Teaching Briefs

In keeping with the CELT’s mission of “partnering with educators to advance student-centered learning at Iowa State University (ISU),” the collection focuses on practical advice, solutions, and implementations, exploring the topic of student-learning from a broad array of academic disciplines and perspectives.

2023 CELT Teaching Briefs

The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) and University Library accepted proposals for teaching briefs to showcase the implementation of open educational practices into teaching and learning through the use and/or creation of open educational resources (OER) at Iowa State University. OER are free and openly licensed instructional materials that can be adapted for various teaching and learning contexts. Such materials are widely used around the world, providing equal access to free, high-quality educational materials.

This year, the teaching briefs highlight the 5-year anniversary of ISU’s Miller Open Education Mini-Grant Program, which supports instructors who incorporate OER into their courses by providing funding for OER’s adoption, editing, or creation. Over the past 5 years, many instructors have received mini-grants to enhance their courses, and even more have adopted OER without funding. The briefs will celebrate the work of these instructors and their impact on students by sharing their innovative teaching practices, from open pedagogy to open textbooks and other educational resources.

2022 CELT Teaching Briefs

As educators, we recognize that teaching strategies that promote a sense of belonging are critical to student well-being, learning, and academic success. Therefore, we chose the common theme of the 2022 CELT Teaching Briefs: “Fostering Student Sense of Belonging in the Classroom: Creative Practices from Iowa State University Instructors.”

The contributors shared instructional strategies to create a sense of belonging and support student motivation, engagement, and success. These strategies may be used effectively at all times, but the ongoing pandemic made it abundantly clear that to navigate a rigorous curriculum, students must feel supported, motivated, and included in their online, in-person, and multi-modality classrooms and the Annual Inclusive Classroom Training (AY21-22).

Using Literature to Teach about Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice in Graduate-Level Courses
Erin Doran, Ed.D, Associate Professor
School of Education, Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Developing an Online Public in an Asynchronous Public Speaking Course
Katie Fulton, Assistant Professor
Department of English, Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Introducing a New Tool to Level the Playing Field
Brian Hornbuckle, Professor
Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University of Science and Technology

From Won’t Read to Will Read: An Assignment to Foster Student Engagement
Julie Irish, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
College of Design, Iowa State University of Science and Technology

A Case-Based Learning Approach to Foster Dialogue Around Difficult Issues
Gabriel Rodriguez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
School of Education, Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Alyssa Emery, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
School of Education, Iowa State University of Science and Technology