Last Chance to Improve Your Practice Before the Holidays: Upcoming Events Nov-Dec
End the semester strong by participating in one or more professional development workshops and programs offered by Schreyer Institute consultants. We provide a wide range of opportunities for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and instructors from all disciplines.
Explore how you can build your expertise with the Schreyer Institute!
Upcoming Events
How to Reflect on Your Teaching
Wednesday, 12/4/2025, 11:30 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. Zoom
https://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/register/detail.aspx?id=21545
Do you find it difficult to engage in reflection or don't know where to start? In this interactive workshop, participants will consider the role of reflection as part of your teaching practice. We will discuss how our own beliefs about teaching, experiences in our classrooms, and feedback we receive from students and peers can serve as rich sources for reflection, self-assessment, and personal and professional growth. You will leave with strategies you can use to engage in the reflective process.
Talking about the eTesting in the Pollock Testing Center
Wednesday, 12/3/2025, 12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Zoom
https://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/register/detail.aspx?id=21600
In this session of the Talking about Teaching series, long-time faculty users of the Pollock Testing Center (PTC) will join us to share their knowledge about scheduling exams and preparing students for their PTC exams. Guests: Cecil Shelton, Statistics, Eberly College of Science and Schalyn Sohn, Accounting, Smeal College of Business. Facilitator: Angela Linse, Associate Dean and Executive Director, Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence.
Inclusive and Ethical Pedagogy Series: Teaching Larger Classes
Wednesday, 12/17/2025, 12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Zoom
https://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/register/detail.aspx?id=21529
The Inclusive and Ethical Pedagogy Series explores how instructors might implement inclusive and ethical pedagogy, as described in the Elements of Effective Teaching. Teaching larger courses presents unique challenges and opportunities. Fostering interaction and connecting with students can be challenging in a potentially impersonal environment. At the same time, larger courses can feel dynamic environment that supports the collective learning experience.
Join us for a discussion in which a panel of experienced educators will share their approaches to teaching larger courses. This session is ideal for instructors seeking to explore practical ideas, and participants are encouraged to share their own questions and experiences.
Registration will close 1 hour before each event starts. Registrants will receive a Zoom link at least 1 hour before the event.
SEEQs Deadline Is Coming Up: Help Students Make Their Feedback Count
The end-of-semester Student Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) surveys are now open, and the deadline for students to complete them is December 14. Schreyer Institute consultants use SEEQ responses regularly when working with instructors, so strong participation and thoughtful feedback make a real difference in the quality of course consultations.
Faculty can play a key role in helping students understand why their feedback matters and how to provide it effectively. A few simple actions can significantly increase both response rates and the usefulness of the comments you receive:
- Tell students that most course improvements come directly from student responses.
- Offer a brief example of what helpful feedback looks like (specific, constructive, and focused on learning).
- Remind students that SEEQ forms are currently open and share where to find them in your course system.
- Reserve a few minutes of class time or a quiet space for students to complete the surveys.
- Make it clear that you value their feedback and will use it to inform future versions of the course.
For more ideas and ready-to-use language you can share with students, visit our page on Increasing Student Response Rates and Feedback Quality.
General information about SEEQs and end-of-semester student feedback is available at End-of-Semester Feedback Using SEEQs.
Accessibility Matters: Support for Department of Justice Ruling on Course Content Accessibility
The Department of Justice (DOJ) issued updated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidance for web, app, and content accessibility that affects all public entities, including Penn State. Course content and electronic documents that are shared online, with or without a password, are subject to this ruling. The DOJ's deadline for ensuring the accessibility of such digital content is April 24, 2026. Read more about the ruling at IT Accessibility's Department of Justice Rule High Level Summary website
The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence offers the following ways to assist you in preparing your accessible course documents. Read more about them and register at https://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/events
- Accessible Syllabus Templates
- Accessibility and Belonging: Course Documents
- Accessibility & Belonging: Pedagogical Strategies
- Universal Design for Learning
- Accessibility Kaltura Playlist: https://tinyurl.com/SITEAccessibilityPlaylist
Additionally, instructors at any location are welcome to participate in Commonwealth Campus Teaching Support Accessible Skills Challenge. In this 8-week program beginning September 15, participants receive a weekly email with instructions to complete one accessibility task a week. Visit https://commonwealthteaching.psu.edu/psu-resource/accessible-skills-challenge-weekly-email-with-task-to-make-your-course-accessible/ for more details and to sign up.
