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CETLI Teaching Seminars

CETLI Seminars are faculty groups that meet monthly through the academic year to explore particular teaching approaches and questions. Seminar discussions offer faculty the chance to explore topics by learning from a combination of colleagues' experiences and research on evidence-based teaching practices. These seminars may include short readings or class observations. Participants who join the year-long program, and participate in at least seven of the eight sessions, receive a $1,000 stipend.

Programs start each fall and sign-ups take place in late spring and summer.

To apply, submit the form below.

Seminars for Academic Year 2026-2027

Active Learning

The Active Learning Seminar will bring faculty together for monthly conversations around active learning and the different forms it can take in college classrooms of any size.  Alongside discussions and readings, participants will engage in activities to explore how Penn faculty are using active learning in their teaching and how to structure class time to support students engaging with material in class. We will also share tips and strategies for structuring activities effectively, supporting students as they engage with material in class, and avoiding common pitfalls. All interested faculty —whether new or experienced with active learning—are invited to participate.

Schedule: Once a month on Thursdays, 1:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Effective Assessment for All Students

In the Effective Assessment for All Students seminar, participants will meet monthly to consider assignments and activities that engage and motivate students from different backgrounds and with different preparations.  The group will discuss how to communicate expectations, values and norms so they can reveal the “hidden syllabus” for all students and promote the kinds of learning we want to take place in our classes.   

Seminar meetings will cover questions about rigor and learning, flexibility in assignment design and deadlines, approaches to feedback, the effects of AI on assessment expectations, and how assessment practices scale differently in small and large classes. We will also explore strategies for designing assessments that foster curiosity and intellectual risk‑taking to shift students’ focus away from grades.

Schedule: Once a month on Mondays, 1:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Senior Lecturers

The Senior Lecturers Seminar meets once a month to bring together instructors in senior-lecturer, or analogous, positions to talk with peers about their professional development as teachers, both improving their own practices and taking on greater leadership. 

Schedule: Once a month on Fridays, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Apply for CETLI Teaching Seminars

Past Seminars

Programs For Faculty

Resources

Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Innovation