Starting Classes Successfully As New Faculty

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What You Need to Know About Teaching at Penn State 

The resources below are designed to help you understand how to set yourself up for success for your first semester at Penn State.

Penn State Course Instructional Modes Links to an external site. indicate the manner in which instruction is delivered for each class section during a given semester.   

Syllabus Information

“A course syllabus is a written document that summarizes the topical focus of a course, learning expectations for students, grading, materials, and a course outline.” (Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence) 

“Faculty Senate Policy 43-00 Links to an external site. requires that a written (paper or electronic form) syllabus must be distributed to students in each course on or before the first class meeting, and the syllabus must remain available to students electronically until the end of the semester.”   

Planning for Class Absences (Including Your Own) Links to an external site. 

Diverse students and resources to support them 

*note: your college or department may have specific offices/units dedicated to these concerns.  

Strategies to Optimize Your Teaching Practice

Backward Design

Learning Goals & Objectives 

Active Learning 

Classroom Assessment Techniques 

Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are typically ungraded, anonymous, simple in-class activities designed to give you and your students useful feedback on how the teaching/learning process is going as it is underway in your course. They are usually used as formative assessment tools and classroom activities. They can give both teachers and learners very useful information about the learning process as it is happening. 

Other Helpful Teaching Resources 

 

Penn State’s Faculty Teaching Assessment Framework 

Faculty Teaching Assessment Framework Links to an external site. 

 

Interested in innovating your teaching? Check out these resources.

Supporting Innovations and Dialogue: Grants and Teaching Communities  

  • Schreyer Institute Teaching & Learning Grant programs Links to an external site. 
    • Teaching Community Grants: Teaching Communities may request up to $750 to directly support the teaching community's goals and activities. The most common requests are books, modest group meals, and/or invited speakers.
    • Teaching and Learning Scholarship Grants: The Teaching and Learning Scholarship (TLS) conference grant program provides Penn State instructors the opportunity to share their scholarship related to teaching and learning in Penn State courses. Support for TLS grants includes consultations and support services from Institute faculty in addition to funding for conference presentations.
    • Individual, confidential consultations on teaching Links to an external site.: Anyone teaching Penn State students may connect with a Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence (SITE) consultant for free, confidential consultations on anything related to teaching and learning.  

Immersive and Maker Technology at Penn State 

Professional Development Opportunities for Teaching with Technology

 

Getting To Know Your Classroom Space

You can view the building and room(s) you are scheduled to teach in by viewing your campus map Links to an external site. or get floor plan information at OPP’s LionSpaces facility information system. Links to an external site.

Each campus will have its own IT support hotlines, please refer to local campus resources for any technical questions you may have about the classroom(s) you will be teaching in.  We recommend visiting your classroom before the first day of class,  if possible, to acquaint yourself with the space and the instructor technology within.  

The Learning Space Exchange is a resource developed for flexible classrooms at the University Park campus, but has applicable resources for all faculty.  

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Classroom Recording 

Auto-tracking pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) are available in most Penn State classrooms. These cameras allow anyone using the room, including faculty to self-record lectures and meetings. The resources below provide further details and step-by-step instructions for using the PTZ cameras. 

 

Connect with Colleagues About Teaching

New Faculty Community Teams Space: Links to an external site.This space serves as a place for faculty to interact and network with peers to gain insights and share best practices surrounding teaching and learning topics and general Penn State resources. Additionally, the Teams space serves as a hub for new faculty to navigate NFO specific resources, general University resources, and information about upcoming professional development opportunities.  

Data-Informed Pedagogy (DIP) Community: Links to an external site.The Data-informed Pedagogy Teams Space is a space where instructors can share ideas, ask questions, and discuss teaching and learning applications of data and learning analytics. This team includes university staff, such as the Teaching and Learning with Technology Data Empowered Learning Team (DELT) and learning designers. 

Digital Fluency Community of Practice (DFCoP): Links to an external site.The Digital Fluency Community of Practice (DFCoP) is an active and collaborative space for Penn State’s faculty and staff to connect and generate innovative solutions to teaching and learning technology challenges. The community is led by educators across several Penn State colleges and administration offices. Digital fluency and related concepts are at the heart of the engagement opportunities provided by this community of practice. Faculty and staff who are interested in learning or extending their knowledge and experiences in digital fluency are welcome to join. 

Schreyer Institute Teaching Communities: Links to an external site.A teaching community is a group of people who meet regularly to discuss teaching and learning. Community members share experiences and expertise, exchange strategies and ideas, and explore solutions to teaching or learning challenges. You can propose a new community or join an existing one. For more information, please follow the link above. 

Commonwealth Campus New Faculty Colleagues Group: Links to an external site.The Schreyer Institute welcomes new faculty to Penn State and invites them to participate in monthly conversations with their peers and Schreyer Institute consultants. Throughout the academic year, group members will discuss topics like engaging students in the classroom, finding mentors, advising students, and using student feedback. In this supportive, collegial community, participants network with other new faculty members and meet experienced Penn State educators who will share their lessons learned and unique perspectives.  

The Faculty Professional Development Resources Links to an external site. provides a list of events and programs for faculty new to Penn State or new to their roles at Penn State offered by the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence (SITE) and Teaching & Learning with Technology (TLT). Additionally, the New Faculty Community Teams space communicate upcoming events of interest to first year faculty members.