How to Get Help

I highly encourage all faculty and teaching fellows to connect with the teaching and learning colleagues highlighted on this website to brainstorm ideas about how to develop new courses or strengthen existing ones. I want our students to have the best learning experience possible, and the instructional design and support teams have been invaluable to me. I appreciate the opportunity for continued advisement on how to improve my existing in-person courses to provide students with a richer learning experience.

Bill Bean, MPH, MBA, PhD
Instructor and Practicum Advisor, Office of Education

Learn about the network of Teaching and Learning professionals and support mechanisms at Harvard Chan.

About Us

Leadership

Erin Driver-Linn, Dean for Education
Nancy Turnbull, Senior Associate Dean for Educational Programs

Educational Policy

Jennifer Betancourt, Director for Educational Policy
Allison Bodznick, Course Materials and Educational Programs Manager
Michael Byrne, Educational Policy Coordinator

Learning Design and Instructional Support

Sejal Vashi, Director of Learning Design and Instructional Support
David Ginnings, Senior Learning Designer
Madeleine Olson, Learning Designer
Tope Onitiri, Learning Designer
Lorna Perkins, Senior Learning Designer

Instructional Technologists

Pete Viccione, Instructional Technology Lead
Tania Lee, Senior Instructional Technologist

How We Can Help

General

If you need assistance but aren’t sure where to turn, email Sejal Vashi at vashi@hsph.harvard.edu.

Faculty Instructional Coaches

The Faculty Instructional Coaches program facilitates confidential, peer-to-peer conversations about teaching. For new and experienced teachers alike, evidence suggests that talking with a colleague can bring in new ideas and perspectives and build a culture of educational excellence. To view the Faculty Instructional Coaches for the current academic year, visit https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/office-of-education/faculty-instructional-coaches/.

Pedagogy Fellows

Pedagogy Fellows (PFs) work on a variety of educational efforts both within a designated department/program, as well as across the School. To learn more about the Pedagogy Fellows program, visit https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/office-of-education/pedagogy-fellows/.

Learning Designers

The Learning Designers at Harvard Chan offer faculty assistance around every phase of course design, development, delivery, and revision. They have a wide range of expertise and interests to support the abilities and curriculum of the School, and can provide consultations in the following areas:
• Determining and mapping the purpose of a course
• Writing learning objectives that establish clear expectations for students
• Aligning learning objectives and course materials with assessments
• Reviewing syllabi
• Planning and executing flipped, blended, or web-enhanced learning
• Reviewing videos (particularly for flipped classrooms)

To request a consultation, please contact Sejal Vashi at vashi@hsph.harvard.edu. Please make requests as far in advance as possible to account for scheduling of the consult and the time to discuss and make improvements.

Instructional Technologists

The Instructional Technologists at Harvard Chan offer faculty assistance in the use of instructional technology including, but not limited to, Canvas (learning management system), Poll Everywhere (student response system), and Turnitin (academic plagiarism checker). To request a consultation on any of the technologies mentioned above, please email mets@hsph.harvard.edu. Please make requests as far in advance as possible to account for scheduling of the consult and the time to discuss and make improvements.

Resources and Workshops

Faculty Peer Development Workshops

The Faculty Peer Development Workshops are an educational series for instructors and faculty at Harvard Chan. Recordings and other materials are available on the Workshops Website.

Teaching and Learning Support Collaborative

Teaching and Learning Support Collaborative (TLSC)

The TLSC organizes and oversees teaching support activities for degree programs. Comprised of senior learning design, instructional support, education policy, and education data experts as well as senior education leadership, TLSC meets weekly to develop and refine education support mechanisms. This includes leading and coordinating orientation and training for instructors and teaching fellows, identifying the courses that may need support each term (e.g., because new, very large, or been rated poorly by students in the past), developing tools and guidance for best teaching and learning practices, and coordinating with other educational governance committees including the Committee on Educational Policy (CEP) and the Educational Planning Group. Representatives from partner offices and programs such as the Pedagogy Fellows and Faculty Instructional Coach programs, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Information Technology, join the TLSC roughly monthly.

Harvard University Teaching and Learning Resources

Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning

By supporting experimentation, innovation, and evidence-based practices, the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning seeks to create transformational learning experiences for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The Center’s website hosts a repository of resources on topics including course design, teaching, and mentoring. For more information about how to utilize the Bok Center’s resources to transform your teaching visit https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/online-resources

Harvard Initiative for Teaching and Learning (HILT)

HILT seeks to innovate excellence in teaching and learning in every community at Harvard. Through scientific learning and research based on best educational practices, HILT aims to build collaborative relationships for faculty on improving teaching quality so to engage students and learning outcomes. For more information about HILT visit hilt.harvard.edu

Global Health Education and Learning Incubator at Harvard University (GHELI)

The Global Health Education and Learning Incubator at Harvard University inspires and supports innovative learning, teaching, and dialogue about cutting-edge, multidisciplinary global challenges. We foster and evaluate new pedagogical tools and instructional strategies that bridge disciplinary fields, educational spaces, and groups of learners. Through the deliberative design of inclusive learning spaces—to gather, to collaborate, to spark unexpected discussions—the Incubator encourages transformative thinking across disciplines while breaking down conceptual and geographic boundaries. For more information about GHELI visit: https://gheli.harvard.edu/

For more information about HILT and other university-wide learning centers, visit https://hilt.harvard.edu/teaching-learning-resources-overview/centers-for-teaching-and-learning/