• Mission Statement
• Resources for New Faculty
• Resources for All Faculty
• Resources for TAs and Supervisors
• Upcoming Events
• Upcoming Conferences
• Funding Opportunities
• Reports
• Related Sites
  • Certificate in College Teaching
  • Teaching with Technology Collaboratory
  • Center for Communication Across the Curriculum
  • Project Advising Resources

Mission Statement

Guiding Philosophy

One of the most important tasks facing higher education today is the reaffirmation of the undergraduate experience and the rediscovery of the centrality of teaching. The quality of a student's experience rests heavily upon the knowledge, ability, learning, and commitment of faculty members. The Center for Educational Development & Assessment (CEDA) was established to promote reflective thought and dialogue on the art, science, and craft of college teaching. Its mission is founded in three basic beliefs:

• Good teaching is founded in core beliefs and attitudes, which are largely innate to the individual, and in good practice, which can be learned and improved upon.
• Technology is a useful tool in the delivery of instruction, when used in support of sound pedagogy.
• Meaningful assessment is crucial to the ongoing improvement of teaching and learning processes.

Concrete Actions

CEDA carries out this mission by providing support for the enhancement and assessment of teaching and learning at WPI, including but not limited to teaching and learning that is assisted and enhanced by technology. Its activities include:

1. Promoting educational development at WPI, by such means as:
   • participating in orientation and training for PLAs, TAs and faculty;
   • organizing a mentoring program for new faculty;
   • organizing and conducting skill building workshops by both internal and outside presenters on teaching improvement topics;
   • maintaining and disseminating a collection of instructional and faculty development materials on teaching improvement topics;
   • consulting with faculty concerning teaching improvement issues;
   • promoting a culture that values teaching by keeping teaching issues visible to the campus community;
   • providing assistance in educational grant writing;
   • providing assistance in the preparation of publications and presentations of educational innovations and educational scholarship;
   • administering internal programs of grant support for educational projects.
2. Helping to promote the pedagogically sound use of educational technology at WPI, by such means as:
   • organizing and conducting skill building workshops by both internal and outside presenters on teaching-with-technology topics;
   • maintaining and disseminating a collection of instructional and faculty development materials concerning the use of educational technology;
3. Promoting the ongoing assessment and improvement of teaching and learning at WPI, by such means as:
   • educating faculty and helping departments to embed assessment and improvement of learning outcomes in their course and project teaching and their departmental curricular review processes;
   • assisting faculty and departments in the development of assessment plans for educational research projects;
   • providing individual faculty and departments with qualified personnel to assist them in the conduct of their assessment plans;
   • promoting a culture of assessment by keeping assessment issues visible to the community;
   • organizing and conducting skill building workshops by both internal and outside presenters on assessment topics;
   • maintaining and disseminating a collection of instructional and faculty development materials concerning assessment practices.

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Last modified: Jun 22, 2005, 11:01 EDT

Center for Educational Development & Assessment (CEDA) - Worcester Polytechnic Institute
100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609-2280
Phone: +1-508-831-5707 - ceda@wpi.edu