Great Gateways

Our Model

Gateway courses are often life-changing—they introduce students to the meaning of our community, the paths of intellectual pursuit, and draw lasting ties between personal and academic development.

To create meaningful change in how our students learn, UC has committed to strategically enhance academic experiences common to the greatest number of our students.

We coordinate and establish lasting partnerships, develop financial and human resources through strategic investments, and as a community strengthen and build upon courses that are foundational to greater academic excellence and vital to the health of our university.

Together with our partners, CET&L coordinates and establishes lasting partnerships and develops resources to enhance the academic experiences of students in gateway courses.

Our Partners

Office of the President
Office of the Provost
Office of the Architect
College of Arts & Sciences
UC Blue Ash
Clermont College

Learning Commons
UCBA Learning & Teaching Center
Office of Advising & Academic Services
Student Affairs
Peer Education Network

NSF-IUSE
Academic Excellence & Support Services
IT@UC
University Libraries
Committee on Textbook Affordability

Strategic Support

The following represent CET&L and partner investments to infuse courses and structures with sustainable, evidence-based practices for faculty and student success and continuous improvement. Investments and in-kind support are developed through our annual Great Gateways grants application each spring.

Our latest call for proposals was issued in early March 2020.

2017-18

Support for a 2017-18 course coordination model across large-enrollment STEM gateways
Seed funding for a sustainable, cohort-based peer instruction model in Lindner College of Business for foundational Economics courses
Funding for Gateways-focused, course-based Faculty Learning Communities based on coordinated goal-setting for pedagogical objectives and deeper student learning
Individual faculty consults for Calculus, including support for sections within the Langsam Active Learning Classroom

2016-2017

Support for the implementation of Echo 360 Active Learning Platform in first-year Political Science courses, including Introduction to International Relations
Hosting weekly pedagogy and update meetings for General Chemistry coordination
Sponsored two Mathematics educator faculty to attend the 2016 Lilly Conference in Oxford, OH
Individual faculty consults for Calculus, including support for sections within the Langsam Active Learning Classroom
Funding for Calc-based Physics Faculty Learning Community based on coordinated goal-setting for pedagogical objectives and deeper student learning

2015-2016

A redesign of the Calculus and Applied Calculus sequences to accommodate flipped and semi-flipped learning experiences via a summer-long program (we are eager to further support instructors in this effort, particularly when it comes to implementing of active learning within the classroom)
Redesigns/refinements of four Chemistry courses via a week-long course design that included sections in Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Analytical Chemistry
Conference attendance for three Biology faculty to redesign courses with Robin Wright at the National Academies of Science Summer Institute to Improve Undergraduate Science Teaching in summer of 2015 and 2016.
A Graduate Assistant to support the collection, analysis, and reporting of student success data in Physics and other STEM areas (in direct support of Adrian Hall and Leigh Smith)

External Grants

NSF-IUSE: “Enhancing Student Success in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics by Transforming the Faculty Culture,” Howard Jackson, PI, and with Mathematics as supplementary addition

Funds from Provost’s office to support Physics Teacher-in-Residence Program, $150,000.

Funds from UC’s CECH Dean to support Learning Assistant Program, $30,000. (this is now administered through the Learning Assistance and MASS Center in partnership with CET&L)

Programs

Using Formative and Summative Feedback to Refine Teaching and Learning
Variations on the Flipped Classroom
Introduction to Flipped Classroom
Active Learning in the Large Classroom
Building Better Discussion Questions
How to Use Early Term Feedback to Improve Your Course (3-part series)
Student Motivation and Preparedness
Getting Started in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (AFTL Conference)
Introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Course Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS) training
Active Learning Course Design Institute
Active Learning Fellows Program
Introduction to Critically Reflective Teaching

Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Faculty Learning Community
STEM SoTL Reading Club
Junior Faculty Learning Community

CET&L Contact

If you would like to discuss CET&L’s support of Great Gateways, please contact Dr. Bryan Smith.

Bryan Smith
513-556-6382
smbr@uc.edu

University of Cincinnati