Teaching is, by definition, one of the most collaborative activities in which we as scholars engage. For many of us, the students who pack our lecture halls and surround our seminar tables represent our largest, most interactive audiences. Yet we prepare so much of our teaching alone, our solitary syllabus writing interrupted only occasionally by a conversation with a colleague. At the Bok Center we believe that teaching can be a collaborative act all the way down, and are eager to partner with faculty on the design and delivery of all of their courses.
360 Support for Faculty
We can help with...
Framing Your Course
for the Curriculum
We can work with you to make small tweaks—or big changes—that ensure that students will see how your course fits within their academic program.
— See how we can help
We've worked with faculty to:
- develop learning objectives, titles, and course descriptions which render transparent their intellectual project.
- incorporate exercises that encourage students see how a course relates to their lives in college and beyond.
- compose assignments that ask students to synthesize and apply what they've learned.
Designing Assignments &
Capstones Aligned
with Your Goals
Formative or summative, in-class, out of class, or for the entire course: Bok can help you create meaningful assignments for your students.
— See how we can help
We've worked with faculty to:
- revise flat or dated assignment prompts.
- align assignments with their learning objectives.
- brainstorm new assignment modalities.
- develop new capstone assignments, and scaffold them back through the semester.
- divide a course into units or modules.
- test new assignments with students in our Learning Lab.
Designing Your Syllabus
& Canvas Site
A well designed course deserves to be explained well. We can make sure that students gain a clear picture of your course from the moment they browse the catalogue.
— See how we can help
We've worked with faculty to:
- write, format, and distribute their syllabi.
- create their courses' Canvas sites.
- partner with Academic Technology for the FAS to integrate special features into course websites.
Coordinating with Other
Teaching Support Units
Harvard is a large—and decentralized—place. We can help you find, create, and/or figure out how to incorporate campus resources into your teaching.
— See how we can help
We've worked with faculty to:
- locate materials/collections for use in-class or in assignments.
- conduct background research to inform lectures, assignments, and section activities.
- schedule class activities in libraries, museums, and elsewhere on—or off—campus.
Incorporating New
Teaching Technologies
Eager to incorporate digital assignments and learning experiences? Our coding team can ensure that a new technology works—and works to advance your goals.
— See how we can help
We've helped faculty to:
- design digital assignments (e.g. Timeline.js, Omeka, Cinema4D, etc.).
- add technology to their Canvas sites (ex. Timeline.js or Omeka).
- enable students to make movies, model artifacts, and complete other creative assignments.
- use online annotation tools to help students understand what "reading" means in different contexts.
Planning Your Use
of In-Class Time
The launch of Harvard's new class schedule makes this a great time to rethink the way you use class time. We can assist you in making every course meeting well-paced and intentional.
— See how we can help
We've helped faculty to:
- explore a wide range of engaged instructional strategies.
- brainstorm ways to use the new 75-minute class period more creatively.
- walk through how they might implement specific techniques or plans for lectures and/or sections.
- set up a recurring meeting with them and/or their Teaching Fellows as the semester gets underway.
Supporting & Training
Your Teaching Fellows
Teaching offers graduate students unique opportunities for professional development—but also unique challenges. We can develop customized support for your teaching staff.
— See how we can help
We've worked with faculty to:
- schedule, design, and deliver individual or group trainings (microteaching, class observation, videotaping, etc.).
- schedule meetings with Teaching Fellows to hone specific section activities.
- develop strategies to support, and grade, a wide array of activities and assignments.
Read more about the full array of Bok's graduate student support
Hosting Course-
Related Events
Students are more enthusiastic than ever about working together on group projects. Our Learning Lab can host special events for you and your students.
