Committee on Effective Teaching - UTDPP1024

Policy Statement

The Committee on Effective Teaching is a Concurrent Committee of the Academic Senate of The University of Texas at Dallas. The Committee oversees and encourages the development of a wide range of tools and facilities to promote excellence in teaching across all disciplines and levels within the University. It will, on a continuing basis, refine the definition and measurement of excellence in teaching, and advise the University and Academic Senate of needs for and availability of new technology and training for teachers.

The competitions for all University level teaching awards will be managed by the Committee. It will forward its recommendations for award winners to the President.

The Committee will contact each individual School Committee on Effective Teaching, or its equivalent, and offer to support the work of the School committees. The Committee will create and refine procedures for the training of and monitoring of the teaching effectiveness of graduate teaching assistants, including periodically examining the value and processes of the Graduate Teaching Certificate and Advanced Graduate Teaching Certificate programs (and their postdoctoral equivalents).

The Committee will create and refine procedures for the training of and monitoring of the teaching effectiveness of graduate teaching assistants.

The Committee will receive complaints about and requests for improvements in the teaching environments on campus and pass on recommendations for improvements to the University administration.

The Committee will encourage and review the funding of projects in the use of new technology and new teaching methods, both on campus and by transmission to remote sites. It will also advise the University administration and Academic Senate on ways to ease the transition to "the high-tech classroom."

As part of the general requirement to improve awareness of new ideas and new technologies, the Committee will advise the Center for Teaching and Learning in inviting renowned speakers to give seminars on campus.

By November 1, the Chair of the Committee will provide the Speaker of the Faculty with a copy of the agenda established by the Committee for its work during the academic year.

Annually, but no later than May 31, the Chair of the Committee will provide the Speaker of the Faculty with a written report for the Academic Senate of the Committee's activities for the prior academic year.

The Committee is composed of voting members that include one faculty member from each school appointed from the membership of the General Faculty (as defined in UTDPP1088), one undergraduate student appointed by Student Government, one graduate student appointed by the Graduate Student Association. In addition, technical experts from Educational Technology Services and the Provost's Technology Group will be appointed by their Directors, respectively. The Graduate Dean, the Dean of Undergraduate Education and such Associate Deans for Undergraduate Education of the schools who have not been appointed as voting members serve as non-voting members, ex officio. The Center of Teaching and Learning (CTL) director will serve as a non-voting member, ex officio. The Provost or Provost's designee serves as the Responsible University Official.

Unless specified otherwise in this charge, Committee members are appointed to two-year terms, and the Chair and Vice Chair are appointed annually. The terms for appointed members shall be staggered so that no more than one-half of the terms expire in any one year. Members may be reappointed by the President for additional terms upon nomination of the Academic Council. If for any reason a Committee member resigns, the President, upon nomination of the Academic Council, shall appoint another individual to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.