Support for Teaching

The Faculty Development Center (FDC) offers individual appointments to all instructors, both full-time and part-time, to address a wide range of teaching questions and interests. We offer these consultations in-person on the Webster Groves campus and via video conferencing for all other campuses.

Make an appointment with us today, or visit the Faculty Support for Teaching (FaST) open office hours to speak with an instructional support expert.

 

Types of Support Offered

Excellent classes are intentional about what they achieve and make clear to students the broader impact a course has on their degree and personal goals. The FDC team is available to help with the various activities related to designing a course, including writing or interpreting learning outcomes, developing engaging and effective assignments, providing examples relevant to a course’s discipline and level of learning, and connecting to various resources to achieve the goals of your class.

Technology is an integral part of every course experience at Webster University, and the University offers a rich portfolio of tools to instructors to enhance the learning experience, promote convenience and foster global connections. The FDC team can help you plan for what technology is the best fit for your goals, including learning about specific approaches to using the Canvas LMS, Office 365 and other such tools for engaged learning and inclusive teaching.

The faculty-student and student-student relationships developed in courses are incredibly impactful on student learning. As student needs adapt and change, Webster faculty are committed to continually developing their craft. The FDC team can provide help with evidence-based classroom practices to respond to teaching issues that emerge in your classroom. Instructors often approach us after interpreting student evaluations of their teaching, after a specific challenge presents itself or other situations when instructors are presented with questions such as:

  • How can I make my class more dynamic and interesting?
  • How do I know if my students are actually “getting it?”
  • How can I increase my students’ motivation and ownership of their course responsibilities?
  • How do I prioritize what I cover?

Every course is offered within a network of resources and experiences that provide faculty and students membership into a community that values and nurtures learning, inquiry, and growth. Understanding Webster University values and resources helps connect your course experience to this broader academic community. The FDC team can help you think about what student resources might create opportunities or address issues within your class. Additionally, we can help you explore connections to other university offices and initiatives related to your course or program.

Webster instructors value student-centered, inclusive approaches to teaching in order to best serve our diverse population of worldwide students. At Webster, this means creating learning experiences and spaces that all students can access and relate to and that help support student motivation, belonging, agency and success. The FDC team can assist instructors in creating courses where all students can access what they need to learn and feel like important, valued members of the classroom community.