This self-paced, asynchronous program is designed to help you familiarize yourself with the principles of transparency in teaching, an evidence-based approach in which faculty recognize their own course expectations and then make them explicit for students. Transparency has been shown to improve student success outcomes, especially among students from historically marginalized communities, by raising metacognitive awareness, improving student agency, and increasing sense of belonging. The goal of this program is to guide you through the basic principles and support you in adjusting your existing materials to be more transparent. This program is also a prerequisite for participation in the Transparent Assignment Series.
When is it?
This self-paced, ongoing program is available now. Use the "Apply Now" button at the top of the page to sign up.
Who should enroll?
All faculty, tenure-track and lecturers, who are currently teaching this semester with a real assignment they want to significantly revise are encouraged to apply. This is highly appropriate for faculty who give writing assignments and faculty committed to meeting the CSU’s GI2025 goals of improving student success.
You can take this individual course by itself, though it is a prerequisite for enrollment in the Transparent Assignment Series.
Preference for Self-Paced: This program is ideal for faculty who don't want to commit to specific meeting times and enjoy learning independently & asynchronously through accessing readings, videos and navigating instructional steps online.
What are the program goals & objectives?
The course is designed to take about 5 hours for completion, including reflective modular activities.
Program Goal
Our goal is to offer foundational knowledge about transparency in teaching as an equitable approach in higher education that provides more concrete support for student success, particularly among students from less privileged academic backgrounds. Faculty will make small adjustments to their facilitation and learning materials in order to promote students' conscious understanding of how and why they are learning their materials in a certain way.
Program Objectives
By the end of the program, faculty will be able to:
Review the research findings of transparency in teaching
Adopt reflective practices about the teaching and learning process
Recognize how equity gaps are formed in higher education and the role of faculty in reducing them
Discuss how the science of teaching and learning and equity-mindedness helps us gain an understanding of the perspectives of CSUN students
Articulate how transparency in teaching helps reduce academic challenges
Practice the principles of transparent design with sample assignments
How do I sign up?
Use the "Apply Now" button at the top of the page.