黑料论坛

THREAD

Curiosity

Experiences

Growth

Future-orientation

WAYS OF BEING: 
Guiding Principles

Foster rigor, deep learning, and curiosity in students.

Prioritize students鈥� experiences as learners and people through intentional course design principles and practices.

Promote student growth and growth mindsets through embracing mistakes as opportunities for development.

See education as transforming students into ethical, meaningful contributors to society.

WAYS OF DOING: 
Example Practices

• Provide multiple and diverse opportunities for students to demonstrate higher order learning, including integrative, and/or reflective learning.
• Scaffold assignments to promote deep learning and curiosity. 
• Provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge in more than one way.
• Challenge students to do their best work by designing assessments that require complex learning skills of understanding, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
• Encourage inquiry-based learning through, e.g., case studies, problem-based learning, or research projects that require students to ask questions and explore solutions.
• Incorporate when possible and relevant instructors鈥� own research interests into course themes and content.

• Design measurable outcomes, activities, assessments, and feedback that work together to support student progress toward the course learning goals.
• Communicate purpose, task, and criteria for assessments.
• Develop clear and accessible course syllabi, including learning objectives and course expectations.
• Develop clear and accessible assignments.
• Ensure accessibility of course materials that are appropriate, effective, and relevant to students at the course level.
• Engage principles of transparent and/or universal design to create learning activities.
• Grade promptly and keep an updated gradebook in the Learning Management System (LMS e.g. D2L).
• Use a range of instructional techniques based on disciplinary-specific and research-informed pedagogy.
• Offer personalized guidance and support as desired and able.
• Use consistent and effective course organization in the LMS to support student learning.

• Provide multiple ways for students to show their knowledge.
• Offer low-stakes opportunities for students to receive early feedback.
• Integrate formative assessments and self-assessment opportunities into instruction.
• Offer personalized guidance and support.
• Implement high-impact teaching practices (鈥淗IPs,鈥� like service-learning, research with students, culminating experiences) that support student growth when possible.
• Provide appropriate supportive and constructive feedback.
• Incorporate metacognitive strategies to support student growth.

• Encourage critical thinking and social responsibility, e.g., by assigning projects or discussions that challenge students to think beyond their norms.
• Introduce students to opportunities for further development, like internships, volunteer work, or professional networks, that can help develop them after college.
• Adapt future iterations of a course over time based on student needs and feedback.
• Invite students to reflect on how their academic knowledge can contribute to positive social change through sound analytical thinking.

THREAD

Curiosity

Experiences

Growth

Future-orientation

WAYS OF BEING: 
Guiding Principles

Demonstrate genuine curiosity about students and their learning processes by creating learning environments that encourage active exploration and inquiry, moving beyond passive content mastery. 

Recognize students individually 
in relation to their lives and 
contexts.

Foster a collaborative learning environment rooted in solidarity, mutual respect, and shared growth. 

Uphold education as a fundamental right, ensuring equitable participation, accessibility, and opportunities for all students to thrive at 黑料论坛 and after graduation. 

WAYS OF DOING: 
Example Practices

• Build strong instructor-student and student-student rapport and trust by learning students鈥� names, incorporating their interests into coursework, and fostering a sense of belonging.
• Offer opportunities outside class (e.g., office hours) that support relationship-building interactions with students.
• Include explicit and implicit ways for students to share their ideas and worlds in the classroom context, at least occasionally.
• Incorporate active-learning strategies.
• Model active intellectual exploration by incorporating current research and scholarship into class.

• Understand students鈥� diverse backgrounds, experiences, prior knowledge, and needs through surveys, reflections, assignments, and/or individual check-ins.
• Use inclusive language and culturally responsive and informed classroom practices to honor all students鈥� identities.
• Ensure equitable participation by mitigating barriers and providing necessary resources to students.
• Encourage participation of all students by using varied instructional strategies.
• Minimize class cancellations, making appropriate accommodations for missed class time, and abides the university academic calendar.
• Make effective use of physical classroom spaces when relevant, to ensure that all students can comfortably participate in class activities.

• Use diverse, evidence-informed teaching methods to promote student engagement, collaboration, and self-regulated learning.
• Build a positive classroom community by implementing structured collaborative learning activities and/or small group discussions to help students learn from each other.
• Facilitate group work intentionally by assigning teams, clarifying roles, identifying group expectations, and using accountability measures.
• Teach students to discuss with diverse others and collaborate across differences.
• Provide opportunities for failure in a safe environment.
• Solicit feedback from students to affirm positive elements of the course and change shortcomings (e.g., through midterm reflections). 

• Encourage critical thinking and social responsibility, e.g., by assigning projects or discussions that challenge students to think beyond their norms.
• Invite students to connect coursework to real-world examples and applications and/or incorporates service learning/community engagement.
• Connect to enduring themes in Catholic, Jesuit education regarding upholding and meeting the needs of the common good.
• Prompt students to reflect on the ways their academic knowledge, skills, and teamwork can contribute to meaningful social progress.
• Encourage students to develop scholarly identities in order to engage in solving pressing, complex challenges after they graduate. 

THREAD

Curiosity

Experiences

Growth

Future-orientation

WAYS OF BEING: 
Guiding Principles

Identify as a lifelong learner and value this trait in others. 

Engage in broader teaching communities and conversations.

Value reflection and feedback to promote strength and growth as an educator. 

Pursue continual improvement by embracing new ideas and techniques as well as research-informed teaching practices. 

WAYS OF DOING: 
Example Practices

• Learn from colleagues about their teaching joys and challenges.
• Embrace taking calculated risks in teaching by trying new activities and approaches.
• Adopt and experiment with research-informed teaching methods to improve student outcomes.
• Reflect on the ways that different aspects of life鈥攅.g., expertise, research, industry experience, personal commitments, and faith life鈥攊nform their teaching practice. 

• Learn from professional development opportunities at and beyond 黑料论坛 (e.g., workshops, trainings, conferences, symposia, retreats, communities of practices, etc.). 
• Share knowledge, techniques, tips, and resources with colleagues. 
• Contribute to the scholarship of teaching and learning when desired and able.

• Reflect on past teaching experiences and student outcome data to identify specific strengths and opportunities for growth.
• Identify patterns in student perception surveys to understand students鈥� experiences of their teaching.
• Invite peers and colleagues to observe classes to support formation as an educator.
• Learn from the scholarship of teaching and learning in their field and in higher education generally.
• Seek mentorship and mentor others if and when appropriate. 

• Develop specific goals related to teaching along with ways to measure progress.
• Update course syllabi, content and teaching materials regularly.
• Integrate research, industry, and/or real-world examples into the classroom.
• Keep up to date/stay informed and responsive to the evolving needs and experiences of students in higher education.
• Consider and implement research-informed teaching and learning practices from other departments, institutions, and scholarship.
• Demonstrate growth over time in teaching, especially in high-impact and experiential learning realms.