The Center for Teaching
and Learning

campus

Welcome to the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. We are here to collaborate with you and support your pursuit of excellence and innovation, whether as a student or as a faculty member.

The Center for Teaching and Learning operates in three areas: student enrichment, disability services, and faculty enrichment. Please follow the links below or on the left to learn more.

Mission Statement

Contact us:

(315) 781-3351
ctl@hws.edu

Or drop by our Center on the 2nd floor of the Library; our office is open 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at Hobart and William Smith Colleges collaborates with students, faculty, and colleagues to serve as a catalyst for excellence in teaching and learning and to foster an engaged, productive, creative, accessible, and inclusive intellectual community for students and faculty.

Values

  • Belonging, equity, access, and inclusion are central to student success. (Academic success for all students has at its foundation a focus on belonging, equity, accessibility, and inclusion)
  • Collaboration as a staff and with partners across campus enhances our ability to engage and support students and faculty.
  • Access to all aspects of our community, by all members, is central to our work of promoting knowledge of universal design across campus.

Objectives

  • To enable the academic success of all students by
    • Offering robust, effective, research-based programming to support student academic content learning, academic writing and other skills, and academic self-management.
    • Providing opportunities for students to practice effective academic mentorship and leadership.
    • Promoting accessibility for students with disabilities by providing individualized, reasonable, and appropriate accommodations.
    • Assisting HWS in establishing policies, procedures and facilities that comply with the letter and spirit of the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
  • To promote best practices for engaging, inclusive, effective, and innovative teaching by
    • Serving as a conduit for research-based knowledge and resources on teaching and learning, including but not limited to universal design for learning (UDL).
    • Creating opportunities for faculty to learn from one another and participate in ongoing dialogue about innovative teaching practices and strategies for improving student learning.
    • Providing resources to advance institutional understanding of students with disabilities.
    • Supporting campus-wide initiatives on teaching and learning.

Who We Are

 

  • RUTH SHIELDS

    RUTH SHIELDS Director

    Ruth directs the Teaching Fellow and Study Table programs; collaborates with faculty, deans, and staff to support student learning, and coordinates the Senior Symposium.

    (315) 781-3959

  • SUSAN K. HESS

    SUSAN K. HESS Associate Director for faculty enrichment

    Susan provides writing and teaching consultation to faculty; offers in-class workshops to complement instruction; offers writing support to students; teaches in the First Year Seminar Program and for the Department of Writing and Rhetoric; and is the Assistant Director of First Year Seminars.

    (315) 781-3787

  • INGRID KEENAN

    INGRID KEENAN Associate director for student Enrichment

    Ingrid oversees the Writing Fellow, Study Mentor, Athletic Study Mentor and Conversation Partner programs, provides writing support to students, and is the co-organizer of the First Year Writing Prize. She is the Mentor for Posse 7, and teaches in the HEOP Summer Institute.

    (315) 781-3832

  • Shanelle France

    Shanelle France Associate Director for Disability Services

    Shanelle oversees initial student academic accommodation requests, consideration accommodations, disability-related support for students, faculty, and staff, as well as general disability-related questions and concerns.

    (315) 781-3669

  • Thom Mascia

    Thom Mascia Manager of Disability Services Accommodations

    Thom manages student academic accommodations, including temporary and testing accommodations.

    (315) 781-4768

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