Listings

Welcome to teaching at the University of Maryland! This digital course called “Welcome to Teaching at UMD” is your gateway to mastering UMD’s educational technology systems. The course consists of 5 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 35 minutes to complete. Once finished, you'll be equipped to access the tools you need to teach. The information contained here will be helpful for both first-time teachers and seasoned instructors alike. Ready to power-up your teaching game? Let's get started.

Are you a graduate student about to become a Teaching Assistant (TA) for a class? This digital course, Welcome to Teaching at UMD for TAs, will cover the basic information you'll need as you embark on your journey as a teaching assistant at University of Maryland. You’ll reflect on your new teaching identity and learn about important policies, then gather teaching and technology tips as you prepare for your first day of class. This self-paced course consists of 5 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 90 minutes to complete.

Are you frustrated that students don’t participate in class? Do you want them to be more involved in their own learning? This digital course called “Active Learning Fundamentals” will introduce you to the power of active learning. You will learn ways to engage your students in class and help them take charge of their learning. This digital course consists of 5 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 60 minutes to complete.

Do you ever wonder why students don’t understand a concept that you think you have covered extensively? Do you ever wish you understood a bit more about some of the feedback you get on end-of-semester course evaluations, before the end of the semester? Or would you sometimes like to know if a certain teaching technique was helpful to your students? This digital course will provide basic information about formative assessments, why you might use them and how, and how to include them in your teaching. After learning some basics about how these tools work, you’ll be given the opportunity to think through ways to incorporate formative assessments into your courses. This self-paced course consists of 5 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete.

Do you ever hear from students or colleagues about the challenges of team projects? Are you looking for ways to create more successful and equitable team experiences for your students? Do you want to improve your practice of promoting positive and productive team norms in your courses? This digital course, called Effective and Engaging Teamwork, will cover basic information you need to help you create productive opportunities for student to student interactions and collaborations, consider ways to prevent and handle common concerns around teamwork, and fairly assess these interactions. This self-paced course consists of 4 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.

Are you frustrated that students from different backgrounds perform differently in your class? Do you wonder how you can better support your students? This digital course, called Universal Design for Learning Basics, will introduce you to the framework and principles of UDL. Learn how to create a more motivating and equitable learning environment. This digital course consists of 5 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 45-90 minutes to complete.

Have you ever had students fail a test even though you know they were prepared? Do you wonder why students aren’t taking away important ideas from their readings? Metacognition, or “thinking about thinking,” helps learners become more aware, effective, and reflective. When students understand more about the science of their own learning, their progress can skyrocket. This digital course called “Metacognition: Teaching Students How to Learn” will help you explore ideas around thinking, studying, and learning. You will learn strategies to weave metacognition throughout your course. This self-paced course consists of 3 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 50-70 minutes to complete.

Digital Accessibility is more important than ever in our increasingly virtual world. Make sure your students have the tools they need to succeed by making your course accessible and user friendly. You will gain knowledge of digital accessibility guidelines and policies at UMD and how digital accessibility is essential for people with disabilities and beneficial for everyone. You will learn the six most impactful areas to focus on to make your online content accessible and gain tools and strategies to implement them in your course pages and documents. This digital course consists of 3 modules, which will help you learn about and implement digital accessibility best practices.

It's essential for educators to explore how identity, power, and privilege shape our classroom climates and interactions, as well as course design. Whether you are new to exploring concepts of identity, power, and privilege, or seeking to deepen your understanding, this content will provide you with valuable insights and strategies to improve your inclusive teaching practices and address identity-related challenges. This self-paced course consists of 3 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 60-90 minutes to complete.

Get ready to unlearn, learn, and relearn as you begin your commitment to anti-racist pedagogy through self-reflection and intentional planning to improve your teaching practices and course design. This digital course consists of 4 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 60 minutes to complete.

Ready to challenge the status quo in education? This digital course called “Decentering Whiteness” provides the tools you need to create a truly equitable learning environment. Explore the impact of white supremacy on education, and learn practical strategies to decenter whiteness in your teaching. Become a catalyst for positive change and help shape a more just and inclusive future for all students. This digital course consists of 4 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 50-70 minutes to complete.

Are you curious to learn more about Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based tools and their potential in your classroom? This digital course will cover basic information you need to help you think through how new tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Adobe Firefly, and others will affect your teaching. After learning some basics about how these tools work, you'll be given the opportunity to think through ways to incorporate and/or deter AI in your assignments and activities. This self-paced course consists of 3 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.

Enliven your instruction! This digital course called Boost Engagement with Creative Cloud will introduce you to some of the Adobe products available to members of the UMD community. Explore Adobe’s most user-friendly tools for educators, identify ways to enhance learning and boost student engagement using Adobe tools, and practice creating creative content for your courses. This self-paced course consists of 5 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 45-60 minutes to complete.

Are you looking to increase student motivation and participation in your course? Do you wonder how you can better support your students to achieve your course learning outcomes? This digital course called “Gamification” will help you harness the power of game design principles to transform your teaching and boost student engagement. Whether you're new to gamification or looking to refine your skills, this course will equip you with the tools to consider dynamic, interactive learning experiences. This digital course consists of 4 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete.

Are you frustrated that students don’t participate in class? Do you want them to be more involved in their own learning? This digital course, called “Charting the Learner’s Journey,” will introduce you to the power of active learning. You will learn ways to engage your students in class and help them take charge of their learning. This digital course consists of 4 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 45-60 minutes to complete.

Are you ready to transform your teaching approach? This digital course, called "Exploring Assessments," will introduce you to the art and science of designing powerful, student-centered learning experiences. You will learn ways to create meaningful assessments that guide student learning. Whether you're a new instructor or looking to refresh your teaching toolkit, "Exploring Assessments" will equip you with practical, research-backed methods to create engaging and effective learning environments. This digital course consists of 5 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 90 minutes to complete.

Create a classroom where all students feel valued and supported. This course explores strategies for fostering an inclusive learning environment, maximizing your instructor presence, and incorporating anti-racist teaching practices. Gain practical tools to design equitable and engaging learning experiences. This digital course consists of 4 lessons, which altogether will take approximately 45-60 minutes to complete.

Ready to revolutionize your teaching? Apply your active learning knowledge with the digital "Theory to Practice: Active Learning in Action" course. This final step in the “Active Learning Practitioner” meta-credential from the TLTC’s Teaching Academy empowers you to transform your own course, boost student engagement, and help students take charge of their learning. Complete this course to earn your micro-credential and redefine your teaching approach. This self-paced course consists of 3 parts, which altogether will take approximately 2 hours to complete.

Ready to revolutionize your teaching? Put your Universal Design for Learning knowledge into practice with the digital "Theory to Practice: Applying Universal Design for Learning" course. This final step in the “Universal Design for Learning Practitioner” meta-credential from the TLTC’s Teaching Academy empowers you to engage and reach all students. Complete this course to earn your micro-credential, increase equity for all students, and create a more inclusive classroom environment. This self-paced course consists of 3 parts, which altogether will take approximately 2 hours to complete.

Ready to complete the final step in the “Inclusive Pedagogy Practitioner” meta-credential from the TLTC’s Teaching Academy? Advance your journey towards inclusive teaching excellence by taking this digital "Theory to Practice: Inclusive Teaching Reflections" course and participating in a Reflection Circle Session, where you'll exchange ideas, share successes and challenges, and deepen your practice of inclusive pedagogy. Complete all components of this course to earn your micro-credential and strengthen your commitment to fostering an inclusive learning environment. This self-paced course consists of 3 parts, which altogether will take approximately 2 hours to complete.