Your first step is to build strong foundations, design engaging courses, and support student success. Whether you’re new to teaching or looking to refresh your approach, our curated resources help you begin your journey with confidence.
Part-Time Faculty Startup Kit
This information is for faculty who are NEW to the university. At the same time, TLI is grateful to all of our part-time instructors for their efforts to support student success.
First Day of Class
A well-designed first day sets the tone for connection, clarity, and engagement. With a few intentional actions, you can reduce anxiety for both you and your students and jumpstart learning from day one.
Syllabus: Checklist / Template
Use this resource to ensure you’ve included required UTK elements, communicated expectations clearly, and outlined key course components in a student-friendly way.
Purposes of the Syllabus
A syllabus is a document that communicates an instructor’s intentions for a course, including content, learning goals, assessments, and expectations. It outlines what students should learn and how the course will unfold.
Creating a Memorable Teaching Philosophy
A teaching philosophy is a brief (one–to two-page) statement that explains your beliefs about teaching and learning, your goals for students, the instructional practices you use, and how you assess learning (Kearns & Sullivan, 2010).
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Student Learning Outcomes describe what students should know, think, and be able to do by the end of a course or program. Most courses include four to five key outcomes.
Increasing Student Motivation
Motivation fuels student engagement, effort, and ultimately success. As an instructor, your enthusiasm, clarity, expertise, and responsiveness set the tone (Wlodkowski, 2008).