Exceptional Teaching Leads to Outstanding Learning Outcomes
Teaching is at the very core of our Holy Cross tradition and academic excellence.
Our History
Established in 1991, the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) grew from the desire to continually elevate the learning experience for students at St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s. Through the center, faculty members come together to share ideas and strategies for successful teaching. They learn practical and inventive ways to improve teaching methods and respond to the various learning needs of students.
Our Mission
The Center for Teaching Excellence promotes effective, innovative, inclusive and evidence-based college teaching that fosters sustained learning. The center cultivates a campus culture that values diverse approaches to learning and teaching. It supports faculty in enhancing pedagogical practices and facilitates the exchange of ideas and the development of community among faculty.
Our Goals
The Center for Teaching Excellence focuses on a variety of activities designed to support our mission, which include:
- Advancing new initiatives in teaching and learning
- Supporting innovative, inclusive teaching that enables student learning
- Facilitating a culture of continuous teaching improvement
- Building communities of teaching and learning across campus
- Providing support for faculty at all stages of their St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s teaching career
- Recognizing excellence in teaching
Our Leadership
Interim Director
Sasha West, PhD, Associate Professor in Writing and Rhetoric (School of Arts and Humanities)
Administrative Coordinator
Natalie Smyth
Advisory Board
- Carsten Andresen, Associate Professor Criminal Justice (School of Behavioral and Social Sciences)
- Claire Edwards, Assistant Professor Biological Sciences (School of Natural Sciences)
- Kate Lopez, Associate Professor of Accounting (Munday School of Business)
- Georgia Seminet, Associate Professor of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Associate Dean of Arts and Humanities (School of Arts and Humanities)
CTE Programming
The Center for Teaching Excellence offers a variety of programs to improve teaching at the university, including:
- Consultations
- Books & Coffee Reading and Discussion Group
- Faculty Learning Communities
- New Faculty Support
- Workshops, seminars and discussion groups
- Programs for departments and schools are also available upon request.
Faculty Resources
The Center for Teaching Excellence fosters a strong teaching community, understanding that rigorous, engaging conversations about learning benefit both students and faculty.
CTE will offer a range of events this year to help faculty design strong classes, prepare for the upcoming election, foster and support undergraduate research, and bridge learning achievement gaps.
To help faculty develop ethical and innovative teaching practices in a changing technological environment, CTE and the Office of Information Technology will continue to offer guidance and host workshops on generative AI and Open Educational Resources.
Information you can use
To keep track of events and information, please use the following resources:
Resource Archive
Google Drive archive of recordings and slides for all CTE and Instructional Technology co-hosted events, as well as additional curated resources.
Events Calendar
Shared Google Calendar with all events related to teaching support. You can add this to your own calendar by subscribing to the Teaching Support Events calendar and RSVPing to upcoming events. Note: You must subscribe with a St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s Gmail account.
Join the Dialogue
The Teaching Forum Closed Workplace Group for faculty promotes conversation and resource sharing.
Planned Programming
The Center for Teaching Excellence will support the following programs in the 2024–2025 academic year:
- Teaching Symposium scheduled for Thursday, August 22, 2024
- Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Professional Learning Community
- Coffee and Chat (faculty mixer)
- Books and Coffee (monthly book club)
- Faculty Writing Group
- Read. Try. Chat. (monthly book club implementing practices into the classroom)
- Dedicated teaching sessions throughout the year (schedule announced, tba)
Awards and Fellowships
Teaching Awards
Given annually, teaching excellence awards at St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s University honor faculty for their exceptional talents and dedication to promoting learning in meaningful, engaging and innovative ways. The selection process is rigorous, evaluating candidates’ course offerings, curricular designs, instructional methods, classroom performances and interactions with students.
Five awards are given annually:
- The is given to one faculty member who has taught at St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s for at least 15 years.
- The is given to two contract faculty members.
- The is given to one adjunct faculty member.
- The honors a faculty member who has designed an innovative course project or teaching method.
- The recognizes the St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s faculty members whose teaching directly supports the St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s University Mission.
Innovation Fellows
Innovation fellowships support faculty who need time, resources and expertise to include pedagogical experimentation in their courses by providing a stipend, participation in the Innovation Institute, and a community of faculty fellows focused on pedagogical innovation.
Learn about our .
Read about .
Delayne Hudspeth, retired professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Instructional Technology at the University of Texas, was a mentor to several ÁùºÏ²Ê¿â's faculty members and scores of other master's and doctoral students. Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, Dr. Hudspeth's contributions to innovation in higher education are honored by this award.
The CTE would like to invite you to apply for the Delayne Hudspeth Award for Innovative Instruction. The award, open to all who teach, including full-time (tenure-track and non-tenure-track), part-time, adjunct, and staff who teach, is determined by a panel representing schools across campus and carries a $500 stipend. The application is a and is due March 11, 2022. Please see below for more details.
- Delayne Hudspeth Award for Innovative Instruction Deadline:
- March 11, 2022
Who can apply?
This award recognizes St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s instructors who create innovative learning environments and projects. All teaching faculty members -- including full-time (tenure-track and non-tenure-track), part-time, adjunct, and staff who teach -- are encouraged to apply. Previous Award winners will be considered for the Hudspeth Award five years after their previous win.
What projects are eligible?
Self-nominations should highlight a specific project, an assignment or exercise, a teaching method, a new use of technology, or the redesign of an entire class. Instructors may apply for the award based on an innovation implemented in any of the three years previous to the application deadline. For this year's award, projects implemented in any of the following semesters will be eligible:
- Academic year 2018-2019, including Fall 2018, Spring 2019, and Summer 2019
- Academic year 2019-2020, including Fall 2019, Spring 2020, and Summer 2020
- Academic year 2020-2021, including Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021
- Fall 2021
What should the application highlight?
Since this award celebrates innovation, preference will be given to projects that demonstrate the greatest levels of innovation and that clearly present the value of that innovation for student learning. Note that the committee does not equate innovation with adoption of new technologies. While some winning projects have featured new uses of technology, many have not. Please review the Google form before you start crafting your application, as it will help guide you in showcasing your project.
When do you need to submit the application?
Please fill out the by end of the day on Monday, March 11, 2022.
How will a winner be determined?
The winner and finalist for the award will be decided upon by the members of Hudspeth Awards Committee. The committee is comprised of representatives from across the university's schools. Applications are blind-reviewed, scored according to the selection criteria, and then discussed until the committee achieves consensus.
Other Questions?
If you have any questions about the award or would like to discuss your application, please contact Sasha West. Dr. West facilitates the award process, but is not a voting member.