Services & Publications
VITAL (Villanova Institute for Teaching and Learning) provides and coordinates resources for faculty members from all disciplines who are interested in helping their students become more effective learners. We offer services both virtually and in-person.
Services (video)
- Consultations with individuals, departments or other groups interested in revising courses, reviewing curricula, exploring new teaching strategies, assessing students' learning, developing peer review processes, and related issues.
- Confidential classroom observations with constructive feedback.
- Instructional diagnosis of students' learning in individual courses: Student Early-Term Feedback for Course-Enhancement Purposes
- Workshops and informal discussion groups on issues such as balancing teaching and research, designing and implementing flipped approaches, considering students' learning styles, incorporating ePortfolios for reflection and documentation of students' learning, and teaching effectively with technology.
- Program for new Villanova faculty members.
- Minigrants to support innovative teaching and learning.
- Faculty Sponsorship to Attend Scholarly Teaching Conferences.
Publications and Resource Materials
- Monday Morning Mentor: Weekly online teaching program that is focused on relevant teaching issues.
- VITALITY: Weekly VITAL Teaching Ideas
- Teaching with Augustine: A VITAL Conversation
- Faculty Focus: Research-Based Strategies for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. The concise, practice-oriented and research-based articles offer insights and instructional strategies for faculty from across the disciplines.
- Online Learning Consortium (OCL): Leading professional organization in digital learning. With OLC institutional membership, Villanova faculty and staff (register your free account at OLC website and link your organization to our university) have access to their Quality Scorecard Suite (diverse evaluation tools for online programs, blended programs, instructional practice, course design, etc.), discounted pricing on conferences and workshops, free webinars, peer networking, and research studies.
- National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development (NCFDD), as an Institutional Member of NCFDD, all Villanova faculty, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students can participate in NCFDD career development programs. To register for free programs you must first activate your Villanova NCFDD subaccount. Link to instructions to create an account.