New Faculty Support

Welcome to Yale

We at the Poorvu Center are delighted to welcome new faculty to the vibrant community of teachers and scholars at Yale. This page serves as an introduction to new faculty to resources related to teaching policies and guidelines, best practices for teaching, how to get started with Yale-specific instructional tools, and timely support available as we navigate both residential and remote learning environments.

Timely Support Available to New Faculty

We offer timely programming in resilient course design, recognizing that teaching at Yale may occur in both residential and remote learning environments, and that flexibility will be encouraged for both instructors and students as the public health situation evolves.

Fall 2020 New Faculty Orientation to the Teaching Culture at Yale

Dates: Tuesday, August 18, 10-12am OR Thursday, August 20, 1-3pm

During this two hour workshop, participants will relate prior teaching experiences to their new roles at Yale as they learn the essentials of Yale’s teaching and learning culture, engage with some of the “nuts and bolts” of teaching specifically at Yale and in the fall 2020 context, and reflect upon excellent teaching practices by considering the roles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching. New faculty will also have the opportunity to learn about teaching and learning resources at Yale and upcoming programming to support their personal teaching trajectories.

The Poorvu Center will offer New Faculty Orientation sessions again in the spring semester.

Self-Directed Support

The Poorvu Center has developed an Academic Continuity Resources Canvas site, which includes recordings and resources from workshops offered during Summer 2020 to prepare Yale instructors for remote teaching. Core workshop topics include Preparing to Teach Online, Connecting to Each of Your Students, Adjusting Assessments for the Changing World, and Engaging Students Online.

Request Access to Poorvu Center workshop recordings and resources on Canvas @ Yale:

Learning about Teaching at Yale

Yale represents many cultures and subcultures of teaching and learning that reflect the diversity of disciplines and perspectives of Yale students and faculty across undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. The resources below include expectations for teaching and learning at Yale as well as insights into the elements that make up these cultures:

Getting Started: Best Practices

Employing the below practices can help you develop a resilient course that is adaptable to both residential and remote teaching and learning environments. Poorvu Center staff are available to assist you throughout this process.

Start by creating specific course learning goals for your students. Consider the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities you intend for students to develop in your course.
Guided by your course goals, consider which class activities and assessments will provide opportunities for your students to practice and achieve the learning you intend.
On the first day of class and throughout the semester, think intentionally about how to build community in the classroom, which will support your students’ sense of belonging and performance.

Getting Started: Instructional Tools

As you get settled in your new role, we encourage you to become familiar with Yale instructional tools, which will benefit your students in both remote and residential teaching settings:

Getting Started with Zoom - Zoom is Yale’s web conferencing platform, used by Yale instructors to hold synchronous classes and office hours, as well as to bring guest speakers to class remotely.
Getting Started with Canvas - Canvas is Yale’s learning management system, a platform where Yale instructors can post their course materials, administer assessments, facilitate discussion boards, coordinate group work and more.

Academic Continuity