Programs
The Reinert Center offers many ways for faculty and graduate students to enhance their knowledge of evidence-based instruction and learning-focused course design. Below is an overview of the Center’s signature programs. Most programs provide sustained development on particular aspects of course design and instruction, and most are offered at no cost to SLU faculty members and graduate students. Additionally, the Center hosts or co-hosts workshops, brown bag conversations, and other events focused on a range of topics.
The Reinert Center’s longest-standing program, the Certificate Program enhances undergraduate and graduate education by providing SLU graduate students and faculty with opportunities to learn about the research on teaching and learning, to enhance their teaching practice, to develop their philosophy of teaching, and to document teaching competencies. Different certificates have different requirements; each is the result of an ongoing process of learning and reflection. Certificates are earned through a combination of workshops, online seminars, development of course materials, and other means of learning and application. Certificates typically require a minimum of two semesters to complete. They are offered at no cost to SLU faculty and graduate students.
The Reinert Center offers formal programming to support faculty teaching online for Saint Louis University. The foundation for new online instructors is the Introduction to Online Teaching, a fully-online seminar offered multiple times per year. This course is offered through the University’s learning management system (currently, Canvas) and provides a pedagogical foundation for SLU faculty who are new to teaching in the online environment. Additionally, the Reinert Center offers online seminars, short webinars, and other types of virtual programming to support faculty interested in continuing their development in teaching online. To view a schedule for all upcoming programming focused on online teaching will be offered, see the Reinert Center’s Events page.
Faculty who are developing online courses and/or academic units developing online programs may wish to consult with someone in the Reinert Center as they are designing these learning experiences. Request a consultation if you’d like to talk with someone.
The Culturally Responsive Teaching Academy (CRTA) is a cohort-based, year-long instructional development experience for SLU faculty and graduate students who teach INTO Pathway courses and other courses with high concentrations of international students enrolled.
The CRTA begins with a four-day summer institute in which participants engage in highly interactive sessions and sustained individual work time. The group reconvenes in mid-August for a half-day workshop and meets regularly throughout the academic year. Participation is limited; participants must be nominated by their department chair or program director. Participants receive a stipend or professional development funds for participation; the funding to support this program is provided by the Provost's office.
Reinert Center hosted Communities of Practice are small groups of instructors dedicated to intentional, sustained study of pedagogy in a particular area of interest either as a stand-alone group or as a continuation of a Reinert Center institute or workshop.
The Ignatian Pedagogy Institute is a day-long program in which participants expand and deepen their knowledge of Ignatian pedagogy as an extension of Ignatian spirituality and evidence-based pedagogical practices. The Ignatian Pedagogy Institute is offered each spring semester on a three-year cycle. It is open to all SLU faculty and graduate students.
For those SLU faculty and graduate students who wish to further enhance their understanding of Ignatian pedagogy and Jesuit education, the Ignatian Pedagogy Academy offers the opportunity to engage in a sustained community of practice over multiple years. Academy members meet at least once per semester and participate in all three Ignatian Pedagogy Institutes. Academy members who complete the full three-year cycle, and who engage regularly in the community of practice meetings, are designated as Fellows of the Ignatian Pedagogy Academy.
The Course Design Institute is a week-long immersive experience that will spark new ways of thinking about courses, empower instructors to prioritize what matters most, and help to create clear learning paths for students. Most CDI participants leave with 80-90% of their courses designed.
This annual two-day event is sponsored by the Reinert Center and the Office of Academic Affairs. It is designed to support faculty preparing for third-year, tenure, and/or promotion review. All full-time faculty (both tenure track and non-tenure track) are eligible for participation. Participants must be nominated by their chairs or directors. This program does have a small registration fee, which typically is paid by the faculty member’s academic department or program. To learn more about the event, including a list of frequently asked questions, please visit the web page.
The Reinert Center’s Innovative Teaching Fellowship prepares and supports faculty for teaching in our Learning Studio, a highly-flexible, technology-rich experimental classroom. This competitive, two-semester fellowship provides either a stipend or funding to cover a 1-course reduction in teaching in order to support course (re)design and instructional development activities during the semester prior to teaching in the Learning Studio. The fellowship also provides classroom and ongoing instructional development support during the semester of teaching in the Learning Studio. Full-time, permanent teaching faculty at Saint Louis University are eligible for this fellowship, and a call for applications is issued at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters.
The purpose of the Innovative Teaching Fellowship is to provide opportunities for SLU faculty to experiment with new ways to create engaging, interactive, and effective learning experiences for students. Additionally, lessons learned from teaching in the Learning Studio extend beyond the fellowship, both for individual faculty and for campus leaders, in ways that transform pedagogical practices and conceptions of learning spaces across the University. To learn more about the fellowship, visit the Innovative Teaching Fellowship page.
First offered in 2018, our Inclusive Practice Grants invite teams of SLU faculty members to consider the question, “How would you create more inclusive learning experiences for students?” These grants are intended to advance knowledge and/or use of inclusive practices. Through these grants, we aim to foster more inclusive learning environments for all SLU students. Projects must result in one or more artifacts to be shared with the broader SLU community that can support other faculty members in their pursuit of more inclusive teaching. Calls for proposals are issued annually, when Reinert Center funds are available. To learn more about the Inclusive Practice Grants, visit the webpage.
Programming focused on SoTL includes occasional workshops and presentations (sometimes facilitated by national leaders), as well as faculty communities of practice. The Reinert Center recognizes the SoTL work of SLU faculty members annually through the James H. Korn Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award and the SoTL Symposium that typically takes place in conjunction with the Korn Award ceremony.
This annual event is part one-day conference, part retreat. It features both plenary sessions and concurrent sessions, workshops and presentations by external presenters and by SLU faculty members. The focus of the event typically is linked to the Reinert Center's programming theme for the current academic year. The Winter Institute is held each January, on the Thursday before spring classes begin for most of the University.
For SLU faculty seeking external funding for teaching and curriculum-focused projects, the Reinert Center may be able to provide some limited support. Additionally, the Center occasionally seeks external grants to support the development of new programs connected to strategic initiatives for the Reinert Center and the University. Click here to learn about the Reinert Center’s most recent externally-funded programs.
In addition to sustained programs like those described above, the Reinert Center hosts or co-hosts many other workshops, brown bag conversations, and other events focused on a range of topics. In general, these sessions are interactive in nature, providing some informational content and creating opportunities for participants to apply this content to their own teaching context.
Workshops and other types of events fall into one of three categories: Center-Sponsored, Co-Sponsored, and Customized events. Center-sponsored events typically are designed and facilitated by Reinert Center staff or by SLU faculty members who volunteer their time and expertise. These events may be offered as part of our Certificate Program or as free-standing, one-time events. Co-Sponsored events typically are involve an external, (inter)national leader in higher education and focus on topics of relevance for the broader University learning community.
Customized workshops and discussions are created by the Reinert Center at the invitation of academic departments, programs, colleges, and schools. These offerings are available by request and developed in collaboration with the requesting unit, to ensure that the goals are appropriate (both for the Center's mission and for the unit's goals) and to ensure that sessions are structured appropriately for the intended audience. Sample topics for customized workshops and facilitated conversations include (but are not limited to): assessing and documenting teaching effectiveness in multiple ways; designing learning-focused courses and programs; teaching with technology; and creating inclusive learning environments.
The Reinert Center treats attendance at public events (such as teaching workshops offered through the Reinert Center) as a matter of public record.
Individuals interested in documenting their involvement with Reinert Center programs, may wish to consult these suggestions.