»CETL Programs & Services

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) supports Chapman's tradition of teaching excellence with a variety of programs, events, and resources for all faculty at the university.

Services We Provide:

  • Workshops, conferences, and learning communities
  • Individual and department-level consultations for continuous improvement efforts
  • Weekly virtual “Pedagogy Pop-in” hours for questions and brainstorming about teaching
  • Individual course design/redesign consultations and the summer Course Design Institute
  • Assistance with integrating effective, relevant, and innovative strategies and technologies into instruction
  • Support for integrating active learning and other pedagogical best practices into any classroom in any modality

Christopher Trela
Christopher Trela
“The CETL workshops are always informative and give me actionable ideas I can use.”
Anonymous Faculty Member
Anonymous Faculty Member
“CETL is a Chapman gem that keeps us ignited and connected to better meet the challenges of higher education via offering a space for interdisciplinary and intercultural integration.”
Anonymous Faculty Member
Anonymous Faculty Member
“I enjoyed the small group conversations. What I like most about the CETL sessions is that they get us to reflect on our teaching; This both directly and indirectly has the ability to help us improve as teachers. I also like the sense of community that the CETL sessions promote.”
Anonymous Faculty Member
Anonymous Faculty Member
“CETL workshops always provide a forum for me to think about and improve my approach in the classroom. The interaction with colleagues promotes the feeling of community and helps me see that I am not alone in my struggles. Every CETL workshop has helped me improve my teaching.”
Jennifer Robinette
Jennifer Robinette
"For the last year and a half, I committed to meeting with Melissa Samaniego twice a semester to evaluate my teaching methods, materials, and design. Each semester I would make changes based on Melissa's suggested revisions, and we would then meet again after the semester ended to take stock in how things worked out. Every time I had great news to share of the positive feedback I received from my students. My meetings with Melissa are among the most valuable experiences I have had at Chapman University when it comes to growth and development as an instructor.”
Anonymous Faculty Member
Anonymous Faculty Member
“The CETL course design institute gave me productive and practical tools to concretely connect measurable outcomes to assessments, to the activities and scaffolding that will help build to those assessments. Many of the tips will not only optimize student learning, but will also help me streamline my planning process. This was a great use of my work time over the summer.”
Anonymous Faculty Member
Anonymous Faculty Member
“The CDI was incredibly helpful and eye-opening, giving me a fresh perspective on my course and inspiring new ideas for engaging students more effectively.”
Anonymous Faculty Member
Anonymous Faculty Member
“The CETL course exceeded my expectations. The staff made themselves available to answer questions and provide guidance in a way that is invaluable.”

 

Click through the sections below to learn more about our programs and services.


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Professional Development Activities

A variety of professional development workshops and activities are offered by CETL throughout the academic year, including faculty development workshops, book clubs, writing groups, conferences, school/college-specific programming, and more. Information about these events will be provided on the CETL blog, Canvas den, and the Working@Chapman newsletter.

Workshop Requests

Deans and other program leaders may request a personalized CETL workshop for their unit by completing the Workshop Request Form.

Teaching Consultations

Faculty members can schedule consultations at any time during the semester. Consultations can take many forms and are not aimed only at addressing teaching difficulties. Whether it be seeking out new classroom activities, reviewing an assessment, discussing results of course evaluations, or instructional design, a consultation appointment can assist faculty members in their pursuits of teaching excellence.

To request a consultation, please complete out our CETL Consultation Request form.


"CETL provides exceptional service rooted in kindness. I worked with CETL from February-August 2023 to revise my “Aging and health” course for health science students in Crean College. Cathy Pohan and Melissa Samaniego were very generous with their time, guidance, and resources to support my student-centered vision of the course. They provided group and 1:1 training for flipped classroom designs, and student engagement strategies. Cathy reviewed my syllabus, and provided feedback on format, readability, and comprehension. She worked with me to simplify the course learning activities, and rubrics. Additionally, she provided resources and language on how to describe the course design and student success metrics in my tenure and promotion documents based on feedback received on my CY2 portfolio. She also introduced me to Melissa who provided templates for how to organize my Canvas classroom including images, and module descriptions. I reached out to Melissa and asked if she could review my Canvas course and provide additional feedback. Her feedback was so helpful, and my canvas course looks GORGEOUS. Lastly, I am grateful for the CETL team for their kindness throughout this process, being a listening ear and providing approaches to support my teaching experience at Chapman." - Chapman Faculty Member, Crean College of Health & Behavioral Sciences

CETL Blog

The CETL blog provides information our upcoming events and other faculty development opportunities.

CETL Canvas Den

The CETL provides original and subscriber-based content to all full-time and part-time faculty through our Canvas Den, Teaching Resources from the CETL. The CETL Canvas Den is available on your Canvas dashboard.

Faculty members will find numerous resources related to:

  • Pedagogical topics
  • Assessment
  • Teaching with technology
  • Teaching inclusively 
  • Student support

How to access the CETL Canvas Den:

  • Visit canvas.chapman.edu
  • Login using your Chapman credentials
  • Find Teaching Resources from the CETL on your dashboard

If you have any difficulties accessing the CETL Canvas Den or do not see this Den in your course list, please email us using your Chapman email account. Access to Teaching Resources from the CETL Organization is limited to current Chapman faculty members.