UW–Madison’s Course Success Self-Review was named a finalist for the 2022 POD Innovation Award by the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network, a national organization devoted to improving teaching and learning in higher education.
The Course Success Self-Review, managed by the Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring (CTLM), provides a new avenue of support for instructors. Based on a research-based framework of high-impact recommendations, this unique survey tool leads instructors through a self-directed analysis of a course and connects them with actionable advice and targeted resources in just 20 to 60 minutes.
CTLM project leads Karen Skibba and Dan Pell presented the Course Success Self-Review and attended the award ceremony at the POD Annual Conference in Seattle. Julie Collins (CTLM), Lisa Jong (CTLM) and Dolores Sirek (Division of Continuing Studies) were also recognized for their work in developing the tool and website.
“It can be overwhelming for instructors to locate and sort through available resources to meet specific challenges and needs,” Skibba says. “Instructors who use the Course Success Self-Review can quickly identify course design and delivery strategies they would like to strengthen and then be directed to specific resources and useful best practices that they can apply right away in their courses.”
The Course Success Self-Review was previously featured as an exemplar project in the EDUCAUSE 2022 Horizon Report Teaching and Learning Edition, which profiles trends, technologies and practices shaping the future of teaching and learning.
The self-guided tool prompts instructors to reflect on their teaching by choosing from six success factors – course planning, supporting students, instructor-student interactions, student-student interactions, materials and media, and assessment and feedback.
These are linked to 31 actionable recommendations. Based on their responses, instructors receive targeted feedback and resources that are relevant to all modalities of teaching: online, face-to-face, and hybrid.
“The CSSR is a unique way for instructors to reflect on and improve their teaching,” says Pell. “It is designed to enable instructors to better understand their own needs and challenges, while directing them to targeted resources which can help them address their concerns.”