Services
OTEI provides services to individual instructors at all levels and to academic units. OTEI offers consultation services to individual instructors, post-docs, and graduate teaching assistants on a variety of topics and provides workshops upon request to academic units. Please fill out our request form:
Services include (descriptions below):
- General Consultation, including Observation and Feedback Analysis
- Class Interview (Student Feedback
- Analysis of Course Design and Materials
- Consultation on Grants / Teaching as Research
- Curriculum Support for Academic Unit
General Consultation, Observation, and Feedback
Our consultations support development of new ideas or review of current practices. In consultations, we help faculty with resources and feedback, including observation of a class session (for consultation purposes), assistance in reviewing parts of a course such as activities or assessments or Canvas utility. We can help instructors and TAs assess their effectiveness during the semester, using just-in-time feedback or analysis of past feedback. Still other consultations are full evaluations of courses, useful for when instructors are preparing to revise a course or develop a new one. When helpful, OTEI links instructors with appropriate support units on campus, such as CCIT, Clemson Online, Library Support and other units. Academic departments can also engage in consultation (see below) to help them gather insights into new curriculum, such as by creating curriculum maps or advising on methods of teaching evaluation. All individual consultations are as private as possible.
Class Interviews
Through this method, faculty and graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) learn how their students view their teaching strengths, weaknesses, and effectiveness during a semester, while there is still time to make adjustments and improvements. A class interview solicits specific, useful assessments and recommendations for improvement more effectively than do the formal, end-of-semester student evaluations. This service takes at most 20 minutes of class time, at the beginning or end of the period.
After the instructor leaves the room, the OTEI director or a trained consultant starts by students filling out a brief, open-ended questionnaire, which they then discuss in small groups. This feedback is gathered and clarifications are made with the consultant in a brief discussion. Student anonymity is assured. The director or consultant later meets privately with the instructor to share and interpret the results. The survey essentially asks students three questions: What is helping their learning? What are barriers to their learning? What can they do themselves to improve their learning?
Classroom Observations 
Some departments encourage their instructors to observe each other's classes for the dual purposes of providing advisory feedback and seeing different approaches to teaching similar material. However, at those times when faculty and GTAs want the feedback of an outside expert, the OTEI director or a trained consultant will observe and take notes on an instructor's lecture style, discussion skills, questioning techniques, class rapport, use of technology and other performance dimensions. A pre-and post-meeting will help the instructor gain the most from this experience.
Analysis of Course Design and Materials:
Our staff can analyze and make recommendations on the elements of a course of instruction, such as: syllabus and assignments, test construction (particularly for higher order thinking), course design to meet learning outcomes, organization of a course (including Canvas elements) and application of teaching methods appropriate to the course goals. We can also help you analyze responses to your courses (analyzing end of course feedback, student surveys and other information)
Consultation on Grants / Teaching as Research:
OTEI fosters Clemson's dedication to teaching and provides the resources for instructors to meet the University's rigorous standards for teaching effectiveness. OTEI supports Teaching as Research, also referred to as SoTL: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Instructors may in this way approach teaching and course enhancements as a researcher, with the goal of sharing research results. When a grant or contract pertains to teaching or requires a teaching component, faculty and administrators may request consultations on teaching-related and curriculum issues, existing literature, certain research methodologies, and strategies for assessing/evaluating the treatment/program.
Curriculum Support for Academic Units
Colleges, schools, programs, departments and committees are invited to request information, advisement, and training or facilitation on a wide range of teaching-related issues including writing program outcomes, curriculum mapping, curriculum revision, student learning assessments, peer evaluation of teaching, department meetings on new trends, innovations, and research in teaching and learning in higher education.