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Faculty Center

Teaching & Learning at CSUSM

Support at the Faculty Center

To support teaching and learning at CSUSM, the Faculty Center provides a variety of resources, including a Syllabus Template (campus log in requied to access) as well as classroom resources such as:

Classroom Management 

Our Faculty Guidance and Suggestions on Classroom Management handbook curates information from across campus into a single one-stop resource on a range of services, policies, and supports on working with students and classroom management. We cover academic integrity resources, classroom conduct, and classroom climate.

 

Navigating Difficult Classroom Conversations

Our colleagues at CSUN have recently developed some materials for difficult classroom dynamics that can benefit faculty at any campus. See their "Navigating Courageous Conversations Toolkit" for more details.

Additionally, the Faculty Center recommends using community agreements to set expectations for students about the class and how everyone will participate and engage. Doing this early in the semester is recommended (i.e., week one).

Community Agreements allow you to:

  • Co-create content with your students on classroom behavior expectations​
  • Collaborate and build community by identifing how to respectfully engage, participate, and include with goal of cultivating a learning space for all your students​
  • Redirect challenging moments by referring to class community agreements​
  • Give students specific and clear direction on their responsibilities to themselves, their instructor, and their peers​​

Some prompts you can use/modify to start a community agreements discussion with your class include:​

  • What kinds of classroom conversations do you find most enjoyable and why?​
  • What types of peer-to-peer interactions do you find supportive and why?​
  • What's your ideal classroom environment and why?​
  • What classroom dynamics do you least enjoy and why?​
  • What kinds of conversations and classroom interactions best support your learning and why?​

Consider having the class vote on a short list of 2-3 classroom conduct expectations that they most value (this is where you can curate and edit to prepare the co-created options)​

Post the final community agreements in a space easily navigated by students such as the Canvas course page and consider including a syllabus statement if you will be using community agreements.

 

 

Faculty Center Annual Teaching Expo 2027

The annual Faculty Center Teaching & Learning Expo showcases innovative approaches to teaching in higher education and provides a space for CSUSM faculty to connect and exchange ideas as teacher-scholars.

Save the date, February 19, 2027