Teaching

The Faculty Development Program offers a Teaching Observation Program and also have Felicia Williams from the College of Education serving as a faculty associate specializing in pedagogy. In particular, she:

• Conducts occasional consultations with faculty seeking input and guidance on crafting their SLOs, aligning their assessments with their SLOs, etc
• Contributes pedagogy-related content to the Collective newsletter
• Coordinates a reading opportunity/book group focused on pedagogy
• Consults with instructors to incorporate various teaching methods and strategies

Contact the Center for Faculty Excellence to learn more.

Inclusive Pedagogy Workshops are currently being developed to support faculty in providing academic support for students with historically marginalized and underrepresented identities and backgrounds. Contact Dr. Su-Mei Ooi for more information. 

Yes, you can access a list of required and optional statements on the Faculty & Staff Resources section of the Office of the Provost website.

The approved Guide to University Curriculum Committee Authority and Review governs how courses and plans of study (majors, second majors, and minors) are established and modified. 

To access the flowchart for proposing a new course, please click Course Proposal Approval Flowchart. As part of the proposal process, you will be asked the questions listed here. To add, revise, or delete a course, please complete the Course Proposal Qualtrics Form. 

For information specific to courses that meet the Indianapolis Community Requirement, please visit https://www.butler.edu/academic-services/citizenship-community/course-creation/. 

Registration and Records publishes approved publication items each month when faculty (even 9-month appointments) are on campus near the end of the month: January, February, March, April, August, September, October, and November. Publication occurs about the 20th of the month.  

To go into effect for a new semester, publication items must be published at least 31 days before registration starts for that semester. For a Fall or Summer effective date, proposed changes must be submitted to the University Curriculum Committee (UCC) no later than November 1 of the preceding year. For a Spring effective date, proposed changes must be submitted to the UCC no later than March 1 of the preceding year.  

Curriculum change documents may be accessed via the University Curriculum Committee (UCC) Canvas site. 

Yes! The Equipment Fund provides a university-wide support system to help offset costs incurred by colleges/schools for necessary equipment related to teaching. 

Furthermore, Instructional Development grants support the development of new courses or the revision of existing courses. More information can be found here. Please click “Instructional Development” under either Butler Awards Committee (Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences that use qualitative research methods) or Holcomb Awards Committee (Natural Sciences and Social Sciences that use quantitative research methods). 

At Butler University, we strive to create a challenging, yet supportive, academic environment for our students, and we care about their experiences in the courses we offer.  Class Climate is the tool we use to administer the course surveys.  You may view the response rates for the surveys that have been started for the current term

1. Login to Canvas with your Butler credentials. 

1. Select the course entitled: Class Climate – Faculty View. If the course is not listed on your dashboard, you may need to select Courses in the menu on the left to find it. 

1. To review the response rate to the courses you teach that are currently being surveyed, click the link at the bottom of the page presented.  A listing of all course surveys currently underway will be shown, and the response rate information will be displayed along with information about when the survey closes.  This information will show how many students have completed the survey compared to the number of students in the section.  You will not see any result information until the survey is closed and final grades for the term have been submitted. 

Once you receive your Class Climate reports from your Department Chair/Program Director, this document can help you to interpret your results. 

There are many programs available to you to help support your teaching. 

Pivot Pedagogy

Although this self-paced, asynchronous course is designed for Butler instructors new to teaching online and hybrid formats, it contains useful modules for all modes of teaching. You can choose to view course content, but to receive credit for completing the course, contact your dean or associate dean, who will help you begin the enrollment process. Please note to earn credit for the course, you must be enrolled and logged in when you complete modules. Contact Academic Partnerships with questions, aphelp@butler.edu. 

National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) 

As of May 20th, 2022, Butler University has a one-year Institutional Membership in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). Founded in 2010, the NCFDD is an independent professional development, training, and mentoring community of faculty, postdocs, and graduate students from over 450 colleges and universities. Its mission is to “change the face of power in the Academy” and it is now the leading provider of professional development in higher education. Thanks to the generous support of Provost Brooke Barnett, all full- and part-time faculty and instructional staff will have access to many member programs and resources, including: 

• Weekly Monday Motivator
• Monthly Webinars based on NCFDD’s 10 Key Skills to Thrive in the Academy
• Monthly Guest Expert Webinars
• Multi-Week Courses
• The Professor-ing podcast
• 14-Day Writing Challenges

To activate your personal membership: 

1. Go to http://www.facultydiversity.org/join 
2. Choose Butler University from the drop-down menu 
3. Select “Activate my Membership” 
4. Complete the registration form using your Butler email address (i.e., username@butler.edu) 
5. Go to your Butler email inbox to find a confirmation/welcome message. Click “Activate Account” in the email. 

You can then start perusing resources and opportunities. Please also be on the lookout for upcoming announcements offering occasions to connect with colleagues within and outside of Butler through NCFDD content and programs. 

Other options include: 

• Joining a reading group focused on pedagogy and teaching 
• Taking advantage of peer-to-peer mentoring and teaching observation opportunities 
• Participating in CITL! 

In her book, Assessment Clear and Simple, Barbara Walvoord defines assessment of student learning as “the systematic collection of information about student learning, using the time, knowledge, expertise, and resources available, in order to inform decisions about how to improve learning.”  

Assessment measures student learning by evaluating how well learners achieve the student learning outcomes (SLOs). 

Outcomes describe what you want your students to be able to accomplish by the end of a specific learning event.  There are course-level, module-level, degree or program-level, and university-level student learning outcomes.  

Course-Level and Module-Level 

The module and course SLOs should be directly measurable and support and align with your course’s instructional content, activities, and assessments. 

Course learning outcomes should be clearly identified in your course syllabus.  These should align with university SLO and module SLOs to directly connect to course content and assignments.  SLOs should also be aligned to relevant Accreditation Standards and Competencies of external professional and government organizations, as appropriate 

Program-Level 

Student learning outcomes at the program level describe in measurable terms what students will be able to accomplish upon completion of their degree/program.  

Program SLOs should align with university SLOs, course SLOs, and any relevant Accreditation Standards and Competencies of external professional and government organizations, as appropriate. 

University-Level 

Similarly, university student learning outcomes describe what Butler students will be able to accomplish by graduation. 

By graduation, Butler’s dynamic academic and co-curricular offerings will prepare our students to demonstrate the following:

• Liberal arts knowledge and transferable skills developed through multifaceted learning experiences. 
• Disciplinary and professional knowledge and skills in at least one academic field of study. 
• Competencies that facilitate their personal development and wellness cultivated through experiences inside and outside the classroom. 
• A capacity to help shape our local and global communities through civic understanding and an appreciation of diverse perspectives. 

The Pedagogy Faculty Associate in the Faculty Development Program can provide help writing or revising SLOs for courses that align with your targeted assessments.  Additionally, OIRA can offer feedback and support in creating, evaluating, and revising program-level SLOs. 

A lot of confusion surrounds the most appropriate term to describe what you want students to get out of a course.

• Goal is a very broad statement of purpose that may or may not be directly measurable. 
• Objective was once the most widely accepted term to describe what students should gain from a course or lesson.  Objectives can either be student-centric (what the students will be able to accomplish by the end of the course) or instructor-centric (what the instructor will do to teach the course content).  
• Outcome describes what you want your students to be able to accomplish by the end of the learning event (e.g., your course, student’s academic program).  Outcomes should be directly measurable. 

Direct assessment of student learning involves evaluating student work.  In contrast, indirect assessment includes the analysis of students’ perceptions of their learning (e.g., surveys, reflections, course evaluations, etc.) or other products related to student learning (e.g., syllabi review).  Using different assessment methods provides a more holistic picture of learners’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes. 

Formative assessment is a form of ongoing assessment that provides the ability to monitor student learning throughout a learning event (e.g., students complete courses to fulfill their degree requirements).  Results from formative assessment can help uncover potential needs for curricular changes as students matriculate through an academic program.  

At the course level, formative assessment allows learners to practice and receive feedback during the learning process.  It also enables faculty to track learners’ mastery of course and module-level SLOs and identify areas needing improvement.  Assignments used for formative assessment are generally low-risk (e.g., low points or ungraded), so students can practice without fearing failure.  Pretests, practice problems, and drafts of papers are examples. 

Summative assessment provides accountability and measures the level of student learning achieved at the end of a learning event (e.g., completion of a course or an academic program) and helps provide evidence that the established student learning outcomes are being met.  This type of assessment provides a “snapshot” of what your learners know and can do at a specific point in time. 

A well-developed course and program-level assessment plan use both formative and summative assessments. 

A series of curriculum maps can best highlight how your courses fit into your department’s assessment picture.  OIRA, in conjunction with CAT instructional designers, will work with academic programs and departments to complete two curriculum maps for each degree or certificate offered. 

The first set will map program courses to program-level SLOs and program-level SLOs to University SLOs.  The second set will map course-level SLOs to program-level SLOs.  This series of curriculum maps will assist academic units in developing multi-year assessment plans. 

The Pedagogy Faculty Associate in the Faculty Development Program can provide course-level or program-level assessment consultation or OIRA for a program-level assessment consultation. 

Butler faculty who are slated to teach online but have not done so before will need to complete the Pivot Pedagogy self-paced online teaching training. Interested faculty, should contact their dean or associate dean for authorization.  Send an email to aphelp@butler.edu to learn more. 

The best place to start is to enroll in and complete the self-paced Canvas 101 training. 

Please visit Academic Partnerships’ (formerly CAT)  training offerings for a list of academic technology-focused workshops and trainings. Faculty and Academic staff may request Technology Consultations  by sending an email to aphelp@butler.edu. 

Instructions can be found at the How-do-I-add-an-additional-instructor-to-my-Canvas-course Ask.Butler page.  

You can add a librarian to your Canvas section by following the Adding an Instructor to Canvas directions via the Ask.Butler FAQs.   Adding a librarian as a Teacher or Teaching Assistant allows the librarian to: send announcements, upload assignments/tutorials, lead virtual discussions, grade, and appear in the class roster. 

Instructions are located at the How-do-I-make-a-student-a-TA-or-a-Designer-in-my-Canvas-course-Instructors Ask.Butler page. 

Please follow the simple instructions located on the How-do-I-copy-content-from-one-Canvas-course-into-another? Ask.Butler page. 

Librarians can assist faculty in identifying persistent links to Butler-subscribed resources and ensure that the Butler proxy URL is included in the link for off-campus access:  https://ezproxy.butler.edu/login?url=.  Most online databases or publisher platforms offer persistent links, which can be used when directing students to Butler subscription research articles and ebooks in your Canvas course pages. These persistent links often do already contain the proxy URL to ensure appropriate authentication, but you can contact your Subject Librarian for assistance with this. 

Librarians can assist you in interpreting and applying best practices concerning copyright in your teaching.  They can provide guidance concerning the linking or uploading of materials in Canvas and for in-class distribution.  Identify and contact your Subject Librarian for assistance with this, and/or consult the Libraries’ Copyright LibGuide.   

We’re delighted to offer multiple opportunities for you to connect with colleagues about teaching. Here are a few: 

• Be on the lookout for announcements of opportunities to join reading groups focused on pedagogy and teaching 
• Take advantage of peer-to-peer mentoring and teaching observation opportunities 
• Participate in CITL! 

CITL is an annual event designed to foster and celebrate teaching and learning at Butler. All Butler faculty and academic staff members are invited to participate and learn from, be inspired by, and celebrate the great work that is occurring across the university. More information can be found here. 

The College of Education has an excellent resource library: https://www.butler.edu/library/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2022/01/educationresourcelibraryvirtual_tour.pdf 

The Faculty Development program also loans books on teaching and pedagogy through the Faculty Development Library (located in JH 109). Please email facultydevelopment@butler.edu with questions or to set up an appointment to peruse the library. 

 To report a library resource access issue, complete the Report an Access Issue form.  

Contact the Department of Special Collections, Rare Books, and University Archives at Butler University at:  specialcollections@butler.edu, (317) 940-9136.  The department is located on the third floor of Irwin Library; you can also learn about their collections via their department LibGuide.  

Faculty members should be aware that if there is a student with a disability enrolled in their course, they will typically receive an accommodation letter from SDS that outlines the student’s approved accommodation. Students should be supported in receiving the accommodation noted on their letter unless the faculty member feels they represent a fundamental alteration to the course. In that case, faculty members are required to contact SDS for discussion while also continuing with the accommodations until a resolution is reached. 

Discover more information about accommodation procedures for faculty as well as resources. 

All majors and programs have an assigned subject librarian and they are listed in the Subject Librarian directory.  Contact your subject librarian for in-person and virtual research instruction; help in designing assignments that utilize library resources; creating library research tutorials; teaching citation; and delivering and grading assignments via the Canvas LMS.  An overview of library instruction services is available via the Library Instruction LibGuide. 

You can add a librarian to your Canvas section by following the Adding an Instructor to Canvas directions via the Ask.Butler FAQs. Adding a librarian as a Teacher or Teaching Assistant allows the librarian to: send announcements, upload assignments/tutorials, lead virtual discussions, grade, and appear in the class roster. 

The Associate Dean for Instruction, Sally Neal, assigns librarians to the first-year seminar classes.  Contact Sally Neal at sneal@butler.edu, 317-940-9949 for this information. 

All majors and programs have an assigned subject librarian and they are listed in the Subject Librarian directory.  Contact your subject librarian to discuss book and media purchases and access to articles.  Butler Libraries aim to support the undergraduate and graduate curriculum with licensed online resources as much as possible, dependent on publisher licensing restrictions and cost. 

All majors and programs have an assigned subject librarian and they are listed in the Subject Librarian directory.  Contact your subject librarian to learn about open publishing resources such as open textbooks. The Libraries’ Open Educational Resources (OER) LibGuide also provides a number of open educational resources to search. If you are interested in creating your own open educational resource, contact Scholarly Communication Librarian Jennifer Coronado.   

Librarians can assist faculty in identifying persistent links to Butler-subscribed resources and ensure that the Butler proxy URL is included in the link for off-campus access:  https://ezproxy.butler.edu/login?url=.  Most online databases or publisher platforms offer persistent links, which can be used when directing students to Butler subscription research articles and ebooks in your Canvas course pages. These persistent links often do already contain the proxy URL to ensure appropriate authentication, but you can contact your Subject Librarian for assistance with this. 

Librarians can assist you in interpreting and applying best practices concerning copyright in your teaching.  They can provide guidance concerning the linking or uploading of materials in Canvas and for in-class distribution. Identify and contact your Subject Librarian for assistance with this, and/or consult the Libraries’ Copyright LibGuide.   

Librarians schedule research consultations with students in support of their coursework.  These meetings can be in-person or via Zoom.  Consult the Subject Librarian directory to identify your subject librarian and provide your students with contact information. 

To report a library resource access issue, complete the Report an Access Issue form.

Contact the Department of Special Collections, Rare Books, and University Archives at Butler University at:  specialcollections@butler.edu, (317) 940-9136.  The department is located on the third floor of Irwin Library; you can also learn about their collections via their department LibGuide.  

Butler Libraries has three physical locations: the Irwin Library building, the Science Library, located on the second floor of Levinson Family Hall, and the Education Resource Library located in the South Campus Building. Both Irwin Library and the Science Library provide study rooms, soft seating, and collaborative learning spaces; technology equipment for student checkout (laptops, iPads, camcorders); and multimedia computers and software that support student coursework.  The Science Library maintains a 24-7, swipe-card stacks and study space.  Both locations staff an Information Commons service desk that provides walk-up research assistance and course-based technology support. The Education Resource Library is a self-service branch containing education and curriculum resources to support the College of Education.  For additional information about these spaces, consult the Butler Libraries Spaces webpage. 

To contact either the Irwin or Science Libraries’ Information Commons desks, visit the Butler Libraries’ BUAnswers webpage. 

Butler librarians maintain Subject LibGuides for the majors and programs taught at the University.  These LibGuides organize the key databases and resources for the subject area.  Visit the LibGuide Directory to locate a LibGuide for your major or discipline.  LibGuides also direct you to the librarian who supports the discipline area; contact them for additional information concerning subject-specific resources. 

Butler Libraries’ catalog is named WorldCat and is accessible off the Libraries’ homepage:  https://www.butler.edu/library.  WorldCat provides print books and physical media (DVDs) lookup and access to ebooks, streaming media, and articles in a number of the Libraries’ subscription databases. For assistance with searching, contact your Subject Librarian or contact the Information Commons service desk at:  Irwin Library: 317-940-9227; Science Library: 317-940-9401; or via the Libraries’ chat service. 

Butler’s WorldCat online catalog should contain request buttons if Butler Libraries do not have online access or a print version. You can also make requests by signing into your library account and initiating a new request from the Requests tab. Some loans are handled by our in-state PALshare system and take only a few days to arrive, and some may have to come from farther away with longer delivery times. Online delivery of requested journal articles is much faster, often taking only a day or so. Loan periods and renewal policies vary by the lending library; see our website for more information. 

Visit the Keep Calm and Teach On page to learn more about teaching during times of campus interruptions. This page has plenty of resources and guidance to help faculty teach successfully, online, during interruptions.