Montclair State University’s Teaching Principles

The Montclair Teaching Principles were written by the Office for Faculty Excellence Advisory Board in consultation with the University’s Provost, deans, and faculty who provided suggestions and feedback during the drafting process, in college meetings, through surveys, and in University Senate reviews. The Dean’s Council and the Provost approved these Principles in April 2021.

In August 2022 these Principles were re-titled and re-ordered to provide the backbone of OFE’s Teaching Resources, which can be found in the following section of this page, grouped by principle.

Montclair faculty are advised to use these Principles to guide their teaching development and professional advancement. They reflect our values as well as research in teaching, and they are a useful guide to both self-evaluation and evaluation of other instructors.

The University’s Teaching Principles are listed below, with each principle’s title linking to a detailed page that explains the principle, its rationale, and provides resources to assist faculty in incorporating these principles into their teaching practices. The original document in pdf format can be found here.

Principle 1: Clear Course Design. Provide clear expectations and explicit course learning goals to help foster student success.

Principle 2: Pedagogical Strategies that Support Learning. Create class and research environments that build community, foster belonging, and promote mentoring.

Principle 3: Inclusivity and Diversity. Deliver course content that actively integrates, interrogates, and seriously engages with the diversity of perspectives and experiences that a scholarly, responsible treatment of the subject demands. Use pedagogies of inclusion that enable all students to feel known, seen, and valued to encourage learning and growth.

Principle 4: Universal Design for Learning. Design and deliver all course elements for maximum accessibility to give all students equitable opportunities for success.

Principle 5: Teaching as Reflective Practice. Reflect on one’s teaching practices and beliefs to maximize self-awareness and continual improvement.

Principle 6: Disciplinary Excellence. Create and deliver a coherent course of study with activities and assessment strategies that are consonant with current best thinking in the discipline.