THE MISSION of the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) is to maximize the University’s academic impact by advancing innovation in the

classroom and sharing expertise on teaching and learning. CTE strives to inspire, enable, and facilitate the education of students and teaching

staff to create a pedagogically cultivating university.

T H E C E N T E R F O R T E A C H I N G E X C E L L E N C E D I R E C T O R ’ S L E T T E R

After a reboot in October 2012, we set out to build a team and expand the mission of the Center for Teaching Excellence. With

overwhelming support from the Provost and President, 2013 was a year of outstanding growth and campus wide impact for the Center.

Our team has led numerous high-impact initiatives that have improved learning outcomes throughout campus. With thousands of hours

of faculty interactions, we have helped enhance student learning both in the classroom and through digital resources online. One of our

greatest strengths is the diversity of our initiatives, which provide resources for instructors in all stages of their careers.

I am pleased to highlight our team and programs as we inspire engagement in the classroom, support faculty innovations across campus,

and create enhanced learning experiences. Through our continuous efforts, we strive to facilitate an excellent learning experience for the

students at the University of Oklahoma.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mark Morvant

Executive Director

S I G N A T U R E C O U R S E SSignature courses enhance the traditional classroom experience by offering additional online materials designed to engage students outside of the

classroom and improve the learning experience. CTE has developed sections for Exploring U.S. History 1483 and 1493, and Political Science

1113, which includes videos on democracy from President Boren and faculty.

American Federa l Government | democracy.ou.edu

E xplor ing U. S . H istor y | explorehistor y.ou.edu

O P E N C O U R S E S : J A N U XJanux is an online interactive learning community that gives students direct connections to courses, educational

resources, faculty, and each other. The courses are freely available to the public but may be taken for college

credit by enrolled OU students. The interactive environment allows for students to connect in meaningful ways

with other learners through features such as note sharing, chat, and an interactive media viewer. Janux is a

product of the One University Digital Initiative and built in partnership between OU and NextThought.

TOTAL COURSES20 courses across 15 departments

OU STUDENTS TAKING JANUX COURSES

2,300+

OPEN STUDENTS TAKING JANUX COURSES 15,000+

DEMOGRAPHICS OF OPEN STUDENTS

All 50 States, 107 Countries

TOP COUNTRIES BY VISIT

US, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Spain,

Mexico, Brazil, Netherlands, South Korea,

Sweden

A D A M C R O O M D I R E C T O R O F D I G I T A L C O U R S E SAs Director of Digital Courses, Adam Croom enhances student success through supporting faculty who

wish to create innovative, digital learning environments. He is an adjunct professor for the Gaylord

College of Journalism and Mass Communication, and curates TEDxOU, an independent TED event

which has accumulated more than 500,000 views worldwide. Croom is the Project Director for freedom.

ou.edu, which hosts talks on freedom and the course, “The Story of Freedom is America” by Dr. J.

Rufus Fears, a course frequently in Top 10 Courses on iTunesU. Most recently, he was honored as a 2013

Journal Record Innovator of the Year. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from OU.

H O N G L I N A S S O C I A T E D I R E C T O R

As the Associate Director, Hong Lin organizes faculty learning communities, manages course redesign, and consults with faculty to

identify best pedagogical and technological solutions in traditional, blended, and online learning environments. Lin has been a faculty

member, Instructional Designer, and Director with expertise in instructional design, educational technology, and faculty development.

Before joining OU, she was the department head of Faculty Development at Oklahoma State University, where she led faculty

professional development initiatives and served on committees to enhance teaching effectiveness and technology integration into the

curriculum. She has a Doctorate in Learning and Performance System from Penn State.

F A C U L T Y L E A R N I N G C O M M U N I T I E S

Our learning communities provide faculty opportunities to collaborate, connect, and communicate across disciplines about

innovative teaching strategies. The learning communities are organized around specific topics and are facilitated by faculty across

campus. These topics are meant to foster teaching innovation, promote peer learning and networking, and provide time and space

for faculty to reflect on enhancing student learning.

NEW FACULTY SEMINAR

This seminar introduces

new faculty to the university

and to the services and

resources that assist them

in their scholarly activities.

During the semester,

speakers from several

departments will provide

vital information about their

main services and functions.

In addition, new faculty

will learn the cultural

and social opportunities

available in the community,

as well as network with

other new faculty in various

disciplines.

TEACHING ASSISTANT ORIENTATION ( TAO)

The colloquium is a one-

day conference on topics

of teaching excellence

open to Oklahoma college

and university faculty,

instructors, and graduate

students. This faculty-

organized, annual event

provides lectures, keynote

speakers, and breakout

sessions to enhance

instructors’ skills as

educators, as well as forums

to discuss the challenges

of college teaching at a

research university.

DEVELOPMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL TEACHING ASSISTANT (DITA)

This program is designed

to help International

Teaching Assistants become

familiar with American

classroom culture,

pedagogy, and university

policies. This three-day

program is required for

all International Teaching

Assistants who are new to

lecturing at OU, including

those who have previously

worked at other American

universities.

NEW FACULTY BOOT CAMP

The Faculty Boot Camp

program provides new

faculty with critical

information about

syllabus development,

teaching techniques, the

Desire2Learn platform,

and technology-facilitated

instruction. It is one way

the University invests

in new faculty, and is a

great opportunity to ask

questions, share experience,

and network with other new

faculty around campus.

J A S O N F I T Z S I M M O N S I N S T R U C T I O N A L D E S I G N E R

As an Instructional Consultant, Jason FitzSimmons is responsible for coordinating the One University Digital Curriculum Initiative

Training Program, Teaching Assistant Orientation, Development of International Teaching Assistants, and New Faculty Seminar.

Previously, he was the Supervisor of Training and Support for classroom technologies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,

and the Director for the Academic Success Center at York College. His primary areas of interest are faculty and graduate student

development, college and departmental engagement, organizational and program development as well as STEM education. FitzSimmons

received a Bachelors of Science and a Masters in Civil Engineering, and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from the College of

Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

A C A D E M I C T E C H N O L O G Y E X P O

OUACADEMIC TECH.COM

In collaboration with OU Information Technology and the OU Libraries, the annual expo highlights existing and emerging IT

resources and approaches that facilitate improvements in the learning and teaching process. Open to faculty, the ATE helps to

educate and inspire innovative uses of technology to improve classroom outcomes.

T E A C H I N G S C H O L A R ’ S I N T I A T I V E ( TSI) COLLOQIUM

The colloquium is a one-day conference

on topics of teaching excellence open to

Oklahoma college and university faculty,

instructors, and graduate students. This

faculty-organized annual event provides

lectures, keynote speakers, and breakout

sessions to enhanced instructors skills as

educators, as well as forums to discuss

the challenges of college teaching at a

research university. As an Instructional Designer, Angie Calton consults on course design and content

production, and supports faculty training and development. Calton has been involved

in a range of instructional projects and initiatives. Before joining CTE, she was an

instructional designer in digital game-based learning at the K-20 Center. As the

Academic Operations Manager for EF Education, she provided educational leadership

and faculty development. Additionally, she worked as the Chief Development Editor at

englishtown.com, where she served as the instructional designer on a multi-million dollar

project. Calton has a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from the University of Kansas.

A N G I E C A L T O N I N S T R U C T I O N A L D E S I G N E R

S H E A R O N W O O D O F F I C E M A N A G E RShearon Wood serves as the Office Manager for the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Administrative Assistant to the Executive

Director. She has been at the University of Oklahoma as a student and staff member for over 16 years, the last 12 years at the Center.

Having worked with several directors in the department during this time, Shearon brings a great deal of experience and institutional

knowledge to her role. In 2000, Shearon earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from the Price College of

Business at the University of Oklahoma. Graduating from the University of Oklahoma has become a tradition for her family, as both of

her sons are OU graduates as well.

F E L I X W A O D I R E C T O R O F A C A D E M I C A S S E S S M E N TAs Director of Academic Assessment for Learning Outcomes, Felix Wao assists in the development of course-level assessment processes,

works to integrate course assessment with program assessment, facilitates assessment workshops, reviews Annual Program Assessment

Reports and provides feedback to the Academic Program Review committee, and advises members of the Provost’s Advisory Committee

on General Education. Previously, he was the Director of Assessment at Bridgewater State University. Prior to that, he was the Assistant

Director of Assessment at the University of South Florida, where he played a key role in developing a program assessment management

system. He is versed in assessment and learning management systems, student information systems, and the assessment standards of various

accrediting agencies.

W I L L I A M F A R R E L L D I R E C T O R O F V I D E O P R O D U C T I O NWilliam “Biff” Farrell is an Academic Multimedia Specialist and the Director of Video Production at

CTE. Working with OU faculty and staff, he guides the training, implementation and production of

video into learning environments, while also researching new and perhaps disruptive media solutions for

higher education. William has a Bachelors in English and a Masters in Educational Video and Media

Production. Previously, he was an Associate Professor and Department Head of Video Production at

Pellissippi State in Knoxville. He has worked in media production in both higher education and the

private sector since 1995. Internationally, Farrell has taught documentary production, independent

projects, photography and media technologies in France, Belgium and Holland.

O P E N E D U C A T I O N A L R E S O U R C E SThe Center for Teaching Excellence creates iBooks in

collaboration with other departments to enhance learning

across campus.

O U I N A R E Z Z O

This iBook series provides students a summer guide to living

in Arezzo. It was created in collaboration with the College of

International Studies. The professional design and detailed

content make this summer guide an exemplary sample of the

resources being developed by CTE.

O R G A N I C C H E M I S T R Y L A B O R A T O R Y M A N U A L

The Organic Chemistry Laboratory Manual was developed

in collaboration with the authors, Dr. Mark Morvant and

Dr. Ronald L. Halerman. It is used in the Department of

Chemistry and Biochemistry as part of a two semester course

in organic chemistry. Since its creation, the manual has been

downloaded over 1000 times.

STEPHANIE SHILL ING HE AD DESIGNER

As Head Visual Designer for CTE, Stephanie Shilling heads

up a team of student designers responsible for designing

animated videos, infographics, iBooks, and other educational

materials. Previously, Stephanie was the Lead Graphic

Designer at the OU Alumni Association, as well as the

Creative Director at Appable, a mobile app company. During

her career, Stephanie has worked with notable clients such as

Nike and Tufts University. Stephanie has a Bachelors in Visual

Communications from OU.

THAO PHAM AC ADEMIC APPLIC ATION DE VELOPER

Thao Pham utilizes her experience in both instructional design

and information technology as the Academic Application

Developer for CTE. She is an advocate for Web standards,

Web accessibility, and content-f irst Web design. Before joining

the Center, Pham was a software developer for a company

that pioneered online K-12 education. During this time, she

developed a special interest in instructional design, SCORM,

and LOR, LMSs. Pham graduated from University of

Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science

and Mathematics.

A N N A S H I L L I N G graphic designer

H A R P E R B O T T O R F F video production

S A R A H B YA R S office assistant

M I K A E L A C O U C H graphic designer

PAT R I C K VA U G H N video production

A N DY G O M E Z video production

U N D E R G R A D U A T E S T U D E N T E M P L O Y E E S

K E E G A N L O N G -W H E E L E R S H U M I N X U YA N WA N G

G R A D U A T E S T U D E N T E M P L O Y E E S

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W : T E A C H . O U . E D U // T: (4 0 5 ) 3 2 5 -2 3 2 3 // E : T E A C H @ O U . E D U // T W : @ T E A C H O U