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Center for Teaching Excellence

Courses and Communities of Practice

The CTE's Short Courses and Communities of Practice provide opportunities for sustained and deeper engagement with teaching related interests and topics in a collegial setting. Our Short Courses are opportunities to learn about a particular area of teaching with the guidance of an expert colleague in that area. Our Communities of Practice allow for informal conversation and idea sharing among colleagues involved in a particular area of teaching.

Faculty Cohort

New Faculty Academy

New Faculty Academy is a new initiative of the Office of the Provost designed to launch the careers of new faculty on a positive and productive trajectory by providing a series of professional development, networking, and mentoring activities during their first year at USC. All first-year full-time faculty members on the USC Columbia campus are eligible to participate. NFA is a cohort-based program that begins with a half-day kickoff workshop in conjunction with New Faculty Orientation, followed by a series of monthly workshops and gatherings throughout the academic year.

Communities of Practice (CoP)

FLIP: Focus on Learning, Innovation and Pedagogy

FLIP is a faculty discussion group, ideas lab and learning community focused on topics related to the theory and practice of teaching and learning. FLIP is open to faculty members, instructors, postdocs and graduate students who want to study, discuss and try out various evidence-based approaches to instruction, including student-centered learning, discipline-based education research, flipped classrooms, problem-based learning (PBL), case studies and other forms of active learning. If you are interested in joining the group or would like to be added to the FLIP listserv, please contact FLIP coordinator Raymond Thompson, Undergraduate Director and Clinical Assistant Professor at department Exercise Science in the Arnold School of Public Health at rwthomps@mailbox.sc.edu.

Coordinators and Instructors of Large Undergraduate Courses Community of Practice (CILUC CoP)

In this informal, cross-disciplinary discussion group, participants discuss and share best practices and resources for 1) effective coordination of large undergraduate courses, including logistics, class management, GTA and adjunct supervision, and other issues unique to large course management, and 2) teaching and administration of large introductory courses The group meets two to three times a semester, discussing concerns, ideas, and other issues, regularly inviting campus offices to contribute to the discussion. Please contact Michelle Hardee at hardeem@mailbox.sc.edu if you are interested in participating in the CILUC CoP.

Virtual Environments Community of Practice (VE CoP)

The Virtual Environments Interest Group is planning ways to bring 360° video, virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality into teaching and learning environments at USC. Meetings are open to faculty, staff and students. To join this group, please email Aisha Haynes at HAYNESA@mailbox.sc.edu. If you are interested in implementing Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and/or 360o videos into your curriculum, the Center for Teaching Excellence has the technology available that you can checkout to get started. Visit the Teaching Resources/Virtual Reality section of our website to learn more.

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.