Center for Excellence in Teaching

Leavey Library, Room 116
(213) 740-9040

The Center for Excellence in Teaching (CET) is committed to improving the undergraduate teaching and learning environment at the University of Southern California. At this large, complex research university, faculty work directly with undergraduates. Together faculty and students form a diverse academic community of women and men of all social classes, races, ethnic groups and nationalities who teach, study and learn in a rich array of academic fields in a supportive residential setting. CET's program to advance excellence in faculty teaching and student learning respects the unique capacities of individual faculty, the different pedagogical objectives of USC's many schools and the various educational needs of undergraduate students both inside and outside the classroom.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching operates under the authority of the vice provost for undergraduate studies. That authority is transferred to a six-person board of governors made up of faculty fellows appointed to the board on the basis of their own teaching experience and teaching excellence and their willingness to help others in improving their teaching. The program coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day operations of CET.

The primary objective of CET is to advise and support faculty and teaching assistants in their efforts to improve teaching effectiveness and student learning. To this end CET assists new faculty in their acclimatization to the university and in basic teaching skills and strategies. It also offers an ongoing program and resource center to monitor and improve classroom performance among faculty. CET trains international teaching assistants at its summer workshop and oversees the creation and operation of teaching assistant training programs within each school. A new CET initiative to advance teaching excellence is focused on instructional technology; in collaboration with the Center for Scholarly Technology, the Leavey Teaching Library and other units of the university library system, CET offers a training program and production laboratory to give faculty and teaching assistants expert advice and material assistance in creating and using new classroom technologies.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching is also asked to develop better ways to evaluate teaching effectiveness and student learning. It oversees the university's current program of student evaluations of individual teachers, and it is also charged with assisting academic units in their efforts to find appropriate methods -- beyond student evaluations of faculty and faculty grading of students -- to measure departmental and school effectiveness.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching operates as the university's chief advocate and promoter of teaching excellence. CET provides recognition and awards for excellent teachers nominated and selected by faculty and students. It also arranges symposia, conferences, demonstrations and other kinds of programmatic activities to support excellence in teaching and learning on behalf of the university.

Honors Research Apprenticeship

This program presents an opportunity for undergraduate students to work directly with faculty mentors on faculty research projects. The goal of this course is to acquaint students with the nature of academic research and to provide them with experience in various aspects of faculty research.

University of Southern California (USC)

101 Honors Research Apprenticeship (1, max 2) Students work directly with faculty on faculty research projects, gain experience in the process of research and thereby contribute to new scholarship. Prerequisite: Center for Excellence in Teaching approval.

The Graduate School (GRSC)

850 Seminar in College Teaching (1) Preparation for college teaching: the teacher-scholar, lecturing, leading discussions, laboratory instruction, alternative teaching methods, the interactive classroom, collaborative learning, writing exams, grading, self-assessment techniques, academic integrity, and diversity. Graded CR/NC.

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