Training on Instructional Practices for Postsecondary Success (TIPPS) is a series of professional learning modules designed for postsecondary instructors in career and technical education. The modules provide an overview of evidence-based practices that strengthen teaching and learning. The ultimate goal of TIPPS is to lead to a better-prepared workforce. Through TIPPS, each instructor can work through the learning modules and construct a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework for their teaching by infusing pedological strategies with diverse learners in mind.
Educators can engage in TIPPS in various ways: Individually at their own pace, collaboratively with a group of peers, and/or by participating in facilitated professional learning sessions. TIPPS content is divided into four 1.5 hour sessions housed within our Equity University LMS. Sessions are interactive and provide practical activities for applying new knowledge in ways specific to participants’ contexts.
TIPPS spans topics related to learning conditions, curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and focuses on the following learning objectives:
- Create optimal conditions for learning in an equitable and effective learning environment.
- Design an accessible curriculum that embraces learner variability.
- Apply instructional practices that are both rigorous and relevant to increase student engagement
- Use a balanced assessment and feedback system to inform teaching and learning.
Training on Instructional Practices for Postsecondary Success Presentation
Meet Your TIPPS Instructional Coach:
Shanna Shipman is a twenty-year educator focused on equity and the experience of the whole learner. She most recently spent six years with the American Institutes for Research, where she assisted national, state, and local education agencies with the implementation of evidence-based practices that support learners’ academic, social, and emotional development. She also served as the Social and Emotional Learning Project Lead for the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders. Before that, Shanna provided technical assistance related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment as a Continuous Improvement Coach and Content Specialist for the Illinois State Board of Education. She has taught a spectrum of age levels and currently relishes her role as an Adult Education provider. Shanna’s goal is to support the personal growth of learners of all ages through the development of optimal learning environments. Email:
FY 2023 TIPPS Spring Cohort:
Join the 2023 Spring TIPPS Cohort by attending an in-person kick-off followed by three virtual meetings.
An April 25 in-person session will set the stage, focusing on the student experience to create optimal learning conditions. You’ll also hear about how former participants have used TIPPS. Registration is free, and the meeting will take place at Heartland Community College in Normal.
Then, three weekly virtual meetings on “TIPPS Tuesdays” will cover the following topics:
May 2: Design an accessible curriculum that embraces learner variability.
May 8: Apply engaging instructional practices to ensure rigor and relevance.
May 15: Use a balanced assessment and feedback system to inform teaching and learning.
Sign up for your spot in the 2023 Spring TIPPS Cohort today!
Here from TIPPS Participants:
"TIPPS provides tools, resources, and services to help partners build capacity for a working culture of collaboration, reflection, inquiry, problem solving, and improvement toward equitable outcomes. It focuses on both the technical and adaptive qualities of systems reform, which I consider to be necessary for transformational change."
David Ellis
Welding Instructor
College of DuPage
“My main focus is on reducing the effects of trauma in the education experience. I am attempting to get students to focus on the overall experience rather than trying to jump over the fence.”
Jennifer Charles-Ajao MSN, RN
Nursing Instructor
Southwestern Illinois College
“The content was delivered with a clear and concise tone that made it very engaging.”
“The linked resources were excellent.”“Activities were engaging in the reflection packet.”
“The material was thought-provoking, allowing the reader to maximize their reflective practice skills on their instructional practices.”
