To schedule a consultation with an FCTL staff member or a faculty liaison, email facultycenter@umaryland.edu or submit a Consultation Request.

Have you been assigned to teach a new course? Are you thinking about revamping an existing course? Would you like to try something new in one of your courses but aren't sure where to begin? Faculty members and other teaching staff from any UMB school may schedule a teaching consultation with an FCTL staff member. The consultation will help you explore and define the best instructional approaches and offer guidance on how to move forward with implementation. Individual consultations with faculty about teaching offers an opportunity to explore:

• Alternative methods for teaching and classroom management
• Course design and development
• Teaching with new technology
• Development or review of instructional materials, such as syllabi, exams, and assignments
• Peer observation and feedback
• Student course evaluations
• Alternative classroom assessment methods, such as rubrics and small group interviews

Are you looking to conduct educational research or enhance your scholarly contributions to teaching and learning? Faculty members and teaching staff from any UMB school are encouraged to schedule an educational research consultation with an FCTL staff member. Our consultations are designed to support you in various aspects of educational research and scholarship. Whether you are embarking on a new research project, seeking guidance on scholarly publications, or exploring innovative teaching methods grounded in research, we are here to assist you. During an educational research consultation, you can expect guidance and support in the following areas:

• Exploring alternative research methodologies and approaches
• Developing and refining research questions and hypotheses
• Designing and conducting educational research studies
• Analyzing and interpreting research data
• Integrating emerging technologies into your research projects
• Identifying potential funding opportunities for educational research
• Crafting scholarly publications and manuscripts
• Navigating ethical considerations and Institutional Review Board (IRB) processes
• Collaborating with peers and forming research partnerships
• Enhancing the visibility and impact of your educational research within the academic community

The FCTL Faculty Liaison serves as an ambassador of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) to faculty members at UMB. Your faculty liaison is available to offer consultation and mentoring on course development and instruction across various course modalities—online, hybrid, and face-to-face—providing a faculty/peer perspective and drawing from experience. They offer guidance rooted in effective pedagogy and informed by personal expertise and educational research. Your liaison acts as a conduit for communicating your concerns and challenges to the FCTL, facilitating the design of tailored resources and programming. Additionally, they promote the visibility and accessibility of FCTL services and programs within the university community.

On request, the FCTL instructional designers will review online courses to ensure they meet established quality standards or provide feedback on specific course attributes. Typically, reviews focus on ensuring courses include the following:

• Measurable learning goals
• Clear alignment (how the activities, assessments, and resources support the learning objectives)
• ADA accessibility and copyright compliance
• Engaging activities
• Authentic assessments

Our process is centered on Quality Matters principles.