Our Mission
The mission of the Teaching and Learning Center at Great Falls College MSU is to empower faculty to teach high-quality, accessible courses in a variety of modalities to a diverse student population.
What We Do
The Teaching and Learning Center offers various services, including faculty training and professional development, faculty coaching and mentoring, course design reviews, digital accessibility guidance, and curated resources.
Faculty Training and Professional Development
The TLC has a variety of workshops available in our TLC Resource Center in D2L Brightspace. We also offer live workshops each semester. We facilitate professional learning communities (PLCs) centered around specific topics or themes based on demand and interest. All workshops are eligible for Office of Public Instruction (OPI) renewal units and count toward faculty promotion. We are continually adding to our catalog of offerings.
Faculty Coaching and Mentoring
The TLC staff enjoys supporting faculty members interested in expanding and improving teaching, learning, and assessment practices. Our Instructional Design Cafe' is our version of open office hours where faculty can drop in (virtually) to discuss anything related to teaching and learning. On-demand coaching sessions on a walk-in and appointment basis are always available. We can schedule ongoing appointments to address specific issues, such as aligning course outcomes to assessments. Faculty can invite Becky to observe their face-to-face or online class and work in a partnership to improve their teaching craft. Let us know how we can help!
Course Design Reviews
Our instructional designer performs a course design review the first time a class is taught online, as a hybrid, or in a hyflex format using a course review checklist. Once established, we will review course shells every three years. The course reviews are separate from the faculty evaluation process and serve as a collaborative review of the course design, not an evaluation of the course's content. Faculty may also request informal, collaborative course reviews from the instructional designer at any time.
Digital Accessibility Guidance
Our instructional designer assists faculty with correcting any digital accessibility issues and proactively verifies accessibility compliance upon request by the faculty member.
Curated Resources and Collaboration
In addition to the TLC Resource Center (the home for workshops and training), we maintain the Faculty Tools Training course shell to provide resources for using D2L Brightspace and other instructional technology. Faculty can access the TLC Team for live chat, collaboration with other instructors, access to live training, and links to curated Wakelet collections that offer links to helpful articles, websites, and media on all things teaching, learning, and assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! Please email Becky to share your ideas. We are happy to partner with you, advertise your session, and help in any way.
Usually! Please complete the OPI Renewal Unit Request Form and send it to Becky with the appropriate documentation: some proof of attendance, the name of the training/conference, the location of the training/conference, and the agenda or some of the objectives of the training/conference. Feel free to complete the form prior to participating in the training if you want pre-approval; we are happy to take a look for you.
No. Tuition waivers are only available for courses that are a part of a “program”, not for one-off courses. However, your course still counts for Tenure and Promotion purposes as a graduate-level course.
How the TLC Aligns with the College
The Teaching and Learning Center's mission directly aligns with the college's mission, as our faculty need to be well-trained and innovative to support the success of a diverse student population and meet the needs of our community. The Teaching and Learning Center develops planned and "just in time" training and workshops that align with faculty responses to surveys, faculty recommendations, and needs identified through data analysis of course design reviews. We support student success by offering instructors individual coaching and mentoring to incorporate effective teaching and learning practices.