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The Centre for Teaching Excellence has numerous resources to support the development of those who teach at UW. Our CTE Teaching Tips, based on research and experience, endeavour to describe best practices for teaching issues. New and seasoned instructors will find the ideas and strategies in the CTE Teaching Tips thought-provoking and helpful. Instructors who wish to delve deeper into a specific issue pertaining to teaching and learning are encouraged to consult the books and journals in our Library. The library resources can be searched online using TRELLIS. Resources developed outside of CTE have also been collected to assist the various audiences that we serve and are available in the Related Links. You may also wish to refer to the services of our Partners for complementary yet different types of assistance.

Our extensive collection of CTE Teaching Tips comprises succinct documents that describe useful ideas and practical methods for effective teaching. New instructors will find the tips helpful for answering many of the questions and concerns that arise when teaching in a university setting for the first time. Seasoned instructors can also use the tips to obtain new ideas and learn different approaches.
Click on the section headings below to access the CTE's Teaching Tips.
Course Design
- Course Content Selection and Organization
- Course Design Heuristic
- Course Design: Planning a Class
- Course Design: Questions to Consider
- Writing Learning Outcomes
- Creating Course Outlines
- Faculty of Science Course Outline Template
- Encouraging Academic Integrity in Your Courses
- Encouraging Academic Integrity Online
Logistics
- Timesavers for Electronic Communication
- Holding Office Hours
- Surviving Your First Day of Class
- Copyright in the Classroom
- Fast and Equitable Grading
- Responding to Writing Assignments: Managing the Paper Load
- Using Turnitin in Your Courses
Tips for Teaching Assistants
Assignment Design
- Types of Assignments and Tests
- Active Learning Activities
- Assignment Design: Checklist
- Assignment Design: Sequencing Assignments
- Designing Multiple Choice Questions
- Integrating Online Assignments into Your Course
- Effectively Communicating Assignment Tasks: Telling Students What You Really Want
- Encouraging Academic Integrity Online
Group Work
- Group Work in the Classroom: Small-Group Tasks
- Group Work in the Classroom: Types of Small Groups
- Methods for Assessing Group Work
- Group Decision Making
- Group Roles: Maximizing Group Performance
- Making Group Contracts
- When Things Go Wrong: Handling Problems During In-Class Group Work
Exams
Blended Learning
- Integrating Online Assignments into Your Course
- Netiquette and Effective Electronic Communication
- Online Discussions: Tips for Students
- Encouraging Academic Integrity Online
Cross-Discipline Skills
Exams
Grading and Feedback
- Fast and Equitable Grading
- Receiving and Giving Effective Feedback
- Methods for Assessing Group Work
- Rubrics: Useful Assessment Tools
- Learner-Centered Assessment
- Encouraging Academic Integrity
- Responding to Writing Assignments: Managing the Paper Load
- Supervisory Relationships
- Using Turnitin in Your Courses
- Promoting Effective Classroom Participation
Discussions
- Collaborative Online Learning: Fostering Effective Discussions
- Facilitating Effective Discussions
- Promoting Effective Classroom Participation
Questions
Active Learning
- Active Learning Activities
- Activities for Large Classes
- Varying Your Teaching Activities: Nine Alternatives to Lecturing
Group Work
- Implementing Group Work in the Classroom
- Meeting Strategies to Help Prepare Students for Group Work
- Group Work in the Classroom: Small-Group Tasks
- Group Work in the Classroom: Types of Small Groups
Other
Setting the Tone
- Surviving Your First Day of Class
- Motivating Students: Creating an Inspiring Environment
- Conflict Management for Instructors
- Laptops in the Classroom: A Virtue or Vice?
- Encouraging Academic Integrity in Your Courses
- Encouraging Academic Integrity Online
Large Classes
- Large Classes: Limiting the Chaos
- Facilitating Effective Discussions
- Question Strategies
- Using Turnitin in Your Courses
Group Work
- Group Decision Making
- Group Roles: Maximizing Group Performance
- Group Work in the Classroom: Types of Small Groups
- Making Group Contracts
- When Things Go Wrong: Handling Problems During In-Class Group Work
Diversity and Internationalization
Skills
- Building Your Note-Taking and Study Skills: A Guide for Students
- Building Your Reading Skills: A Guide for Students
- Ten Tips for Effective Research Writing
- Exam Review Exercise
Being Part of a Team
- Group Decision Making
- Group Roles: Maximizing Group Performance
- Teamwork Skills: Being an Effective Group Member
- Making Group Contracts
- Meeting Strategies to Help Prepare Students for Group Work
- Online Discussions: Tips for Students
- Laptops in the Classroom: A Virtue or Vice?
Self-Directed Learning
- Self-Directed Learning Resources
- Self-Directed Learning: A Four Step Process
- Self-Directed Learning: Learning Contracts
- Self-Directed Learning: Readiness to Learn
- Self-Directed Learning: Unit Planning Decision Guide
- Supervisory Relationships
Self-Knowledge
Enhancing Your Teaching
- How to Get the Most Out of Your Teaching Experiences At UW
- Receiving and Giving Effective Feedback
- Teaching Philosophy Sample Exercises
- Tools for Reflecting On Your Teaching
- Using Mid-Term Student Feedback
- Motivating Students: Creating an Inspiring Environment
- Faculty Mentoring
Career Strategies
Search CTE's entire repository of Teaching Tips. Your search query can use standard Boolean commands such as "AND" and "OR". To search for a phrase, put it in double quotes -- for example, "large classes".
Additionally, you may be interested in these tips provided by the U.S.-based Faculty Focus:
The CTE Library contains several hundred books, articles, journals, and reports on various aspects of teaching and learning in higher education - all catalogued on TRELLIS, Waterloo's Electronic Library. As a service to the UW community, the CTE Office will conduct specific searches on requested topics.
The CTE Library is located in Room 4051 of the Math and Computer Building on the University of Waterloo campus. Patrons are welcome to use the library between 9 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., Monday to Friday. Library staff can be reached at 519-888-4567, ext. 33353.
Finding Books, Journals, or eJournals:
Link to TRELLIS to search for CTE books and journals or higher education eJournals. CTE also has a number of videotapes pertaining to teaching and learning.
CTE's Borrowing Policy
You may borrow publications in person or online by connecting to TRELLIS and specifying what you would like to borrow. If a publication is already on loan, you can request a recall through TRELLIS. You may pick up your borrowed items in the CTE Office from Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.Reference Assistance
Beyond assistance available in the CTE Office, you can also go to the Information Desk in the Dana Porter Library or call ext. 35763. You may want to consult the Building and Information Desk hours before going to the Library. The UW library also provides an Electronic reference service. You can submit brief factual questions about the library and its resources to AskLib.
UW Faculty Handbooks (if you use any of these handbooks, please inform the Department or Faculty where they originated)
- Information for UW Sessional Appointments (PDF)
- Guide for Course Outlines in the Faculty of Science
- Undergraduate Teaching Resource for HSG Faculty (PDF)
- Information Package for Adjunct Lecturers (PDF courtesy of UW's Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies)
UW TA Departmental Handbooks (if you use any of these handbooks, please inform the Department or Faculty where they originated)
- Classical Studies (PDF)
- Computer Science
- Psychology (PDF)
Teaching Tips from Other Institutions
- Tools for Teaching
- Teacher Credibility
Model
- Teaching Tips from McMaster University
- National Teaching and Learning Forum
- World Digital Library
Teaching and Learning Organizations
- The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CASTL)
- Educational Developers Caucus (EDC)
- Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE)
- Professional and Organizational Development Network
- Teaching Centres around the world
Job Resources
