The Center for Teaching and Learning Launches at Washington University in St. Louis
The Teaching Center and The Learning Center at Washington University in St. Louis have joined together as one academic unit known as The Center for Teaching and Learning. The aim is to create a synergistic approach to improving both teaching and learning at Washington University. The latest cutting-edge research into the best-practices of both instructional pedagogy and learning methodologies will be combined with the premise that everyone in an educational setting needs training, faculty and students alike.
The Center for Teaching and Learning recently launched a new website at ctl.wustl.edu. It also launched a site for the Learning Center at ctl.wustl.edu/learningcenter.
Educational Development and Classroom Services programs provide training and resources to instructors at all levels: faculty, lecturers, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate teaching assistants. These programs will continue their mission of improving and enriching university instruction.
The Educational Development program aims to advance the scholarship of teaching and learning and create a collaborative teaching culture at the university through workshops, events, and one-on-one consultations for faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and other instructors. It also offers many online resources to help instructors address common pedagogical challenges.
Classroom Services aids university instructors by offering both physical and digital technical support for more than 120 classrooms across campus. The program maintains the physical spaces for these shared classrooms as well as many digital educational software programs used for instruction. Classroom Services maintains a variety of different classroom styles, visible to instructors thorough an online classroom directory, and is responsible for the conversion of many old-style classrooms into active learning spaces that foster greater student-centered learning.
Educational Development and Classroom Services are located in Eads Hall 105, with office hours of 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday-Friday. Although this location is separate from the Learning Center, all three programs work together in an integrated manner to create a culture of evidence-based teaching and learning practices across all schools of the university.
The Learning Center was formerly one of several components of the Cornerstone Program, which had been housed in Gregg Hall. With the dissolution of Cornerstone, the Learning Center recently moved to the lower level of Mallinckrodt Center, Suite 144, in the former Gargoyle space, co-located with the Writing Center and first-year College Writing program. These three programs are all student-facing, providing training and mentoring resources to WashU students, particularly undergraduates.
The Learning Center is the hub of academic support for undergraduate students at WashU. It provides peer coaching and resources designed to help students improve academic skills such as time management, reading comprehension, and study strategies. It also offers low-cost, on-campus MCAT and GRE prep courses. Course-based programs primarily offer support for students enrolled in foundational undergraduate courses, but the Learning Center’s offerings are continually expanding. These programs include Peer-Led Team Learning, Residential Peer Mentoring (held on the South 40), and Academic Peer Mentoring sessions, held in various locations on the Danforth campus. Learning Center staff are available to meet with students anytime between 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
You can email questions to Educational Development and Classroom Services staff at teachcen@wustl.edu, and to Learning Center staff at learningcenter@wustl.edu.
