The calendar shows that we celebrate our new year in January, but for me, the beginning of the fall term has always been my new year. The arrival of a new school year brings change. It’s a time to reflect on the year gone by – what worked well and what didn’t, and what we should think about for the future. Sometimes I still feel like that excited little kid I was, who looked forward to a new classroom, new teachers, new pencils and notebooks, and the fresh start that the beginning of a new school year brings.

As the leader of the Teaching Center, I feel the same sense of anticipation as we look forward to our first days of the term. It is time to meet new faculty and students, engage with them on new ideas, and tackle new challenges that will help all of us at Pitt to achieve our goals.

This year will bring change for all of us. We’ll be helping you move your course materials to a new learning management system, Canvas. We’re launching new programs like the Mentoring Academy and the Multimedia Bootcamp Seminar. And we’re working with schools to strengthen assessment of teaching strategies. Together with you, our faculty partners and colleagues, the staff of the Teaching Center are working to make a difference every day – so that learning at Pitt is a rewarding and rich experience for all Pitt students.

Our job is to help you as faculty be successful in your teaching. As you go through the year, please consider the ways in which the University Center for Teaching and Learning is at your disposal. Whether you would like to redesign your course, develop new assessment strategies, experiment with immersive video technology, attend a workshop, or just borrow a laptop, we are here to help you. Our latest newsletter describes some of the services and support offered by the Teaching Center. I encourage you to connect with us at teaching@pitt.edu.

Have a great year!

Cynthia Golden
Associate Vice Provost
Executive Director, University Center for Teaching and Learning