The Center for Faculty Excellence is the University’s lead resource for teaching and learning support for faculty, staff, and graduate students. The CFE provides professional development workshops and training sessions, instructional design consultations, web resources, communities of practice, certificate programs, and more—all designed to support the BGSU teaching community.

The Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) is excited to announce its upcoming schedule of workshops and sessions for the fall semester facilitated by CFE Team members. The list of upcoming workshops and sessions cover a variety of topics from designing courses in Canvas to integrating AI into your instruction. New this semester is the Thrive@BGSU: New & Early Career Faculty Series, a series of virtual and on-campus events designed to support faculty and instructors in their first three years at BGSU. To learn more about upcoming sessions, visit the Session Catalog.

Advance registration is required for all CFE events. Registration closes one business day before the event. CFE workshops and events are open to all BGSU faculty members, adjunct instructors, graduate students, and administrative and classified staff members, unless noted otherwise.

If you need special services, assistance or appropriate modifications to fully participate in the event, please contact the CFE office or Accessibility Services at access@bgsu.edu or 419-372-8495. Please notify Accessibility Services and/or the CFE office prior to the event.

Session Catalog

BGSU Syllabus Template & Required Policy Language

The CFE has developed an accessible Syllabus Template that includes a combination of required policy language, CBA expectations, and example statements that are not required. If you would like assistance developing your syllabus, please schedule a consultation with a CFE instructional designer.

The University and the BGSU Faculty Association (FA) share a common goal of supporting student success. Article 9, Section 2.7 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) states the following minimum expectations for inclusion in your course syllabus:

• A clear statement on course expectations
• The schedule and methods of assessment
• Indicators of support for student success
• Pedagogical efforts that engage students in the learning process

In addition to the CBA’s expectations above, the University requires that all syllabi include the statements in the Required University Policy Statements section. These statements are based on obligations imposed by state and federal law. Please note, the Remotely Proctored Testing statement is only required if the instructor is utilizing remotely proctored testing.

Other sections of this template may be removed or modified based on your course.

BGSU Syllabus Template

Schedule an Instructional Design Consultation

Are you looking for support in designing and building your courses in Canvas or using Canvas tools? A CFE Instructional Designer (ID) can help! CFE IDs offer one-on-one consultations on a variety of topics, including academic tools and technology, Canvas tools, course content adaptation and development, course review, video recording, Quality Matters Rubric application, and syllabus development and review.

To request a consultation with a CFE ID, complete the CFE Instructional Design Consultation Request Form.

To find out more about instructional design services, visit the Instructional Designer Consultations page.

CFE Instructional Design Consultation Request Form

Generative AI Resource Repository

The CFE has designed an online Generative AI Resource repository for members of the BGSU teaching community. The repository includes modules with links to resources related to using generative AI for teaching and learning purposes. This repository will remain open and available throughout the academic year. The CFE maintains the repository and will periodically update the resources and information included.

If you have questions about repository content, please email cfe@bgsu.edu. If you are interested in using AI in your courses and would like assistance from a CFE instructional designer, please schedule a consultation. For hands-on or more in-depth explorations of AI, please review CFE offerings including professional development sessions and communities of practice. 

Use this link to self-enroll in the repository for the course tile to appear on your Canvas home screen.

Help Your Students Develop AI Literacy

The CFE has adapted an AI Literacy module for students that can be used in your course(s) or as supplemental material. The module includes pages dedicated to four competencies: recognition, comprehension, critical thinking, and proficiency, which adapted from The AI Literacy Imperative: Empowering Instructors and Students (Anders, 2023). The module aims to help students develop the skills and knowledge to navigate an AI-driven world. Within the module, students will explore strategies to determine when, where, and why (or why not) to employ AI.

Incorporating this AI literacy module into your course(s) is optional. You can share this link with students if you would like to use the module as supplementary material outside of your Canvas course. If you’d like to import the module into your existing course(s), please schedule an instructional design consultation and choose “Import AI Literacy Module” as your consultation topic. If you have questions about the module, please contact the CFE.