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University Practicum Advisory Board

Northwestern's University Practicum is a flexible online series of sessions designed for instructors of all levels, backgrounds, and teaching contexts.

Membership

The University Practicum (UP) is guided by an Advisory Board with broad representation from the Northwestern University community. The Board is co-chaired by the Senior Director of Teaching and Learning Technologies and the Senior Director of the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, who convenes the group twice each year. Members are appointed by the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Vice President and Chief Information Officer to three-year terms, with the possibility of renewal.

Members (2024–present)

  • Executive Sponsors—Karen Smilowitz, Sean Reynolds
  • AccessibleNU—Jim Stachowiak
  • Information Technology Teaching & Learning Technologies (IT TLT)—Vicky Getis, co-chair
  • School of Professional Studies, Office of Distance Learning (SPS DL)—Reba-Anna Lee
  • Searle Center for Advancing Learning & Teaching—Jennifer Keys, co-chair; Veronica Womack
  • University Libraries—Michelle Guittar

The members of the Advisory Board Collaborate to:

  • Identify emerging instructional needs and institutional priorities that shape the annual focus of the UP.
  • Provide strategic guidance on the direction, relevance, and positioning of the UP within Northwestern’s broader educational landscape.
  • Strengthen instructor engagement by advising on how the UP is communicated and taken up across the university, including outreach, recruitment, incentives, and integration within academic and evaluative structures.

This work is advanced through two annual meetings:

  • A late spring/early summer meeting focused on reviewing assessment data, developing the annual topic, and setting priorities for the upcoming cycle.
  • A fall meeting focused on reviewing the developed curriculum and shaping signature elements.

The members of the Content Design Team collaborate to:

  • Design and develop the UP curriculum, translating Advisory Board priorities into a coherent learning experience.
  • Incorporate disciplinary perspectives and case-based teaching contexts through faculty contributions.
  • Ensure the overall quality of the UP by maintaining coherence, consistency, and alignment across sessions, materials, and participant pathways.

Searle Center Roles

The Searle Center supports and sustains the program through the following educational developer roles (as capacity allows):

  • Associate Director of High-Impact Teaching: Leads the design and ongoing development of the Practicum curriculum across its full cycle, in collaboration with the Content Design Team.
  • Assistant Director of Learning and Teaching: Oversees logistics and coordinates operations to support the delivery of sessions, materials, and communications.
  • Senior Assistant Director of Assessment: Analyzes and interprets assessment data to inform ongoing program refinement.

Background

The University Practicum, which has drawn over 1,275 instructors across all schools, is collaboratively designed to enhance evidence-based teaching practices, leverage educational technology, deepen the integration of Universal Design for Learning, and cultivate learning environments for student success and instructor vitality in close alignment with Northwestern’s institutional priorities of pursuing excellence across all disciplines and strengthening community.

Collaborators include AccessibleNU, Northwestern IT Teaching and Learning Technologies, Office of the Provost, School of Professional Studies Office of Distance Learning, Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, and University Libraries, in partnership with faculty subject matter experts across the University.

Past UP have focused on Foundations of Online Teaching (2020-21), Inclusive Teaching (2021-22), Universal Design for Learning (2022-23), Reimagining Assessment (2023-24), Supporting Student Success (2024-25), and The Science of How Students Learn (2025-26).