“[Generative AI] presented us with new challenges and posed big questions … Answering these questions will take effort, ingenuity, and planning in the years ahead.”

From the Executive Director

If last year was about moving farther from the pandemic-driven rapid response work of the past two years, this year was about returning to important work delayed by the pandemic, celebrating successes, and exploring new frontiers in teaching and learning. Designing creative, meaningful, inclusive, and transformative learning experiences continues to excite us and animate our work.

One of the highlights this year was the ALI Symposium, a two-day celebration of 10 years of the Active Learning Initiative (ALI). The ALI has helped transform the learning experience of thousands of Cornell undergraduates in almost 100 classes across 21 departments. Highlighting and celebrating that work – and the many other innovative ways Cornell faculty are improving learning – was a validation of the impact our work can have.

On the technology front, we explored the exciting ground of immersive environments, including augmented, virtual, and extended reality (XR), and their application to teaching and learning. Our XR team made connections across Cornell, including Cornell Tech, and highlighted faculty who have been experimenting with XR in their own classrooms, some supported by CTI innovation grants. We expect this work to continue in the new year.

Meanwhile, the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022 presented us with new challenges and posed big questions. What impact will generative AI have on teaching and learning, and our lives? How can we help faculty ethically integrate these tools, where relevant, to help accelerate student learning, while avoiding the risk that generative AI inhibits student mastery of necessary foundational learning? Answering these questions will take effort, ingenuity, and planning in the years ahead.

A robust planning process will help us develop a coordinated strategic response. Read our full assessment report.

Mission

The Center for Teaching Innovation partners with the Cornell teaching community to explore and foster inclusive, evidence-based teaching practices. We facilitate the development of vibrant, challenging, and reflective student-centered learning experiences.

Departmental Goals

CTI’s departmental goals are the framework for our team’s collective action in support of our mission. These goals are perennial and are reaffirmed every five years.

As a department, the CTI...

• works with instructors to improve the student learning experience.
• fosters a culture of excellence in teaching and assessment.
• supports the innovative use of educational technology.
• designs professional development opportunities for graduate students and postdocs to prepare future faculty.
• contributes to the fields of faculty development and teaching and learning.
• employs systematic and transparent planning processes.
• fosters a positive and cross-functional team environment.
• practices good stewardship of university resources.
  

The CTI is dedicated to maintaining a breadth and depth of engagement with faculty and future faculty, in the name of fostering innovative, diverse, and evidence-based learning environments at Cornell.

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Strategic Plan

CTI’s work is grounded in a collaboratively written annual strategic plan. This plan informs stakeholders of our strategic objectives for any given year and guides our ongoing departmental assessment efforts.

Strategic Priorities for 2022-2023

The pandemic made innovators of us all, but innovation of necessity is not the same as innovation borne of curiosity, an experimental spirit, and creative aspiration. We sought to return to that spirit of innovation in 2022-2023, making time to investigate exciting creative pedagogies, such as digital storytelling, and new technologies, such as extended reality. Defining “Innovation” as one of our strategic priorities helped to set the tone for the academic year and ensured we were planful in our explorations.

Planfulness itself was another area where we knew we wanted to place our focus. We selected “Assessment & Evaluation” as our second strategic priority, knowing that it was time to formalize our departmental assessment protocol in a way that aligns with our improved strategic planning process. Developing and implementing an inclusive and comprehensive assessment protocol – and broadly sharing our findings in multiple modalities – reflects CTI’s core values. Building those efforts, and deepening our own culture of assessment, was a major focus of the year

Strategic Priorities in Action

Completion of Program Review for the International Teaching Assistant Program

Throughout the 2022-2023 academic year, CTI implemented all of the recommendations from the past year’s formal internal review of the International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP). These recommendations included a complete revision of the ITAP curriculum, a redesign of the program’s operational support and communication processes, the establishment of a new language proficiency course, and the completion of ACTFL training and certification by all ITAP instructors.

Implementing a Department-Wide Assessment Protocol

Following an extended pandemic-related delay, CTI successfully developed and implemented a comprehensive, systematic, and transparent department-wide assessment protocol. This annual report is the second of its kind, and serves to document CTI’s ongoing effort to execute its strategic plan and communicate this effort, both internally and to the broader Cornell community.

Exploration of Teaching in Immersive Environments: Augmented, Virtual, and Extended Reality

The CTI developed a team to explore immersive technologies, focusing on how such environments can deepen and enrich student learning. In addition to developing instructional design expertise, our Tech Lab acquired and supported VR headsets for class use. Building on support for innovation grants and a partnership with Cornell Tech, CTI hosted a faculty VR showcase in spring 2023.

Provision of Consultative Support for Generative Artificial Intelligence

Responding quickly to interest in and concerns raised by ChatGPT, CTI quickly developed web resources and departmental presentations that could prepare faculty for the spring semester. During that semester CTI hosted faculty listening sessions, conducted a survey of university faculty, contributed to the university committee’s report on generative AI and education, and helped faculty prepare for the fall semester.

In the News

Sharing stories of Cornell faculty’s innovations in the classroom doesn't just celebrate past accomplishments in teaching – it can also be a means of community-building, and a source of inspiration. Learn how faculty are transforming their classrooms and courses – and how the CTI can support faculty in creating vibrant learning environments.

Contributions to the Field

Education is inherently collaborative, both within and across universities. Through conference presentations and publications, the CTI encouraged insightful and inclusive strategies for student learning with peer institutions and publications, and participated in cross-discipline conversations about new approaches in technology, trauma-informed pedagogy, and more.

Specialized Workshops

The Advanced Graduate Teaching Cohort emphasized furthering teaching skills.