Course Design - Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

Medical workspace with laptop, molecules, and stethoscope on green background.

Course Design

I thought adding theory would create barriers. Instead, it removed them.

In this guest blog post, Dr. Kristen Alley Swain shares a reflection on how adding theory boosted students’ performance and empowered greater understanding.

Events

Recap: Welcome Week takeaways

CETL offered multiple opportunities for instructors to plan for an engaging fall semester ahead. Here are a few of our key takeaways.

A woman in a deep red long-sleeved button-down shirt is talking to others at a round table with a blue tablecloth. The room is seen in the background with a crowd of people engaging similarly

Events

CETL Fall 2026 Programming Preview

We at CETL are excited for another year of connecting with UM instructors to facilitate honest and useful conversations about teaching.

Three adults sit at a table in a white industrial space. They have books and notebooks open in front of them. No digital devices are in view.

Course Design

Recap: Analog Approaches in the Age of AI

Designing learning environments that encourage student thinking and learning requires intentionality. Three professors share how they’re approaching teaching in the age of AI.

Flower Darby speaks. Behind her and projected on the wall is a slide that reads, "Enjoyment promotes intrinsic and extrinsic motivation."

Course Design

Recap: Harness the Science of Emotion in the Age of AI with Flower Darby

Drawing on affective neuroscience, Flower Darby provides several ideas for engaging students and deepening learning.

Four college students are in a classroom with a chalkboard in the background and single desks + chairs arranged in rows. Two of the people are giving each other a high five.

Inclusive Teaching

Recap: When and Why Students Participate in Class

Understanding common barriers to classroom engagement can help instructors create many ways for students to participate in class--and boost student learning.

The University of Mississippi Grove is shown under a light dusting of snow.

Teaching Resources

Recap: Teaching in Light of Delays

Read key takeaways from a Q&A about revamping our course calendars after two weeks of campus closure.

A white woman with long brown hair, wearing a leather jacket, jeans, and canvas shoes, sits on a step in front of a white pillar while reading, pen in hand.

Assignments

Recap: When and Why Do Students Read for Class?

One possible hurdle preventing students from completing course reading assignments is the gap between the reading skills of students and those of their instructors.

Instructors discuss teaching while sitting at round tables in a meeting room.

Inclusive Teaching

Recap: Welcome week workshops

Earlier this week, the CETL team offered a variety of workshops to help instructors prepare for the semester ahead. Below, we offer a few key takeaways from these workshops. As always, we invite you to review our schedule of upcoming workshops, peruse our blog for recaps on previous events, and

a mug of coffee, a pumpkin, and a fuzzy fall sweater adorn a sign that says, "My brain has too many tabs open."

Events

Recap: Understanding and Supporting Executive Function

Executive functioning skills are critical to memory, attention, organizing, and planning—among many other tasks important to learning and teaching. In a recent workshop, CETL explored how instructors

Dr. Elizabeth Barre visited with the UM community on February 12 to discuss how we can motivate students to embrace the desirable difficulties of reading.

Events

Recap: Page by Page

Motivating students to embrace the desirable difficulties of reading, with Dr. Elizabeth Barre

Events

Recap: January Course Design Workshops

Plus upcoming events for spring 2025