TLC Medallion Program

Thinking about who we are as teachers helps us as we develop strategies to work with our students in and outside of the classroom. Instructors will write a teaching philosophy and learning objectives, and work through exercises related to feedback and assessment, student engagement, reflection, and planning for learning. This is a required medallion to earn the Expert Educator medallion.

It is important that educators create learning environments that acknowledge the broad diversity of our students and create ways to assure they feel safe and welcome in our classrooms. Upon completion of this medallion, participants will engage with the many facets of diversity, strategies to create an inclusive learning environment, the principles of Universal Design for Learning, and how to talk to colleagues about these concepts. This medallion is offered in collaboration with the Office of Student Academic Support and Inclusion. This is a required medallion to earn the Expert Educator medallion.

“Learners of this era are accustomed to using technology, and their learning environments should reflect that,” (Smith & Benedict, February 2015). Technology is one of many tools instructors can use to engage students and improve learning. After earning this medallion, participants will have received a pedagogical framework to consider before incorporating technology, identified technology that can help their students meet course objectives, and developed a plan to assess its impact. This is a required medallion to earn the Expert Educator medallion.

The ability to find, analyze and utilize information is a key skill for today’s learner. With almost anything we need to know at our fingertips, it is increasingly important that we, as well as our students, are aware of how to identify reputable content along with resources offered at UTHSC for research and fact gathering. Participants in this medallion will be able to identify valid sources of information and make use of the resources offered by UTHSC’s library. This medallion is offered in collaboration with the UTHSC Library.

It is important that educators create learning environments that acknowledge the broad diversity of our students and create ways to assure they feel safe and welcome in our classrooms. Upon completion of this medallion, participants will engage with the many facets of diversity, strategies to create an inclusive learning environment, the principles of Universal Design for Learning, and how to talk to colleagues about these concepts. This medallion is offered in collaboration with the Office of Student Academic Support and Inclusion. This is a required medallion to earn the Expert Educator medallion.

UTHSC has a world-class simulation center with state-of-the-art facilities and talented staff. The requirements for this medallion will prepare instructors to make best use of CHIPS to improve education of their students. This medallion is offered in collaboration with the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation.

Teaching in a clinical setting is one of the ways that health sciences education is different than traditional colleges and universities, and it introduces its own set of challenges. Participants in this medallion will work through topics specific to working with students in real world clinical settings.

While it is important for students to prepare for board exams, and many assessments are designed to help them get ready, there are many other strategies, both formative and summative, that can be used to determine how well students have learned course material. Upon completion of this medallion, participants will have considered a variety of assessment techniques to include in their courses.

Designing a course involves a lot of pieces, from initial conception to developing learning objectives, writing the syllabus, creating assignments and other assessments, and more. The purpose of the Course Design medallion is to provide participants the tools needed to effectively design or redevelop courses.

As educators, UTHSC instructors have tremendous teaching experience that would benefit those who are interested in improving their own skills, abilities, and effectiveness. This medallion is for those who would like to work with other instructors and would like to acquire the skills to effectively mentor them.

There are lots of ways to teach students beyond the traditional lecture. Recipients of the Paradigms of Education medallion will have learned about other ways to teach students, including the “flipped classroom”, problem-, case-, and team-based learning and other strategies to engage students and improve learning.

As UTHSC instructors consider the best ways to improve student learning, they may also want to research and publish their findings. The SoTL medallion will step through the stages of publication, starting from developing the initial research question, through literature reviews, designing the instrument, evaluating the data, and getting the findings published.

Online learning provides instructors and students unique challenges. It’s more than taking what we do in a face to face class and moving it to a virtual environment. Upon completion of the requirements for the Teaching Online medallion, participants will have a plan for effectively engaging with and teaching their students online and some of the technologies to support asynchronous and synchronous learning.

Nurse educators leverage their specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully facilitate student learning. Participants in this medallion will prepare to sit for the Certified Nurse Educator exam, exploring concepts related to curriculum design, effective assessment, learner development, and professional socialization of learners.

Pharmacy educators train the next generation of pharmaceutical scientists, practitioners, and educators. Participants in this medallion will explore concepts related to teaching effectiveness, learner development, curriculum design, and effective assessment. Pharmacy Educator medallion earners are innovative and dynamic educators that endeavor to produce knowledgeable, skilled, and caring pharmacists.