Center for Advancing Teaching Excellence
The Center for Advancing Teaching Excellence (CATE) champions student-centered teaching and learning at the Moody College of Communication.
We work with faculty, instructors, and graduate students to support course design and develop teaching expertise. By fostering innovative and collaborative teaching practices, CATE aims to ensure Moody College students experience authentic and memorable learning to prepare for success in life and career.
Preparing Digitally Accessible Course Materials
To support your effort to create digitally accessible instructional materials, CATE has created a new Accessibility Checklist and provides Ally Quick Guides.
As you are considering your course accessibility, prioritize
- Creating accessible course resources for upcoming classes this semester
- Remediating any core course documents
- Deleting any outdated resources stored in your current Canvas course.
Reach out to Shelly Furness for more support on digital accessibility topics!
3 Steps to Effective Course Preparation
Step 1: Backward Design Your Course
As a first step in designing an effective course, CATE recommends using the resource "Creating the Course Schedule" which guides you through crafting course learning outcomes, aligned assessments, and chunking learning for success on assessments.
Step 2: Your Syllabus
Once you have successfully used backward design principles to create the course schedule, move to creating or updating the syllabus. CATE recommends using UT Simple Syllabus to support refining an existing syllabus or creating a new one. The platform guides you through required and optional syllabus components with pre-populated language and help text. Email Shelly Furness for a demo or live support.
Step 3: Canvas Build Jumpstart!
Save time and get ahead of semester planning with the Moody College Canvas template. The template pre-populates elements of a high quality course design with coaching on best practices. Email Shelly Furness to request the template in your live course or a sandbox.
Important Resources for Teaching
Click here for resources to support effective teaching at Moody College!
CATE has complied this reference document with links to essential teaching resources for new and returning faculty. Access and bookmark this in your browser for handy reference when designing a new course, at the beginning of new semesters, or throughout an on-going semester. Updates are made periodically, so check back often to refresh your memory and stay up-to-date with the instructional practices that make Moody College an excellent place to learn!
Learn more about graduate student Teaching Assistants!
All departments, schools, and programs at Moody College employ Teaching Assistants (TAs) to help support faculty members and undergraduate students by crafting engaging learning environments and assisting with course materials and content.
Connect with CATE
Please email our Coordinator for Teaching Excellence, Rachelle (Shelly) Furness, with questions, to request a training, or to make a consulting appointment! rachelle.furness@austin.utexas.edu
If you're not finding everything you need on the CATE website, please schedule a CATE consultation for personal and direct assistance.