The Teaching Towards Inclusive Excellence (TTIE) certificate program is an initiative of The Center for Teaching Excellence and the Division of Access, Title IX, and Community Engagement. The TTIE program is designed to provide an opportunity for faculty, instructors and teaching graduate students to support USC’s commitment to inclusive excellence both within and outside their classroom.

Program Description

Teaching Towards Inclusive Excellence addresses teaching philosophies and practices by integrating pedagogical principles aligned with inclusive excellence into the classroom environment, course design and assignments that increase awareness of the importance of cultural competence, civic engagement and civil discourse. Key outcomes for participants include obtaining a deeper understanding of the people, practices and initiatives that support and foster a sense of community at USC, as well as obtaining ideas, strategies and resources that instructors can use to both build their cultural competencies and identify community partnerships across the institution.

Program Requirements

Faculty, instructors and teaching graduate assistants who participate in eight or more Teaching Towards Inclusive Excellence approved Center for Teaching Excellence workshops will receive a certificate of completion and  a letter of commendation. Participants will be required to attend the Inclusive Excellence at  USC workshop and seven (7) electives. Participants will have 3 academic semesters (not including summer semesters) to complete the certificate.

Required Workshop Offered Fall 2024

Expand allOCT 15 — Inclusive Excellence at USC

Tuesday, October 15, 10:05am - 11:20am - Webinar

Come develop a deeper understanding of inclusive excellence and why it is central not only to how we prepare students to lead, but also to how we engage all members of our USC community. Learn about the ways in which the Office of Access, Title IX and Community Engagement seeks to operationalize inclusive excellence, as well as how the office intends to use its equity and inclusion strategy to track the University's effectiveness. Register

Elective Workshops Offered Fall 2024

Expand allSEP 16 — Words Matter: Use of Inclusive Language in the Classroom

Monday, September 16, 10:00am - 10:50am - In-Person

We often hear the term 'politically correct' or 'PC' to describe when individuals feel they have to change their terminology to not offend another person. However, this presentation will challenge us to move away 'politically correct' terms and focus more on inclusive, validating terms, phrases, and descriptors for different groups. The focus will be on exploring how inclusive language in the classroom when teaching, discussing students/faculty, and when creating materials can transform how students absorb information, feel welcomed and safe, and embrace inclusivity.

This introductory presentation will focus on defining marginalized population, person-first language, and addressing some of our implicit bias & stereotypes.  Register

OCT 16 — Accessible Learning Experiences: Practical Guidance for Inclusive Course Content

Wednesday, October 16, 11:45am - 1:00pm - In-Person

 

Are you equipped to provide accessible content that meets the needs of all your students? Come prepared to gain hands-on experience of applying digital accessibility best practices during this session.

This workshop will provide guidance for applying accessibility practices to your documents appropriately and how to prevent potential barriers people experience due to disabilities. An overview of disabilities and the challenges they cause will be provided including types of assistive technologies (AT) that help alleviate those challenges.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will be touched on related to its part in developing accessible content. Integrated automated accessibility checkers of Microsoft and Blackboard platforms will also be covered. These automated tools can identify accessibility issues and provide guidance to resolve them.   

Attend with curiosity to help lead toward innovative and inclusive content design strategies. Leave with a strong sense of applying accessibility best practices that opens the path of better experiences for all your students.

Learning Outcomes

• Gain insight into challenges people with disabilities can experience with digital content.
• Increase awareness of assistive technologies that students may utilize.
• Expand your understanding of digital accessibility, why it matters, and how it relates to your content.

Register

NOV 4 — The Rock in Your Shoe: Strategies to Prioritize Your Mental Well-being

Monday, November 4, 10:00am - 11:00am - in-Person

Join us for an engaging session focused on mental wellbeing in the workforce. The presentation will explore the importance of mental health for faculty, staff, and other member of academy. After discussing concepts such as stress, resilience, and burnout, we will address mechanisms to cope and self-care. The presentation will also include some interventions that can be completed with low resources and training to improve relaxation and long-term well-being.  Register

NOV 20 — Tips for Teaching the Internationalized Classroom

Wednesday, November 20, 1:15pm - 2:30pm - In-Person

The diversity in USC classrooms is rapidly increasing to include students from a range of countries and linguistic backgrounds. With all of the benefits that come from having a global classroom, there are challenges that are presented by this shift. As students try to succeed in a language that they do not natively speak and in a country where cultural differences can be confusing and overwhelming, these challenges often come to light in the classroom.

This session will equip you with strategies for ensuring that your international students successfully learn the material and meet your expectations in the classroom.  Register

How to Earn a Certificate of Completion

1. Select a certificate you want to earn.
2. Review the required workshops.
3. Register for and attend all required workshops within the time frame specified.
4. Look for an email from [email protected] with your digital certificate.

How to Check Your Progress

Participants can check their progress online by following the steps below. 

1. Log into Registration and Tracking System for Workshops and Events using your CTE Training Account credentials.
2. Click on the specific learning plan for the certificate of completion program you would like to view.  The learning plan button is located on the left-hand side in the menu screen.
3. Click “View” to generate a personalized learning plan status report. The report will show the workshops you have taken, and remaining workshop requirements.

The learning plans also provide a status progress update. 

• Partial means you have met some of the requirements for a specific certificate of completion program.
• Complete means you have met all the requirements for a specific certificate of completion program.
• Not Started means you have not completed any of the requirements for a specific certificate of completion program.

Completed your certificate?

At the conclusion of each semester, reports are run to determine who has completed each certificate. Digital Certificates will be emailed. If you do not receive your certificate by the middle of the following semester, kindly contact [email protected] for assistance.