Teaching Workshops
If a group or department would like to request a repeat workshop on any of these topics, please contact the Teaching Center.
Fall 2025 Teaching Workshop Series
Teaching Center offers 1-hour workshops designed to provide instructors with practical strategies and ready-to-implement tools. Our Fall 2025 teaching workshops series is held on Zoom Thursdays from 11:00 am to 12 noon and Fridays 12 noon to 1 p.m.
Mentoring and Managing TAs
Friday, September 5, 2025, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm
Teaching Assistants (TAs) play an important role in maintaining a strong and vibrant learning environment by supporting students in the construction of new knowledge, increasing overall comprehension, and facilitating skill acquisition and development. Learn strategies for mentoring, coordinating, and supervising teaching assistants.
Instructor Spotlight - Andrew Berger, Professor of Optics, Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Flipping the Classroom to Engage Students
Friday, September 12, 2025, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm
A flipped classroom is one in which students engage with new material outside the class session and then use class time for active learning, skill and competency development, and complex reasoning. Learn best practices for flipping the classroom to increase student engagement and how flipped classrooms are being used effectively at University of Rochester.
Writing Course Learning Outcomes
Friday, September 26, 2025, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm
Effective learning outcomes are actionable, measurable and speak directly to the essential learning in a course. Learn how to write student learning outcomes that are challenging, achievable, and directly measurable using backward design principles.
Aligning Assessments with Learning Outcomes
Friday, October 3, 2025, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm
Student learning outcomes provide the framework for essential students learning in a course – assessments enable us to directly measure how effectively students are achieving that learning and developing those skills. Learn how to evaluate and align course assignments and assessments to measure the essential learning in your course.
Designing Effective Rubrics
Friday, October 24, 2025, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm
Rubrics are evaluation tools that provide a clear description of performance expectations by dividing student work product, performance or behavior into learning components subdivided into levels of mastery. Rubrics ensure grading consistency and efficiency, on-target student work, and a clear picture of student learning strengths and weaknesses. Learn best practices for designing rubrics that facilitate equitable and efficient grading and provide students with targeted feedback.
Understanding Experiential Learning
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon
Experiential learning is the process of learning by doing whereby students gain knowledge and skills through direct experience and reflection. Learn how experiential learning works and what makes it an effective instructional tool as we explore how to apply Kolb’s learning cycle in and out of the classroom.
Assessing Experiential Learning
Friday, November 7, 2025, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm
Experiential learning involves engaging learners through concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The essential learning that occurs as a result of these experiences often involves non-academic skills and competencies, such as learning about oneself and others, and/or developing new feelings, interests, and values. Learn how to assess experiential learning and design targeted reflection prompts to effectively evaluate student growth.
Transparent Assignment Design
Thursday, November 11, 2025, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon
Transparent assignment design (TILT) explicitly focuses on how and why students are learning course content, concepts and skills in a particular way. By clearly and concretely stating the purpose, task and criteria, transparent assignments have been shown to reduce achievement gaps for first-generation students. Learn best practices for designing transparent assignment prompts in all disciplines.
Transparent Assignment Design
Friday, November 21, 2025, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm
Transparent assignment design (TILT) explicitly focuses on how and why students are learning course content, concepts and skills in a particular way. By clearly and concretely stating the purpose, task and criteria, transparent assignments have been shown to reduce achievement gaps for first-generation students. Learn best practices for designing transparent assignment prompts in all disciplines.
Teaching Reflection – Fall 2025
Friday, December 5, 2025, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm
Reflecting on your teaching is an important part of being an effective instructor, and it is often challenging to find time to reflect amid the many demands at the end of the semester. Join your fellow instructors for an hour of guided reflection and sharing about the successes, surprises, and areas for improvement discovered during the Fall semester.