The Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL)
The University’s Center for Teaching & Learning provides a wide range of resources that promote and support exemplary teaching and facilitate the continued professional development of faculty as teachers.
CTL-sponsored events where you can join in campus-wide conversation about teaching and learning include a “Teaching Talks” and “Teaching Tech Talks” series, as well as an annual “Instructional Innovation Conference.” Individual consultations are also available.
Mentoring and Other Advice
If you are a junior faculty member, your department will assign a senior professor to act as your formal mentor. You should expect that from Day One your mentor will proactively and continuously support your development as a successful teacher, by offering advice or referring you to other faculty in the department, helping arrange for you to observe more experienced colleagues, providing help with the design of new courses, etc., as discussed in the CAS Faculty-Staff Handbook.
Technical Support for Teaching
Courseware. You are encouraged to set up a Blackboard Learn site for each of your courses. Blackboard Learn enables instructors to manage all course materials online, where they are immediately available to students. You can post documents (saving paper and printing costs), make announcements, send email, create online assessments, host discussion boards and blogs, and more. Click here for information about a) creating a new course site or copying a previous semester’s site, b) starting to use a course site after it has been created, and 3) attending training sessions, viewing online help material, and learning how others at BU are using Blackboard.
Boston University Learning & Event Techology Services (LETS) offers training classes for faculty and teaching fellows on basic and more advanced installed technology equipment before the start of each semester and by request throughout the academic year. For the first three weeks of the semester, in-class assistance from CTS staff is available to faculty and teaching fellows who submit a request form. That same form can be used to request supplemental technology equipment (slide projectors, microphones, etc., but not laptops) for loan and pick-up. If you experience difficulty with instructional technology during your class and need quick help, call the CTS hotline number (617-353-3227).
Arts & Sciences Information Technology makes short-term (less than a day) loans of laptops and projectors.
The Geddes Language Center offers over 5,000 audiovisual titles, in addition to audio, video, and computer labs; a/v recording studios and screening rooms; digital production services; and classroom equipment.