Coulter Faculty Commons
Your Partner in Teaching & LearningThe Coulter Faculty Commons (CFC) advances excellence in teaching, learning, and scholarship by partnering with the Western Carolina University community through collaboration, creation, and celebration.
We partner with all instructors, staff who teach, and graduate student assistants.
Consultations
Our educational developers are here to meet with you for a personalized consultation in person or virtually.
Teaching @WCU: A CFC Blog
Improving your SAIS: Looking Ahead
Improving your SAIs: Looking Ahead The SAI—student assessment instrument—is integral to how we are evaluated here at Western. It needs little introduction. How can we look back on that SAI just handed to us by our chair or director, while looking ahead to a new term,...
Designing Effective Discussion Questions
ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS OVERVIEW A good question is both answerable and challenging. It will inspire analysis, synthesis, interpretation, and critical thinking. Below are several types of questions and suggestions about when to use which kind. WHERE TO BEGIN? Begin with...
How to Lead a Discussion
BE PREPARED • Carefully consider your objectives for a discussion. Do you want students to apply newly learned skills, mull over new subject matter, learn to analyze arguments critically, practice synthesizing conflicting views, or relate material to their own lives?...