Teaching and Learning

Faculty Competencies also referred to as the Teaching Excellence Framework, explains each faculty competency and its associated description, indicator(s), and Central Piedmont value(s). Faculty are encouraged to refer to the Faculty Competencies to guide their classroom instruction, complete their annual self-assessment for their Individual Development Plan (IDP), and in professional development planning and engagement.

All syllabi must contain the information located in the Syllabus Templates below, in the same order. Associate deans or chairs in Academic Affairs will approve all syllabi, therefore please be consistent. Syllabus templates for Program of Study courses (non-General Education Foundation) and General Education Foundation courses can be found on the internal Resources for Faculty site (login required). Be sure to review syllabus templates each term for updates and changes.

Information on the Academic Continuous Improvement (ACI) aspect of the syllabus and its goal can be found on the Academic Continuous Improvement webpage (login required).

One of the goals of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence is to: Celebrate faculty successes and showcase accomplishments of teaching innovation and excellence.

​​In the Center, we believe a large part of cultivating innovation is recognizing the unique talents of our hardworking faculty and staff a Central Piedmont. Together, as one college, we set out to achieve our mission of excellence and strive to celebrate one another's accomplishments.

• Faculty Stars (login required) is a way to recognize faculty, both full-time and adjunct, for outstanding achievements, acts, and service to the college. Faculty are nominated anonymously by peers and are recognized by the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence.
  
  If you would like to nominate someone for a Faculty Star award, please complete the Faculty Stars Nomination Form to showcase how a faculty member who has done something above and beyond the norm, no matter how big or small. We can't wait to celebrate his/her Star Performance!

• • • Teaching and Learning Excellence Awards (login required): Teaching excellence is multi-faceted, involving a wide range of behaviors. Each year, Central Piedmont recognizes faculty for demonstrating (1) excellence in teaching and learning, (2) superior service to students, (3) a commitment to professional learning, (4) a record of outstanding service to the college and their respective discipline or program, and upholding our core college values:

  • Accountability

  • Collaboration

  • Courage

  • Equity

  • Excellence

  • Student Success

• Faculty Titles (login required): The purpose of this program is to provide a system of titles for full-time faculty at Central Piedmont Community College. The program is intended to serve both the faculty and the College by encouraging continued teaching excellence, professional growth, and service to our students, the college, and our community.
  
  The Faculty Titles Committee provides information and service to all full-time faculty considering applying for their title at Central Piedmont. Committee members promote the process and answer questions pertaining to the application for any of the following titles: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, or Professor Emeritus. In addition to overseeing the faculty titles process, the committee also reviews applications and makes recommendations for improvements.
  
  For more information on Faculty Titles, visit the internal Faculty Titles webpage (login required).

Whether novice or veteran, educators benefit from collaborative observations. These experiences foster idea exchanges and the sharing of effective teaching techniques. They also allow the observer and the observee to reflect on their instruction, allowing them to grow as faculty with guidance and support from the Center. The Peer to Peer Observation Program is non-evaluative and provides the space for this growth and supports dialogue amongst faculty for the improvement of their courses. Peer Observers can count their work as a Peer to Peer Observer as their college service requirement on Individual Development Plans (IDP).

Peer to Peer Observations at Central Piedmont will:

1. 1. Support professional relationships between faculty

   2. Create internal and external networks among academic areas

   3. Connect professional development and learning opportunities to the observation process

   4. Establish the Center as a central place to attain and hone teaching skills

   5. Encourage new and seasoned faculty members in their development

   6. Build and deepen faculty awareness of existing resources for effective instruction

Visit the Peer to Peer Observations (login required) page on the Parr CTLE internal site to learn more.

Faculty are an integral part of the entire student experience. There are many actions, inside and outside the classroom, faculty can take to support a students' successful pathway entry to the completion of their educational goals.

Learn more about the Faculty Role in the Student Experience by viewing Faculty Role in the Student Experience document.

Managing a classroom can take a lot of energy. Instructors should manage their classroom environment and classroom time most effectively to support student success.

Here are some strategies to help instructors manage their classroom and instructional time.

• • Create a safe learning environment

  • Welcome students to the class

  • Post an agenda of the day's class

  • Set classroom expectations and guidelines upfront

  • Allow students to have input on course and classroom expectations

  • Understand when technology should and should not be used

  • Encourage student-led activities

  • Utilize groupwork

Want to learn more? Check out these sources on

• Classroom Management Tips for New College Instructors

• The Key to Effective Classroom Management

At Central Piedmont, we strive to create inclusive learning environments for all. Part of being inclusive in the classroom includes understanding and implementing culturally responsive teaching. This means that we, as instructors, take time to understand and represent our students’ customs, characteristics, experiences, and perspectives for better classroom instruction. Implementing culturally responsive teaching helps our students of color see themselves and their communities as belonging in academic spaces, which in turn leads to more engagement and student success.

Here are some strategies to help instructors embrace Culturally Responsive Teaching:

• • Know who your students are

  • Recognize your own personal bias and how it appears in your classroom

  • Reflect on and revisit your curriculum to ensure it is culturally relevant

  • Recognize, Respect, and Reinforce student culture

  • Broaden your own knowledge base about cultural diversity

  • Use multicultural instructional examples

In a blog post for Achieving the Dream, Garth-McCullough and Richard Sebastian outline eight competencies for culturally responsive teaching:

1. Recognize and redress bias in the system.

2. Draw on students’ culture to shape curriculum and instruction.

3. Bring real-world issues into the classroom.

4. Model high expectations for all students.

5. Promote respect for student differences.

6. Collaborate with families and the local community.

7. Communicate in linguistically and culturally responsive ways.

8. Reflect on one’s cultural lens.

Want to learn more? Check out these sources on inclusive and culturally responsive teaching:

• What Is Culturally Responsive Teaching?

• Five Essential Strategies to Embrace Culturally Responsive Teaching

• Eight competencies for culturally responsive teaching

• Culturally Responsive Teaching and UDL

Online classes are a great option to help students earn their degrees and fulfill academic goals. Online and hybrid classes offer flexibility and convenience to learn whenever and however works best for the student. With that in mind, instructors should be intentional about designing coursework to facilitate active and engaged learning in an online environment.

Here are some best practices for teaching and designing for online and hybrid course success.

• Make all course materials and learning experiences accessible.

• Engage all of your students

• Easy to Access and Navigate Course Design

• Create a welcoming look and feel for your course

• Connect with Your Students and Maintain Frequent Contact Throughout the Week

• Create a welcome video and introduce yourself

• Create a video tour of the course so students know what to expect and how to navigate

• Provide Timely and Personal Feedback

• Pass Along Your Tech Skills

• Create Activities that Encourage Student Interaction

• Maintain a presence in your course

• Provide ample instructions on assignments and expectations

Want to learn more? Check out these sources on Best Practices for Hybrid and Online Teaching:

• Five Things Online Students Want from Faculty

• Effective Online Strategies to Improve Your Online Teaching

• Using Google Tools to Enhance Course Delivery

• Effective Instructional Models for a Hybrid Schedule