Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Newsletter, Winter 2021

Welcome to the 2021 winter edition newsletter from the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). Reflecting on 2020, we are thankful for teachers! As the director of CETL, and along with the CETL staff, I am proud and inspired by how you have taken on the past year with resilience and grace. The last few semesters have been challenging, and we could not have made it through without the hard work you have put into creating positive learning experiences for our students. As we begin another new semester, we wanted to highlight and share the amazing work that the faculty and staff of Virginia Tech have done during the fall semester of 2020. This newsletter will feature a segment on project-based learning (PBL) with our Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives and Educational Research, Liesl Baum, and an update from the Director of the Academy for Experiential Learning, Vicki Pitstick. A Q&A with David Gray, Associate Professor of Practice in Engineering Education, features how he has adapted to teaching during a global pandemic. This edition will also highlight our November and December Excellence in Teaching Award recipients. The CETL staff and I want to thank and recognize the hard work of faculty throughout 2020 and hope that your spring semester is off to a wonderful start.