty to new teaching assistants – to facilitate their development and to empower them to improve their teaching practices or adopt new ones. This happens through both individual consultations and group discussions among instructors. And CTL partners with schools and departments to provide programs relevant for their instructors and their specific teaching contexts. Both pedagogy research and instructors’ needs, goals and practices inform CTL in this work.
Through this effort, CTL enhances the learning and learning experiences of all our students, and, ultimately, the quality of education at Penn.