Teaching Excellence

By Travis Thurston & Neal Legler | November 1, 2022
Jessamyn Neuhaus
Jessamyn Heuhaus, Director of the SUNY Plattsburgh Center for Teaching Excellence,  addresses nearly 400 USU instructors and staff about strategies at the 9th Annual ETE Conference on August 17, 2022.

Teaching Excellence

By Travis Thurston & Neal Legler

We recognize that teaching is difficult and is a craft that requires ongoing reflection and improvement to maintain levels of excellence. Finding effective ways to connect with our students, cultivate their interest in our disciplines, and guide them to discover what sparks their curiosity is at the heart of what we do as instructors. USU has excellent instructors, and we provide access to the resources, support, and programs for our culture of teaching excellence.

Recently, Empowering Teaching Excellence (ETE) moved into the Provost’s Office, but while reporting lines have changed, ETE continues to offer the same events, programs, and services that not only support instructors to collaborate and engage in teaching excellence activities, but also provides a mechanism to document those efforts. As instructors engage in teaching excellence, implement evidence-based strategies in the classroom, and contribute back to the USU community, the ETE10 digital badging program is designed to guide your reflections and accomplishments on your teaching excellence journey. ETE provides all instructors access to:

  • Events like the annual ETE Conference, Learning Circles, sparkshops and eLearnX.
  • Programs like ETE Scholars, and Student Collaborators on Teaching (SCOTs).
  • Services like peer review of courses, and ETE10 digital badges.
  • Publications like the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence, and the Empower Teaching Open-Access Book Series.

Additionally, all instructors at USU can access practical training, hands-on course development assistance, and support for teaching technologies at the Center for Instructional Design and Innovation (CIDI). Services at CIDI include:

  • Instructional design support and hands-on development help for course developments of all delivery formats. Faculty can get full-service help, or help with specific aspects of  their course development.
  • A faculty help desk (M-F, 8am-6pm) to help with Canvas and other technologies.
  • Scheduled consultations (in-person or remote) to discuss teaching challenges and find customized solutions.
  • Online tutorials and live workshops on teaching technologies and best practices.

CIDI’s instructional designers are experts at adapting proven techniques and available tools to unique instructional circumstances. Get help when you need it at CIDI. Visit teach.usu.edu for appointment scheduling, tutorials, and on-demand support. And, if you’re ready to get started on your ETE10 teaching pathway, email us at empowerteaching@usu.edu to schedule a consultation.

 We recognize the effort and care that instructors put into teaching here at USU, and we are here to provide the support and resources needed for our culture of teaching excellence to thrive.