Consultations

We offer confidential one-on-one consultations for all educators at Northeastern.

Our consultations are an opportunity for an educator to explore and reflect on their teaching in a safe, supportive environment with a knowledgeable colleague, focusing on any aspect of teaching that the educator may have in mind. We view teaching as a process of continuous refinement and therefore believe that all educators can benefit from consultation at any point in their teaching careers.

Confidentiality Statement

We provide formative feedback and support to all educators as they reflect on and explore their practice. However, we do not evaluate educators and we do not provide information about any educator’s use of feedback and consultation services, or even that such a service was provided, except as required by law.

Consultations are available to all educators at Northeastern. This includes faculty, staff and co-curricular educators, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and administrators.

In addition to consulting with individual educators, we also consult with groups of educators who share a common interest–for example, in developing or assessing related curriculum or programming.

Each member of the CATLR team draws upon both a broad understanding of research-based principles of learning and their own experiences as educators when consulting. When you request a consultation, you will be connected with a consultant who has relevant expertise and experience.

Educators may reach out for a consultation on any aspect of teaching. Some common motivations for seeking a consultation include, but are not limited to:

  • Designing or revising a program, course, workshop, or other learning opportunity
  • Creating or revising teaching materials, such as syllabi, online modules, and handouts
  • Trying a new teaching strategy, activity, or assignment
  • Preparing to teach or TA for the first time
  • Responding to a challenging teaching situation
  • Documenting your teaching effectiveness in a teaching statement or portfolio
  • Collecting, analyzing, and acting on feedback from learners through early student feedback, observations, and student feedback conversations

Contact us any time that you would like to reflect on, create, revise, or explore any aspect of your teaching. If you are interested in conducting research on teaching and learning, we also offer research consultations and collaborations.

We offer consultations year-round on any aspect of teaching, though some topics and interests may lend themselves to consultation at specific points in time. For example, we recommend engaging in designing (or re-designing) a course or syllabus well before the semester begins. If you are interested in gathering student feedback on your course, workshop, or other programming, we recommend contacting us several weeks ahead of time. Other topics for consultation are less tied to the academic schedule.

We encourage you to reach out any time that you would like to discuss any aspect of your teaching.

We provide formative feedback and support to all educators as they reflect on and explore their practice. However, we do not evaluate educators and we do not provide information about any educator’s use of feedback and consultation services, or even that such a service was provided, except as required by law.

To request a consultation, please email us or call 617-373-3157. If you have a particular interest in mind, please mention it so we can connect you with the most appropriate consultant.