Yale Center for Teaching and Learning

Consultations, Observations, and Services

Although many teaching principles and practices can be learned through workshops and articles, there is no substitute for individual discussion with a Poorvu Center staff member about one’s teaching style, classroom goals, and interaction with faculty, teaching fellows and students. Consultations are available to instructors in person at a location of their choice on campus or online via Zoom.

Through confidential individual consultations, the Poorvu Center routinely supports members of the Yale community with course design, section planning, effective use of technology, assignment development, collecting in-semester feedback, interpreting student evaluations, and addressing challenges in the classroom. Consultations may include a librarian to advise on appropriate resources.

Any instructor at Yale may request an observation with feedback from a member of the Poorvu Center staff. Observations are meant to be non-evaluative and promote reflection.  They begin with a discussion, in which the instructor describes course goals and format as well as any issues or teaching practices that are of primary concern. This provides useful context for the observation and the post-observation conversation.  Instructors may request a video recording of the observation, which can provide some useful self-reflection in preparation for the post-observation discussion.

If technology will support the pursuit of your teaching goals, you can consult with a member of our technology staff. We can help you think about effective uses of presentation software, Canvas, course websites, blogs, wikis, mobile technologies, audio and video projects, and many others. We can also speak with you about initiatives that include students or learners from around the world and how to use models like network courses and massive open online courses (MOOCs).

In order to accommodate your request, we appreciate receiving your request well in advance of the desired consultation date (one to two weeks).

Please request an instructional consultation or classroom observation here.