Programs and Services-Courses for Teaching and Learning – Saint Leo University Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence

Personalized Professional Development: Your Invitation to be Curious

At the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, we believe that professional development should be practical, convenient, and inspiring. We’ve done the research, considered the options, and, most importantly, listened to our faculty. As educators, your needs, motivations, and interests vary, so your professional development options should too. Our CTLs are opportunities to explore innovative teaching practices, learn more about evidence-informed instructional strategies, and try out the latest educational technologies – all at your own pace.

CTLs are offered throughout the year, and registration occurs each semester. Most courses take participants about an hour to complete. To register for any of the offerings, complete the CTL Registration. Even though the CTLs are self-paced, the CTLE team can answer any questions you may have as you work through the material by contacting us at ctle@saintleo.edu. Upon completion of CTLs, participants are awarded digital badges.

Do you have an idea for a future course? Are you Interested in a specific topic? Let us know! Our courses are designed to be adaptive and responsive to your interests. We’re always looking to add to our course offerings, so be sure to share your ideas!

CTL – 110 Teaching at Saint Leo

Required course for all new instructors. The course is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the essentials of good teaching at Saint Leo. The second part provides the necessary training for our learning management system, Desire to Learn (D2L). Enrollment into this course is automatic for all new faculty.

CTL – 111 Creating Module Level Objectives

This course introduces participants to the practice of creating module-level objectives for courses and provides opportunities to assess and create well-written objectives.

CTL – 114 Active Learning in the Online Environment

The goal of this course is to introduce faculty to the theoretical foundations, design practices, and practical techniques for creating active, engaging online courses. This course is self-paced, and we estimate it will take about an hour to complete, depending on the level of experience. While the primary audience for this course is faculty who are new to online instruction and design, it may also be beneficial for those faculty who are redesigning existing courses and wish to include more engaging assignments for their learners.

CTL – 115 Introduction to Universal Design Learning

Introduces participants to Universal Design for Learning and provides core knowledge in key areas, including accessibility, accommodations, assistive technologies, and a general overview of how to use the UDL framework for planning instruction for diverse learners.

CTL – 117 AI and Higher Education: What Professors Need to Know

Embrace the possibilities of artificial intelligence in higher education! Learn about AI’s definition and its profound influence on education and gain practical integration strategies with real-world examples. Delve into ethical considerations, stay updated on AI software at Saint Leo, and navigate university policies. Join us to shape the future of education with optimism and AI innovation.

CTL 118 – Developing Engaging and Inclusive Discussions

In most online courses, discussion boards become the heart of the class. Unfortunately, students and faculty alike sometimes fear that they are inauthentic and feel disconnected from the content. In this course, we will explore unique ways to create and facilitate discussions that are engaging, social, and supportive of learning and connection. Additionally, this course is presented through the lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and offers foundational knowledge about Universal Design for Learning and how it can be applied specifically to discussion boards.

CTL 119 – Building Community in Online Courses

Online courses, especially those that are asynchronous, present unique challenges for building community. This CTL presents not only best practices in online community building but also strategies that integrate familiar technologies in ways that facilitate feelings of connectedness and belonging.

CTL 121 – Teaching with Microsoft 365

This course presents the basic functionality of the Microsoft 365 suite and how it can be used to support both productivity and teaching.

CTL 123 – Collaborative Notetaking

Collaborative notetaking can be helpful in situations where students are socially distancing and/or participating in class virtually. Learn more about this strategy and develop a plan for how collaborative notes can be constructed in your courses.

CTL 124 – Backward Design Practices

This course is designed to provide learners with the skills necessary to build meaningful course units. The creation of each lesson with the end in mind will provide an organized, well-structured learning environment that will promote learner engagement, meeting learning objectives and outcomes. Topics include introduction to backward design, strategies to implement objectives, types of assessments, measuring outcomes, and creating a course unit.

CTL 131 – Teaching in ICC

Prepares faculty to teach ICC courses. This is a mandatory course for all faculty who are scheduled to teach in ICC. Others are welcome to enroll if space is available.

CTL 132 – Teaching In VTT

Prepares faculty to teach VTT courses. This is a mandatory course for all faculty who are scheduled to teach in VTT. Others are welcome to enroll if space is available.

CTL 138 – Introduction to Hybrid Teaching at Saint Leo

Hybrid courses integrate various formats of instruction, including face-to-face, video conferencing, and or asynchronous online instruction. While hybrid courses enable students to have more flexible schedules, they also provide broader teaching and learning opportunities. This self-paced course introduces participants to hybrid teaching, the hybrid learning models that Saint Leo supports, and a general overview of what hybrid teaching entails.

CTL 200 – Deeper Dive into Hybrid Course Development at Saint Leo

Before enrolling in this course, please refer to CTLE’s webpage on Hybrid Teaching for additional information and to complete the application to develop a new hybrid course. CTL 138 -Introduction to Hybrid Teaching at Saint Leo is a prerequisite for this course. Preparation and organization are essential for a successful hybrid course. Consider the most effective ways to deliver the instructional content and learning activities. In this self-paced, project-based course, you will determine the various components of each module and then plan the activities, materials, and assessments for the first four modules/weeks of your hybrid course.

CTL 210 – Inclusive Teaching Practices

This CTL is designed to empower professors with the knowledge and strategies to create an inclusive learning environment that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion by drawing on real-world examples and scenarios. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion and build a “toolkit” to integrate them into their teaching practices.

CTL 220 – Using the LMS to Support On-ground, Hybrid, and Beyond

This self-paced course is designed to provide learners with the knowledge, skills, and tools to develop, redevelop, and deliver on-ground, hybrid, or blended courses using the Learning Management System (LMS). The primary focus will be on using the LMS as an efficient means of delivering on-ground and or blended courses. Topics include Collaboration Tools, Creating Videos, Discussion Boards, Feedback Tools, Uploading Content, Backward Design, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

CTL 234 – Introduction to Simulated Experiences at SLU

In this interactive course, faculty will be introduced to Simulated Experiences and will explore their educational purposes and how they can be used in various courses. Upon completion, participants will have experience developing scenarios and will be familiar with the steps necessary to integrate simulations into their classes.

CTL 235 – Applying UDL Principles and Guidelines in Course Planning

This self-paced course is designed to provide learners with a deeper understanding of the principles and guidelines of UDL to develop or revise course content that extends the use of multiple means of engagement, presentation, and expression. Topics include how to use the UDL Guidelines to plan lessons, choose materials, assess learning, and improve instructional practice.