What We Do

Southern Methodist University’s Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) is an ongoing catalyst for the growth of a university culture that values, supports, and rewards effective student-centered teaching. CTE's mission supports the pursuit of academic innovation by providing research-based instructional design services, supporting a campus culture of teaching excellence, and empowering faculty to transform their pedagogical practices.

How Can CTE Help You?

Announcements

SMU Mask Mandate Lifted

SMU has lifted the mask requirement on campus. However, for the Fall 2021, faculty will have the option of requiring or not requiring masks in their classes. You might consider using participation/professionalism grades to evaluate student adherence to community standards if you choose to require masks in your classes.

Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Award Winners

2021 award winners are Professors Maxime Foerster, Steven Lindquist, Rebekah Miles, and Carolyn Smith-Morris. The winners receive $10,000 and are appointed to a two-year term in the SMU Academy of Distinguished Teachers.

Pedagogical Partner Up Grant Projects

We recognized that faculty have poured a great deal of time, energy, and creativity into your teaching the Fall 2020 semester. As a response to faculty feedback, we were excited to announce a call for applications for Partner-Up Grants of $2,000 for full-time faculty to participate in faculty-led learning pods focused on priority areas that emerged as topics from the faculty surveys. Each pod served as a nexus for faculty to enhance their own pedagogical knowledge while sharing with colleagues and their work is showcased in the CTE website.

Meet CTE's Senior Instructional Designer

Dr. Adeline "Addy" Tolliver assists faculty in course development, deployment, and evaluation. She assists faculty with integration of technology and various pedagogical practices to effectively showcase content and promote student engagement in face-to-face and online courses. Consultation sessions can last up to 50 minutes and can happen in small groups or one-on-one, virtually.

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