The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) promotes your excellence in teaching by getting to know faculty and graduate students, learning together, fostering leadership, and bringing everyone together from across the University. You can reach out to us for consultations, attend virtual or physical workshops, or engage the print and web resources on teaching and academic success. CTE helps you focus on implementing evidence-based, high-impact educational practices within Duquesne's amazing community of teachers and learners.
Whether you're a faculty member or graduate student, CTE helps you to:
- Implement sound instructional strategies focused on student learning by embracing evidence-based pedagogical ideas and a spirit of innovation.
- Create well-designed courses and curriculum that incorporate strong learning-assessment strategies resulting in deep learning.
- Succeed as teacher-scholars engaged in pedagogical development and academic research in whatever stage they are in (tenure-track, tenured, non-tenure track, adjunct, teaching assistants).
- Approach personhood holistically with a view to understanding your students and yourselves as people balancing personal and academic demands.
- Feel like you belong and contribute to a community that values teaching excellence, collaboration and diversity.
Choose from the events and resources offered to determine what best contributes to
your professional and holistic development as an instructor at Duquesne. All Duquesne faculty, staff, and graduate students are welcome to attend CTE's workshops.
You can learn more about our workshops by following the link below. New to Duquesne? The Center for Teaching Excellence offers programs to welcome and
orient you to the teaching community at Duquesne, as well as helping you with the
transition to a new role (e.g., moving from adjunct or TA to full-time faculty). Every year, CTE celebrates the achievements of excellent faculty and graduate student
instructors at Duquesne University. These events allow you an opportunity to formally
celebrate with us and honor the achievements of faculty and graduate student award
recipients (listed below for the most recent academic year) as well as the amazing
support of peer leaders on campus and the hard work of those who have completed their
Certificate of University Teaching. If you want to succeed as a teacher-scholar engaged in pedagogical development and
academic research in whatever stage you are in (tenure-track, tenured, non-tenure
track, adjunct, teaching assistants), CTE has a variety of resources at your disposal
to help. Interested in a professional development certification process for graduate instructors
and teaching assistants? CTE created a certificate process to help build up the foundation
of your teaching competencies as well as understand how to then present your teaching
background as an asset on the academic job market. Each year, CTE forms a committee to review the teaching portfolios of our many talented
graduate student instructors and teaching assistants. You can learn more about the
award and the application process by following the link below. The purpose of the Creative Teaching Awards is to recognize faculty members who have
implemented innovative ways of teaching and have assessed the impact of the innovation
on student learning. The innovation may have been used at other institutions or in
other fields, but must be newly adapted to your field at Duquesne. You can learn more
about this award, previous recipients, and the application process by following the
link below. Events
Recipients of the 2023-24 Creative Teaching Awards are:
The Teacher-Scholar Model
Contact us!
Feel free to reach out to us individually through our contact information here or generally via cte@duq.edu.
Steven Hansen, Ph.D.
Erin Rentschler, Ph.D.
Jeff Lambert, Ph.D.
Bethany Kaser
Center for Teaching Excellence Events
Teaching and Reaching First Generation College Students at Duquesne
facilitated by Erin Rentschler (CTE) and Kasey Christopher (Biological Sciences)
Our first-generation college students—students whose parents or guardians did not obtain a four-year degree from a college or university—benefit from direct support and opportunities to engage in the campus community. Jo
"Human Wisdom for the Age of AI Field Guide": a Resource/Article Study
Join CTE for a study of and conversation about the "Human Wisdom for the Age of AI Field Guide," a resource prepared by the American Association of Colleges and Uni
Approaches for Supporting Neurodivergent Students that Support All Students: Get Moving
Crushing the Conference: How to Get Accepted, Wow the Audience, and Make the Most of Your Academic Conference Experience
Facilitated by Jim Purdy (English and University Writing Center)
Academic conference presentations play a central role in disseminating research, building professional networks, and advancing scholarly careers. In this workshop, faculty and graduate students will learn approaches to identifying suita
Approaches for Supporting Neurodivergent Students that Support All Students: Break It Down
Neurodivergent students often struggle with executive dysfunction. Skills like planning, initiating a task, and maintaining focus long enough to complete a task are often locations where support is needed. Large, high-stakes assignments often become roadblocks for neurodivergent students because the