by Beth Petitjean, Ph.D., Digital Learning Specialist, Reinert Center Welcome to the Reinert Center’s monthly feature, Resources Revisited. This series highlights existing resources available to the SLU community that may be especially timely or useful at certain points in the academic year. It’s September and the Fall 2026 semester is underway. It might seem counterintuitive… Continue reading Resources Revisited: Planning for Instructional Continuity
Welcome to Academic Year 2026-27
by Gina Merys, Director, Reinert Center There is something special about being on campus as it transitions from the relative quiet of summer through the rush of excitement of move-in, and then into the regular bustle of the fall semester. I enjoy the snippets of passing conversations I hear as students discuss their courses, homework… Continue reading Welcome to Academic Year 2026-27
Reinert Center’s 2026 Pedagogy Week
On August 10 - 14, the Reinert Center hosted Pedagogy Week, a week of workshops on a variety of teaching topics coinciding with new faculty orientation, graduate teaching assistant orientation, and the start of the new academic year. For those who were not able to attend, we have collected a few resources related to each… Continue reading Reinert Center’s 2026 Pedagogy Week
New Canvas Feature: Discussions “Checkpoints”
by Eric Royer, Program Director, Reinert Center Canvas recently rolled out a new feature called Discussion Checkpoints. This functionality allows instructors to assign different due dates and point values for students’ initial discussion posts and their peer responses, and also set the number of required replies they need to make in a discussion. Canvas then… Continue reading New Canvas Feature: Discussions “Checkpoints”
Resources Revisited: Creating an Inclusive Classroom
by Eric Royer, Program Director, Reinert Center The Reinert Center’s Resources Revisited series highlights existing resources available to the SLU teaching community that may be especially timely or useful at certain points in the academic year. With the fall semester just around the corner, our August 2026 entry highlights strategies for creating inclusive classroom environments… Continue reading Resources Revisited: Creating an Inclusive Classroom
Introducing the New Online University Teaching Skills Certificate
by Eric Royer, Program Manager, Reinert Center August represents change in many ways. Many of us are yearning for a crispness in the air and a return to routines and schedules (especially those of us with children). Soon we’ll welcome new students to our classrooms and begin another academic year. It’s also a time for… Continue reading Introducing the New Online University Teaching Skills Certificate
What Constraints Can Teach Us About Teaching
by Christopher Grabau, Program Director, Reinert Center David Epstein's central argument in his latest book, Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better, is a useful consideration for anyone teaching. Limitations are not the enemy of creativity or growth, they are often the condition that produces it. Open-ended freedom can feel generous, but it frequently… Continue reading What Constraints Can Teach Us About Teaching
Highlighting CDI 2026
by Robert Cole, Program Manager, Reinert Center During the first week of June, nine SLU instructors gathered to participate in the Reinert Center’s sixth annual Course Design Institute (CDI). CDI is a five-day program leading to a complete or nearly complete syllabus and course. Some instructors were making significant changes to pre-existing courses, while others… Continue reading Highlighting CDI 2026
Book Review of Flower Darby, The Joyful Online Teacher: Finding Our Fizz in Asynchronous Classes
From the Teaching, Engaging, and Thriving in Higher Ed Series, University of Oklahoma Press, 2026. by Beth Petitjean, Ph.D., Digital Learning Specialist, Reinert Center Yes, it’s July. And, yes, it’s hot and sizzling in St. Louis. Appropriate time then for a summer book review and this time we’re perusing a recent volume from the Teaching,… Continue reading Book Review of Flower Darby, The Joyful Online Teacher: Finding Our Fizz in Asynchronous Classes
Year in Review: Foundations and Principles of University Teaching Skills Certificate Activity
The Reinert Center's Certificate in University Teaching Skills Program had a strong 2025-2026 academic year. At the heart of these certificates is the Praxis Workshop series, facilitated by Saint Louis University faculty and Reinert Center staff. Each workshop offers insights on teaching topics along with hands-on practice, which help participants consider how to incorporate them… Continue reading Year in Review: Foundations and Principles of University Teaching Skills Certificate Activity
The Notebook 