Resources for Developing Courses

Teaching with Art

Syllabi from Williams colleagues provide a useful perspective on the range of approaches to our courses and constructing syllabi, as well as to some of the important information to include such as your conceptualization of the course and your expectations, timing and nature of assignments, how grades will be calculated, and the importance of the honor code and how it operates specifically in your course. Syllabi are archived by the library: visit their website to browse syllabi online. For additional tips on designing your syllabus, see also http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/syllabus/index.html

Allies in developing our courses and syllabi

Using the Library: Library liaisons serve as a resource for faculty for accessing needed materials, providing library instruction support, and working with students on thesis or other projects. For more information, contact the liaison for your department or program.

Using Technology: Instructional support liaisons from the Office for Information Technology (OIT) address questions about the use of technology in instruction, as well as about lab and electronic classroom facilities. For more information, contact the liaison for your department or program.

Teaching Writing and Using Assignments: The Interim Director of the Writing Workshop, Julia Munemo is available for individual faculty consultations on teaching writing and using writing assignments in courses to achieve a variety of pedagogical goals, and also offers a variety of group discussions and workshops. For more information, contact Julia Munemo.

Teaching with Art: The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) collaborates with faculty from a wide variety of disciplines to integrate the museum’s collection, exhibition and programs into your curriculum. For more information, contact Liz Gallerani.

Experiential Education: The Center for Learning in Action helps faculty design and implement experiential courses and projects. The Williams Experiential Education Initiative, begun in 2002, provides design, logistical and financial support to faculty to use experiential learning in their courses.  Faculty select from the variety of experiential pedagogies those they deem most suited to the learning goals of their courses. Check out this list of small and large scale examples of experiential approaches used in coursework at Williams.  For help trying these ideas or developing others, contact Center for Learning in Action Director Paula Consolini.

Funding resources for developing and teaching our courses

The Class of 1963 Sustainability Development Fund This source supports new and innovative ways to educate students on the subject of sustainability.

The Freeman Foote Field Trips Fund This source allows faculty members teaching in Division III to integrate extended field trips into their courses.

The Global Initiatives Venture Fund This source supports expanded opportunities for educationally rigorous and enriching international teaching, learning, and research.