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Record Number of Centre Faculty Awarded CTL Grants

Congratulations to 26 Centre College faculty who were awarded grants from the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)!

This year, the CTL accepted applications and proposals for Course Development Grants, Innovative Teaching Funds, and Teaching Insight Grants, a new funding opportunity. These grants support all stages of the course development process.

The CTL received a record number of applications for Course Development Grants. These grants will support the development of 14 new courses for the 2024-2025 academic year. Six courses will be heavily revised.

“These grants reflect innovative pedagogies, new formats for assignments, and authentic assessment techniques,” said Nisha Gupta, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. “Several courses will support the new business major, provide new study abroad courses, and support Centre’s strategic wellness goals. Particularly noteworthy are proposals that seek to revise existing courses, in that revision is a critical and important practice for keeping our curriculum and our courses engaging, timely, and interesting.”

Several Innovative Teaching Funds saw card deck as useful pedagogical tools. Sami Sweis used a Critical Thinking Card deck to teach students about logical fallacies. “The students found these activities fun and enjoyable… The real value of the cards, however, was revealed during subsequent discussions in class. As evidenced by cognitive behavior therapy, the key to overcoming distortions in thought, like logical fallacies and biases, is to be able to identify them with a label,” said Sweis. Other examples of using card decks as a teaching strategy include Storyteller Tactics and Ecologies.

Teaching Insight Grants let you do some initial exploring and investigating of a topic you may want to teach about later. Eva Cadavid received a Teaching Insight Grant to explore compassionate communication through advising sections with experts and a local workshop. Cadavid hopes this will prepare her to design a Philosophies of Resistance course in the future. Teaching Insight Grants can also be used to purchase books to build your background knowledge and pedagogy practices. Philip Limerick purchased Spanish pedagogy books and hopes to design a business Spanish course that can be relevant across multiple programs.

If you are interested in applying for CTL funding or would like to discuss proposal possibilities over a consultation, please reach out to Nisha Gupta (nisha.gupta@centre.edu) or Matt Downen (matt.downen@centre.edu) in the CTL (Crounse 308).


Course Development Grants


Innovative Teaching Fund


Teaching Insight Grant

Ellen Prusinski named CTL Faculty Fellow for Spring 2024

Congratulations to Ellen Prusinski (Education) who has been named a Faculty Fellow of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) for the upcoming 2024 spring semester! 

This fellowship is intended to encourage faculty exploration, study, and sharing of pedagogical approaches; advance our understanding and implementation of new and innovative pedagogies; and highlight the teaching excellence of Centre College faculty members. The program was piloted last year by Kaelyn Wiles (Sociology) who focused on using contemplative practices to promote well-being among faculty members and students on campus. 

This spring, Prusinski will focus on strategies to strengthen and build capacity of Community-Based Learning (CBL) at Centre.  CBL is a pedagogical approach that intentionally links what is being taught in the classroom to surrounding communities. Prusinski plans to participate in some workshops for community-based pedagogies and develop and lead a CBL course design workshop for Centre faculty based on what she learns from the institute. Ultimately, Prusinski hopes to develop a clear framework for incorporating CBL into classes at Centre. Those faculty who are interested in CBL, contact Ellen Prusinski or keep an eye out in the spring for the workshop series! 

“Our Faculty Fellow Program gives faculty the opportunity for growth and professional development but also benefits the Centre community,” said Nisha Gupta, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. “Ellen’s plans to strengthen community-based learning at Centre will be a much needed and powerful support for pedagogy, experiential learning, and community building for Centre.” 

Faculty Fellows will receive one course release (1 course or 3 credit hours total). In addition, a total of $3,000 will be made available to support the activities of the fellow. The funds are to support: hosting events, such as seminars or guest speakers, on campus; conference travel to present project results; and miscellaneous expenses. 

The call for proposals for Fall 2024/Spring 2025 Faculty Fellows is now open, and proposals are due February 29, 2024. All full-time faculty who have earned tenure and demonstrated commitment to student learning are encouraged to apply. If you are interested in applying for a Faculty Fellowship or would like to discuss proposal possibilities over a consultation, please reach out to Nisha Gupta (nisha.gupta@centre.edu) in the CTL (Crounse 308). 

More information about the Faculty Fellow Program can be found here: CTL Faculty Fellows