About CELT

​The Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching (CELT) was formed as a result of Tulane University‘s 2008 “What’s Your Big Idea” initiative and Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to enrich student learning at Tulane.

In planning the QEP, Tulane recognized that engaged learning can take many forms. When we officially opened our doors in spring 2011, we offered students opportunities to participate in engaged learning experiences that complemented their academic and career goals through two core areas Research Engagement (RE) and Social Innovation Engagement (SI). Our third core, Classroom Engagement (CE) empowered faculty to reflect on pedagogy specific to their disciplines and provided resources to create an atmosphere of engagement both in and out of the classroom. In fall 2012, Experiential Engagement (EE), our fourth core was added to provide informational and pragmatic support for students to encourage them to go beyond the classroom and become involved in career-related activities such as internships and externships.

In the past decade, CELT has undergone some notable and exciting changes. In 2014-15, a generous donation to the University resulted in the creation of the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking. At the end of that academic year, CELT’s Social Innovation programming and personnel moved to the Taylor Center. This allowed the Taylor Center to become the locus for social innovation programming that it is today.

In July 2015, the Final Report of the President’s Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience was published, and CELT was mentioned as a key factor to strengthening the quality of academic instruction. The report noted that “[w]e can address the need for more purposeful undergraduate pedagogy with two fairly substantial institutional changes.”

The first of the two recommended changes was to reshape CELT as a faculty center for teaching. Based on this and our self-assessment as part of the Fifth Year Impact reporting for 2017-18, we shifted our focus to training faculty and providing faculty-student programs as the most effective way of achieving the goals set out in the original QEP plan. Some faculty-student programs included research info sessions, faculty mentored undergraduate research grants, and research poster sessions.

With the reshaping of CELT to a faculty center, the 2019 academic year introduced the 1^st annual Sparking Success: Faculty Development Conference. Sparking Success was introduced as a platform where faculty of all disciplines and experience levels can share best practices, innovative approaches, and practical ideas to enhance any aspect(s) of faculty life. This conference has brought on an abundance of engagement through interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaborations and continues to do so today.

During the Spring 2020 semester, the Tulane community shifted to move instruction completely online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a reaction, CELT created the Online Teaching Training (OTT) initiative which provided faculty with the fundamentals of course design needed to conduct successful engagement in online pedagogy. This training ensured faculty-to-student and student-to-student engagement, accessible content, informative feedback, and appropriate assessments. Another reaction to the changes in instruction was the creation of the Teach Anywhere Guide by the Innovative Learning Center (ILC) and CELT. This guide along with weekly online office hours provide on-demand assistance to faculty with any technology and/or pedagogy needs.

As part of the AY 20 - 21 strategic plan, CELT defined it’s core purpose as “to create meaningful learning through exceptional teaching.” From this strategic plan CELT created the Graduate Pedagogy Education program, which consists of CELT 7010 – The Essentials of Teaching & Learning, CELT 7020 – Practical Course Design, & Teaching Skills, and CELT 7030 – Teaching Practicum.

At the conclusion of the unprecedented 20 - 21 academic year, CELT was awarded by University President, Mike Fitts’ with the Departmental Staff Excellence award. This accomplishment closed out the first decade for CELT, as doors officially opened in Spring 2011. 

Today, CELT is committed to supporting all Tulane University faculty as they prepare or continue to teach. With this aim in mind, we offer funding opportunities, pedagogy workshops, guest lecturers, book clubs, one-on-one consultations, peer observations, and a lending library.

In addition CELT offers several other programs and services; such as the EDI Peer Program, Inclusive and Equitable (Re)Design Institute, UDL Summer Academy (in collaboration with ILC and Goldman Center for Student Accessibility), Think, Deisgn, Make (in collaboration with the Taylor Center and Scot Ackerman Makerspace) and Ready, Prep, Teach(in collaboration with the Office of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies). 

Faculty includes full-time, part-time, tenure, and non-tenure track positions, graduate teaching assistants, and adjuncts who are or will be teaching at any of the Tulane University campus locations.