Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
What we do
- Engage with faculty through programs, events, and workshops to foster teaching innovation and promote student learning and engagement.
- Offer professional learning opportunities on emerging technology, educational technology applications, and practical strategies and resources for the classroom.
- Promote an optimal environment for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that encourages engagement, authenticity, inclusion, and respect in all modalities (i.e., on-ground, hybrid, online synchronous, and asynchronous).
- Provide training for new faculty and support for programs specific to a department or school upon request.
In conjunction with the Professional Development Committee, UB faculty and staff host an annual Faculty Development Day each spring. Faculty Development Day is a designated time for our faculty to engage in professional growth activities to enrich their teaching practice. The day includes workshops, seminars, and collaborative sessions focused on current educational trends, educational technology, student support and services, instructional techniques, and curriculum development. This day fosters a supportive and collaborative environment for our faculty to exchange ideas, reflect on their practices, and stay updated with advancements in their field.
Stay tuned for information on UB’s Faculty Development Day 2025!
For previous event brochures and workshop recordings:
At UB, faculty are provided opportunities for professional development on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, which aims to eliminate learning barriers and create engaging learning experiences for diverse learners across various settings and modalities of learning.
UDL (CAST, 2018) is a scientifically based approach to designing curricula, implementing instruction, and assessing learning to ensure equal access for all students. It operates on the principle that students learn best when given multiple opportunities and flexible ways to engage with content and demonstrate their knowledge.
The framework is built around three main principles and their associated guidelines:
- Engagement: Varying methods to motivate and involve students
- Representation: Offering different ways to present and teach essential course concepts
- Action and Expression: Help students become goal-directed learners through flexible means of demonstrating their understanding
UDL emphasizes that curricula, instruction, and assessment should be adaptable from the outset to accommodate diverse learning needs. It is grounded in inclusivity, fairness, and equity, aiming to provide every student with the same opportunities to succeed. The ultimate goal of UDL is to develop expert learners who are purposeful, motivated, resourceful, knowledgeable, strategic, and goal directed.
UB’s faculty can make an appointment or access the CELT resources by visiting the Faculty Resources page. In addition, the following resources may be helpful for new faculty: