Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL)

About:

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) is a professional and academic development center dedicated to supporting the success of CWU faculty, staff, and students. The CETL offers end-to-end professional development for faculty across all experience levels to enhance their teaching effectiveness within a vibrant and collaborative professional learning community. Members enhance their ability to use research-supported teaching practices such as active, mixed, and high-flex learning, employ a wide range of engaging, inclusive, and effective instructional methods, and collect and use evidence to make informed educational decisions that increase the success of all students.

We partner with members and work with their individual needs to collaboratively employ customized solutions that leverage educational and technology resources to enhance student learning outcomes and faculty teaching effectiveness within your content knowledge framework. The CETL provides workshops, seminars, webinars, in-person and online resources, and certificate programs designed to move your career forward.

The CETL welcomes applications from new and experienced faculty to join our professional learning community at Associate, Fellow, and Scholar certificate levels. The Associate certificate level  assists faculty with course structure, syllabus design, assessments, in-class activities, and various metrics of student success using  research-supported best practices, inclusive teaching, online technologies, and learner-centered pedagogies. The Fellow certificate level focuses on teaching excellence through enhanced course development using a collaborative peer network  and refined, inclusive teaching methodologies with demonstrated effectiveness. The Scholar certificate level empowers faculty to complete Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) activities and Teaching-as-Research (TAR) projects via peer review, editorial and scholarly feedback that ultimately contribute to the body of knowledge within their fields of study.

Goals:
 

1. Enhance faculty Excellence in Teaching and Learning (ETL) at CWU

2. Advocate ETL to CWU faculty, staff, students, and administration.

3. Engage the faculty ETL community to support CWU’s mission, vision, and goals.

Staff

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) has two staff members: The Executive Director (Joy Fuqua) oversees the CETL workshops and certificates at CWU. The Faculty Fellow (Ian Quitadamo) handles the day-to-day details of the program, especially the workshops, mentoring requirements, and TAR or SoTL projects. They can be reached at the information listed below.

	Joy Fuqua she/her/her Executive Director  Interactive Instruction and Innovative Delivery  Samuelson Hall  400 East University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926  Office: 509-963-1357 Email: joy.fuqua@cwu.edu
	Dr. Ian J. Quitadamo Distinguished Professor of Biology and STEM Education Faculty Fellow for Excellence in Teaching and Learning  Science 236F  400 E. University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926 Office: 509-963-2745 Email: IQ@cwu.edu

Programs:

The CETL consists of three certificate programs: Associate, Fellow, and Scholar Certificates for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Participants first take the Associate certificate program, which overviews topics related to CETL programs, students’ retention and success, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and other contemporary topics and emerging pedagogies. Participants then can take either the Fellow or Scholar certificate program. Participants may take the Fellow and Scholar certificate program concurrently or be admitted in one or both programs per Faculty Fellow’s permission.

Participants in the program are staff or faculty members at Central Washington University (CWU) or a high education institution (e.g., two or four years such as community colleges, technical schools, or universities). Workshops are typically open to any participants who want to attend. Participants at CWU need to sign up at the beginning of a certificate program and meet all requirements to earn a certificate at the end of the program. Participants outside of CWU need to apply for and be admitted to a certificate program.

Associate Certificate for ETL | Apply

Purpose: Pursue Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

Prerequisite: Interest and motivation to pursue excellence in teaching and learning

Meetings: Meet every week on Fridays from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm for 16 weeks (two quarters).

Requirements:

1. Attend 70% or more of live meetings.
2. Participate 100% in live activities and online discussions.
3. Choose a mentor with 5 or more years experience in teaching excellence.

Artifacts: 

1. Produce course deliverables (e.g., philosophy, syllabus, course design, assessments, student growth plan) for CETL evaluation

Fellow Certificate for ETL | Apply

Purpose: Achieve and expand Excellence in Teaching and Learning

Prerequisite: Associate Certificate or ermission from the CETL Faculty Fellow

Meetings: Meet every two weeks (weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8) for 8 weeks (2 quarters). Typically, Fridays from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

Requirements:

1. Select a course for development, build revision plan based on best practices pedagogy, and provide excellent teaching.
2. Produce course deliverables (e.g., enhanced syllabus, evolved course design, focused assessments and rubrics, measurement of student growth)
3. Choose a mentor who has won a teaching excellence award or equivalent.
4. Participate in reciprocal peer teaching evaluation that includes diagnostic feedback

Artifacts:

1. Produce revised or additional course deliverables (e.g., philosophy, syllabus, course design, assessments, student growth plan) for CETL evaluation
2. Develop written plan in response to CETL evaluation
3. Achieve SEOIs that are above department and/or college average with supportive comments
4. Integrate suggestions from peer evaluation or mentor

Scholar Certificate for ETL | Apply

Purpose: Contribute research to Excellent in Teaching and Learning body of knowledge in your discipline(s)

Prerequisite: Associate Certificate or permission from the CETL Faculty Fellow

Meetings: Meet every two weeks (weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8) for 8 weeks (2 quarters). Typically, Fridays from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Requirements:

1. Identify a teaching-as-research (TAR) project
2. Conduct literature review, design research plan, and collect data
3. Draft a peer-reviewed TAR paper for submission, review, publication, and presentation

Artifacts

1. Peer-reviewed research manuscript published in appropriate journal or comparable
2. Research presentations at professional meetings or comparable

Process Overview

1. Identify a specific topic and define TAR project
2. Form and refine research questions
3. Design data collection and analysis methods
4. Apply for human subjects approval if needed
5. Collect data according to approved protocols
6. Analyze and  summarize results
7. Discuss key findings, confounds, implications, and impacts
8. Disseminate TAR work through peer-reviewed article and research presentations(disseminate your research findings) 

Past recipients of Associates, Fellow, or Scholar certificates become CETL alumni. They may volunteer to serve as mentors or presenters or future workshops, seminars, or programs.

View Past Excellence Awardees