Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

University of Mississippi

Resources

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Teaching Resources

The following are suggested resources for a range of teaching needs and topics. If you’re looking for something not listed here, please reach out to us. We are happy to recommend reading or research from additional online sources or from our teaching library in Hill Hall. We are also happy to consult with you about any aspect of your teaching. To set up a consultation or request further resources, please email us at cetl@olemiss.edu.

Course Design

We recommend approaching your courses from a backward design perspective, an approach championed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. Backward design in a three-step process that involves…

  1. Identifying your desired outcomes, or course learning objectives
  2. Determining what constitutes acceptable evidence that these goals have been met, or how you will assess students
  3. Planning your learning experiences and instruction, or determining what knowledge and skills students will need and what strategies you will use to impart that knowledge and those skills

Syllabus Design

Your syllabus should outline the learning outcomes, assessments, and instructional strategies of the course both for yourself and for your students. It should also outline any additional policies or procedures that are relevant to your learning context.

Please click the following link to download and view the CETL Syllabus Template, which includes suggested language for a range of course policies as well as information on relevant university requirements and links to external resources.

For additional resources on syllabus design, please consult How to Create a Syllabus, by Kevin Gannon and the Accessible Syllabus website. Helpful resources for maximizing accessibility can be found at the University of Mississippi Accessibility Solutions website.

Inclusive Teaching

The University of Mississippi embraces its public flagship mission of inspiring and educating our diverse and vibrant community where all individuals are able to intellectually, socially and culturally thrive through transformative experiences on our campus and beyond. The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is committed to helping instructors enhance diversity, mitigate inequity, and foster inclusion in their classrooms. Many of our programs address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching and learning, and we regularly partner with the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement to offer workshops on Inclusive and Equitable Teaching Practices. To register for these workshops, visit my.olemiss.edu -> Employee -> Tools and Resources -> Training Workshops -> Inclusive and Equitable Teaching Practices -> Register.

We also recommend the following resources for inclusive teaching:

Resilient Teaching

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning continues to collaborate with multiple units across campus to support faculty, instructors, and students amid the challenges posted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Graduate Teaching

For a list of resources compiled specifically for graduate students, visit our Graduate Teaching Resources page.

Teaching Conferences

For a comprehensive directory of conferences on college and university teaching, visit the database maintained by Kennesaw State University’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. CETL Travel Grants are available to support UM faculty’s and instructional staff’s attendance to conferences and workshops devoted to teaching and learning in higher education. Please click here for more information about our Teaching Development Grants.

Teaching Awards

As part of our mission to support teaching excellence, CETL offers two awards to graduate instructors: the Graduate Teaching Assistant Award and the Graduate Instructor Excellence in Teaching Award. Click here for more information and to apply.

The University Catalog contains annual winners of teaching awards offered across the university. You can view the winners listed in the 2023-2024 Catalog here. CETL lists UM’s teaching-specific awards here.