Fourth Annual Celebration of Faculty

At the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Design, we are privileged to work alongside exceptional faculty members who dedicate themselves to improving teaching, learning, and student engagement across MSU Denver. Throughout the year, our faculty partners embrace innovative practices, engage in transformative projects, and strive to create inclusive, impactful learning experiences for all students.

This Monday, May 19th is our fourth annual Celebration of Faculty.
[Registration is full, but you are welcome to join the waitlist if you think you might join us.]

Empowering Effective Teaching: ACUE, FLCs and RIT

Faculty members who participate in the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) courses are equipped with research-based strategies that foster active learning, promote student inquiry, and cultivate a culture of belonging in the classroom. This year we had our first-ever ACUE course open to both faculty and staff – Fostering a Culture of Belonging – as well as other impactful courses like Inspiring Inquiry and Preparing Lifelong Learners and Promoting Active Learning.
Additionally, the Roadrunner Instructor Training (RIT) program continues to provide foundational teaching strategies for faculty in all course formats, supporting their development as effective educators. Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) also foster collaborative learning among faculty and staff, exploring themes like experiential learning, Indigenous knowledge integration, and student engagement strategies.

Innovative Course Development

Our course development projects are intensive collaborations, with faculty and their CTLD staff partners investing over 300 hours to create amazing courses. This past year, standout projects included courses that enhanced student engagement through gamification, created comprehensive OER resources, and developed inclusive, culturally relevant curriculum materials. Six outstanding projects involving nine faculty partners will be recognized with Design Achievement Awards.

Promoting Accessibility and Inclusion

Accessibility is a central theme at CTLD, where we work with Proactive Accessibility Liaisons (PALs) and Accessibility Champions to embed inclusive design principles across course materials. This year, the inaugural PAL cohort tackled high-impact accessibility projects, from developing Canvas modules to creating AI-enhanced captioning tools for classroom use.

Strengthening Faculty Networks through RFA and Peer Associates

The Roadrunner Faculty Academy (RFA) offers new tenure-track faculty the opportunity to connect, share experiences, and gain valuable support as they transition into their roles. Throughout the year-long program, participants build community and collaborate on projects that enrich both their courses and the broader MSU Denver community.

Peer Associates play a crucial role in bridging the gap between the CTLD and the hundreds of MSU Denver faculty. Peer Associates directly help other faculty with effective teaching, modern course design and creating accessible content, and then make sure those faculty know how to access additional support.

Looking across the projects we’re celebrating this year, three themes stand out to me. I see how we are working to create and maintain support networks that extend across departments and disciplines. We want opportunities for faculty to connect and learn from each other through programs like the Roadrunner Faculty Academy, Faculty Learning Communities, and Peer Associates. These networks move us all toward better outcomes for our students and toward a stronger sense of community.

We continue to focus on making courses more inclusive and accessible. Faculty are embedding accessible design into their courses through OER resources and proactive accessibility strategies, showing how to make inclusion the focus, rather than compliance.

Finally, I’m gratified to see our emphasis on active engagement teaching methods. Whether through ACUE courses, course development projects, or gamified learning experiences, faculty are creating spaces where students don’t just absorb content — they actively engage with it, think critically, and apply their learning.

The work our faculty members do in partnership with CTLD is more than just participation in projects — it is a testament to their commitment to advancing student learning and academic excellence. And that is what we celebrate each year at the CTLD Celebration of Faculty.

Generative AI disclosure: After creating the awards presentation and other descriptions of the Celebration of Faculty, I worked with generative AI to write this piece. Want to know more? Send me an email and we can chat!