Workshops

Creating Accessible Course Materials

next offering SUMMER 2025

Accessibility is the key to creating inclusive learning spaces for students with disabilities. This five-week online workshop provides hands-on experience creating accessible course content. You will create an accessible Canvas page, Word document, PowerPoint presentation, and instructional video with captions. You will also explore Ally in Canvas to identify and fix issues.

Learn more and register: Link for summer 2025 workshop will be posted in May.

One-week Accessibility Workshops: Canvas, Documents, PowerPoint

SElf-Paced workshops

Accessibility is an essential part of course design and ensures that all students have equitable access to learning. Select any of the links below to self-enroll in an online module to learn how to create accessible course content.

Learn more and register: 

• Creating Accessible Canvas Content
• Creating Accessible Documents
• Creating Accessible PowerPoint

TidyUP and Ally: Improve your Course Accessibility

SPRING 2025: Multiple Dates

TidyUP is a tool in Canvas that can help you identify and remove outdated files and unused Canvas content. This handy tool can help you quickly and efficiently improve your course accessibility! This one-week asynchronous online workshop provides hands-on experience using TidyUP, as well as experience using the Ally dashboard to identify and fix inaccessible Canvas content.

Learn more and register:

• Spring 2025: TidyUP and Ally SP25

Inclusive Course Design: Implementing the UDL Guidelines

Next offering TBD

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines 
is a framework to guide the design of learning environments that are accessible, inclusive, equitable, and challenging for every learner. This four-week online workshop offers strategies to apply the principles of UDL to course materials, activities, and assessments to improve learning experiences for all students. 

Registration link will be posted when next offering is available.

Artificial Intelligence Buffet

spring 2025: multiple dates

AI Buffet 1: April 7-18
AI Buffet 2: April 28 - May 9
AI Buffet 3: May 19-30

Are you curious about AI but not sure where to start?

This two-week, self-paced workshop introduces the history of AI (including Generative AI which is in the news right now), a smattering of technology, some ethical considerations, and a whole bunch of interesting applications you can use right away to see what AI is capable of (or not).

The information is presented as a type of buffet, where you can put as much or as little on your plate as you like. We’ll have one optional Zoom discussion per workshop where you can find other diners on their journey to consume AI information as well.

Optional Zoom meetings will take place on Wednesday of the second week of each workshop.

Learn more and register: AI Buffet

Assignment and Assessment Design to Promote Academic Integrity

Next offered AY 2025-2026

This workshop builds faculty knowledge about course design factors that enhance student self-efficacy and increase the promotion of academic integrity. Assignment and Assessment Design to Promote Academic Integrity reviews evidence-based teaching strategies for designing or revising course assignments to enhance students' learning, critical thinking, and reflection practices.

The workshop includes support for creating activities and assignments that meet desired course learning outcomes, increase intrinsic motivation, and promote students' honest engagement with learning processes.

Learn more: Assignment and Assessment Design to Promote Academic Integrity

Intro to Equitable and Inclusive Teaching

Next Offered TBD

Introduction to Equitable and Inclusive Teaching introduces faculty to evidence-based teaching strategies for equity and inclusion, supports faculty in developing an inclusive course climate, encourages faculty to reflect on the impacts of social identities in higher education teaching and learning environments, and supports faculty in further developing an equitable and inclusive teaching lens. Participating in this program is a way for you to contribute in concrete and powerful ways to our goals of making Cal Poly more equitable and inclusive. 

Learn more and register: Intro to Equitable and Inclusive Teaching

Sustainability Catalog (SUSCAT) Course Inclusion Workshop 

Offered Multiple Dates in spring 2025:
Thursday, April 10, 10-11:30 am
Thursday, April 24, 10-11:30 am
Tuesday, April 29, 3-4:40 pm
Tuesday, May 13, 3-4:40 pm

There is still time to include your course in the 2026 Curriculum Catalog as a Sustainability focused or related course, so choose a date and attend this activity-focused workshop. These workshops provide valuable insights into aligning all or part of your course curriculum and course content with sustainability principles, meeting institutional sustainability goals, and gaining formal recognition within the university’s sustainability framework. 

Learn more and register: SUSCAT Course Inclusion Workshop

Cultivating Connections: Parts One and Two

Next Offered TBD

This two-part workshop series extends an invitation to faculty members from all disciplines who are keen on deepening their comprehension regarding Native Nations. It aims to equip participants with the necessary awareness and tools to engage with Tribal communities equitably and effectively, while also exploring the Indigenous underpinnings of contemporary sustainability practices and knowledge.

Learn more: Cultivating Connections

Half-day Faculty Writers' Sprints

Spring 2025: June 10-12

This 3-day session of half-day faculty writers' sprints is designed to help faculty make progress on their scholarly writing. The group meets daily from 9 am to 12 pm with facilitator Dr. Dianna Winslow, CTLT Assistant Director and Writing Instruction Specialist.

Each day there will be group check-ins to start and end the day, concentrated writing time, and plenty of snacks and coffee to keep the momentum going.

Dianna will offer one-on-one consultations as requested, and help form "buddy groups" for post-sprint encouragement if desired. Tara Gray's Publish and Flourish book and other occasional resources shape daily discussions about the writing and research process. The newest edition of Gray's book will be provided to you free of charge by the CTLT once you enroll in the group.

Register for Half-day Faculty Writers' Sprints

Writing in the Disciplines

Spring 2025
April 25-May 16, Fridays, 12:30-2:00 pm
Lunch is included

This workshop is offered in partnership with the Office of Writing and Learning Initiatives and is designed to create space for faculty to explore how writing operates within their disciplines and to develop writing learning outcomes for their courses.  

Writing In the Disciplines provides evidence-based teaching strategies for using writing to enhance students' learning, critical thinking, and written communication practices.

Learn more and register: Writing in the Disciplines

Developing clear learning objectives is a fundamental element of effective course design, yet not all instructors have had the opportunity to learn to write effective and measurable learning objectives. This self-paced module provides guidance and instructions for those who are new to writing learning objectives, and those who may wish to review and revise current objectives.

Self-enroll: Creating Effective Learning Objectives

The OER Faculty Roadmap is a self-paced online Canvas module designed to help faculty explore, create, optimize, and maintain Open Educational Resources (OER) for their courses.

Self-enroll: OER Faculty Roadmap

Self-paced Accessibility Modules

Always available

Accessibility is an essential part of course design and ensures that all students have equitable access to learning. Select any of the links below to self-enroll in an online module to learn how to create accessible course content.

• Creating Accessible Canvas Content
• Creating Accessible Documents
• Creating Accessible PowerPoint
• Creating Accessible Video
• Using TidyUP & Ally to Improve your Course Accessibility

Canvas Webinar Recordings & Self-Paced Courses

Always available

We provide live webinars and share recording links on the Canvas Workshop and Events page. Please check out the page for items, such as:

• Introduction to Canvas 
• Using Templates
• Creating Content
• Gradebook Setup 
• Secure Exams

Self-Paced Online Courses

• Cal Poly Canvas Orientation
• Launching a Course Online with Canvas

The CTLT hosts book circles every academic quarter and during summers. They are open to all Cal Poly educators. Selected books draw from a broad array of thoughtful and inspiring educational literature. 

Learn more and register: CTLT Book Circles