Center for Teaching, Learning and Research

Mid-semester check-ins are a useful way for teachers to course-correct at a point where it can make a difference in student learning. Thomas Preston, our colleague from the German Department, is back one last time with his workshop on taking these mid-semester checks to a new level: collegial mid-course reviews. In this lunchtime session, we will introduce you to the process of conducting a brief, collegial mid-course review with a faculty partner, dispel common feedback anxieties, discuss the program’s value, and begin planning visits for faculty pairs this semester.

In this hands-on session, discover how AI can help you design in-class exercises, from crafting discussion prompts to creating interactive case studies. Learn practical techniques for using AI to generate creative activity variations, develop scaffolded learning experiences, and adapt materials into different modalities. You’ll leave with concrete examples and experience using AI to support creating your own classroom activities.

Please register here by Monday 2/24.

The lunchtime session will celebrate the winner and nominees of this last year’s Inclusive Design for Learning Award, sponsored by AGDAI and the CTLR. Students, staff, and faculty submitted nominations for this teaching prize last Fall, and from that pool of talented faculty, the selection committee chose Olga Parshina as the winner of the award.

With the arrival of a new presidential administration in Washington DC, many of us are wondering where discussions of current political/policy changes might come up in our interactions with students and what to do in those conversations. How to talk about politics with students in this climate on our campus? Join us for this lunchtime session in the CTLR where you will hear from colleagues who are attuned to these concerns, trained in engaged listening, and ready to share their own thoughts, questions, and experiences about such potentially fraught interactions.

Have you considered applying to graduate school in the UK? Join Dean Lisa Gates for an overview of UK fellowships, what makes an ideal candidate, and a review of the nomination and application process. Scholarship competitions discussed include the Churchill, Gates-Cambridge, Marshall, Rhodes, St. Andrews scholarships. The deadline for the UK-Irish nomination application is April 4, 2025 (midnight). See go.middlebury.edu/uk-irish for detailed information. Middlebury Fellowships go.middlebury.edu/fellowships

Join Dean Lisa Gates to learn about the Fulbright scholarship and Watson Fellowship programs, the application process, and updates for next year

CTLR Learning Resources’ Finals Week Drop-In Sessions—we can talk you through a finals week schedule that preserves sleep and down-time while you get things done! Having trouble with focus? Need to make a plan? Stop by anytime. Come and go as you please. We supply the beverages and snacks. You can: make a plan, do some work, take a break, get a pep talk, make a stress ball, reset with a cold bag, any or all of the above!

CTLR Learning Resources’ Finals Week Drop-In Sessions—we can talk you through a finals week schedule that preserves sleep and down-time while you get things done! Having trouble with focus? Need to make a plan? Stop by anytime. Come and go as you please. We supply the beverages and snacks. You can: make a plan, do some work, take a break, get a pep talk, make a stress ball, reset with a cold bag, any or all of the above!

CTLR Learning Resources’ Finals Week Drop-In Sessions—we can talk you through a finals week schedule that preserves sleep and down-time while you get things done! Having trouble with focus? Need to make a plan? Stop by anytime. Come and go as you please. We supply the beverages and snacks. You can: make a plan, do some work, take a break, get a pep talk, make a stress ball, reset with a cold bag, any or all of the above!

We invite you to join our December faculty mentoring discussion in CTLR for an engaging discussion with our Student Mental Health Team. We will explore the range of actions faculty can take to support students’ mental health and the appropriate boundaries in this area. This is an opportunity to share your perspectives, ask questions, and collaborate on finding a balanced approach that fosters student well-being while respecting the roles and limits of faculty involvement.  As always, these lunches afford the time to meet and bond with fellow faculty – new and seasoned.